In the late Ming Dynasty, a decisive general emerged, who repeatedly made military exploits on the frontier battlefield and made great efforts to maintain the peace and tranquility of the Ming Dynasty's territory. This figure was highly respected by later generations, and Zhang Taiyan was even praised as a "national hero". However, he was also mired in controversy, with some accusing him of conniving at the rise of Manchuria outside the Guan, which became a hidden danger in the last years of the Ming Dynasty. This is Li Chengliang, the "King of the Northeast" with mixed reputations.
Li Chengliang was born in the fifth year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty, and was brave and decisive when he was young, and his wit was outstanding. After being promoted to the Liaodong General Army, he commanded one side and deterred the powerful in all directions. In the first battle, it successfully resisted the attack of the Mongol tribes, and then the Manchurian tribes stabilized the originally turbulent Liaodong. The Liaodong soldiers and horses led by him became the elite of the Ming Empire's frontier, and the military operations of the Jiajing and Wanli dynasties against the north were indispensable to the Liaodong army. More than 30 years of brilliant achievements have made him known as the real king of the Northeast.
However, Li Chengliang was later ** and was once deposed. However, the situation in the northeast could not be ignored, and the situation deteriorated rapidly, and the Wanli Emperor had to use the septuagenarian veteran again. He returned to Liaodong, but Nurhachi had already begun to unify the Manchurian provinces, and the Ming army was unable to stop this process. Li Chengliang fought again for eight years, with mixed merits and demerits, and finally died in Beijing at the age of ninety. Three years later, Nurhachi openly rebelled against the Ming, and the Ming and Qing wars broke out.
There is a lot of controversy about the merits and demerits of Li Chengliang, both at that time and in later generations. Judging from the merits, he did stabilize the situation in the Northeast and jointly built the "Great Wall" of China with Qi Jiguang, which was his great cause. However, some have pointed out that Li Chengliang was extravagant in his later years, conniving at his subordinates' abuse of the people. He also took in Nurhachi, Manchuria rose with his connivance, and some accused him of "raising his own self-respect", Nurhachi became a great disaster for the Ming Empire, and Li Chengliang became the first evildoer.
In fact, figures like Li Chengliang are not accidental, and are directly related to the changes in the overall military system of the Ming Empire. The initial "guard system" achieved initial success in the early days of Zhu Yuanzhang's founding of the People's Republic of China, but in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, with the annexation of land, the land of the guard was occupied by landlords and generals, and the army of the guard became a tool of the landlords and generals, and its combat effectiveness declined sharply. During the Jiajing Dynasty, the guard system was completely eroded, and the garrison in the southeast could not stop the ravages of the Japanese invaders, forcing the Ming Dynasty to re-recruit troops and train new troops such as the Qi family army to make up for the problems caused by the guard system.
Li Chengliang also adopted this new recruitment system in Liaodong and formed a private guard to form the core combat strength of the army. However, this also leads to the result of militarization. Li Chengliang's son and his old subordinates owned a large amount of land and wealth in Liaodong and the capital, and they married each other to form a huge interest group. This Liaodong military interest group directly affected the national defense of the late Ming Dynasty, causing the war in Liaodong to fall into erosion, and no matter who was sent to Liaodong, it could not prevent the rise of the Later Jin Manchu Qing. This interest group eventually turned to the Manchus and became the vanguard of the Qing court's invasion of the Central Plains.
Overall, Li Chengliang played an important role in the history of the Ming Dynasty, and his brilliance coexisted with shadow. His contribution to stabilizing the situation in Northeast China cannot be ignored, but the influence of militarization also laid the groundwork for the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Li Chengliang's life is not only a portrayal of the glory of the Ming Dynasty, but also a microcosm of the changes in the military system.
Li Chengliang's great achievements and shadowy historical footprints in his life have aroused endless controversy and profound thinking. His brilliant achievements in the Northeast region, especially in Liaodong, made him known as the "King of the Northeast" at that time and was highly regarded. Over time, however, his reign was not only met by the **, but also sparked heated controversy among later historians and critics.
First, Li Chengliang excelled during his reign in Liaodong, and his military wisdom and leadership enabled him to successfully repel the Mongol and Manchurian invasions, stabilizing the already turbulent frontier situation. His Liaodong army became the elite of the Ming Empire and made great contributions to resisting foreign invasions. During this period, he and Qi Jiguang and other generals built a strong defense line, forming the famous "Great Wall" in Chinese history.
However, as time passed, the reign of Lee Sung-liang also revealed its shadows. His later extravagance and connivance with his subordinates against the common people called into question his prestige. More importantly, he took in Nurhachi and with his connivance the rise of Manchuria, which partly laid the groundwork for the rise of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. This sparked a series of debates among later historians, with some arguing that Li Chengliang was "raising his own respect" and was the culprit for the fall of the Ming Dynasty.
From the perspective of the reform of the military system, the emergence of Li Chengliang is not only his personal reason, but also the product of the change of the overall military system. The "Guardian System" in the early Ming Dynasty did play a role in the early days, but it gradually collapsed as land annexation and land occupation intensified. The introduction of the new conscription system has made up for the shortcomings of the guard system, but it has also brought about a trend of warlordization. This trend was manifested in Li Chengliang's sons and old subordinates, forming a large military interest group. The formation of this group directly affected the national defense of the late Ming Dynasty, making it impossible to effectively resolve the war in Liaodong, which eventually led to the rise of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
In evaluating Lee, we should not simply fall into a black-and-white binary. His life experienced the glorious peak of the Ming Dynasty and the profound changes in the military system, and his exploits and mistakes together constitute a rich and complex historical picture. This kind of profound historical reflection has important enlightenment for us to understand history and draw lessons. Perhaps, it is in these historical reflections that we can better understand the past, gain insight into the present, and face the future with a more wise vision.
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