In the eleventh year of the Later Jin Mandate, that is, on August 11 of the sixth year of the Ming Dynasty's Apocalypse, Nurhachi, a generation of male lords, was depressed and inexplicable due to the defeat in the Battle of Ningyuan, and finally died of illness. He was accompanied by the eldest concubine Abahai and two concubines, who followed Nurhachi to another world by way of martyrdom.
The succession to the throne became an important issue for the Later Jin. Among the four major beylers, the great beyler was originally qualified to inherit, but the ambiguous relationship between him and the eldest concubine Abahai of the Nara clan made him bear the notoriety of bullying the king and contempt for his father, and his reputation plummeted. Moreover, Nurhachi had made it clear before his death that he would not be allowed to inherit the throne.
The second Bel Amin, who was not born to Nurhachi, was excluded from the list of heirs because he had participated in the defection of his father Shulhaqi. Although he was brave, he was offended by his mother's step-concubine Fucha for "stealing gold silks", and he himself had a rough temperament, and no one supported him to inherit the throne.
At this time, the figure of the Four Baylor Emperor Taiji stood out. He had a unique political vision, outstanding military talents, and unparalleled personal prestige. He is the strongest of all the Baylors and is undoubtedly the best candidate for the post-Kim Khan position.
On the day of Nurhachi's death, the Great Beyl Daishan and his sons Yueto and Sakhalian publicly supported Huang Taiji's succession to the throne, and they stated to the ministers of Beile the reasons for supporting Huang Taiji: "He should quickly inherit the throne because of his talents and virtues." With the strong support of Dai Shan, who is the eldest brother, all the ministers of Baylor echoed and unanimously asked Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.
Although Huang Taiji resigned many times, he finally agreed to everyone's request. On September 1, Huang Taiji officially ascended the throne, he proclaimed himself Emperor Tiancong, burned incense to tell the sky, and declared the following year as the first year of Tiancong.
When Huang Taiji inherited the throne, Houjin faced an unprecedented predicament. The Ming Dynasty had built a strong defense line of Guanningjin, and joined forces with Korea and Mongolia to form a tight blockade of the Later Jin. The collegial system of the four major Baylors became a constraint for Huang Taiji to consolidate Khan's power. Internally, ethnic divisions and class conflicts are intensifying, the economy is in trouble, and the population is tired of the constant wars.
On the side of the Ming Dynasty, the momentum was like a rainbow because of the victory of Ningyuan in the first battle. At the beginning of his rise to power, Huang Taiji took the initiative to send a letter to Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Ningyuan, expressing his willingness for peace in order to ease the tension between the two sides.
The Ming Dynasty did not let down its vigilance because of this, but accelerated the pace of preparations for war. While demanding the return of the lost territory, they actively built Tashan, Xiaolinghe City, and Jinzhou City to strengthen the defensive line. Huang Taiji knew that the contest between the Later Jin and the Ming Dynasty would be a protracted and complex contest, which required careful consideration and steady fighting.
In the first year of Jin Tiancong, that is, in May of the seventh year of the Ming Dynasty's Apocalypse, Huang Taiji followed the conquest of the Joseon Dynasty and personally led a large army to conquer the Ming Dynasty again. At this time, Yuan Chonghuan, a famous general of the Ming Dynasty, was actively implementing the "recovery plan", devoting himself to repairing the city and Tuntian, fighting with Tuntian, and attacking with defense, which was strategically both stable and surprisingly victorious.
Huang Taiji was eager for a quick victory and launched the Battle of Ningjin, but the result was beyond his expectations. In this fierce battle, the Houjin army was heavy, but Ningyuan City was still standing. Huang Taiji did not give up and continued to attack for more than ten days, but still failed to make a breakthrough. It was Yuan Chonghuan who defended the city, and he planned it well, ordering generals such as Man Gui, You Shilu, and Zu Dashou to go out of the city to meet the enemy. Huang Taiji personally supervised the battle, leading Daishan, Amin, Mang Gurtai, Azig and other fierce generals to charge into battle. The Ming army resisted bravely, and the shouts shook the sky. Yuan Chonghuan took command and dispatched artillery, and the Houjin soldiers fell in rows and suffered heavy losses.
In this battle, the Ming general Man Gui was also seriously wounded, and most of the soldiers were killed and wounded. Huang Taiji saw that Ningyuan City was indestructible, so he had no choice but to attack Jinzhou. However, on June 4, there were many people suffering from heat stroke in the army, and Huang Taiji knew that he could not stay for a long time, so he ordered the army to retreat. In this battle, the Ming army successfully defended and was known as the "Ningjin Victory".
The western Liaoning region could not be captured, and Houjin could not break through the Shanhai Pass. If he wants to seize Beijing, Huang Taiji must find another way. By this time, he already had some knowledge of Mongolia. In the past, he participated in alliances with Khalkha, Horqin and other ministries, and also led troops to aid Horqin. The defeat in the Battle of Ningjin made Huang Taiji begin to re-examine his strategy, and also laid the groundwork for his future strategic adjustment against Mongolia.
In the second year of Jin Tiancong, that is, in February of the first year of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, Huang Taiji personally led the two younger brothers, Dolgon and Duoduo, to lead the army to conquer the Dorot Department to which Chahar belonged. They penetrated deep into the Omlun region and succeeded in capturing 11,200 people, achieving a brilliant victory. As a result of the great victory in the Battle of Omulun, Dorgon was given the honorary title of "Morgan Daiqing", and Dordor received the honorific title of "Erkechuhuer".
In August of the same year, Huang Taiji reached a peace agreement with the Karaqin tribe, and in September, he successfully mobilized the troops of Korqin, Karaqin, Ao Han, Naiman and Khalkha to rendezvous. On September 6, the Houjin army marched out to Chahar. By the 20th, they had successively captured many important places such as Silha, Sibertu, Ying, and Tang, and had achieved great results. The next day, they pursued to the Xing'an Mountains and captured countless people and animals. In mid-October, news of the victory came back, and the army returned triumphantly.
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This expedition not only dealt a heavy blow to the powerful Chahar tribes, but also further consolidated the rule of the Later Jin over the subjugated Mongol tribes. Soon after, Emperor Taiji sent Ashdarhan to these places to read an edict stipulating that in the event of a conquest of Chahar thereafter, all beylers who were under the age of seventy and over thirteen years old were to be conscripted, and those who violated the order were punished by horses or camels, and those who failed to arrive at the designated assembly place on time would also be punished accordingly.