Huang Taiji, born in the twentieth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, the eighth son of Nurhachi, has been deeply loved by his father since he was a child. His mother, Menggu Zhezhe, was born in the family of the head of the Haixi Jurchen Yehe tribe. In order to forge a close alliance with Nurhachi, the leader betrothed his beloved youngest daughter to him, which was hailed as a match made in heaven.
In 1588, Nurhachi married his fourteen-year-old bride, Mengu Zhezhe, who was now thirty years old. Although Nurhachi had many wives and concubines and a large number of children, Mengu Zhezhe held a special place in his heart. She was known for being docile and dedicated to serving her husband and not getting involved in politics, which made Nurhachi have a soft spot for her.
Huang Taiji has shown extraordinary intelligence and charm since he was a child, his face is ruddy, his eyebrows are clear, his actions are steady, and his manners are decent. He was intelligent, quick to remember everything he saw and heard, and had a keen interest in books. Among Nurhachi's many generals, Huang Taiji was the only one who could read. What is even more admirable is that at the age of seven, he began to preside over the housekeeping and took care of the family's affairs in an orderly manner.
In the autumn of the 31st year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, Huang Taiji's mother, Meng Gu Zhezhe, was seriously ill, and her heart was full of thoughts of her mother, hoping to see her. When Nurhachi learned of this, he immediately sent to Yehebu to inform him of this, but Yehbel Narimbulu did not agree to this request. In September of the same year, Meng Gu Zhezhe died of illness, and Huang Taiji, who was only 12 years old, lost his beloved mother.
After the death of his mother, Huang Taiji followed his father and brother and showed the potential to grow rapidly, and soon became a teenager who was both civil and military. Deeply influenced by his father, he learned the traditional customs of his own people, participated in hunting activities from an early age, and developed extraordinary courage and strength, whether he was archery on foot or on horseback, he could accurately hit the target.
After becoming emperor, Huang Taiji still remembers his life as a child. He once recalled: "During the Taizu period, as soon as we heard that we were going out hunting the next day, we would adjust the eagle ball in advance and make all kinds of preparations. If we weren't allowed to go, we'd even cry and beg to go. At that time, both young and old, they were keen to march and hunt, believing it to be a great event.
Huang Taiji is very similar to his father, with hard-working qualities and a strong physique. The Shisheng Temple in Shenyang once housed a bow he used, which was more than four feet long.
In the process of gradually unifying the Jurchen tribes, Huang Taiji, with his bravery and wisdom, became the right-hand man of his father Nurhachi. In September of the 40th year of Wanli (1612), the 20-year-old Huang Taiji led 30,000 horses with his father Nurhachi and embarked on a journey to conquer the Jurchen Ula tribe in Haixi.
Huang Taiji and others led their troops to the Ula River and marched along the west bank. In the face of the soldiers of Huang Taiji and others approaching the city, Buzhantai, the chief of the Ula tribe, did not dare to cross the river to meet the battle, and could only wait and see from across the river on the east bank. Nurhachi decisively dismounted, sat on the shore, and ordered Huang Taiji and others to lead the army to capture six castles along the coast one after another. Subsequently, they set up a large camp in Jinzhou City, two miles away from the west gate of Wula City, and formed a confrontation with the Wula soldiers of Buzhantai.
For the next four or five days, Buzhantai relied on the natural barrier of the river and could not hold out. Seeing this, Huang Taiji and others were anxious, and they asked Nurhachi to fight, hoping to lead their troops across the river to attack Ula City. Nurhachi, however, felt that the time was not yet ripe, and he parabled: "If you want to cut down a big tree, how can you break it at once?" It must be sharpened with an axe and a knife to a tiny size before it can be broken. Therefore, he rejected the request of Huang Taiji and others, and instead sent troops out to burn and plunder, demolish the six occupied city weirs, and burn many houses, grain and grass. At the same time, he also stationed troops in the fortified city of Imahada to monitor the movements of Ullah.
In the first month of the following year, Nurhachi saw the opportunity and finally broke through the city of Ula. Seeing that the tide was turning, Buzhantai had no choice but to flee to Yeh. Huang Taiji showed outstanding military talent and heroic fighting spirit in this campaign, and made great achievements for his father Nurhachi to establish a new kingdom and unify the Jurchen tribes.
Nurhachi had intended to make his eldest son Chu Ying his heir, but Chu Ying deviated from his father's expectations, secretly plotted a rebellion, and even tried to win over Huang Taiji and others to join his plot. Huang Taiji and others had insight into his ambitions and decisively exposed Chu Ying's crimes to Nurhachi. In the forty-first year of Wanli (1613), Nurhachi imprisoned Chu Ying and resolutely executed him two years later as an example. This incident made Huang Taiji's position in Nurhachi's heart even more solid.
In the forty-third year of Wanli (1615), Nurhachi carried out a major military and political reform, merging the four flags of yellow, white, red and blue with the four flags of yellow, white, red and blue, and formally established the eight banners system. Huang Taiji was appointed Baylor in charge of the white flag, becoming an important pillar of this new system.
In the first year of the Later Jin Mandate of Heaven (the 44th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, 1616), Nurhachi officially established Dajin (known as Houjin in history) and proclaimed himself the Emperor of the Mandate of Heaven. He appointed his second son Daishan as the Great Baylor, his nephew Amin as the Second Baylor, and the fifth son Mang Gurtai as the Third Baylor, while Huang Taiji was named the Fourth Baylor, which was called the "Four Baylors" together with the first three. These four Baylors were on a monthly rotation and shared the affairs of the state, making Huang Taiji one of Nurhachi's right-hand men and one of the core figures of the Manchurian aristocracy.
In the third year of the Later Jin Mandate of Heaven (the 46th year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, 1618), Nurhachi decided to launch an attack on the Ming Dynasty, but the specific action strategy was not determined for a long time. At this critical moment, Huang Taiji stepped forward and put forward a bold plan. He advocated attacking Fushun first, because Fushun was the key point of communication between the Later Jin Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, "Fushun is where I enter and exit, and I must take it first."
Huang Taiji further suggested that taking advantage of the Ming Dynasty's guerrilla Li Yongfang's plan to open a horse market from April 8 to 25, he sent 50 men disguised as horse merchants and divided into five groups to blend into the city. Subsequently, he personally led 5,000 elite soldiers, took advantage of the night to secretly approach the city of Fushun, and joined forces with the ambush soldiers in the city to launch a two-sided attack. Nurhachi was impressed by his plan and decided to adopt it.
On April 13, Nurhachi swore an oath in the name of the "Seven Hatreds". Huang Taiji's strategy was a great success, and the Later Jin army won a great victory in the Battle of Fushun. This battle was the first major battle between the Later Jin and the Ming Dynasty, and had a profound impact on the later development of the Later Jin.
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