Yuan Chonghuan
Repelled Nurhaci in the Victory at Ningyuan; later executed by slicing by the Chongzhen Emperor after the Jisi Incident.
Life
Rode alone beyond the pass
Yuan Chonghuan was from Dongguan in Guangdong. He passed the jinshi exam and loved to discuss military affairs. In 1622 he rode alone beyond the pass to survey the situation, and on returning declared, "Give me troops, horses, money and grain, and I alone can hold this place." He was made army supervisor and oversaw the building of the walls of Ningyuan.
Victory at Ningyuan
In 1626 Nurhaci attacked Ningyuan with a large army. Holding out with Western cannons, Yuan drove back the Later Jin forces, the first crushing defeat the Later Jin had suffered since rising in revolt, known to history as the "Victory at Ningyuan." The next year he repelled Hong Taiji again at the Battle of Ningjin.
Wrongful case of 1629
In 1628 the Chongzhen Emperor appointed him military commissioner of Jizhou and Liaodong, and he executed Mao Wenlong, regional commander of Dongjiang, on his own authority. In 1629 Hong Taiji made a detour through Mongolia, broke through the Great Wall and reached Beijing. Yuan led his troops back to relieve the capital, but the Chongzhen Emperor suspected him of colluding with the enemy, imprisoned him and had him executed by slicing in 1630.
Legacy
Yuan Chonghuan was one of the most capable frontier commanders of the late Ming; his wrongful death cost the Ming dynasty its ablest general in Liaodong, and his merits and faults are still debated today.
Major works & achievements
- Victory at Ningyuan
- Battle of Ningjin
Did you know? A subordinate of his surnamed She gathered and buried his remains, and the She family guarded his tomb for more than 300 years, generation after generation.
Key dates
- 1622Rode alone beyond the pass and oversaw the building of Ningyuan
- 1626Victory at Ningyuan
- 1627Battle of Ningjin
- 1629Executed Mao Wenlong; returned to relieve Beijing during the Jisi Incident
- 1630Executed by death by slicing