Talk:Jurchen unification

Nurhaci's relationship with Ming

Nurhaci's long relationship with the Ming dynasty was much more complicated than just being antagonistic (as originally stated in the lead). For example, according to the Cambridge History of China (Volume 9, Page 29), "At the same time he (Nurhaci) also attended to his own relationship with the Ming government. Officially he still considered himself a guardian of the Ming border and a local representative of imperial Ming power. In 1589, he endeared himself to the Ming by rescuing several kidnapped Chinese and delivering them to Ming authorities, an act which earned him the title of assistant commissioner-in-chief. In 1590 he led his first of eight tribute missions of Jurchen chiefs to Peking. Two years later he offered the Ming his assistance in their defense of Korea against a Japanese invasion under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Ming did not accept the offer, but in 1595 awarded Nurhaci the title of dragon-tiger general (lung-hu chiang-chün)..." Clearly, he was a Ming vassal in the early years and also had a close and more or less friendly relationship with the Ming (at least on the surface) before proclaiming the Later Jin dynasty much later. But of course he became more and more ambitious later in his life, and only openly rebelled and confronted with the Ming after establishing his own dynasty in 1616. --Wengier (talk) 23:01, 10 September 2023 (UTC)