Battle of Sarhu
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Sarhū refers to the series of conflicts between the Manchu
s and Ming Dynasty
of China in the winter of year 1619, which ended in the overwhelming victory for the former.
The Manchu cavalry
defeated forces equipped with matchlock
s and cannon
s, so the Battle of Sarhū is sometimes compared to the Battle of Nagashino
in Japanese history.
unified all the Jurchen tribes except the Yehe and took a hostile attitude towards the Ming. In 1618, he proclaimed Seven Grievances (nadan amba koro 七大恨) against Ming government to Heaven and declared war on the Ming forces. He occupied Fushun
(撫順), Qinghe (清河) and other cities, and then pulled out. The death of Ming Vice-General (副總兵/副將) Zhang Chengyin (張承蔭) stunned the Ming court. In 1619, he attacked Yehe (葉赫) in an attempt to provoke the Mings.
The Ming Dynasty eventually decided to dispatch massive expeditionary forces, led by Military Commissioner Yang Hao
(楊鎬). The Mings planned to besiege Hetu Ala, Nurhaci's home, from four routes.
(沈陽), and recaptured Fushun
, which was undefended. He set off from Shenyang on the night of the 29th of the 2nd lunar month, under torchlight. He had orders to arrive at Yagu Gate on the 2nd of the 3rd lunar month, so he arrived the next day at Fushun, 100 li (里) away. He set off from Fushun on the 1st of the 3rd lunar month. Just beyond Fushun is the Sarhu Mountain Pass (薩爾滸山口) and Jilin Cliff (吉林崖). It is where the Suzi river and Hun River
converge. Du Song was advised to camp for the night, but he refused, and so forded the river topless and clouded with liquor on horseback. He was then asked to wear armour, and he replied that being in the military for this many years he did not know how heavy armour was as he never wore it and crossed the river. When his forces were half way across, Nurhaci
ordered his bannermen to break the dam
s they had prepared, and thus a portion of Du Song's men and equipment had to be left behind or were lost in the river.
That night, Du Song divided his forces in two camps, one at Sarhu Mountain Pass and he himself took one at Jilin Cliff. This was the 1st of the 3rd lunar month. Nurhaci had his Eight Banners
. He sent two banners against Du Song to keep him in check at Jilin Cliff and himself took six banners and attacked the Sarhu camp. The fighting was fierce, both sides fought valiantly but the Ming forces were completely destroyed.
Du Song heard of the defeat at Sarhu and was now very wary. Nurhaci now concentrated his all his forces against Du Song's Jilin Cliff Camp. Du Song was a courageous warrior and led from the front. But Nurhaci had him besieged. Hilltop, hillfoot, forest and valley, he was totally surrounded, with Du Song's forces firing artillery outwards with lit torches, he was lighting his own forces up clearly for Nurhaci's forces to attack. The Western Route was totally destroyed. Du Song and the other two Generals, (總兵) Wang Xuan and Zhao Menglin, were also killed in combat. Du Song died from an arrow by Liambu, 13th son of Nurhaci
.
rested and recuperated. Reports on Liu Ting and Li Rubai's routes arrived. Nurhaci decided to attack Liu Ting first, as Li Rubai's forces were mainly traversing mountain routes. Nurhaci ordered some of his troops to disguise themselves as Ming Troops and mix them into Liu Ting's forces. He also sent a message to Liu Ting with his messengers disguised as Du Song's messengers and they reported to Liu Ting that Du Song was already approaching their destination and asked him to speed up. Liu Ting took the bait and increased the pace of his advance. This ruse induced Liu Ting's troop lose cohesion with other Ming forces and advanced into a deep valley and walked straight into an ambush.
He was then ambushed in Abudali (阿布達里) Pass as his troops stretched themselves in a serpentine form to traverse the valley. His forces met Daišan
's forces and were cut to pieces. He himself, wielding his glaive fought valiantly, but was cut to pieces. He also had around 15,000 Zhejiang contingent whose armour and protection was made of bamboo and were useless against the steel blades of the Jurchen warriors: they were completely slaughtered.
The 13,000 strong Korean force, including at least 10,000 musketeers, delivered a single volley before being swept away by Manchurian cavalry. Korean contingent commander Gang Hong-Rip then surrendered with the remaining troops.
to return home. Li Rubai was mainly traversing mountain routes and also had weak resolve preferring to let the others do the fighting. Nurhaci had a small scouting contingent of roughly 20 man shadowing Li Rubai and when Li Rubai was seen to retreat, this contingent sounded the horn of attack from the mountains, pretending to be the prelude of a major attack. Panic set in amongst the Ming army, and thousands died of trampling and in the ensuing chaos. After this defeat, Li Rubai committed suicide.
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
s and Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
of China in the winter of year 1619, which ended in the overwhelming victory for the former.
The Manchu cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
defeated forces equipped with matchlock
Matchlock
The matchlock was the first mechanism, or "lock" invented to facilitate the firing of a hand-held firearm. This design removed the need to lower by hand a lit match into the weapon's flash pan and made it possible to have both hands free to keep a firm grip on the weapon at the moment of firing,...
s and cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s, so the Battle of Sarhū is sometimes compared to the Battle of Nagashino
Battle of Nagashino
The ' took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle on the plain of Shitaragahara in the Mikawa province of Japan. Forces under Takeda Katsuyori had besieged the castle since the 17th of June; Okudaira Sadamasa , a Tokugawa vassal, commanded the defending force...
in Japanese history.
Background
NurhaciNurhaci
Nurhaci was an important Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late sixteenth century in what is today Northeastern China...
unified all the Jurchen tribes except the Yehe and took a hostile attitude towards the Ming. In 1618, he proclaimed Seven Grievances (nadan amba koro 七大恨) against Ming government to Heaven and declared war on the Ming forces. He occupied Fushun
Fushun
Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French...
(撫順), Qinghe (清河) and other cities, and then pulled out. The death of Ming Vice-General (副總兵/副將) Zhang Chengyin (張承蔭) stunned the Ming court. In 1619, he attacked Yehe (葉赫) in an attempt to provoke the Mings.
The Ming Dynasty eventually decided to dispatch massive expeditionary forces, led by Military Commissioner Yang Hao
Yang Hao (Ming Dynasty)
Yang Hao was a scholar-official of the Ming Dynasty of China.Having started his political career as a county magistrate, Yang was appointed inspector-general to the Ming troops sent to support the Joseon Dynasty during its struggle to fend off the second Japanese invasion of Korea from 1596 to...
(楊鎬). The Mings planned to besiege Hetu Ala, Nurhaci's home, from four routes.
| Unit | Commanders | Estimated size |
|---|---|---|
| HQ | Military Commissioner (經略) Yang Hao (楊鎬) | several thousand |
| Left Wing West Route Force | Regional Commander (總兵) Du Song (杜松, Route Commander) Regional Commander Wang Xuan (王宣) Regional Commander Zhao Menglin (趙夢麟) Army-inspecting Censor (監軍) Zhang Quan (張銓) |
30,000 |
| Mobile Corps Commander (游擊) Xi Niansui (襲念遂) Mobile Corps Commander Li Jibi (李季泌) |
2,000 | |
| Left Wing North Route Force | Regional Commander Ma Lin (馬林, Route Commander) Vice-General (副將) Ma Yan (麻岩) |
10,000 |
| Army-inspecting Censor Fan Zongyan (范宗顏) | 10,000 | |
| Mobile Corps Commander Bao Yongcheng (寶永澄) Gintaisi Gintaisi Gintaisi , was a Jurchen beile of the Yehe tribal confederation.... (金台石) (Yehe) |
10,000 | |
| Right Wing East Route Force | Regional Commander Liu Ting (劉綎, Route Commander) Army-Inspecting Censor Kang Yingqian (康應乾) |
30,000 |
| Mobile Corps Commander (游擊) Qiao Yiqi 喬一琦 Joseon Joseon Dynasty Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul... (Korea) Division Commander Gang Hong-rip Gang Hong-rip Gang Hong-rip was a Korean general during the Joseon Dynasty.Under repeated requests from Ming China, Gwanghaegun commanded Gang Hong-rip to help Ming forces with ten thousand soldiers against the Manchus in 1619. However, Ming armies were crushed in the Battle of Sarhū. The Korean army under... (姜弘曆) |
20,000 | |
| Right Wing South Route Force | Regional Commander Li Rubai Li Rubai Li Rubai was a general of the Ming Dynasty. He was the younger brother of Li Rusong and the son of Li Chengliang. He participated in the Imjin War and the campaign against the Later Jin Khan Nurhaci where he committed suicide after the defeat at Battle of Sarhu.... (李如栢, Route Commander) Regional Commander He Shixian (賀世賢) Army-inspecting Censor Yan Mingtai (閻鳴泰) |
40,000 |
The Western Route
This route was under the overall command of Du Song. Du Song led his forces west from ShenyangShenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
(沈陽), and recaptured Fushun
Fushun
Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French...
, which was undefended. He set off from Shenyang on the night of the 29th of the 2nd lunar month, under torchlight. He had orders to arrive at Yagu Gate on the 2nd of the 3rd lunar month, so he arrived the next day at Fushun, 100 li (里) away. He set off from Fushun on the 1st of the 3rd lunar month. Just beyond Fushun is the Sarhu Mountain Pass (薩爾滸山口) and Jilin Cliff (吉林崖). It is where the Suzi river and Hun River
Hun River
The Hun He is a river in Liaoning Province, China, and one of the tributaries of the Liao River. The Hun river was formerly known as Shen River . Several major cities are located on the Hun He , including the provincial capital Shenyang and Fushun....
converge. Du Song was advised to camp for the night, but he refused, and so forded the river topless and clouded with liquor on horseback. He was then asked to wear armour, and he replied that being in the military for this many years he did not know how heavy armour was as he never wore it and crossed the river. When his forces were half way across, Nurhaci
Nurhaci
Nurhaci was an important Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late sixteenth century in what is today Northeastern China...
ordered his bannermen to break the dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s they had prepared, and thus a portion of Du Song's men and equipment had to be left behind or were lost in the river.
That night, Du Song divided his forces in two camps, one at Sarhu Mountain Pass and he himself took one at Jilin Cliff. This was the 1st of the 3rd lunar month. Nurhaci had his Eight Banners
Eight Banners
The Eight Banners were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. They provided the basic framework for the Manchu military organization...
. He sent two banners against Du Song to keep him in check at Jilin Cliff and himself took six banners and attacked the Sarhu camp. The fighting was fierce, both sides fought valiantly but the Ming forces were completely destroyed.
Du Song heard of the defeat at Sarhu and was now very wary. Nurhaci now concentrated his all his forces against Du Song's Jilin Cliff Camp. Du Song was a courageous warrior and led from the front. But Nurhaci had him besieged. Hilltop, hillfoot, forest and valley, he was totally surrounded, with Du Song's forces firing artillery outwards with lit torches, he was lighting his own forces up clearly for Nurhaci's forces to attack. The Western Route was totally destroyed. Du Song and the other two Generals, (總兵) Wang Xuan and Zhao Menglin, were also killed in combat. Du Song died from an arrow by Liambu, 13th son of Nurhaci
Nurhaci
Nurhaci was an important Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late sixteenth century in what is today Northeastern China...
.
The Northern Route
Upon hearing of Du Song's destruction, Ma Lin grew more cautious. He divided his forces in two and together with Du Song's remnant forces, mainly supply units, formed three fortified camps protected by chariots, artillery and trenches. Nurhachi concentrated his Eight Banners on each camp consecutively, initially on Ma Lin's own camp. Ma Lin's artillery opened fire, but due to their slow rate of fire they were cut to pieces by the Jurchen cavalry. Ma Lin escaped as his camp was annihilated. The other two camps also fell after Nurhachi's assault.The Eastern Route
On the 3rd, Nurhaci and DaišanDaišan
Daišan was an influential Manchu statesman and an imperial prince of the Qing Dynasty.-Family Background:He the second son of Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing Dynasty...
rested and recuperated. Reports on Liu Ting and Li Rubai's routes arrived. Nurhaci decided to attack Liu Ting first, as Li Rubai's forces were mainly traversing mountain routes. Nurhaci ordered some of his troops to disguise themselves as Ming Troops and mix them into Liu Ting's forces. He also sent a message to Liu Ting with his messengers disguised as Du Song's messengers and they reported to Liu Ting that Du Song was already approaching their destination and asked him to speed up. Liu Ting took the bait and increased the pace of his advance. This ruse induced Liu Ting's troop lose cohesion with other Ming forces and advanced into a deep valley and walked straight into an ambush.
He was then ambushed in Abudali (阿布達里) Pass as his troops stretched themselves in a serpentine form to traverse the valley. His forces met Daišan
Daišan
Daišan was an influential Manchu statesman and an imperial prince of the Qing Dynasty.-Family Background:He the second son of Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing Dynasty...
's forces and were cut to pieces. He himself, wielding his glaive fought valiantly, but was cut to pieces. He also had around 15,000 Zhejiang contingent whose armour and protection was made of bamboo and were useless against the steel blades of the Jurchen warriors: they were completely slaughtered.
The 13,000 strong Korean force, including at least 10,000 musketeers, delivered a single volley before being swept away by Manchurian cavalry. Korean contingent commander Gang Hong-Rip then surrendered with the remaining troops.
The Southern Route
When Yang Hao heard of the annihilation of the three routes, he ordered Li RubaiLi Rubai
Li Rubai was a general of the Ming Dynasty. He was the younger brother of Li Rusong and the son of Li Chengliang. He participated in the Imjin War and the campaign against the Later Jin Khan Nurhaci where he committed suicide after the defeat at Battle of Sarhu....
to return home. Li Rubai was mainly traversing mountain routes and also had weak resolve preferring to let the others do the fighting. Nurhaci had a small scouting contingent of roughly 20 man shadowing Li Rubai and when Li Rubai was seen to retreat, this contingent sounded the horn of attack from the mountains, pretending to be the prelude of a major attack. Panic set in amongst the Ming army, and thousands died of trampling and in the ensuing chaos. After this defeat, Li Rubai committed suicide.