The Battle of Kherlen (Chinese: 臚朐河之戰) took place between the Eastern Mongols and Ming China at the banks of Kherlen River (Kerulen) in the Mongolian Plateau on 23 September 1409.[2]
| Battle of Kherlen | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Eastern Mongols | Ming China | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Bunyashiri Arughtai |
Qiu Fu † Wang Cong † Qoryocin † Wang Zhong † Li Yuan † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 1,000 cavalry[1] | ||||||
Background
editA conflict erupted between two Eastern Mongol leaders, the khan Guilichi and his principal retainer Arughtai, which culminated in the killing of Guilichi in 1408.[3] Arughtai, the victor of the conflict, installed Bunyashiri as the new khan.[3] Afterwards, the Ming court sent the envoy Guo Ji to demand the dispatch of a tribute embassy, but they killed the envoy instead.[3] In contrast, the Mongol leader Mahmud of the Oyirad Mongols (Western Mongols) sent a tribute mission to the Yongle Emperor of Ming China in 1408.[3] The Ming court, who were appalled that the Eastern Mongols refused to establish tributary relations and murdered their envoy, would use the Oyirad Mongols to offset the Eastern Mongols.[4]
The Eastern Mongols were attacked north of Ningxia by the Oyirad Mongols led by Mahmud and were thus routed to the Kherlen River, so the Yongle Emperor took the opportunity for a military expedition against the Eastern Mongols.[5] The emperor sent an army led by Qiu Fu against the Eastern Mongols.[5] The Mingshi records that the army comprised 100,000 cavalry, but Rossabi (1998) states that this is an unrealistic and exaggerated figure.[6]
Battle
editOn arrival at Kherlen River, Qiu Fu's troops captured a Mongol who revealed that the enemy was disorganized and retreating chaotically.[7] They acted on this information and pursued the Eastern Mongols into the steppe.[7] Rossabi (1998) remarks that they did so without taking into account the tactic of feigned retreat.[7] Qiu Fu only took a force of 1,000 cavalry in the pursuit north of the river.[8]
Bunyashiri and Arughtai's forces attacked Qiu Fu's force west of Onon river, which resulted in the defeat of Qiu Fu's force and the death of Qiu Fu in the battle.[7] Qiu Fu only had the 1,000 cavalry when the Eastern Mongols engaged.[5] He was detached from the other troops in his army and was in a vulnerable position when the Eastern Mongols launched their attack.[7]
In the battle, Qiu Fu, the Duke of Qi, was killed along the four marquises Wang Cong, Qoryocin, Wang Zhong, and Li Yuan, who all assisted Qiu Fu in the military campaign.[2]
Aftermath
editThe Yongle Emperor blamed Qiu Fu for not waiting until the main body of the army arrived, posthumously stripped Qiu Fu and Qoryocin (who reluctantly went along with Qiu Fu) from their noble titles, and exiled Qiu Fu's family to Hainan island.[9] After this battle, the emperor would personally lead a punitive expedition against the Eastern Mongols, which resulted in the defeat of both Bunyashiri and Arughtai's forces by the Ming army in the expedition.[7][10]
References
edit- ^ Rossabi, Morris (1998). "The Ming and Inner Asia". In Twitchett, Dennis; Mote, Frederick W. (eds.). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 8: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-521-24333-9.
The actual engagement between Ch'iu Fu and the Eastern Mongols involved, as recounted in the Ming chronicles, only 1,000 Ming cavalry, a less impressive but perhaps, more credible number.
- ^ a b Tsai, Shih-Shan Henry (2001). Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Emperor Yongle. University of Washington Press. p. 167.
- ^ a b c d Rossabi, Morris (1998). "The Ming and Inner Asia". In Twitchett, Dennis; Mote, Frederick W. (eds.). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 8: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-521-24333-9.
- ^ Rossabi, Morris (1998). "The Ming and Inner Asia". In Twitchett, Dennis; Mote, Frederick W. (eds.). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 8: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 227–228. ISBN 978-0-521-24333-9.
- ^ a b c Rossabi, Morris (1998). "The Ming and Inner Asia". In Twitchett, Dennis; Mote, Frederick W. (eds.). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 8: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-521-24333-9.
- ^ Rossabi, Morris (1998). "The Ming and Inner Asia". In Twitchett, Dennis; Mote, Frederick W. (eds.). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 8: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-521-24333-9.
The Yung-lo emperor, trying to capitalize on the Eastern Mongols' disarray, dispatched a general named Ch'iu Fu with, according to the Ming shih, 100,000 crack cavalry to crush the recalcitrant Mongols. The figure of 100,000 seems to be an exaggeration, as organizing and provisioning such a large force, particularly in the grasslands, was scarcely possible in the limited time allotted for planning this expedition.
- ^ a b c d e f Rossabi, Morris (1998). "The Ming and Inner Asia". In Twitchett, Dennis; Mote, Frederick W. (eds.). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 8: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-521-24333-9.
- ^ Tsai, Shih-Shan Henry (2001). Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Emperor Yongle. University of Washington Press. p. 167. "However, the overconfident Qiu Fu took only one thousand cavalry as he recklessly pursued the demoralized Tartars north of the river."
- ^ Tsai, Shih-Shan Henry (2001). Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Emperor Yongle. University of Washington Press. pp. 167–168.
- ^ Chan, Hok-lam (1988). "The Chien-wen, Yung-lo, Hung-hsi, and Hsüan-te reigns, 1399–1435". In Mote, Frederick W.; Twitchett, Denis (eds.). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-521-24332-2.