A Palace Coup in Fifteen Days

The Ming Dynasty witnessed one of its most dramatic successions on September 6, 1620, when sixteen-year-old Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne in the Qianqing Palace, proclaiming the Tianqi era. This moment marked the beginning of an extraordinarily complex period that would ultimately contribute to the dynasty’s collapse.

Behind this seemingly routine imperial transition lay fifteen days of political maneuvering that would put modern thrillers to shame. Yang Lian, a low-ranking official, emerged as the unlikely architect of this palace revolution. From August 22 onward, he navigated a gauntlet of conspiracies involving mysterious “red pills,” palace intrusions, abductions, and ruthless factional struggles. Historical records note that his hair turned completely gray during this fortnight of relentless political combat.

The Puppet Masters Take Control

The new Tianqi Emperor understood his debt to Yang Lian. Within days, the formerly insignificant seventh-rank official skyrocketed to second-rank status as Left Vice Censor-in-Chief. But Yang represented just one piece in a much larger power play.

The Donglin faction, a group of scholar-officials advocating moral governance, seized this moment to consolidate power. Zhao Nanxing returned from twenty years of retirement to head the Ministry of Personnel. Other Donglin members assumed control of the Ministries of Rites, Justice, and the powerful Censorate. Contemporaries hailed this as “an era when all upright men served at court” (众正盈朝).

The Forgotten Emperor

Amidst these power shifts, the previous emperor, Zhu Changluo, faded into obscurity. His month-long reign became a historical footnote, remembered primarily for the “Three Major Cases” that overshadowed his brief rule. The debate over his reign’s nomenclature revealed the absurdity of his situation – he ruled during neither his father’s Wanli era nor his son’s Tianqi era, leaving officials to designate August 1620 alone as the “Taichang” era.

The Donglin Ascendancy

With control over key ministries and the Censorate, the Donglin faction moved swiftly to eliminate opposition. Their first target: the controversial “Red Pill Case” involving the previous emperor’s suspicious death. Rather than pursuing obvious suspects like Consort Zheng or Lady Li, they focused on former Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe, a representative of the rival Zhe faction.

The Donglin’s rhetoric reached hyperbolic heights. Minister of Rites Sun Shenxing declared: “Even if Fang Congzhe had no intention to murder, he bears the crime of murder; even if he avoids the name of murderer, he cannot escape its reality.” This campaign successfully purged remaining opposition, with Fang forced into retirement and other officials exiled.

Frontier Collapse

As internal politics stabilized, external threats escalated. The Later Jin under Nurhaci captured Shenyang on March 12, 1621, followed by the strategic center Liaoyang. Ming commander Yuan Yingtai chose suicide over surrender, his final act underscoring both his administrative competence and military inadequacy.

The Ming court recalled the controversial general Xiong Tingbi to salvage the situation. Known as “Xiong the Barbarian” to his Jurchen enemies for his aggressive tactics, he faced immediate challenges from regional commander Wang Huazhen. Their strategic disagreements – Xiong favoring defensive fortifications versus Wang advocating offensive action – reflected deeper factional divides.

The Guangning Debacle

Wang Huazhen’s offensive ambitions collapsed spectacularly in January 1622. His subordinate Sun Degong defected mid-battle, causing panic that spread through Ming ranks. The subsequent rout at Xiping Fort saw commander Luo Yiguan commit suicide after his 3,000 troops inflicted 7,000 casualties on Nurhaci’s forces. Wang’s humiliating retreat on camelback became emblematic of Ming military decline.

Xiong Tingbi’s response proved equally disastrous. Rather than reinforcing Ningyuan as Wang suggested, he ordered a complete withdrawal from Liaodong, abandoning the territory his predecessors had defended for centuries. This decision, likely motivated by professional pique, earned both men dismissal and eventual execution.

The Search for Solutions

With Liaodong lost, the Ming faced the unprecedented challenge of defending Shanhaiguan Pass. Initial appointees either delayed taking command or refused outright. When Minister of War Zhang Heming took seventeen days to travel what should have been a three-day journey, then promptly resigned, the crisis deepened.

The eventual appointee, Wang Zaijin, proposed constructing a new defensive city eight li beyond Shanhaiguan. This questionable strategy might have sealed the dynasty’s fate had a subordinate not anonymously alerted Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao to its flaws.

The Emergence of a Strategist

The crisis revealed Ming China’s most capable defender: Sun Chengzong. The Qing dynasty’s official historians would later acknowledge that with Sun in command, their conquest might have been impossible. This extraordinary admission from conquerors about their adversary underscores Sun’s military genius.

From unsuccessful scholar to frontier strategist, Sun Chengzong’s journey epitomized the Ming’s desperate search for competent leadership. His recognition of Ningyuan’s strategic value – the very city Nurhaci had dismissed – would prove pivotal in the coming years.

As the Tianqi era progressed, these converging threads – factional politics, military collapse, and the emergence of exceptional leaders – would determine whether the Ming could withstand the existential threats gathering beyond the Great Wall. The stage was set for one of imperial China’s most dramatic confrontations.