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Li Chengliang came from a family of military generals and inherited the title of assistant commander of Tieling Guard.

After that, Li Chengliang guarded Liaodong for twenty-two years. Relying on his military strategy of taking the initiative and winning by bravery and his Liaodong cavalry, he won many victories, dealt a heavy blow to the Mongolian and Jurchen tribes in Liaodong, and consolidated the national defense of the Ming Dynasty to a great extent.

Due to his outstanding military achievements, Li Chengliang was granted the title of Earl of Ningyuan and served as Grand Tutor, becoming one of the highest-ranking military generals during the Wanli period.

In the 19th year of Wanli's reign, Li Chengliang was dismissed from his post for repeatedly lying about his military achievements, but was reinstated ten years later.

However, after his comeback, Li Chengliang failed to display the military talent he had in his prime. Instead, he adopted a strategic retreat and gave up the territories he had opened up in the past, for which he was heavily criticized.

Li Chengliang is a complex and controversial figure. On the one hand, his military and economic achievements during his lifetime were recognized by the world.

On the other hand, Li Chengliang was also accused of bad conduct, self-reliance of his own troops, and even of allowing Nurhaci to grow into a major threat to the Ming Dynasty.

"Li Chengliang was born in the fifth year of Jiajing, and his ancestral home is Tielingwei, Liaodong."

"Li Chengliang was born into a military family. His family was granted the hereditary position of commander of Tieling Guard. However, by the time of Li Chengliang, the family had fallen into decline. Li Chengliang was still a scholar at the age of 40."

"It just so happened that the Liaodong Provincial Inspector General appreciated Li Chengliang very much and helped him get the succession he deserved."

"After that, Li Chengliang also served as a guerrilla commander in Shenyang and a lieutenant general in Kaiyuan. By the first year of the Longqing reign, he had accumulated merit and was promoted to lieutenant general in Liaodong's dangerous mountains."

"In the first year of Longqing, the Mongolian Chahan tribe launched a massive attack. Li Chengliang led his troops to support them and made great contributions. The following year, he was promoted to deputy general and was soon transferred to guard Liaoyang."

"In April of the third year of Longqing, Li Chengliang killed more than 160 enemies and captured more than 100 horses in a battle with Zhang Baishi's tribe. He also captured their leader and was promoted by one rank."

"In September of the fourth year of the Longqing reign, Liaodong was plundered by the Xinai tribe again. The general Wang Zhidao was killed in the battle. The next month, Li Chengliang was promoted to deputy governor and acting general of Liaodong, becoming the highest military commander in Liaodong during the Ming Dynasty."

"When Li Chengliang took office as the general of Liaodong, the military deployment of the Ming Dynasty here was in a passive situation. The Chahan tribe led by Tuman, the Taining tribe led by Subahai, the Duoyan tribe led by Dong Huli, the Jianzhou Jurchen led by Wang Gao and other ethnic minorities were all forces that seriously threatened the security of the Ming Dynasty's borders."

"In February of the fifth year of Longqing, Zhang Xueyan, the former deputy envoy of the Shanxi Provincial Surveillance Department, was ordered to inspect Liaodong. Li Chengliang and Zhang Xueyan, one military and one civil, cooperated with each other. The former was responsible for using force to protect the Liaodong region from invasion, while the latter was responsible for administrative governance and ensuring stability in the rear. This combination laid the foundation for the Ming court's victory in Liaodong for many years thereafter."

"In the twelfth month of the fifth year of Longqing, Tuman led the Chahan tribe to invade Liaodong and confronted Li Chengliang head-on."

"Li Chengliang sent his deputy general Zhao Wan to attack the Chahan tribe from both sides, successfully defeated the Mongols, and pursued them in victory, which is known in history as the Zhuoshan Victory."

"In March of the following year, Taining's troops attacked Qinghe Fort in Liaodong on the pretext of the defeat at Zhuoshan, but were repelled by the defending general Cao Fu, who beheaded 165 people."

"After these two battles, Li Chengliang was awarded the title of Vice Governor for his meritorious service."

"In the winter of the sixth year of Longqing, Li Chengliang detected the Tuman's intention to attack and ambushed them at night."

"In addition to the Mongolian tribes, Li Chengliang also launched military strikes against the Jurchens."

"Wang Gao, the leader of the Jianzhou Jurchens, used the opportunity of trade to lure and kill the Ming Dynasty's Fushun garrison commander, which aroused Li Chengliang's vigilance."

"In October of the second year of the Wanli reign, Li Chengliang and Wang Gao fought a fierce battle at Gulezhai, the base of the Jianzhou Jurchens. The latter held their ground, but Li Chengliang used firearms to break through the defense line, which led to their defeat. The Ming army beheaded more than 1,100 people."

"The Battle of Gulezhai was a great victory for Li Chengliang against the Jurchens. Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty even made a special trip to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay homage, and Li Chengliang was promoted to the title of Left Commander-in-Chief."

"Not long after, Wang Gao was also captured and sent to the capital to be beheaded for public display."

"In the twelfth month of the third year of the Wanli reign, the Chahan and Taining tribes gathered more than 20,000 cavalrymen to invade Liaodong. Li Chengliang once again won with firearms outside the city of Shenyang, annihilating thousands of enemies. He was given the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and later won a series of small victories."

"In the first month of the sixth year of the Wanli reign, the Taining tribe's Su Bahai once again joined forces with the Chahan tribe and set up camp at Pishan, ready to make a move."

"When Li Chengliang learned of the military situation, he took the initiative to attack, destroyed the Pishan Camp, and beheaded 430 people. This was known in history as the Liaodong Victory. Li Chengliang was able to be awarded the honorary title of Grand Tutor as a military general, and retained his position as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince."

"In the twelfth month of the same year, Li Chengliang once again crushed the attacks of the Chahan and Taining tribes, and was awarded the title of Earl of Ningyuan for his merits."

Su Shi: Nurhaci was born in the home of a small tribal chief in Hetuala. Although he was a child of a chief, Nurhaci's childhood was very miserable.

During the Ming Dynasty, ethnic minorities in border areas were not taken seriously and were attacked by the Central Plains dynasty every now and then.

Li Chengliang, who received the order from Emperor Wanli, sent troops to attack the tribe of Ata, the son of Wang Gao. At that time, the Ming army was equipped with very advanced muskets and cannons, and with these advanced weapons, they had few rivals on the battlefield.

As expected, the war ended with the complete victory of the Ming army. What's interesting is that a small episode happened after the war. The Ming army commander Li Chengliang took in a Manchu child. No one expected that this child would achieve great things in the future.

Soon after arriving in Li Chengliang's tent, Nurhaci showed great talent. He was able to quickly master some extremely complex military tactics. Many times when Li Chengliang was at a loss in military affairs, Nurhaci could always come up with some very unique insights.

It is truly commendable that a young man of only 24 years old could have such insights. Li Chengliang began to re-examine Nurhaci.

Although Nurhaci chose to live with Li Chengliang, he never forgot that the man in front of him was the murderer of his father. When Nurhaci was fighting to pacify the Atai tribe, his father died in the war. Although he did not die at the hands of Li Chengliang, he died because of him.

Nurhaci always had a dream of avenging his father, but due to the huge difference in status between them, he never had the chance to assassinate Li Chengliang.

Later, as Li Chengliang continued to cultivate him, his feelings towards Li Chengliang underwent very complicated changes.

If history had continued to develop in this way, perhaps Nurhaci would have become Li Chengliang's true adopted son, but all this changed completely with an incident that happened later. After this incident, Nurhaci broke away from Li Chengliang's control.

During the Wanli reign, Li Chengliang was the highest military commander stationed in Liaodong. As mentioned above, he lived up to the emperor's trust.

When facing the tribes outside the Great Wall, Li Chengliang practiced winning over some and attacking others. He made full use of the contradictions between the tribes outside the Great Wall and achieved the purpose of checks and balances through their constant consumption of each other, which made great contributions.

However, as his status in Liaodong continued to improve, Li Chengliang gradually became unruly and even felt that he was extraordinary at many times.

"In October of the seventh year of the Wanli reign, the Tuman invaded Liaodong again because of repeated failures in their attempts to open trade. This eventually led to a major battle involving Li Chengliang, Qi Jiguang, the Tuman, and Subahai. Li Chengliang beheaded more than 470 people in Hongtu City and was awarded the first prize."

"In March of the tenth year of the Wanli reign, Subahai invaded again. This tribal leader who had been harassing Liaodong for more than 20 years was killed by Li Chengliang's generals in this battle."

"After Wang Gao died, his son A'tai wandered around trying to avenge his father, but was discovered by Li Chengliang."

"From the tenth to the eleventh year of the Wanli reign, Li Chengliang defeated Ata in Caozi Valley and Gulezhai and beheaded him."

"In the twelfth month of the eleventh year of the Wanli reign, the commander of Zhenbei Pass set up an ambush and killed the Mongolian leaders Qing Jialin and Yang Jilin. Li Chengliang still attacked the border despite the pressure of tens of thousands of cavalrymen from Taining, beheading more than 1,500 people."

"So far, Li Chengliang has almost wiped out all the Mongolian and Jurchen leaders in Liaodong."

"In the 14th year of the Wanli reign, Subahai's son Boyanbadu led his troops to attack Liaodong for the third time. After being defeated, he burst into tears. His father's grievances could never be avenged."

"Li Chengliang's military exploits were highly recognized by Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty. The latter's appreciation enabled Li Chengliang to guard Liaodong for 30 years and the Li family to influence the political situation in Liaodong for 50 years."

"During the Wanli reign, Li Chengliang was impeached by the censors many times, with charges including falsely reporting military achievements, indulging his children, and maintaining his own military power, but Wanli either rejected the accusations or kept them in the court. Among them, Feng Jinglong, the imperial secretary, was even punished."

"However, Li Chengliang also committed many illegal acts during his garrison career, and he falsely claimed military merits many times. He and his family had their own troops in Liaodong and acted in a domineering manner."

"Moreover, Li Chengliang also made friends with the ministers in the court, used gold and silver to open up the way for promotion, and then turned to Liaodong to make huge profits for himself."

"In the intercalary March of the 19th year of the Wanli reign, thousands of Li Chengliang's troops were killed or wounded in a battle on their way back, and the loss was extremely heavy. Li Chengliang and the Governor-General of Ji and Liao, Jian Da, wanted to keep the incident secret, but the censor Hu Kejian reported all of his past illegal activities, causing an uproar in the court and the public, and impeachments continued."

"In November of the same year, the imperial censor Zhang Minghe impeached Li Chengliang for his weak morale and numerous crimes, which directly led to Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty dismissing Li Chengliang from his post and only allowing him to serve as the Earl of Ningyuan."

"In April of the 20th year of the Wanli reign, a rebellion broke out in Ningxia. The imperial censor Mei Guozhen wrote a letter requesting that Li Chengliang be appointed to command the Ningxia army, but was immediately opposed by Wang Dechen and Gong Wenxuan, who were also censors."

"After some debate, Li Chengliang's comeback was finally abandoned."

"After Li Chengliang left office, the old troops of Li Chengliang lost all their fighting spirit. The Liaodong army lost all their money and manpower in the Wanli Korean War, which put the Liaodong war situation in a very passive position."

"In the 29th year of the Wanli reign, Li Chengliang was reinstated at the recommendation of Shen Yikuan, a cabinet minister, and regained control of Liaodong's military affairs."

"Compared with the early years of the Wanli reign, the situation had changed significantly when Li Chengliang served as Liaodong's general for the second time. The wars in Liaodong had decreased, trade had reopened, and the situation had generally become more peaceful. In addition, Li Chengliang's prestige was still there, so a stable situation was formed."

"During this period, Li Chengliang was promoted to the position of Taifu."

"In the 34th year of the Wanli reign, Li Chengliang abandoned six important military towns, including Gushanbao and Xianshanbao, on the grounds that they were isolated and difficult to defend. He greatly reduced the Ming Dynasty's sphere of influence in Liaodong and relocated all the people in the abandoned areas inland."

"The residents of Liaodong were reluctant to move inland, so Li Chengliang used force to enforce their decision, which resulted in numerous bloody incidents."

"Li Chengliang was once again opposed and impeached by Song Yihan, Xiong Tingbi and other censors, and Li Chengliang and the eunuch Gao Huai plundered the people of Liaodong."

"In June of the 36th year of the Wanli reign, he resigned and returned to Beijing."

"In the 43rd year of the Wanli reign, Li Chengliang died in Beijing at the age of 90 and was buried in Yangshan, north of Beijing."

Li Bai: Once Li Chengliang went to the battlefield as usual, and came to the big tent after the war. It was very hard to fight outside, and it was inevitable that there would be some people in the military camp to take care of Li Chengliang's life. His concubine was brought to take care of him.

When washing Li Chengliang's feet, the concubine discovered three black moles on Li Chengliang's feet. People in ancient times believed that extraordinary people must have strange visions, looking at the general's strange feet.

Under Li Chengliang's repeated questioning, the concubine had no choice but to tell him everything she knew.

It turned out that the so-called person with seven stars under his feet was Nurhaci, whom she admired very much. She discovered him by accident.

After learning the news, Li Chengliang sent people to investigate secretly. If Nurhaci was really the so-called son of destiny, he must be eradicated and such a huge disaster must not be left to the Ming Dynasty.

What Li Chengliang did not expect was that the spy he sent to investigate had secretly escaped before reaching Nurhaci.

It is said that after serving Li Chengliang, the concubine felt that the general seemed to have murderous intentions.

She couldn't bear to see a young man lose his life because of her words, so she told Nurhaci the news. She must know her situation best. Knowing that Li Chengliang wanted to kill her because of the seven moles on her feet, Nurhaci fled from the military camp on horseback overnight.

It was already the next day when the news reached Li Chengliang. It obviously confirmed the fact that Nurhaci had stepped on the Seven Stars. Li Chengliang hurriedly led a small team to chase in the direction of Nurhaci's escape.

Soon Li Chengliang caught up with Nurhaci, who was in a panic. When he was about to die in a hail of arrows, Nurhaci patted the big blue horse he was riding and said something, then he entered Changbai Mountain.

Although he had been in charge of Liaodong for more than 30 years, he was naturally not as familiar with the local geography and topography as Nurhaci, a native of Liaodong. Trying to find someone in the vast primeval forest of Changbai Mountain was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

With Nurhaci's successful escape, the wheel of history quietly changed. During the days of fleeing in Changbai Mountain, Nurhaci survived by digging wild vegetables. Many years later, through his continuous efforts, he gradually gathered a team of more than 30 people.

Perhaps it was fate that determined the fate of the tribes in the grasslands. During the period when Nurhaci was conquering the east and the west, Li Chengliang was the biggest enemy of the grassland tribes. He was dismissed from office by Emperor Wanli for his extravagance, debauchery, and false reporting of military achievements. The general in charge of Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty became Xiong Tingbi. (End of this chapter)