Info- Chinese Warriors (small sprls #66-80)

[skinz]

Man, finding info on these guys is troublesome. China have a lot of info on its history, but getting info on some of the participates in the Imjin war is a hassle.

Anyway, with popular demand..... ;D



Zhao Chengxun (Jo Seung-hun)

Zhao Chengxun, Vice Commander of the northeastern city of Lioyang, with his subordinate Shi Ru and 3,000 troops were the first ming dispatched group to investigate the situation in Korea. On August 23rd 1592, they were ambushed by the Japanese at the city of Pyongyang. Shi Ru and most of the Ming troops were killed while Zhao barely escaped.



Shen Weijing (Shim Yu-gyoung)
(1540-1597)

An obscure trader who had connections to the chinese minister of war Shi Xing. Made ambassador to deal with the Japanese and to buy time for Song Yinchong to gather more forces.

From member Florel:

Shen Weijing negotiated the land division of Chosun with Konishi Yukinaga. Shen Weijing lied to the Ming's court that Hideyoshi capitulated and he didn't tell about the Japanese claims including the division of Chosun. And he also forged diplomatic documents with Konishi Yukinaga. (Konishi also misled Hideyoshi on his part.) When his lie was finally exposed, Shen Weijing was imprisoned with Minister Shi Xing and Ming's court sent again large number of troops to Chosun.



Li Rusong (Yi Yeo-song)
(1549-1598)

The Li family was well-known in the northern frontier in China. His father was Li Chengliang and had two brothers, Li Rubo and Li Ruzhang(). After his father retired because of old age ( he was 66) Li Rusong became the first Ming Military official to receive the title of Military Superintendent, which had the power of impeachment.
Fought in the Ningxa campaign against the Mongol Pubei. Joined the Imjin war in January 1593 and joined Korean generals Yi Il and Kim Ungso on the assault on Pyongyang on February against Konishi.



Chen Lin

I have no info on this guy except he was a firearms expert. If anyone got something fell free to post


Liu Ting (Yu Jeong)

Another guy that have no info whatsoever. I looked everywhere for those two. Well, we all know he wasn't the most loyal soldier.

[florel]

Addenda

I also have had difficulties to find out informations about Ming warriors. Perhaps we should learn ancient Chinese and read Ming Shi (History of Ming). lol


Small fragmentary informations I found about Liu Ting are...


Liu Ting (Yu Jeong)
(? - 1619)

- He used a big sword in the battle, thus he was called "Liu Ting Big Sword".
- Before the Imjin War, he undertook two military campaigns in Burma (1582 and 1584).
- He dies in the Battle of Sarhu in 1619.



About Li Rusong, in addition to what skinz wrote....


Li Rusong (Yi Yeo-song)
(1549-1598)

- Li Rusong was the most notorious Ming general among Koreans. He was a Korean descendant. It is said that his ancestor of the 5th degree (Great great great grandfather) committed a crime in Korea and fled to China where he became a chinese official in Liaodong. Koreans say that's why he disliked the Chosunese and he committed many atrocities in Chosun.
His clan, settled down in Liaodong, achieved spectacular social and political promotion with Li Chengliang (Li Rusong's father).

- Yi Rusong is killed during his military campaign in Tibet in 1598.

[florel]

I found that the battle in which Liu Ting died is the Battle of Sarhu in 1619. I'm not sure if he was killed or suicided himself.

I picked three familiar names out of the list of Chinese generals involved in this battle of Ming-Chosun ally against Nurhachi. They are Yang Hao, Li Rubo and Liu Ting.

Battle of Sarhu (1619)


- Li Rubo : a brother of Li Rusong as Skinz mentioned.
- Liu Ting : already mentioned above.

- Yang Hao : went to Chosun at the moment of the second invasion (1597) and fought in the battle of Chiksan (September 1597) against Kuroda Nagamasa and in the battle of Ulsan (December 1596 - January 1598) against Kato Kiyomasa.


In the Battle of Sarhu, the Chosunese troops also participated as Ming's ally under the command of Marshal Gang Hong-Rip (1560-1627) and Vice Marshal Kim Kyung-Suh (1564-1624).

Kim Kyung-Suh is another man of the Imjin War. He was called Kim Eung-Suh (also spelled Kim Ungso) before 1613.


In IYSS drama, I guess we will possibly see Yang Hao and certainly Kim Eung-Suh. Especially General Kim is important man, because he is one of those who were responsible for YSS's imprisonment. In 1597, he was Commander of Right Kyungsang army. This thread is about Ming's commander, so I don't write biographic details of Kim Eung-Suh here.

[skinz]

Ming troops involved in the war:

From 1592-93: 74,000 troops


From 1597-98: 117,000 troops

[Skinz UL]

Seems the Mings are about to be more involved in the story so I just posted here to bring back this thread.

[skinz]

Emperor Wanli

(1563-1620)


Wanli rose to the throne at age 9 and was aided by statesman Zhang Juzheng for most of his early years. In the summer of 1593, negotiations began between the Hideyoshi and the Mings. The Ming would give the title of "King of Japan" to Hideyoshi if he withdrew from Korea and Japan would become a tribute-bearing vassal like Siam. Hideyoshi demanded the marriage of Wanli daughter and the some provinces of southern Korea. The second invasion began.
During his rule, revival of military strength grew (he gave Li Rusong the title of military superintendent) with the three expedition conducted between 1592-1600. However, the Wanli emperor lack of meeting with court officials and the growing animosity toward the military by the administration signaled the end.

[Lord Metacom]

I'm prolly wrong here, but doesnt Liu Ting kinda look like Yi Ui-bang??

[florel]

skinz said:

Shen Weijing (Shim Yu-gyoung)
(1540-1597)

An obscure trader who had connections to the chinese minister of war Shi Xing. Made ambassador to deal with the Japanese and to buy time for Song Yinchong to gather more forces.

From member Florel:

Shen Weijing negotiated the land division of Chosun with Konishi Yukinaga. Shen Weijing lied to the Ming's court that Hideyoshi capitulated and he didn't tell about the Japanese claims including the division of Chosun. And he also forged diplomatic documents with Konishi Yukinaga. (Konishi also misled Hideyoshi on his part.) When his lie was finally exposed, Shen Weijing was imprisoned with Minister Shi Xing and Ming's court sent again large number of troops to Chosun.

More infos about Shen Weijing (Shim Yu-Kyung)

He was arrested by Emperor Wanli's order on 14th June 1597 and jailed as it was mentioned above. Executed in July 1597.

[TheBo]

This is a great thread. Thanks, skinz & Florel.

Beaux

[skinz]

Yang Hao
(15??_16??)

During the 2nd invasion in 1597, the Ming Court sent Yang Hao as supreme Commander of 38,000 troops both land and navy. He fought the Japanese forces in Ulsan but suffered a defeat with huge casualties, He was ordered to Ming for his arrest for incompetence. King Sonjo believed that Yang Hao was one of the few Chinese generals who gave it his all and begun to support Yang Hao against the Ming courts. However, the Ming Government began to investigate Sonjo motives,which led to conflict to his throne. King Sonjo conducted a huge support for Yang Hao and started to limit supplies for Ming troops. Ultimately this put pressure to the Ming court and most of the anti-war officials began to lose power while officials who wanted to collaborate with Korea gained leverage.


I'm not sure why the Ming court called for Yang Hao arrest. Does anyone know what he did?

[florel]

Interesting info, skinz. King Sunjo certainly knew well how one can deal with the Chinese. With food !

The Chinese have been famous as the greatest gastronome ! ;D


These are additional informations about Yang Hao (Yang Ho) and his relation with Chosun court.

1. Yang Hao was on bad terms with Chung Eung-Tae (korean pronunciation), a Ming official of the Department of War.

2. In early 1598, Chung Eung-Tae came to Chosun in order to investigate the defeat in Ulsan. For him, it offered a good chance for his campaign against Commander Yang.

3. Chung Eung-Tae accused Commander Yang to Emperor Wanli and to Ming court. Yang Hao was discharged in Summer 1598 and he returned to Ming.

4. Chung became irritated because king Sunjo and Chosun court defended Yang Hao and dispatched envoys to Ming in order to plead in favor of him. Therefore, Chung made a false accusation against Chosun. He lied to Ming court that Chosun was colluding with the Japanese in order to conquer Liaodong, i.e. to recover the ancient territory of Koguryo. (* Chung's statement prove the fact that Mings were considering the kingdom of Koguryo as ancestor of Chosun.)


This was a serious political incident called as "the False Accusation of Chung Eung-Tae". It gave a huge impact on the political topography of Chosun court : the Southerners lost the power and the Northerners took the reins of Government.

In fact, King Sunjo intended to dispatch Yu Sung-Ryong in order to resolve the Ming's doubt, but Minister Yu refused to go to Ming because he was in mourning of his mother's death. So he was impeached by the Northerners and discharged on 18th November, the very day when Yi Soon-Shin defeat the Japanese at Noryang.
(This incident is not mentioned in the drama in which the Northerners are totally absent. Their leader Yi San-Hae was kicked out after Episode 70 and he never returned. In real history, the Northerners were the most zealous, more than Yun Du-Su and the Westerners, for YSS's purge in 1597.)


Yang Hao was the most popular and the most loved Ming commander in Chosun court. At least, he was the unique Chinese (along with Chen Lin in Noryang) who jumped into the war with both feet.

In 1610 (in the second year of Prince Gwanghae's reign), Chosun court erected a memorial to Commander Yang. It exists until now in Seoul, near Myung-ji University. In late 20th century, Korean university students who hated Chosun's legacy and its attitude to Ming, poured red paint on it and it's said that we can see the red trace.