24 Facts About Hong Chengchou

Hong Chengchou, courtesy name Yanyan and art name Hengjiu, was a Chinese official who served under the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Hong Chengchou was born in present-day Liangshan Village, Yingdu Town, Fujian Province, China.

Hong Chengchou became one of the Qing Empire's leading Han Chinese scholar-politicians.

Apart from Dorgon and Fan Wencheng, Hong Chengchou was regarded as one of the most influential politicians in the early Qing dynasty.

Hong Chengchou was eventually made Supreme Commander of the Three Border Regions in 1631 to substitute Yang He, who was repeatedly found to not be up to the task.

However, in early 1638 Hong Chengchou was able to surprise Li Zicheng in the Shaanxi-Sichuan border and dealt him a heavy defeat.

In summer of 1638 Hong Chengchou renewed the pressure on Li, and hotly pursued him.

Hong Chengchou arrived in Liaodong in 1639, and immediately started implementing measures to improve the readiness of Ming defenses in the area.

Hong Chengchou carried out an inspection of the troops in the frontier, and, after witnessing their poor shape, he decided to create an elite corps of 10.000 soldiers stationed in two newly created training bases on strategic locations, to serve as a reserve that could be used as a rapid deployment force.

The security of food supply lines was improved, with Hong Chengchou taking a role in selecting the routes used and the escorts.

Hong Chengchou reaffirmed the importance of firearms in fighting the Manchu, as many officers had done before, and he requested to be supplied with more small arms, Western-style cannon and artillery experts.

In spring of 1640, Hong Chengchou Taiji was presented with four plans on how to deal with the Ming in the following years, and eventually decided to try to finally capture the Songshan-Jinzhou-Shanhaiguan corridor and consolidate definitively in Liaodong.

Hong Chengchou resolved to resupply Jinzhou and reduce the logistical strain on his forces, so he took two measures.

However, during early 1641, the court decided that Hong Chengchou should take a more offensive posture.

Hong Chengchou's arrival panicked the Qing forces investing Jinzhou, led by Dorgon.

Hong Chengchou decided that the best course was risking it all on a final decisive engagement, but his subcommanders faltered.

Hong Chengchou's capture was the third big disaster for the Ming military since the execution of Yuan Chonghuan, and the defection of Geng Zhongming and Shang Kexi to the Qing forces.

In 1645, Hong Chengchou was sent to Nanjing with the title Pacificator of Jiangnan.

Hong Chengchou was several times accused of having secret relations with the Ming remnants.

Hong Chengchou was in 1651 chastised for sending his mother back to Fujian and in 1652 was not allowed to return to Fujian to mourn his mother's death.

Hong Chengchou was given a minor hereditary rank perhaps due to distrust by some quarters of the Qing imperial court, which suspected him of sympathising with the Ming remnants.

Hong Chengchou Chenghou was transferred directly to the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner eight years after he was put into the Eight Banners.

Hong Chengchou died shortly after requesting permission to retire because of old age and almost total blindness.

Hong Chengchou died of natural causes in Nan'an, Fujian in 1665.