The Ming Emperor Yongle’s Policy In Manchuria

A powerfully built man with a strong personality, Yongle was a brilliant, hardworking autocrat and a demanding emperor who personified the idea of active government. During his reign of twenty-three years (1402-1424), China had found renewed confidence, strength, and authority as the leader of the Asian world; consequently, China’s neighbours yielded one by one to the blandishments of a new Chinese order. Besides, tribute gifts and the horses-for-tea trade were a two-way street that benefited both China and other states.While Yongle forged ahead with his political, social, economic, and cultural reconstruction programs, he carefully monitored the activities of the Mongols and Jurchen inside as well as outside his empire. Yongle’s strategy towards the Mongols and Jurchen was containment-that is, keeping the enemy at arm’s length and protecting China proper by means of a strong defense. Besides in his foreign policy he used traditional Chinese strategy and methods:"using barbarians against barbarians","divide-and-rule" tactics,"tie up" policy, etc. Five punitive campaigns against the Oirat and Tartars can be regarded as the exceptions to the containment strategy. Ming national security focused on two poles:countering Mongol and Jurchen threats and preparing for inevitable conflicts while simultaneously improving upon benign and cordial relations with the vacillating ethnic groups who lived at the doorsteps of China. The Ming policy-makers found trade and gifts to be dynamic means to deepen their political and military relations with the various nomadic peoples in Manchuria (the Jurchen and Uriyangqad territory) and along the Great Khingan Mountains (the Tartars and Oirat territory). They also installed numerous friendly local chiefs as nominal Ming officials in various frontier regions.This study illustrates Yongle-Manchurian peoples foreign policy from the traditional Chinese "world order" concept.