Qing Unification of the South

Timeline

1. 1649Huguang · HuguangNikan led Qing forces into Hunan, defeating Southern Ming units under He Tengjiao and others, bringing the main Hunan prefectures and counties under Qing rule. Jiangxi was also pacified after Jin Shenghuan's defeat, and the middle Yangtze defensive line came under Qing control.
2. 1649Guangdong · GuangxiShang Kexi and Geng Zhongming led Qing forces to destroy Southern Ming remnants, with Guangzhou and other places falling in succession. The pacification of Guangdong and Guangxi cut the Yongli court's links to the southeast coast, depriving the Southern Ming of its last prosperous base.
3. 1649South of the Yangtze · ChinaBy late 1649 the Qing court appointed governors and prefects to rebuild administration, and the main southern provinces were incorporated. The Yongli regime retreated to a corner of the southwest; the Ming-Qing transition was essentially complete in the demographic and economic heartlands, and the war of unification entered its final mopping-up phase.