Manchu Raids Beyond the Pass

Timeline

1. 1631Daling River Fortress · LiaodongIn 1631, the Later Jin army besieged Daling River Fortress, then under construction by the Ming army; Zu Dashou's troops were surrounded for months, relief forces were repeatedly repelled, and after provisions ran out the city was forced to surrender to the Qing. Ming casualties were severe, key positions in the western section of the Liaodong defense line were all lost, and Kong Youde's defection to the Qing with artillery greatly enhanced Later Jin artillery strength.
2. 1632–1636Shanhaiguan and passes into North China · North ChinaIn 1632, 1634, and 1636, Hong Taiji led large armies three times to bypass Shanhaiguan, penetrating into North China through various passes in Inner Mongolia, penetrating deep into the capital region, Shanxi, Shandong, and elsewhere to plunder people and property on a massive scale. The Ming court defended passively and was powerless in open battle; vast northern regions were ravaged, and popular loyalty steadily eroded.
3. 1636Shengjing (Shenyang) · LiaodongIn 1636, Hong Taiji formally declared himself emperor in Shengjing, changing the state name from 'Jin' to 'Great Qing' and the ethnic name from 'Jurchen' to 'Manchu,' marking the Later Jin's completion of its political transformation, contesting the realm with the Ming as a formal dynasty, and escalating military pressure on the Ming from border raids to full strategic competition.