Altan Khan's Investiture and Tribute (Longqing Peace Negotiation)

Timeline

1. 1570Datong frontier wall · DatongBatu Naqi, son of Altan Khan's third son Tiebei Taiji, enraged that Altan Khan forcibly took his betrothed, led Alige and over ten men to Datong seeking defection. Regional inspector Fang Fengshi accepted them; Governor-General Wang Chonggu strongly advocated generous treatment, granting Batu Naqi posts such as commandery commander to bind him, and used this as leverage to probe Altan Khan's intentions for peace.
2. 1570–1571Datong to the capital · DatongGao Gong and Zhang Juzheng supported Wang Chonggu's plan to trade Batu Naqi for peace. Altan Khan handed over Banxin Chinese leaders Zhao Quan and Li Zixin, whom the Ming court executed in the capital in the twelfth month of Longqing 4, returning Batu Naqi the next day. Both sides agreed on terms of investiture, tribute submission, opening markets, and restraining tribes from raiding the border, paving the way for formal investiture.
3. 1571Xuanfu and Datong market ports · XuanfuThe Ming Muzong edict invested Altan Khan as Prince Shunyi, permitting annual tribute of horses with imperial reciprocation of silks and satins, and opening official markets at frontier passes such as Xuanfu and Datong. The Mongols could legally exchange for iron pots, cloth, and grain, while the Ming court gained decades of relative peace on the northern frontier. The investiture-tribute system continued to the end of the Ming, a key turning point in stabilizing the north by non-military means.