Fall of Kunming to Southern Ming Conflict

Timeline

1. 1656Guizhou · GuizhouSun Kewang had long held the Yongli Emperor hostage as 'Lord of the State,' and his rift with Li Dingguo deepened. In 1656 Sun Kewang accused Li Dingguo of usurping power, mustered the Guizhou forces under his control, and advanced on Kunming in Yunnan, intending to eliminate Li Dingguo by force and seize full control of the Southern Ming regime.
2. 1656Kunming · YunnanSun Kewang's troops stormed Kunming and the Yongli Emperor fled south in panic. The Southern Ming court briefly lost its stable base in Kunming and the palace fell into chaos. The internal turmoil left the garrison demoralized and caused heavy losses of arms and supplies.
3. 1656Kunming and the Yunnan-Guizhou border · YunnanLi Dingguo gathered troops loyal to the Yongli Emperor and drove Sun Kewang out of Yunnan, and the Southern Ming court in Kunming was superficially restored. However, the infighting badly dispersed and depleted military strength and morale; Sun Kewang soon defected to the Qing, the Southern Ming defense system collapsed rapidly over the next two years, and Qing forces captured Kunming in 1659.