Manchu Eight Banner Military Organization

Timeline

1. c. 1615–1636Hetu Ala–Shengjing area · NortheastNurhaci organized military and civilian populations by niru, gradually expanding to the four banners of yellow, white, red, and blue; Hong Taiji added the bordered banners and integrated Mongol and Han military banners, forming the Eight Banners' integrated military-civilian system and laying the organizational foundation for Later Jin expansion.
2. 1644Shanhaiguan–Beijing · North ChinaIn 1644, Dorgon led the main Eight Banner forces through the pass, defeating Li Zicheng's army at Shanhaiguan and then entering Beijing. Eight Banner cavalry and firearms units became the key force for the Qing conquest of the Central Plains, and garrison and expedition systems subsequently expanded inland.
3. 1645–1650North China–Jiangnan war front · ChinaAfter entering the pass, the Qing court used the Eight Banners as its backbone, cooperating with the Green Standard Army and Han military banners to pursue the Southern Ming regime southward. By around 1650, the Eight Banner garrison system covered the capital and key provincial sites, and banner registration levies and reward-punishment systems were further consolidated during the wars.