Esen's Northern Withdrawal

Timeline

1. 1449–1450Outskirts of Beijing · North ChinaAfter Esen failed to take Beijing in October 1449, Oirat forces ravaged surrounding prefectures and counties, but the Ming court had enthroned a new emperor and firmly defended the capital, rendering the 'holding the Son of Heaven' strategy ineffective; in early 1450 Esen still repeatedly raided Xuanfu and Datong but could no longer shake the Ming court's foundations.
2. 1450Xuanfu · HebeiSeeing that the emperor's value as a hostage was exhausted and that strife among Oirat nobles was intensifying, Esen decided to return the Zhengtong Emperor to improve relations with the Ming; around the return, Oirat forces gradually withdrew north from the Xuanfu-Datong line, no longer penetrating deep into Ming territory.
3. 1450North of the Great Wall · Inner MongoliaAfter the emperor returned south, Esen's forces all withdrew north of the Great Wall, bringing the large-scale Oirat offensives against the Ming since Tumu to an end; thereafter Esen's power declined, he died in internal strife in 1455, and the Oirat threat to the Ming greatly diminished.