take Moukden, but were so vigorously dealt with that in a
few weeks less than half Tingbi's strong army remained. Liauyang, the
capital of the province, was next besieged and taken by storm, the
garrison falling almost to a man, among them Tingbi's incapable
successor meeting his death. No further resistance was made, the other
towns, with one exception, opened their gates, and in a brief time
Noorhachu completed the conquest of the province of Liautung.

Only one thing kept the Manchus from crossing the Great Wall and
invading the provinces beyond. This was the stronghold of Ningyuen,
which a Chinese officer named Chungwan had reinforced with a small
party, and which resolutely resisted all assaults. Noorhachu, not daring
to leave this fortified place in his rear, besieged it with a strong
army, making two desperate assaults upon its walls. But Chungwan,
assisted by some European cannon, whose noise proved more terrible to
the Manchus than their balls, held out so vigorously that for the first
time in his career the Manchu chief met with defeat. Disappointed and
sick at heart, he retraced his steps to Moukden, then his capital, there
to end his career, his death taking place in September, 1626.

Such was the adventurous life of the man who, while not conquering China
himself, made its conquest possible to his immediate successors, who
acknowledged his great deeds by giving him the posthumous title of
Emperor of China, the Manchu dynasty dating its origin back to 1616. His
son, Taitsong, who succeeded him, renewed the attack on Ningyuen, but
found the heroic Chungwan more than his match. A brilliant idea brought
him final success. Leaving the impregnable stronghold in his rear, he
suddenly marched to the Great Wall, which he crossed, and was far on the
road to Peking before Chungwan knew of his purpose. At once abandoning
the town, the Chinese general hurried southward, and, having the best
road, succeeded in reaching the capital in advance of the Manchus. But
he came only to his death. Tingbi, the one man feared by Noorhachu, had
been executed through the machinations of his enemies, and now Chungwan
suffered the same fate, Taitsong, not being able to defeat him in the
field, having succeeded in forming a plot against him in the palace.

But Peking, though in serious peril, was not taken. A truce was
arranged, and Taitsong drew off his troops--for reasons best known to
himself. He was soon back in China, but did not a