Li Chengliang

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Li Chengliang (李成梁) (1526-1615) was a Chinese general of Korean descent in the reign of the Wanli Emperor during the Ming Dynasty who was in charge of maintaining peace and relations with the Jurchen tribes.

He held the young Nurhaci as a hostage to blackmail his grandfather Giocangga and father Taksi to remain loyal to the Ming. While holding Nurhaci hostage, Li educated the young Nurhaci in Chinese and sinicized him by teaching him Confucian values. However, Nurhaci later vouched for revenge, when Li in 1582 left his father and grandfather to die in a battle at Fort Gure.

In the battle, Li was in command of Giocangga and Taksi's forces, and Li had also intended to side with the Jurchen cheiftan Nikan Wailan. When Giocangga and Taksi abandoned Li to side with chieftain Atai who was their relative, Li thought they had mutinied and so left them behind in the mist of battle. When Atai was later defeated by Nikan Wailan, both Giocangga and Taksi were killed by Nikan Wailan in the aftermath.

The Ming policy on the Jurchen tribes during that period was to side with different tribes during each conflict to maintain a balance and not allow one tribe to dominate and eventually unite the Jurchen tribes. Spurred by the actions of Li, Nurhaci was eventually able to unite all the Jurchen tribes, creating the Manchu.

His children include Li Rusong and Li Rubai, who would also become generals for the Ming Dynasty.