During the Tianqi to Chongzhen reigns of the Ming Dynasty, the struggle between the Ming and the Later Jin entered an intense phase, and the deeply entrenched Ming, trampled under the iron cavalry of the Later Jin, could only make a desperate struggle. However, in this situation, there was one Ming general who won a victory—he was Yuan Chonghuan.
Yuan Chonghuan, courtesy name Yuansu, was born in Dongguan County, Guangzhou Prefecture (present-day Dongguan, Guangdong). In the 47th year of the Wanli era (1619), he ranked 40th among the third-tier jinshi graduates, earning the title of "jinshi with distinction" and was appointed as the magistrate of Shaowu County in Fujian. After taking office in Shaowu, Yuan Chonghuan carried out many beneficial actions for the people, such as putting out fires and overturning wrongful convictions. Although he was stationed in Fujian, he remained deeply concerned about national affairs, especially the situation in Liaodong. To prepare for a future role in the Liaodong campaign, he recruited and trained a group of able-bodied men and frequently discussed military matters with like-minded individuals, laying the groundwork for his later military career.
In the second year of the Tianqi era (1622), Yuan Chonghuan, following the court's regulations, went to Beijing to undergo a performance evaluation of his governance. During this time, Yuan took the opportunity to inspect the border fortresses and assess the situation in Liaodong. By then, the situation in Liaodong had become increasingly dire: first, Fushun, Qinghe, Kaiyuan, Tieling, Liaoyang, and Shenyang had fallen, and then the entire Liaoning region was occupied by the Later Jin. Since Nurhaci captured Fushun, a total of fourteen Ming generals in Liaodong had been killed in battle, and officials across the country turned pale at the mere mention of the enemy. It was under this grim circumstances that Yuan Chonghuan personally inspected the border fortresses alone. After returning from the frontier, he reported in detail to the court on the situation at the passes and submitted a memorial stating, "Give me military forces, horses, funds, and grain, and I alone can defend this place!" Seeing that he was both knowledgeable and courageous, the court promoted him beyond the usual ranks to the position of Secretary of the Bureau of Military Personnel in the Ministry of War, appointing him to oversee the troops beyond the passes. Soon after, he was further promoted to Assistant Surveillance Commissioner of Shandong and Supervisor of the Shanhai Pass Garrison.
After taking up his post, Yuan Chonghuan submitted the "Memorial on Strategy for Promotion to Surveillance Commissioner and Military Supervisor," requesting permission to train soldiers, select generals, repair weapons, and build ships to strengthen the defense of Shanhai Pass and gradually recover lost territory. At that time, the vast area beyond Shanhai Pass was still under the control of Mongol tribes such as the Kharchin of the Southern Desert, so Yuan had no choice but to station his troops within the pass. Later, the court implemented a "pacification and reward" policy toward the Mongol tribes beyond the pass, hoping to ally with them against the Later Jin. Some Mongol tribal leaders agreed to accept these rewards, and so Yuan Chonghuan, under orders from the Liaodong Grand Coordinator Wang Zajin, arrived at Zhongqiansuo (located in present-day Suizhong, Liaoning) outside Shanhai Pass. Subsequently, Wang Zajin ordered him to proceed to Qiantun (present-day Qiantun, Suizhong, Liaoning) to resettle refugees. Yuan Chonghuan obeyed the order, traversing forests and wilderness to reach Qiantun overnight, earning the admiration of his officers and soldiers for his bravery. Seeing his valor, Wang Zajin increasingly relied on him and petitioned the court to promote him to Surveillance Commissioner of Ningqian Military Defense.
Regarding military matters, Wang Zaijin once proposed using Bapu as the key pass of Shanhai, but Yuan Chonghuan deemed this inappropriate and submitted his own views to the court. The court then dispatchedUniversitySun Chengzong personally went to inspect Shanhai Pass. After an on-site investigation, Sun Chengzong believed that Ningyuan (present-day Xingcheng, Liaoning) was the true strategic stronghold of the mountain and sea, so he followed Yuan Chonghuan's advice and volunteered to oversee the military campaign in Liaodong. As for Wang Zaijin, he was transferred to serve as Minister of War in Nanjing. In the spring of the third year of the Tianqi era (1623), Yuan Chonghuan, under Sun Chengzong's orders, pacified the various Khorchin tribes, then moved his troops from Balipu to Ningyuan, recovering 270 li of lost territory. The following year, the city of Ningyuan was completed and gradually became a key stronghold beyond the pass. In the fifth year of the Tianqi era (1625), Sun Chengzong, due to the defeat at the Battle of Liuhe and repeated impeachments, had to resign, and the post of Liaodong Military Commissioner was taken over by Minister of War Gao Di. Gao Di believed that the territory beyond the pass was indefensible, so upon taking office, he strongly advocated withdrawing all troops from Ningyuan and Jinzhou back within Shanhai Pass. Yuan Chonghuan vehemently opposed this, saying, "According to military strategy, there is only advance, no retreat. The three cities have already been recovered; how can we lightly abandon them? If Jinzhou and the right flank are destabilized, then Ningyuan and the front will be thrown into panic, and the pass itself will lose its protection. Now, if we simply select good generals to defend them, there will surely be no cause for concern." He also declared that he would rather die than abandon Ningyuan and the front. In December of the same year, Yuan Chonghuan was promoted to Surveillance Commissioner, still in charge of affairs in Ningyuan and the front.
In the first month of the sixth year of the Tianqi era (1626), the Later Jin army crossed the Liao River, and some Ming troops fled at the mere sight of them. Upon hearing this, Yuan Chonghuan, together with Commander-in-Chief Man Gui, Staff Officer Zu Dashou, and Garrison Commander He Kegang, swore to defend Ningyuan to the death. On the twenty-third day, Nurhaci led the Later Jin forces to Ningyuan, claiming that his army of 300,000 would surely breach the city and demanded Yuan Chonghuan's surrender. Yuan Chonghuan, having already learned that the enemy had only 130,000 troops and having sworn to hold Ningyuan at all costs, deployed his forces to fight with firearms, killing over 17,000 enemy soldiers in what history records as the Great Victory of Ningyuan. In this battle, although the Later Jin soldiers fought with all their might, they could not avoid heavy casualties. Nurhaci himself said, "Since I took up arms at the age of twenty-five, I have campaigned everywhere, winning every battle and taking every city—only Ningyuan could not be captured."
After the great victory at Ningyuan, Yuan Chonghuan was appointed as the Grand General for Pacifying the Borders and Subduing the Barbarians. The following year, he was given full authority over all matters inside and outside the Shanhai Pass, a position of immense honor. However, despite achieving such great merit, Yuan Chonghuan ultimately met a tragic end.