This, however, improved the chances of all the other aspirants to the imperial throne.  The first to realize this clearly, and also to possess enough political sagacity to avoid alienating the gentry, was General Wu San-kui, who was commanding on the Manchu front.  He saw that in the existing conditions in the capital he could easily secure the imperial throne for himself if only he had enough soldiers.  Accordingly he negotiated with the Manchu Prince Dorgon, formed an alliance with the Manchus, and with them entered Peking on June 6th, 1644.  Li Tz[)u]-ch’eng quickly looted the city, burned down whatever he could, and fled into the west, continually pursued by Wu San-kui.  In the end he was abandoned by all his supporters and killed by peasants.  The Manchus, however, had no intention of leaving Wu San-kui in power:  they established themselves in Peking, and Wu became their general.

(C) The Manchu Dynasty (1644-1911)

1 Installation of Manchus

The Manchus had gained the mastery over China owing rather to China’s internal situation than to their military superiority.  How was it that the dynasty could endure for so long, although the Manchus were not numerous, although the first Manchu ruler (Fu Lin, known under the rule name Shun-chih; 1644-1662) was a psychopathic youth, although there were princes of the Ming dynasty ruling in South China, and although there were strong groups of rebels all over the country?  The Manchus were aliens; at that time the national feeling of the Chinese had already been awakened; aliens were despised.  In addition to this, the Manchus demanded that as a sign of their subjection the Chinese should wear pigtails and assume Manchurian clothing (law of 1645).  Such laws could not but offend national pride.  Moreover, marriages between Manchus and Chinese were prohibited, and a dual government was set up, with Manchus always alongside Chinese in every office, the Manchus being of course in the superior position.  The Manchu soldiers were distributed in military garrisons among the great cities, and were paid state pensions, which had to be provided by taxation.  They were the master race, and had no need to work.  Manchus did not have to attend the difficult state examinations which the Chinese had to pass in order to gain an appointment.  How was it that in spite of all this the Manchus were able to establish themselves?

The conquering Manchu generals first went south from eastern China, and in 1645 captured Nanking, where a Ming prince had ruled.  The region round Nanking was the economic centre of China.  Soon the Manchus were in the adjoining southern provinces, and thus they conquered the whole of the territory of the landowning gentry, who after the events of the beginning of the seventeenth century had no longer trusted the Ming rulers.  The Ming prince in Nanking was just as incapable, and surrounded by just as evil a clique,