While the Manchus, like their Jurchen forefathers, were formidable cavalrymen, they were still a par below the Mongols, as far as horseback warfare was concerned. The Mongol banners provided the shock troops and striking power within the Qing armies, and were irreplacable helpers in the Qing Manchu imperial enterprise. How did the Manchus manage to rein in and harnass this formidable military force to their own purposes, despite the Mongol nation being the far larger and more powerful, and heirs to the mighty legacies of Genghis Khan?
First of all, the Mongol tribes, although more numerous than the Manchus, were not united and had splintered to tribal, or even subclan levels. The unity of Genghis Khan's days had long been lost in the traditional in-fighting common to the steppe tribes since time immemorial. The Manchu leaders could deploy the old Chinese strategy of 'using barbarians to control barbarians' against them, and deftly managed the intra-Mongol relations to ensure no strong ruler appeared to lead the Mongols against the Qing.
In particular, when the Mongol tribes were defeated or swore allegiance, the Manchus imposed the banner system on them. This was different than that of the standard Manchu banners, for this was meant to virtually replace the tribal command structure with their own. By controlling and carefully appointing the leaders of these new Mongol banners, the Manchus came to exercise control over the Mongols gradually.
To manage Mongol affairs, the Qing set up the Lifan Yuan, or 'Office for Relations with {Mongol) Principalities' as early as the early 1630s. The Manchus had not even entered China yet! Thus could be seen, just how essential the Manchu leaders had viewed the participation of the Mongols in their conquest of China, and later Inner Asia.
Also, the Manchus had a better appreciation of the conditions of Mongol steppe life better than the culturally-different Chinese could ever do. The Qing emperors were prepared to step into the role of a Mongol qaghan; an option that was unacceptable to Confucian-minded Chinese emperors who could never accept a cultural status other than that as a traditional Chinese emperor. As a result, the Mongols could and did accept the Qing emperor as their overlord.
The Manchus allowed the Mongols to largely manage their own affairs, as well as providing them freely with resources available from their control of China. A form of bribery, you might say. To the resource-poor tribes and clans of the steppes, these essential resources and supplies were a formidable attraction.
Then, the Mongols' also had a spiritual relationship with Tibet; they had converted to Lamaism Buddhism, and looked upon the Dalai Lama as their spiritual head. Thus the Qing emperors spent almost a century to subvert the Dalai Lama and if not holding him in their pockets, at least denied access to him from the Mongols who were still holding out against the Qing.
Against those Mongol tribes who were still holding out against the Qing, particularly the Dzungars in Western Mongolia, the Qing deployed weopans which were devastating to Mongol cavalry, namely cannons and muskets. Without a sedentary base, as like that of the Chinese territories that were available to the Manchus, the Mongols could not hope to manufacture their own weopans to match the Qing armies.
Finally, the Mongols had begun to shed a little of their nomadism, in particular converting to Lamaist Buddhism and building monastery settlements. They also built towns nearby and actively recruited Chinese settlers to provide certain products. These towns finally provided for a target for the armies from the sedentary lands of China - something unavailable, for millenia.
Just as importantly, the very success of the Manchus drew the Mongols around them. As in the manner the great steppe confederations of the past were built, including the one by Genghis Khan, the steppe tribes gathered around and followed strong military leaders who had a proven track record in warfare, and of course plunder.
As the centuries rolled by and the quality of the Manchu bannermen deteriorated to abysmal levels due to living conditions in a soft civilian setting (the banners were scattered throughout China), the Mongol banners, held in Mongolia, proved ever more essential for the Qing armies. Thus with all these careful steps and social, cultural and religious manipulations, the Qing emperors managed to leash the Mongols and deploy them for the glory of their own Manchu empire.
First of all, the Mongol tribes, although more numerous than the Manchus, were not united and had splintered to tribal, or even subclan levels. The unity of Genghis Khan's days had long been lost in the traditional in-fighting common to the steppe tribes since time immemorial. The Manchu leaders could deploy the old Chinese strategy of 'using barbarians to control barbarians' against them, and deftly managed the intra-Mongol relations to ensure no strong ruler appeared to lead the Mongols against the Qing.
In particular, when the Mongol tribes were defeated or swore allegiance, the Manchus imposed the banner system on them. This was different than that of the standard Manchu banners, for this was meant to virtually replace the tribal command structure with their own. By controlling and carefully appointing the leaders of these new Mongol banners, the Manchus came to exercise control over the Mongols gradually.
To manage Mongol affairs, the Qing set up the Lifan Yuan, or 'Office for Relations with {Mongol) Principalities' as early as the early 1630s. The Manchus had not even entered China yet! Thus could be seen, just how essential the Manchu leaders had viewed the participation of the Mongols in their conquest of China, and later Inner Asia.
Also, the Manchus had a better appreciation of the conditions of Mongol steppe life better than the culturally-different Chinese could ever do. The Qing emperors were prepared to step into the role of a Mongol qaghan; an option that was unacceptable to Confucian-minded Chinese emperors who could never accept a cultural status other than that as a traditional Chinese emperor. As a result, the Mongols could and did accept the Qing emperor as their overlord.
The Manchus allowed the Mongols to largely manage their own affairs, as well as providing them freely with resources available from their control of China. A form of bribery, you might say. To the resource-poor tribes and clans of the steppes, these essential resources and supplies were a formidable attraction.
Then, the Mongols' also had a spiritual relationship with Tibet; they had converted to Lamaism Buddhism, and looked upon the Dalai Lama as their spiritual head. Thus the Qing emperors spent almost a century to subvert the Dalai Lama and if not holding him in their pockets, at least denied access to him from the Mongols who were still holding out against the Qing.
Against those Mongol tribes who were still holding out against the Qing, particularly the Dzungars in Western Mongolia, the Qing deployed weopans which were devastating to Mongol cavalry, namely cannons and muskets. Without a sedentary base, as like that of the Chinese territories that were available to the Manchus, the Mongols could not hope to manufacture their own weopans to match the Qing armies.
Finally, the Mongols had begun to shed a little of their nomadism, in particular converting to Lamaist Buddhism and building monastery settlements. They also built towns nearby and actively recruited Chinese settlers to provide certain products. These towns finally provided for a target for the armies from the sedentary lands of China - something unavailable, for millenia.
Just as importantly, the very success of the Manchus drew the Mongols around them. As in the manner the great steppe confederations of the past were built, including the one by Genghis Khan, the steppe tribes gathered around and followed strong military leaders who had a proven track record in warfare, and of course plunder.
As the centuries rolled by and the quality of the Manchu bannermen deteriorated to abysmal levels due to living conditions in a soft civilian setting (the banners were scattered throughout China), the Mongol banners, held in Mongolia, proved ever more essential for the Qing armies. Thus with all these careful steps and social, cultural and religious manipulations, the Qing emperors managed to leash the Mongols and deploy them for the glory of their own Manchu empire.
