The military collapse of China's Ming Dynasty, 1618-44 - Swope, Kenneth (New York : Routledge, 2014)
1. A gauntlet is cast down : the rise of the Latter Jin, 1618-21 -- 2. Changing tides : from defeat to stability in the northeast, 1622-6 -- 3. Pursuing a forward strategy: Yuan Chonghuan's rise and fall, 1626-30 -- 4. Dashing defiers and dastardly defenders : the peasant rebels gain strength and the northeastern front weakens, 1630-6 -- 5. Miscasting a ten sided net : Yang Sichang ascendant, 1636-41 -- 6. Hanging by a silken thread : the Ming armies collapse, 1641-3 -- 7. Chongzhen's lament : my ministers have abandoned me! (winter-spring 1644) -- 8. The fall of the Ming in global perspective.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Keywords: China -- History -- Li Zicheng Rebellion, 1628-1645.; China -- History -- Ming dynasty, 1368-1644.; China -- History, Military -- 960-1644.