Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period/Narimbulu
NARIMBULU 納林布祿, beile of the Yehe tribe, succeeded to this position in 1584, after his father, Yangginu [q. v.], had been killed by Chinese forces assisting the Hada tribe (see under Wan). After a period of peace Narimbulu and his cousin, Bujai (see under Bujantai), took up the feud with the Hada again, thereby exposing themselves to punitive measures on the part of the Chinese. In 1588 Li Ch'êng-liang [q. v.] besieged the Yehe towns and brought their leaders to terms. Later in the year Narimbulu took his younger sister, Munggu (Empress Hsiao-tz'ŭ, see under Abahai), to Nurhaci [q. v.] to whom she had previously been promised as wife. Taking advantage of this connection, he made overtures to Nurhaci in 1591, offering an alliance in return for a gift of land. When this had been scornfully declined Narimbulu assembled the four Halun tribes and with the assistance of a large force of Mongols led a campaign against Nurhaci in 1593. This coalition, said to include 30,000 fighting men, was disastrously defeated at Mt. Gure, and Narimbulu's cousin, Bujai, was killed. In 1597 a treaty of peace was signed by which two of Narimbulu's nieces were promised to Nurhaci and to his second son, Daišan [q. v.]. The truce lasted only two years, until Nurhaci conquered the Hada tribe and threatened to extend his operations into Yehe territory.
In 1603 Narimbulu's sister, who had borne Nurhaci's eighth son, Abahai (later Emperor Tai-tsung), fell ill and requested to see her mother. Narimbulu refused to let his mother go to her, sending instead a menial to inquire after his sister's health. Enraged at this action, Nurhaci determined to conquer the Yehe tribe and began his campaign in 1604.
Narimbulu died some years later and was succeeded by his younger brother, Gintaisi [q. v.], who was beile when in 1619 Nurhaci finally annihilated the Yehe tribe.
[1/229/6a.]
George A. Kennedy