 The early Ming court could not , and did not , aspire to the control imposed upon the Jurchens in Manchuria by the Mongols , yet it created a norm of organization that would ultimately serve as the principal vehicle for the relations with peoples along the northeast frontiers . By the end of the Hongwu reign , the essentials of a policy toward the Jurchens had taken shape . Most of the inhabitants of Manchuria , except for the wild Jurchens , were at peace with China . The Ming had created many guards ( 衛 , wei ) in Manchuria , but the creation of a guard did not necessarily imply political control . In 1409 , the Ming dynasty under Yongle Emperor established the Nurgan Regional Military Commission on the banks of the Amur River , and Yishiha , a eunuch of Haixi Jurchen derivation , was ordered to lead an expedition to the mouth of the Amur to pacify the Wild Jurchens . After the death of Yongle Emperor , the Nurgan Regional Military Commission was abolished in 1435 , and the Ming court ceased to have substantial activities there , although the guards continued to exist in Manchuria . By the late Ming period , Ming political presence in Manchuria had waned considerably . 
