▁rest ▁of ▁ 1 6 1 9 ▁was ▁spent ▁se aling ▁al li ances ▁with ▁rit ual ▁fe asts , ▁even ▁as ▁Jin ▁lands ▁were ▁suffering ▁from ▁fam ine . ▁Nur ha ci ' s ▁over t ures ▁were ▁not ▁met ▁with ▁success ▁everywhere , ▁and ▁Lig dan ▁Khan ▁killed ▁Jin ' s ▁en vo ys . ▁Some ▁Mong ol ▁tribes ▁turned ▁to ▁the ▁M ing . ▁ ▁The ▁M ing ▁court ▁appointed ▁X ion g ▁T ing bi ▁as ▁Military ▁Affairs ▁Commission er ▁of ▁L ia od ong . ▁X ion g ' s ▁strategy ▁was ▁to ▁further ▁strength en ▁M ing ▁def enses ▁and ▁to ▁so othe ▁the ▁wor ries ▁of ▁the ▁people . ▁His ▁r ationale ▁was ▁that ▁so ▁long ▁as ▁the ▁people ▁of ▁L iao ▁understood ▁their ▁importance ▁as ▁protected ▁subjects ▁of ▁M ing , ▁they ▁would ▁ref rain ▁from ▁joining ▁the ▁Jin . ▁X ion g ▁emphas ized ▁the ▁need ▁for ▁M ing ▁subjects ▁to ▁feel ▁val ued ▁if ▁they ▁were ▁to ▁contribute ▁to ▁the ▁war ▁effort . ▁One ▁of ▁his ▁first ▁actions ▁after ▁taking ▁office ▁was ▁to ▁immediately ▁pun ish ▁deser ters . ▁A ▁pair ▁of ▁M ing ▁command ers ▁along ▁with ▁Li ▁R uz hen , ▁who ▁had ▁fled ▁from ▁the ▁Battle ▁of ▁T iel ing , ▁were ▁captured ▁and ▁executed . ▁ ▁X ion g ▁estimated ▁that ▁Nur ha ci ▁had ▁around ▁ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁troops ▁at ▁his ▁command ▁while ▁there ▁were ▁nomin ally ▁ 1 8 0 , 0