Chinese military general Cao Qin and his…

Chinese military general Cao Qin and his officers, of Mongol and Han descent, are fearful of being next on the Tianshun Emperor's purge-list of those who had aided his half-brother Jingtai's earlier succession during the 1449 Tumu Crisis.

In 1461, they stage a coup against the Tianshun Emperor.

After setting fire to the eastern and western gates of the Imperial City (which are doused by pouring rains during the day-long uprising), Cao Qin, betrayed by two Mongol officers, finds himself hemmed in on all sides by imperial forces, loses three of his own brothers in the fight, and instead of facing execution flees to his house and commits suicide by jumping down a well located within the walled compound of his urban Beijing home.

The rebellion marks the high point in political tension over allowing Mongols to be employed in the Ming military command structure.

Ming Chinese officials often compensate Mongol subordinates for military merits while at the same time strategically relocating their troops and families away from the capital.