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Zhu proclaimed himself Emperor of the Ming dynasty in Nanjing and adopted "Hongwu" as his era name. Thus becoming the Hongwu Emperor. His dynasty's mission was to drive away the Mongols and restore Han Chinese rule in China. He did this by restoring, rebuilding, and extending the Great Wall of China.
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During this period the Ming Dynasty strengthened and rebuilt most of the Great Wall with bricks and stone instead of rammed earth and extended it to what is still seen presently today.
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The Pianguan Pass is one of the three outer passes of the Great Wall. It joins the Yajiao Mountain in the east, and meets the Yellow River in the west. The pass was constructed in 1390 during the Ming Dynasty.
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Ming rulers took a largely defensive stance, and their reformation and extension of the Great Wall was key to this strategy.
The Ming wall extended from the Yalu River in Liaoning Province to the eastern bank of the Taolai River in Gansu Province, and winded its way from east to west through today’s Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu. (http://www.history.com/topics/great-wall-of-china) -
The Ming Dynasty began construction on the Liaodong Wall in 1440.
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During the 1440s–1460s, the Ming also built a so-called "Liaodong Wall". The Liaodong Wall enclosed the agricultural heartland of the Liaodong province, protecting it against potential incursions. (Edmonds, Richard Louis (1985). Pages 38-40.Northern Frontiers of Qing China and Tokugawa Japan: A Comparative Study of Frontier Policy. University of Chicago, Department of Geography; Research Paper No. 213. ISBN 0-89065-118-3.)
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Constructed in 1450 and was renovated and enlarged multiple times. It originally had three gates in total: the East Gate, the South Gate, and the West Gate.
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The end to the Liaodong Wall construction was in1460.
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The construction of the Great Wall as it is known today began around 1474. After some territorial expanding, Ming rulers took a largely defensive stance, and their reformation and extension of the Great Wall was key to this strategy.
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Starting west of Juyong Pass, the Great Wall was split into south and north lines, the Inner and Outer Walls. Fortresses and gates were placed along the wall; the Juyong, Daoma and Zijing passes, closest to Beijing, were named the Three Inner Passes, while further west were Yanmen, Ningwu and Piantou, the Three Outer Passes. All six passes were heavily garrisoned during the Ming period and considered vital to the defense of the capital.(http://www.history.com/topics/great-wall-of-china)
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In 1479, the North Gate was opened. Many emplacements and watch towers were also built along the wall of the pass.
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After the enlargement in 1498, the pass had a girth of 2.2 miles and its wall was about 38 feet high.
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Upwards of 25,000 watch towers were constructed that guarded, defended, warned of incoming invaders and served to protect China during the Ming Dynasty.
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Unlike the earlier fortifications, the Ming construction was stronger and more elaborate due to the use of bricks and stone instead of rammed earth. Up to 25,000 watchtowers are estimated to have been constructed on the wall. (Szabó, József; Dávid, Lóránt; Loczy, Denes, eds. (2010). Page 220. Anthropogenic Geomorphology: A Guide to Man-made Landforms. Springer. ISBN 978-9-048-13057-3.)
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The repairs lasted from 1567-1570.
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Qi Jiguang between 1567 and 1570 repaired and reinforced the wall, faced sections of the ram-earth wall with bricks and constructed 1,200 watchtowers from Shanhaiguan Pass to Changping to warn of approaching Mongol raiders. ("Great Wall at Mutianyu". Great Wall of China)
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Because the Ming Dynasty chose to strengthen and fortify, the Great Wall helped defend the empire against the Manchu invasions that began around 1600.
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In 1606, the earth wall was encased with bricks and stone, making it more solid and sound, the East Gate Tower and West Gate Tower were constructed. At the top of the Huagai Mountain a three-story Fire Tower was built. Additionally,12 miles of the Great Wall was built to the north of the pass.
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The Manchus were able to cross the Great Wall in 1644. The Manchus had crossed the Great Wall multiple times to raid, but this time it was for conquest. The gates at Shanhai Pass were opened on May 25 by the commanding Ming general, Wu Sangui, who formed an alliance with the Manchus, hoping to use the Manchus to expel the rebels from Beijing. (Lovell, Julia (2006). Page 254. The Great Wall : China against the world 1000 BC – AD 2000. Sydney: Picador Pan Macmillan. ISBN 9780330422413.)
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As you can see during the Ming Dynasty's repairs, upgrades, and expansions to the once rammed earthen walls made a formidable defense for China and allowed them to expand considerably.
