Throughout history, there are rituals that are etched in people's memories and are shocking with their cruelty and absurdity. And one of the rituals, called "sheep pulling ceremony", is even more heart-wrenching with its endless humiliation and insults.
The sheep pulling ceremony sounds like a celebratory ceremony, but in fact it is a cruel humiliation and mockery of the captives by the Jurchens. In this ceremony, war criminals are stripped of their clothes, dressed in sheepskin, tied around their necks by ropes, and forced to crawl into the ancestral ancestral halls. Such a sight is reminiscent of being dragged by a flock of helpless sheep.
The cruelty of this ritual is that it robs people of their dignity and freedom, puts them in full view and makes them feel the depth of despair and shame. Beneath the name of a well-intentioned celebration hides endless malice, making people wonder about the dark side of human nature.
It is impossible to understand why such a ritual can cause so much trauma to people's hearts. How can it so destroy a person's will and dignity? What does the sheep pulling ceremony mean so that people are willing to die to defend their innocence and freedom?
"Treacherous Allies: The Song Dynasty Faces the Threat of Jin State's Southern Invasion"
As the comprehensive national strength of the Song Dynasty continued to decline, the former ally Liao was defeated in the war with the Song-Jin alliance, making the Jin State the only northern power. For Song Huizong, this unexpected betrayal never expected him. His once trusted ally has now become an enemy that threatens his rule.
Prior to this, the Song-Kim alliance had been an unbreakable alliance. The two sides signed an alliance against the powerful Liao state. However, the demise of the Liao State became an opportunity for the Jin State to invade the south. As an ally, the Song Dynasty should have received the support and protection of the Jin State, but the Jin State chose to betray. Seeing the weakening of the strength of the Song Dynasty, they did not hesitate to turn the army around and begin the journey to the south.
Song Huizong never expected that his former ally would be so treacherous. The covenant was torn apart, and all the promises that had been made were in vain. The price paid by the Song Dynasty in the Liao War seems to be unrewarded, and instead it will face a greater threat from the Jin State.
However, the betrayal of this war was not just a cunning act of the Jin Kingdom. It also exposed the fragility and decline of the Song Dynasty itself. The collapse of the Liao state temporarily freed the Song Dynasty from the pressure of strong enemies in the north, but it also caused the Jin State, which was watching and helping, to turn around and attack the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty has already experienced a series of wars, and its national strength has been greatly weakened and cannot compete with the Jin State.
At the same time, the Jin State preserved its strength in the war with the Liao State and did not wear out as much as the Song Dynasty. This allowed the Jin State to take advantage of the victories after the fall of the Liao State and quickly mobilize its army to the south to attack the Song Dynasty. They seized the opportunity of the weakening of the Song Dynasty's national strength and internal instability, and obtained the maximum benefits at the minimum cost.
"Under the trampling of dignity: Empress Zhu suffered a painful blow from the Jin State Rite"
In the second year of Jingkang, the capital of the Song Dynasty, Bianjing, fell, and the army of the Jin army poured in like a flood, completely crushing the resistance of the Song state. This historical event, known as the Death of Jingkang, dealt a devastating blow to Emperor Huizong of Song and other members of the royal family. They reluctantly became prisoners of the Jin State and were forced back to the territory of the Jin State in batches.
For the Jin Kingdom, it was crucial to protect and control such an important ruler as Emperor Huizong of Song. Jin Guo hopes that by controlling them, he can not only prevent them from restoration, but also use them as bargaining chips to contain the Southern Song Dynasty in the future. As a result, Song Huizong and other high-ranking officials were placed in relatively safe places and closely guarded to ensure they could not regain power.
In the Jingkang disaster, those low-status concubines, eunuchs, and palace maids suffered incomparable misfortune. Treated as property by the Jin Army, deprived of freedom and dignity, their lives fell into endless misery. People of low status were forced to perform heavy manual labor, scattered and sent everywhere, enduring hardship and abuse. And those concubines with outstanding appearance and temperament became the targets of wanton bullying by the soldiers of the Jin State, and suffered all unimaginable abuse and humiliation.
Faced with such a tragic fate, many women prefer to die to end their suffering and free their souls. They used their lives to preserve their dignity and freedom, and resolutely refused to succumb to the ravages of the Jin Army. However, there are also some women, despite their humiliation and pain in their hearts, who choose to endure the burden of humiliation and bear these cruel torments temporarily. They understand that only by keeping the hope alive can they contribute to the future restoration of the country and the reconstruction of the dynasty.
Among these women, the most notable was Empress Zhu, a concubine favored by Emperor Huizong of Song. With her impressive beauty and intelligence, she is the object of many people's longing and worship. However, she also became the target of the indulgent desires of the soldiers of the Jin Kingdom, and experienced all kinds of unspeakable insults and pains.
Empress Zhu has always cherished a belief in the future, believing that as long as she can persevere through the difficult stage ahead, she will usher in a turning point. However, she did not expect Kim to completely break her psychological defenses with a sheep-pulling ceremony.
"Despair and Choice: The Death of Empress Zhu and Her Concubines in Dignity"
The name may sound prosaic, but it hides a cruel and humiliating ritual. When Empress Zhu realized that she was about to be the object of this ceremony, her heart was heavy and uneasy.
When the cold rope tightened around her neck and bound her under the control of the soldiers of the Jin Kingdom, she felt an indescribable humiliation and fear. She was forced to undress and her body was covered in sheepskin, as if surrounded by a flock. The crowd in front of her, a roar of ridicule and noise, completely destroyed her dignity and self-esteem.
With her naked body exposed to everyone's gaze, Empress Zhu felt her cheeks burn, as if the whole world was laughing at her tragic fate. She was once revered and revered as the empress of the Song Dynasty, but at this moment, she became a symbol of the victory of the Jin Kingdom, was used as a trophy to defeat the enemy, and was forced to play a humiliating role.
In this ritual full of humiliation and humiliation, Empress Zhu may feel that her personality and dignity are being stripped little by little. She used to be a female empress of the Song Dynasty, and the majesty and power belonged to her, but now, all this is a thing of the past.
In ancient times, a woman's chastity was seen as the supreme virtue, more important than life itself. In the face of the endless humiliation of the sheep pulling ceremony, Empress Zhu could no longer bear it, and the strength and dignity of her heart gradually collapsed, leaving only endless despair and pain.
Harsh conditions, cruel treatment, and endless shame enveloped her psyche. The naked body, tied to her neck with ropes, made her feel that she had lost all dignity and freedom. In her eyes, life has lost its value, and suicide seems to be the only way to escape.
Grief and helplessness were intertwined in Empress Zhu's heart, and she felt indescribable torment and choice. The traditional concept of chastity was deeply ingrained in her heart, and she could not bear the humiliation and trampling of her body. So, she decided to commit suicide to free herself from the suffering of this world.
However, Empress Zhu was not the only woman to make such a choice. At the scene of the sheep-pulling ceremony, many other concubines also faced the same choice. They value their dignity and chastity more than life, so they choose to die to protect their innocence and dignity.
They either chose to end their lives with a sharp weapon in their bodies, or they chose poison to end their existence. In this extreme way, they expressed their protest against the invasion and humiliation of Jinguo, demonstrating their adherence to their dignity and chastity.
epilogue
Undoubtedly, the sheep pulling ceremony does not treat the victims in a bloody and violent way, but it causes indelible wounds on the soul. This ritual of public humiliation and deprivation of dignity transcends physical pain and deeply the heart of each victim.
Even if some women choose to endure it and put their dignity aside for the time being, they cannot escape the psychological torture caused by the sheep leading. Being forced to play a humiliating role and become a symbol of the victor's booty will undoubtedly leave deep wounds in their hearts. Over time, these psychological shadows can continue to erode their mental health, leaving them in constant distress and confusion.
Behind the sheep-pulling ceremony is the trampling on the dignity of the individual and the destruction of human nature. Whether it was Empress Zhu or the other concubines, their choice was to seek a glimmer of hope and relief in the midst of cruel circumstances. They defended their innocence and freedom with their lives, choosing dignity in the face of adversity as a sign of protest and a fight back against their tormentors.
However, we should also be aware that these women are not innocent victims. Behind the sheep-pulling ceremony is the helpless reality of the decline of the national strength of the Song Dynasty and the invasion of foreign enemies. The tragedies of history are not one-sided, but complexly intertwined and intricate. In the turmoil and cruelty of this era, both the victims and the perpetrators are under great pressure and pain.
Looking back at Jingkang's difficulties, we cannot stop at the appearance of the sheep-pulling ceremony. It represents the tragedy of a history and the distortion of human nature, and requires us to think deeply about the fragility of human nature and the coldness of society. Only through reflection on history and concern for humanity can we hope not to repeat such tragedies and pave the way for progress and harmony in human society.
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