The Jin State created the "Shame of Jingkang", see how the Southern Song Dynasty retaliated? Of the 7 million gold people, only 100,000 remained

The shame of Jingkang, the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, the two emperors were taken into captivity, the children of the clan and the ministers of civil and military affairs were captured, and the city of Tokyo was sacked. This period of history is the pain of the Chinese nation and the beginning of the rise of the Jin State. However, the wheels of history are rolling forward, and the winners of yesteryear will eventually become losers. When the Jin Kingdom went into decline, the Southern Song Dynasty formed an alliance with the Mongols, and an earth-shattering revenge quietly unfolded. From 7 million to 100,000, the number of gold people has plummeted, what is happening behind this? How did the Southern Song Dynasty push the Jin Kingdom into the abyss of destruction step by step? Let's uncover the truth of this little-known history.

1. The Rise of the Kingdom of Jin and the "Shame of Jingkang"

Everyone in the world knows the "shame of Jingkang", but few people know the history of the rise of the Jin State behind this national shame. How did the Jin State, the Jurchen regime established by Wanyan Aguta, rise from the mountains and forests of the Northeast in just a few decades and finally conquer Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty?

It is said that in 1115 A.D., Wanyan Aguda called the emperor in Huanglong Mansion and founded the country, with the country name "Dajin". The founding emperor of the Jin Kingdom can be described as a strange person, it is said that he was born different, there is a bone protrusion on the top of his head, shaped like a lotus, so he was named "A Guta". Aguta was not only brave in martial arts, but also proficient in the art of war, and he led the Jurchens to break away from the rule of the Liao State and create a world of their own.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Jin State, Wanyan Aguta showed extraordinary strategic vision. He first united with the Song Dynasty to deal with the Liao State, which can be described as a model of "distant friendship and close attack". In 1125, the Liao State was destroyed, and the Jin State gained a large amount of land and population, and its strength increased greatly. However, Wanyan Aguta was not satisfied, and his eyes had already set his sights on the more affluent Central Plains.

After the death of Wanyan Aguta, his younger brother Wanyan Wu begged to buy the throne, known as Jin Taizong in history. Taizong inherited his brother's eloquence and was determined to conquer the Central Plains. In 1126, Jin Taizong personally led his army south and approached Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. At this time, the Northern Song Dynasty was already suffering from internal and external troubles, and its military strength was not as good as before. Song Huizong panicked, and even abdicated to his son Zhao Huan, and fled to Jiangnan, which is the famous "Imperial Southern Tour" in history.

Zhao Huan, the newly enthroned Song Qinzong, was at a loss in the face of the Jin soldiers' pressing step by step. He didn't think about how to resist the enemy, but listened to the "immortal art" of the Taoist priest Guo Jing, in a vain attempt to save the situation. As you can imagine, Bianjing soon fell. Song Qinzong and Song Huizong, who had just abdicated, were both captured, and they were known as "the two emperors covered with dust" in history. After the Jin soldiers entered Bianjing, they plundered on a large scale, countless treasures were transported to the Jin country, and tens of thousands of children of the clan and civil and military ministers were taken captive, which was the "Jingkang shame" that shamed the Chinese nation.

However, the victory of the Jin people did not end there. In 1127, Wanyan Zongbi led his army south again and defeated Yingtianfu (now Shangqiu, Henan), the temporary capital of the Song Dynasty. At this time, the Northern Song Dynasty was already in name only, and the royal family and ministers fled south. On this battlefield of blood and fire, a prince named Zhao Gou escaped by luck and came to Jiangnan to establish the Southern Song Dynasty regime.

The rise of the Jin State can be described as rapid and abnormal, from the founding of the country to the capture of Bianjing, before and after only more than ten years. This powerful force from the Northeast, with its strong combat power and flexible strategy, conquered the Liao and Northern Song dynasties in a short period of time, and established a vast empire across northern China. However, as the saying goes, "when the moon is full, it will be lost, and when the water is full, it will overflow", and the rapid rise of the Jin State also laid a hidden danger for the future decline.

After the Jin people entered the Central Plains, they began a large-scale process of sinicization. They adopted the etiquette system of the Han people, learned the culture of Chinese characters, and even changed their clothes to the style of the Han people. This sinicization strengthened the rule of the Jin Kingdom to some extent, but it also caused the Jin people to gradually lose their early characteristics of being brave and good at war. At the same time, the rulers of the Jin Kingdom indulged in pleasures and neglected political affairs, which led to the decline of national power.

Just as the Jin Kingdom was gradually declining, a new force arose in the steppe - Mongolia. This nomadic people, who were once despised by the Jin State, grew stronger and stronger under the leadership of Genghis Khan, and will eventually become the gravedigger of the Jin State. But at this time, the rulers of the Jin Kingdom had not yet realized the coming crisis, and they were immersed in the joy of conquering the Central Plains, but they did not know that the wheel of fate had begun to turn, and a greater storm was coming.

Second, the Jin country has turned from prosperity to decline

After conquering the Liao and Northern Song dynasties, the Jin state became a powerful empire that spanned northern China. However, like many conquering dynasties throughout history, the Jin Kingdom did not escape the fate of turning from prosperity to decline. This process is mainly reflected in three aspects: the process of sinicization and the decline of military strength, the rise of Mongolia and the "Battle of Yehuling", and Jin Xuanzong's faint move to invade the Song Dynasty in the south.

As the area under the Jin rule expanded, a large number of Han Chinese were included in its rule. In order to effectively manage these newly conquered lands and populations, the rulers of the Jin State embarked on a comprehensive policy of sinicization. They adopted the Han bureaucracy, learned Chinese character culture, and even changed their costumes to Han style. This sinicization strengthened the rule of the Jin Kingdom to some extent, but it also caused the Jin people to gradually lose their early characteristics of being brave and good at war.

During the reign of Jin Xizong, the process of sinicization reached its peak. Not only did he switch to Hanfu, but he also actively promoted Confucianism, and even personally annotated the Book of Filial Piety. However, this cultural shift has not brought about the desired governance effect. On the contrary, the rulers of the Jin Kingdom indulged in pleasures and neglected political affairs, which led to the decline of national power.

At the same time, the military strength of the Kingdom of Jin was also declining. Jurchen soldiers, once known for their horse archery, have now become accustomed to the comfort of city life and have lost the ability to fight on horseback. The army of the Jin State gradually turned into an army dominated by infantry, which was clearly at a disadvantage in the face of the steppe nomads.

Just as the Jin Kingdom was gradually declining, a new force arose in the steppes - the Mongols. This nomadic people, once despised by the Jin state, grew stronger and stronger under the leadership of Genghis Khan. In 1211, Genghis Khan led his army to attack the Jin Kingdom, a war that lasted for 23 years.

One of the most crucial battles was the "Battle of Wild Fox Ridge" in 1214. At that time, the Jin State sent an army of 200,000 to meet the Mongol army. However, the Mongol army, with its flexible tactics and superb cavalry and archery skills, defeated the Jin army at Yehuling in one fell swoop. This battle not only exposed the decline of Jin's military strength, but also marked a reversal of the national strength of the two countries.

After the defeat, the Jin State was forced to move its capital to Yanjing (present-day Beijing) and pay tribute to the Mongols. Although this move temporarily brought peace, it also announced that Jin's status as a great power was gone forever.

In this situation of internal and external troubles, Jin Xuanzong completed Yan Xun's accession to the throne. Faced with the Mongol threat, Kim Xuanzong should have responded with all his might. However, he made an incredible decision - to invade the Song Dynasty in the south.

Jin Xuanzong's decision can be said to be a typical "cocoon and self-restraint". At that time, the Jin State was no longer able to fight, and although the Southern Song Dynasty seemed weak, under the leadership of famous generals such as Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, the military strength should not be underestimated. More importantly, this southern invasion angered the Southern Song court, which was originally unwilling to be in league with the Mongols.

In 1234, Jin Xuanzong sent Wushu to lead an army south in an attempt to seize the Huaixi region of the Southern Song Dynasty. However, this army suffered a crushing defeat under the leadership of Yu Jue. Wushu not only failed to capture Huaixi, but was pursued and killed by the Southern Song army all the way, and finally fled back in embarrassment.

This failed southern invasion not only consumed the last remaining military strength of the Jin State, but also completely angered the Southern Song Dynasty. The Southern Song court realized that the Jin Kingdom had become a paper tiger and was no longer to be feared. As a result, the Southern Song Dynasty decided to form an alliance with the Mongols to jointly deal with the Jin state.

Jin Xuanzong's faint move can be said to have sounded the death knell for the demise of the Jin Kingdom. Not only did it fail to "make up" the lost land in the south, but it hastened the process of the destruction of the Jin state. Since then, Jin Guo has fallen into the predicament of internal and external troubles, and has no power to return to the sky.

With the alliance between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Mongols, the fate of the Jin State was sealed. The once powerful country has now become a fish on the chopping block, just waiting to be carved up by the Song and Mongolian coalition forces. And all this stems from the short-sightedness and mediocrity of the rulers of the Jin Kingdom. They indulged in immediate pleasures and ignored potential threats, ultimately leading to the demise of this once-glorious empire.

3. The rise of the Song-Mongol alliance and the fall of the Jin State

In the process of the Jin State from prosperity to decline, a new force quietly rose - the Song and Mongolian coalition forces. This seemingly impossible alliance became a key factor in ending the rule of the Jin State. Let's look back at this history and see how the Song-Mongol coalition army was formed and how it pushed the Jin State into the abyss of destruction.

The formation of the Song-Mongolian alliance did not happen overnight. As early as 1214, the Mongol Great Khan Genghis Khan sent an envoy to the Southern Song Dynasty to propose a joint attack on the Jin state. However, the Southern Song Dynasty court at that time did not accept this proposal. The reason was simple, the Southern Song Dynasty saw Mongolia as more threatening than the Jin state and was reluctant to form an alliance with the newly rising steppe power.

However, over time, the situation has changed. The Jin state was declining in power, while the Mongols were growing stronger. Especially after the failed southern invasion of Jin Xuanzong in 1234, the Southern Song court finally realized that instead of facing the Mongol threat alone, it was better to unite with the Mongols to destroy the common enemy, the Jin state.

So, in 1233, the Southern Song Dynasty sent an envoy Zhao Fan to Mongolia to discuss with the Mongol Great Khan Wokotai about the joint attack on gold. The two sides soon reached an agreement: the Mongols were responsible for the main attack, and the Southern Song Dynasty was to contain the Jin from the south and provide grain and grass for baggage. In return, the Mongols promised to return the Henan region to the Southern Song Dynasty after capturing Kaifeng.

As soon as this alliance was formed, it immediately launched an all-out attack on the Jin State. The Mongol army was led by famous generals such as Meng Ge and Tuo Lei, and drove straight into Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin Kingdom. The Southern Song Dynasty sent the general Meng Heng to lead the army north to contain the southern defense line of the Jin State.

In the face of this sudden two-front battle, Jin Guo suddenly fell into a predicament. Although Jin Aizong Wanyan Shouxu tried his best to organize the defense, he had no skills. In the winter of 1233, the Mongol army besieged Kaifeng, and Jin Aizong was forced to flee to Caizhou (present-day Runan, Henan) with the remnants.

The Battle of Caizhou was the last battle before the fall of the Jin State. In the first month of 1234, the Mongol army arrived at the city of Caizhou. The Jin Ai sect sent an envoy to ask for surrender, but the Mongols refused. The Mongol army began a fierce assault on Caizhou.

In this life-and-death battle, the soldiers and civilians of the Jin State showed a stubborn spirit of resistance. They set up multiple defensive lines on the city walls and used a variety of weapons to resist the Mongol army's attack. However, in the face of the well-equipped and highly motivated Mongol army, the efforts of the Jin defenders were ultimately in vain.

The fighting lasted for more than a month, and the city of Caizhou was finally breached in early February. Seeing that the general trend had gone, Jin Aizong hanged himself in his bedroom. Subsequently, the Mongol army stormed the palace, and the last trace of resistance of the Jin state dissipated.

So far, the once dominating Jin State has finally come to an end after 119 years of founding. This empire founded by the Jurchen people, from its rise to its demise, has left many historical lessons worthy of reflection by future generations.

However, the victory of the Song-Mongol coalition did not bring the expected benefits to the Southern Song Dynasty. Instead of fulfilling their promise to return Henan to the Southern Song Dynasty, the Mongols saw the Southern Song as their next target for conquest. This treacherous behavior laid the groundwork for the future conflict between Mongolia and the Southern Song Dynasty.

The fall of the Jin State marked the end of an important period in Chinese history. It is not only the fall of a dynasty, but also the herald of a new era. The rise of the Mongol Empire changed the political landscape of the entire Eurasian continent, and China will usher in a new unified dynasty - the Yuan Dynasty.

In this major event that changed the course of history, the Song-Mongolian coalition forces played a key role. Their alliance accelerated the process of the demise of the Jin Kingdom, and at the same time laid the groundwork for the subsequent historical development. This seemingly impossible alliance eventually became a turning point in history, opening up a new direction for the development of Chinese and even world history.

4. The rise of the Mongol Empire and the end of the Southern Song Dynasty

With the fall of the Jin Kingdom, the Mongol Empire quickly rose to become the most powerful power in Eurasia. However, the ambitions of this vast empire did not stop there. After the destruction of the Jin state, the Mongols quickly turned their attention to the Southern Song Dynasty. For the Southern Song Dynasty, the former allies became the greatest threat in the blink of an eye, and an arduous battle for survival began.

The Mongol Empire's conquest of the Southern Song Dynasty did not happen overnight, but lasted decades of arduous campaigning. This protracted war can be broadly divided into three phases: an initial exploratory offensive, a large-scale invasion in the middle term, and finally a total conquest.

The initial phase began in 1235, when the Mongol Great Khan Ögedai sent his general Möngke to lead his army south to launch a tentative attack on the Southern Song Dynasty. Although the scale of this offensive was small, it already showed the ambitions of the Mongol Empire towards the Southern Song Dynasty. The Southern Song Dynasty showed stubborn resistance at this stage and successfully withstood the Mongol army's attack.

It is worth mentioning that at this stage, the famous Southern Song Dynasty general Meng Heng led his army to repel the attack of the Mongol army in the Hefei area. This victory greatly boosted the morale of the Southern Song army and civilians, and also made the Mongols realize that conquering the Southern Song Dynasty was not an easy task.

The middle phase began in 1258, when Möngke succeeded to the throne as Great Khan and decided to conquer the Southern Song Dynasty in its entirety. He personally led the army southward and attacked in three directions: Möngke himself led the Central Route Army to attack Sichuan, Kublai Khan led the Right Route Army to attack Hubei, and Tulei's son Ali Buge led the Left Route Army to attack Yunnan.

This large-scale invasion put tremendous pressure on the Southern Song Dynasty. The Mongol army captured the city and soon occupied most of Sichuan. However, just when it seemed that the Mongol army was about to achieve a decisive victory, the unexpected happened. In 1259, Möngke fell ill and died during an attack on Diaoyu Castle. This sudden incident caused the Mongol army to temporarily retreat, giving the Southern Song a respite.

The final phase of total conquest began in 1268. By this time, Kublai Khan had become the Great Khan and established the Yuan Dynasty. He was determined to complete the unfinished business of his grandfather Genghis Khan and his brother Meng Ke and completely conquer the Southern Song Dynasty.

Kublai Khan adopted a steady strategy, first sending his general Boyan to lead an army to attack Xiangyang. Xiangyang is an important military fortress in the northern part of the Southern Song Dynasty and is known as the "Jingxiang Gateway". The Southern Song Dynasty court was well aware of the importance of Xiangyang and sent the famous general Lü Wenhuan to defend the city.

The Battle of Xiangyang lasted for five years and was a crucial battle for the Southern Song Dynasty against the Mongol invasion. In this protracted battle, both sides have shown stubborn will. The Yuan army continued to increase its troops, employing various advanced siege techniques; The defenders of the Southern Song Dynasty relied on strong city defenses and unyielding will to thwart the attacks of the Yuan army again and again.

However, as time went on, Xiangyang's situation became more and more critical. Although the Southern Song Dynasty court sent reinforcements many times, it failed to break through the encirclement of the Yuan army. In 1273, when he ran out of ammunition and food, Lü Wenhuan was finally forced to surrender. The fall of Xiangyang marked the complete collapse of the northern defense line of the Southern Song Dynasty.

After that, the Yuan army marched straight into the country and soon captured the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou). The Battle of Yashan was the last resistance of the Southern Song Dynasty. In 1279, the remnants of the Southern Song Dynasty fought a decisive battle with the Yuan army in the Yashan Sea area of Xinhui, Guangdong. Despite the amazing courage shown by the soldiers and civilians of the Southern Song Dynasty, they were ultimately defeated by the well-armed Yuan army. With the suicide of the little emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Yu, who committed suicide by throwing himself into the sea, the Southern Song Dynasty, which lasted for 315 years, came to an end.

The rise of the Mongol Empire and the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty marked a new period in Chinese history. The establishment of the Yuan Dynasty not only ended China's centuries-long division but also connected China to the wider world. However, the cost of this process is enormous. Countless lives were lost in this protracted war of conquest, and much of the cultural heritage was destroyed in the war.

5. China under the Yuan Dynasty: Convergence and Conflict

With the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty became the new dynasty that ruled all of China. This empire, founded by the Mongols, brought unprecedented changes and challenges to China. The reign of the Yuan Dynasty was an era full of contradictions and complexities, with convergence and conflict coexisting, leaving a deep mark on Chinese history.

At the beginning of the reign of the Yuan Dynasty, a strict ethnic hierarchy was introduced. This system divides the country's population into four classes: Mongols, Semu (mainly referring to ethnic groups from the Western Regions), Han (including northern Han Chinese and Liaojin remnants), and Nanren (mainly referring to Han Chinese from the former Southern Song Dynasty). This system granted privileges to the Mongols and Semu in terms of politics, economy, and law, while discriminating against the Han and Nan.

However, this strict ethnic policy did not stop the process of cultural integration. Over time, the Mongol rulers began to gradually adopt and assimilate the culture of the Central Plains. A typical example of this process is Kublai Khan's grandson, Yuan Chengzong Timur. Timur received an education in Chinese culture from an early age, was proficient in Chinese, and loved classical Chinese literature. During his reign, the Yuan dynasty began a large-scale restoration of the imperial examination system, providing opportunities for Han Chinese intellectuals to participate in politics.

During the Yuan Dynasty, China achieved remarkable economic, technological and cultural development. On the economic front, the Yuan Dynasty unified the national market and promoted the development of the commodity economy. The Maritime Silk Road was unprecedentedly prosperous, and the port of Quanzhou became one of the largest ports in the world at that time. It was during this period that Marco Polo came to China, and his travelogue "Marco Polo's Travels" gave a detailed account of China's prosperity to the Western world.

In terms of science and technology, significant progress was made in the astronomical calendar during the Yuan Dynasty. Guo Shoujing presided over the revision of the "Chronological Calendar", which became the most accurate calendar in the world at that time. In addition, there have been significant advances in agricultural technology, textile technology, shipbuilding technology, etc. The Yuan Dynasty also spread China's four great inventions – papermaking, printing, gunpowder, and the compass – to the rest of the world.

The field of culture and art is also showing a vigorous development trend. Yuanqu has reached unprecedented prosperity, and Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, Bai Pu, Zheng Guangzu and others have created a large number of excellent works, such as "Dou E's Injustice" and "Autumn in the Han Palace". These works not only reached a very high level artistically, but also truly reflected the social life of the time.

However, the reign of the Yuan Dynasty was not without its challenges. Due to the injustice of the national policy, coupled with the extravagance and corruption of the rulers, social contradictions are intensifying day by day. In the middle and late Yuan Dynasty, frequent natural disasters, coupled with the ruler's harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, led to the people's misery. Under these circumstances, peasant uprisings broke out one after another.

The most famous of these was the Red Turban Army uprising. In 1351, Liu Futong, Han Shantong and others launched an uprising in Sizhou, Henan (now Suzhou, Anhui), marked by the "Red Turban", so it was called the Red Turban Army. The rebel army soon grew to hundreds of thousands and posed a serious threat to the rule of the Yuan dynasty. Although the Yuan dynasty eventually suppressed the uprising, the state was greatly weakened.

In the later years of the Yuan Dynasty, the power struggle between the rulers became increasingly fierce. The court was divided into different factions and fought against each other, resulting in incomprehensible government decrees and political turmoil. This circumstance creates the conditions for the rise of new political forces.

In this context, Zhu Yuanzhang rose. He was originally a member of the Red Turban Army, but later broke away from the Red Turban Army and gradually grew stronger. Zhu Yuanzhang adopted a series of wise policies, such as reducing taxes, rebuilding water conservancy, and resuming production, which won the hearts and minds of the people. After years of warfare, Zhu Yuanzhang finally established the Ming Dynasty in 1368, ending the rule of the Yuan Dynasty.

Although the reign of the Yuan Dynasty lasted less than a hundred years, it had a profound impact on Chinese history. It not only put an end to China's long-term division and realized the unification of a multi-ethnic country, but also promoted cultural exchanges between China and the West, leaving a rich cultural heritage for future generations. At the same time, the fall of the Yuan Dynasty also provides us with a profound historical lesson, showing the importance of a fair and reasonable ethnic policy for a multi-ethnic country.