The shame of Jingkang is a heart-wrenching event in Chinese history. This tragedy not only represented the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, but also had a huge impact and far-reaching impact on Chinese society and the entire Chinese civilization at that time. Deeply etched in the pages of Chinese history, this tragic war symbolizes the end of an era, but also reveals the important role that war, political struggle, and external pressure played in the destiny of the country. The shame of Jingkang, as a symbol of the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty, plunged the entire society into deep pain and turmoil. The fall of the Northern Song Dynasty not only made people feel disappointed and angry, but also had a long-term and profound impact on the politics, society and culture of the time. This war has led to the collapse of social order, and people's lives have been seriously disturbed and disrupted, causing great pain and distress to people.
Background
In Chinese history, the Later Jin Emperor Shi Jingjiao betrayed the Tang Dynasty in 936 and became independent, and subsequently asked the Khitan for support. In order to support him in establishing the Later Jin Dynasty, the Khitan leader Yelu Deguang and Shi Jingjiao formed a father-son relationship. As a token of gratitude, Shi Jingjiao ceded the sixteen states of Yanyun to the Khitan in the third year of Tianfu (938). During the reigns of the following dynasties, none of them were able to fully recover the sixteen states of Yanyun (among which Yingzhou and Mozhou were recovered in the Later Zhou period). This period lasted for nearly two hundred years, and the Yanyun region continued to be in a state of ** and secession during this time, posing a challenge to the unification of the Central Plains Dynasty. The Yanyun region is extremely important in terms of geographical location in history and is regarded as a battleground for soldiers. It was the northern gateway of the Central Plains Dynasty and was used to defend against nomadic invasions. The Yanshan Mountains and the North Taihang Mountains formed the strategic natural defense line of the Yanyun region, effectively resisting the possibility of the northern iron cavalry moving south, and became the first natural defense barrier in the region.
In the early days of the Song Dynasty, faced with the threat that the Khitan cavalry could quickly move south from the sixteen states of Yanyun, Zhao Kuangyin, the Taizu of the Song Dynasty, planted trees around Bianjing on a large scale, intending to use the natural terrain to block the Liao army's attack. At the same time, the Daimyo Mansion was built in the southern part of Hebei, hoping to confront the Liao State and stabilize the northern defense line. In the fourth year of the Taiping Rejuvenation (979), Zhao Guangyi, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, tried to recover the Yanyun region. The Song army suffered a major defeat at the Battle of the Gaoliang River, and then the Northern Song and Liao dynasties began a long war, but were unsuccessful in capturing the region. It was not until the first year of Jingde (1004) that Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty went to the northern city of Lanzhou to negotiate with the Liao State, and finally reached an armistice agreement in Shanzhou, that is, the "Alliance of Lanyuan". Since then, the Song-Liao border has gradually entered a relatively stable state.
Song and Jin formed an alliance to destroy Liao
The emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty always cherished the hope of recovering the sixteen states of Yanyun, but in the end, the desire to realize this dream fell into a deep quagmire. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Song Huizong group, which was very happy, hoped to reach a "maritime alliance with the Jin State to attack Liao", according to the agreement, the Jin State attacked the Liao State Zhongjing, and the Song Dynasty attacked the Liao State Nanjing. The agreement stipulated that once successful, the sixteen states of Yanyun would be returned to the Song Dynasty, but the Song Dynasty would need to give the annual coins that were originally due to the Liao State to the Jin State, and the other territories of the Liao State would also belong to the Jin State. However, this move led to the capture of Nanjing by the Jin, the capture of Emperor Tianzuo of Liao, and the eventual destruction of the Liao State. Unfortunately, however, the Battle of Jin and Liao exposed the weakness of the Song Dynasty's army and the emptiness of the treasury. The Song Dynasty demanded that the Jin state fulfill the covenant and return the sixteen states of Yanyun. However, Jin noted that the Song dynasty had failed to reach an agreement to capture Yanjing. As a result, the Song Dynasty had to pay more money and supplies in order to return to the empty city of Qizhou.
At the same time, the power struggle within the Song dynasty was fierce. "One of the "Six Thieves", Wang Hao, gradually rose to prominence because of his outstanding achievements, causing conflicts with the crown prince Zhao Huan, and Cai You and Li Bangyan jointly squeezed out Wang Huang, leading to more chaos in the government. Cai Jing once again took control of the government, making the political situation more turbulent and the forces between the DPRK and China complicated. Song Hui Zongce rebelled against the former Liao general Zhang Jue, and some areas defected to the Song Dynasty, but the strong military power of the Jin State and the existence of internal divisions within the Song Dynasty prevented this situation from sustaining. However, the Song dynasty continued to work hard to recover the lost Yanjing. An envoy was sent to demand the return of Kyushu, but this effort did not yield substantial results. Song Huizong tried to resolve the issue, but the envoys sent by the Jin State accused the Song Dynasty of failing to honor the agreement with lies, causing more disputes. Internal political struggles and external pressure from the Jin state made the Song regime even more turbulent.
The Jin Dynasty attacked the Song Dynasty
In August 1125, Wanyan Zongwang and Wanyan Zonghan of the Jin Kingdom requested an attack on the Song Dynasty under the pretext of Zhang Jue's affair. Wanyan Zongwang led an army from Pingzhou in Hebei Province to attack Yanshan Mansion. Han Minyi, the Yizhou general of the Song Dynasty, surrendered. The Jin army defeated the Song army at Baihe and Gubeikou, and then the Song general Guo Yaoshi also surrendered. The city defense of Yanshan Mansion in the Song Dynasty collapsed, and the Jin army successively attacked Zhongshan, Zhending and Xinde Mansion of the Song army. On the other side, the left deputy marshal Wanyan Zonghan led the army from Datong to attack Taiyuan. However, unlike Wanyan Zongwang, his actions did not achieve much success. A 100,000-strong army composed of the former Liao Han militia surrendered to the Jin State. During the Jin-Song War, the Yisheng army opened the gates of Shuozhou and captured the Daizhou guards, resulting in both states being part of the Jin state. Later, the Jin army besieged Taiyuan, and although Tong Guan escaped, the Jin army ultimately failed to conquer the city.
Faced with the situation, Song Huizong issued an edict, calling on garrisons from all over the country to enter Beijing to support. And Wanyan Zongwang's army continued to move south, which made Song Huizong hastily depose some ** and plan to flee south. In the midst of much opposition, Song Huizong eventually fled south to Bozhou and then to Zhenjiang. After Huizong fled, the crown prince Zhao Huan succeeded to the throne as Song Qinzong, and the era name was set as "Jingkang". Huizong abdicated and was called "Emperor Taishang". In the process of Huizong's southward escape, the Jin army quickly crossed the Yellow River and conquered Huazhou. Song Huizong, Cai Jing, Tong Guan and others immediately fled south. Huizong fled to Bozhou with only Cai You and a few chamberlains, and then to Zhenjiang. Tong Guan and the forbidden army chased after Huizong and caught up with Huizong in Sizhou. Cai Jing also fled to Gongzhou with his family in the name of "Hu Cong". Under the uproar, Huizong was placed under house arrest by Qinzong in Longde Palace, and Qinzong was able to dispose of Cai Jing, Tong Guan and others.
Peace and withdrawal of troops
In 1126, Song Qinzong issued an edict immediately after Huizong fled south, and personally led his troops to the expedition. However, Prime Minister Bai Shizhong suggested that Qinzong abandon the city and flee to Xiangyang Mansion or Dengzhou, but Li Gang, the head of the military department, opposed it and advocated strengthening the city defense and holding the capital. After some iteration, Qinzong decided to stay in Kaifeng. Li Gang arranged a tight defense, each wall was guarded by 12,000 men, and another 40,000 horse infantry troops were arranged to be scattered in different directions. In just four days, the city's combat readiness was ready.
On the seventh day (January 31, 1126), the Jin army reached the northwest of Kaifeng and attacked Xuanzemen that night. Li Gang sent daredevils to resist, and achieved some results. The Jin army continued to attack, and the Jin envoys entered the city to demand that the Song dynasty hand over the prince and prime minister as hostages. Despite Li Gang's request, Qinzong sent Li Kai to Jinying to negotiate peace on the grounds that he was the commander of the army. The Jin army continued to attack the city, but was repulsed by Li Gang. Eventually, the Jin army retreated on the 10th day of February, ending the siege of the city of Tokyo. When the Jin army retreated, they sent people into the city to say goodbye, and sent a letter of farewell, saying that "I originally hoped to see and talk with Que Ting, but because I was in the army, I failed to do so, so I sent a representative of XX and other representatives to bring some gifts to say goodbye." Wanyan Zongwang's Jin Guodong Route Army failed to win the siege.
The second attack on the Song Kaifeng siege
In September 1126, the Jin State again launched a second offensive against the Song dynasty. In the first stage, Wanyan Zonghan on the western route and Wanyan Zongwang on the eastern road led the army to attack separately, achieving many victories and conquering many places. At this time, the two launched a race against Bianjing (now Kaifeng) to capture the capital. In the second stage, the Jin army launched another offensive, and Wanyan Zonghan of the Western Road led his army to Bianjing, achieving a series of victories and conquering many places. At the same time, Wanyan Zongwang of the East Road also launched an attack on Bianjing, arriving at the foot of Bianjing on November 9. On November 25, the Jin Army's Zongwang Department arrived at the city of Kaifeng and began the siege. During this siege, the Jin army continued to attack the city, resulting in heavy losses to the soldiers and civilians in the city. On 25 November, the Song dynasty attempted to send troops to resist, but was defeated by the Jin army. In the end, the Jin army broke through Kaifeng City on December 25, and the soldiers and people in the city fled one after another, resulting in chaos in the city and heavy losses for the army and civilians. Song Qinzong was captured after the fall of the city, and the siege lasted for a month.
Two Emperors North Hunt
Song Qinzong personally went to the Jin army camp to negotiate peace with the Jin state, and taking advantage of this opportunity, the Jin people took the opportunity to send Xiao Qing to stay in the Song Dynasty's Shangshu Province and take over the power of the Song Dynasty. Song Qinzong promised to be released after the vassal, but immediately looted a large amount of property in order to satisfy the demands of the Jin dynasty. Soon after, Song Qinzong went to Jinying again, but was detained. At the same time, Song rebelled against Fan Qiong and others, and handed over Emperor Taishang, Zhao Chen, the crown prince of Qinzong, and other clans and concubines to the Jin people. Under the orders of the Jin Dynasty, Yin Xu Bingzhe of Kaifeng Prefecture captured the clan of the Song Dynasty, and even some tried to escape to the people, they were caught, and some were even locked in cabinets. Jin Taizong issued an edict deposing the two Song emperors from the throne, stripping them of their honorific titles, and confiscating their dragon robes. The Northern Song Dynasty fell at this time, the two emperors and the Song dynasty were reduced to concubines, and the public and private wealth of Tokyo was looted. The Jin people also wanted to continue plundering Bianjing's property, blaming the Song Dynasty for failing to pay the ransom in full, and as a result, some ** of the Song Dynasty were executed outside the Nanxun Gate.
Some Song generals attempted to rescue the imprisoned emperor, but were suppressed by Fan Qiong. During this time, the Jin people established Zhang Bangchang as Emperor of Great Chu. The Jin army later retreated, taking the two emperors with them to move north, and Song Huizong and Song Qinzong were imprisoned in the Five Kingdoms City. Many of the captive ladies of the Northern Song dynasty were sent to the laundry. Some Song princesses were given to members of the royal family of the Jin Kingdom as wives. There were also some young Northern Song royals who were placed in laundry homes and were assigned to the princes and nobles of the Jin State as second concubines or favored concubines when they grew up. The consequence of the "Shame of Jingkang" was the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the surviving Song dynasty moved south to establish the Southern Song Dynasty.
Follow-up
In 1127, on the first day of the fifth month of the second year of Jingkang, Zhao Gou, the generalissimo of soldiers and horses, King Kang, ascended the throne as Song Gaozong in Yingtianfu (now Shangqiu) in Nanjing, and changed the Yuan to Jianyan. In 1128, the Wanyan Wushu of the Jin State began to attack the Song Dynasty. As a result of this move, Song Gaozong went south and once went to sea to seek refuge. Subsequently, the Song general Du Chong decided to block the Yellow River, which led to the diversion of the Yellow River and the emergence of a situation of seizing Huai. In 1129, the Jin State attacked Shaanzhou in the Song Dynasty. In 1129 (the third year of Jianyan in the Southern Song Dynasty and the seventh year of the Tianhui of Jin Taizong), Jin Taizong issued an order: "It is forbidden for Han people to wear Hanfu and cut their hair that is not as good as the style of Jin Ren, and to punish them with death." At that time, even ordinary people wearing calfnose pants (a type of shorts) were sentenced to death for being accused of wearing Hanfu from the previous dynasty, a policy that was later canceled due to Han resistance. In 1131, the Song and Jin sides fought at Monk Yuan. In 1138, the Peace Council established the Yellow River as the boundary. In 1141, the Song Dynasty signed the "Shaoxing Peace Agreement" with the Jin State, with the Qinling Huai River Line as the boundary. Despite this, there were several Song-Jin wars after that.
Huizong died of illness in 1135, and after killing Yue Fei on trumped-up charges, Gaozong of the Song Dynasty reached a peace agreement with the Jin Dynasty, and Gaozong's biological mother, Concubine Wei Xian, returned to the Song Dynasty with Huizong's coffin. As the legitimate heir to the throne, Song Gaozong was afraid that his throne would be threatened, and at the same time, Song Gaozong was unable to have children, and he did not want Qinzong or his descendants to inherit the throne, so Song Qinzong did not return to Song until his death, he lived in the Jin Kingdom for thirty years, and died in a foreign land in 1156.
Impact
The shame of Jingkang was the cause of the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, and it was a profound shame for the Song people, and thousands of Song Dynasty royals were escorted to the northeast. After consolidating power in Hangzhou, Song Gaozong, the founder of the Southern Song Dynasty, gave up the idea of recovering the lost territories and declared himself a vassal to the Jin dynasty to maintain his rule. The division between the north and the south lasted for more than 100 years, triggering the Song-Jin War and maintaining a stalemate. Since the beginning of the Song Dynasty, most of the Song Taizong lineage who had been in charge of the Zhao and Song royal families were captured by the Jin Dynasty, and Song Gaozong had no biological heirs, so during the Southern Song Dynasty, he selected an heir from the descendants of the Song Taizong line, and returned the Song Dynasty's imperial throne from the Song Taizong line to the Song Taizu line.
The emperors, ministers, and generals of the Ming Dynasty saw the lesson of the Song Dynasty and ceding land for peace, and were ashamed of the peace negotiations. They took an early Northern Expedition and built the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty to strengthen the northern frontier to defend against the threat of the Mongols and other tribes in the north. Even before the death of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty was still ashamed to negotiate with the Manchus. Between the dilemma of peace and war, the Ming Dynasty finally went to the road of destruction. In addition, Jingkang's shame has had a significant impact on the environment. The Duchong River caused the Yellow River to drain into the sea, which caused the flooding of the Yellow River in the Jin and Yuan dynasties, caused the ecological damage of the Huaihe River Basin, and the problem of land desertification and salinization became increasingly serious.
The Jingkang Shame was a major turning point in Chinese history, which not only meant the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, but also a landmark event in the entire Chinese history that cannot be ignored. This tragic event has had a profound impact and damage on Chinese society and civilization. In the aftermath of Jingkang's disgrace, Chinese society fell into chaos and unrest. Political, economic, cultural and other fields have been greatly impacted. This tragedy not only brought about the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty, but also had an extremely negative impact on the stability and development of China as a whole.
People's reflection and memory of this period of history have run through the entire history of China, and have become a sore point in historical memory, inspiring future generations to cherish and maintain the stability and peace of the country even more. This catastrophic event not only weakened China's unity and stability, but also revealed the importance of political corruption, external invasion and internal ** in the country's destiny. The Jingkang disaster has made the Chinese people deeply realize the importance of unity, tenacity and self-improvement, and has become a painful historical memory that inspires future generations to cherish and defend stability and stability. (*From the Internet, invaded and deleted).