The Chaos Of Jingkang - A Thousand-Year-Old Shame Of China That'S Hard To Erase

Welcome back to Bapticree. Opium fueled chaos, flooding China with that deadly drug. If that era is considered a century of national humiliation. The humiliation China suffered in the 12th century under the Jin cavalry was a hundred times worse. The Jingkong incident, also known as the Jingkong upheaval, is the greatest stain on the glorious history of the Chinese people. The capital Bianjing was drowned in blood by the Jin forces. Emperor Qin Zong and his father, Emperor Huizong, were captured. It remains an eternal grievance for the Song dynasty. The Jingkong incident is the clearest proof of the corruption within the late Song ruling class. The spinelessness of the Song dynasty. The corruption of the Song began in the 11th century. This event marked the severe decline of the Song state, stemming from the Changyuan Treaty, a case that perfectly illustrates the old saying, big talkers who fail when it counts. The Changyuan Treaty was devised by Emperor Qin Zong to halt the Liao army's advance on Changzhou. According to official records from the Song archives, the plan was hailed as a Song victory, a brilliant achievement that repelled the Liao forces. Yet, the irony is that after this victory, the Song had to pay the Liao tons of silver every year. Silver, silk, and tea. No victorious nation ever suffered like the Song under Emperor Qin Zong. Under his spineless, incompetent leadership, the Liao grew emboldened, demanding more tribute each year. Fortunately for the Song, the Liao emperor grew negligent, driving the Song to ally with the Jin, crushing the Liao and ending the tribute. The First Song-Jin War was expected to be the turning point for the Song. A wake-up call after years of decay. But no, the Song sphere did not vanish. It merely shifted from the Liao to the Jin. The Jurchens, the backbone of the Jin dynasty, soon turned their gaze toward the Song. Ambitions to conquer the central plains ignited in the Jin. As they witnessed the rot of the Song empire, the Jin had the strength to sweep through the Song. All they lacked was a justification. Exploiting the Song emperor's folly, they targeted the Khitan forces of Zhang Jiu, a former Jin general. The Jin struck the border immediately. Yet, Zhang Jiu and his elite Khitan cavalry held the line. The Jin forces could not break through. Seeing his threat, the Jin pressured the Song court to execute him. The cowardly Song emperor obliged, beheading Zhang Jiu to appease the Jin. Without the Khitan cavalry to guard the border. Two years after Zhang Jiu's execution, the Jin emperor launched his southward invasion, intent on crushing the Song. With vast armies and years of preparation, the Jin slaughtered the Song troops in their path. The Jin forces swept forward, soon reaching the Yellow River and threatening the capital, Bianjing. Facing such terrifying power, the Song court showed utter cowardice. The spineless Huizong, pressured by his ministers, abdicated to his heir, Zhao Huan. He immediately fled to a monastery, abandoning the fate of the nation to the young prince. It is often said, like father, like son. Zhao Huan, or Emperor Qin Zong, was crowned by officials hoping to stabilize the realm. But the folly and cowardice of his father ran deep in the young emperor's blood. The Jin relentlessly drowned all Song defenses and blood, witnessing the terror unleashed by the northern barbarians. Qin Zong was so paralyzed by fear he could neither eat nor sleep. He issued urgent calls for loyalist reinforcements. But no army marched to his rescue. Under the crushing force of the Jin, Song strongholds fell one after another. Only Taiyuan and Datong remained. Mounting a desperate defense, the loss of these critical outposts along the Yellow River threw Qin Zong into a state of panic. The emperor wavered between fleeing and surrendering, between ceding territory and fighting on. In his indecision, the capital fell into chaos, and the people fled in terror. Fortunately for the Song, Li Gang remained among the court officials. At Jingyang, he led the Song troops, repelling the Jin fury. Amidst imperial cowardice, Li Gang insisted on defending Bianjing. He stopped the emperor from abandoning the capital to flee south. Li Gang rallied the imperial guards, vowing to hold the city under his brilliant command and unwavering resolve. The Song forces repelled the Jin assault on the capital. This victory was meant to be the turning point for the Song. But Qin Zong's cowardice pushed the dynasty back to the brink. Pressured by Jin, the Song ceded Taiyuan and paid tribute. Li Gang was dismissed, as the emperor bowed to Jin's terms. The Jin took Taiyuan and removed Li Gang without effort. The Song were doomed to face unprecedented humiliation. The Second Song-Jin War With loyalists gone, the Jin immediately prepared a second invasion. The Song were rotting, fragile as a candle in the wind. In 1126, citing broken treaties, the Jin marched south again. Determined to capture the emperor, they crushed the border defenses with no Taiyuan to block their path. The Jin cavalry crossed the river with unstoppable momentum. The Song people fled in terror as the invaders advanced. A Jin army of 150,000 marched straight on Bianjing, determined to level the Song capital to the ground. Inside, 70,000 troops and countless citizens remained, well-positioned for a desperate final stand. Answering the call to arms, Zhong Shi led his forces. Arriving to lift the siege. Despite support from troops and citizens, Emperor Qin Zong's cowardice and incompetence caused heavy losses in counterattacks. The Jin tightened their stranglehold on Bianjing. Seeing the city was doomed, Zhong Shi urged retreat to the south to regroup and rebuild. But Qin Zong, blinded by false pride, refused. He effectively sentenced his own people and soldiers to death. Months after choosing to hold the city, the Jin launched a decisive assault. A cowardly Song general opened the gates, shattering the defense. The city fell, the Jin poured in, pillaging and slaughtering. They took the retired Emperor Huizong hostage. Though 100,000 soldiers still remained, the cowardly Song rulers chose to surrender. The Song dynasty was crushed under the Jurchen hooves. The Jingkong incident, a thousand-year shame. With Huizong held captive, the Jin demanded Qin Zong personally visit their camp to negotiate tribute. An unprecedented humiliation for a sovereign to beg for mercy. The Jin Emperor stripped Huizong and Qin Zong of their status, demoting them to commoners. Jin forces surged through the Nanchuan Gate. They looted all imperial seals, artifacts, and treasures, leaving nothing behind. Princess Mauda, the Emperor's most beautiful daughter, was enslaved and died at 22. By late 1128, the two emperors were dragged to the Jin capital. They were forced to strip and wear Jurchen robes, performing humiliating rituals for their captors. To deepen the humiliation, 300 Song princesses and consorts were forced into servitude. Many were made prostitutes for Jin nobles, taken as concubines, or gifted as war spoils. After the Jingkong incident, 14,000 captives including royals, officials, and artisans were taken. They were marched north in seven groups, the first included 2,200 royals and 3,400 women. Enduring starvation and cold, many women were raped or murdered by the Jin soldiers. A month later, only 1,900 of the 3,400 women had survived. Emperor Qin Zong's 11-year-old son, Crown Prince Zhao Chen, was executed en route. Both captured Song emperors suffered as slaves until their deaths in captivity. Empress Xu committed suicide to preserve her honor and integrity. Princes were executed, while many princesses were raped or enslaved as concubines. Millions were displaced as half of the Song territory fell to the invaders. The Jingkong incident became an unprecedented national humiliation for the Song court. It remains a source of profound shame in Chinese history. For a century, mention of this tragedy brought tears of rage to patriotic Song citizens. All burned with a desire to destroy the Jin and reclaim their ancestral lands. Fortunately for the Song, while the emperors fell, the dynasty was not yet finished. The court and loyal generals fled south of the Yangtze to Linan, founding the Southern Song. Later, the Mongols allied with the Southern Song to crush the Jin and avenge their shame. The Song's failure was the direct result of a corrupt and cowardly government. Their policy of prioritizing civil officials over the military left them defenseless. The weak-willed leaders chose to kneel before the enemy in a desperate plea for survival. Indeed, the decadence of the Song court provided a golden opportunity for northern nomadic tribes to reach the peak of their power. Khitan, Jin, and later Mongol cavalry trampled over the Han people at will. The dignity of a great nation was crushed for centuries under foreign hooves. The Jingkong incident remains an eternal national humiliation.