The Jingkang Incident (), also known as the Humiliation of Jingkang () and the Disorders of the Jingkang Era (), was an episode of invasions and atrocities that took place in 1127 during the Jin–Song wars when the troops of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty besieged and sacked Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng, Henan), the capital of the Han-led Northern Song dynasty. The Jin forces captured the Song ruler, Emperor Qinzong, along with his father, the retired Emperor Huizong, assorted members of the imperial family from Emperor Taizong's bloodline, aristocrats, and numerous officials of the Song imperial court. The lives of ordinary civilians living in Bianjing's non-imperial quarters were generally spared, but they were forced to hand over enormous amounts of valuables and violence was not uncommon.
This event marked the collapse of the Northern Song dynasty that originally controlled most of China proper. Some members of the Song imperial family, most notably Zhao Gou (later Emperor Gaozong), managed to escape to southern China, where they reestablished the Song dynasty (known in historiography as the Southern Song dynasty), with the new capital in Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). The event also greatly contributed to the return of the descendants of Emperor Taizu to the line of succession, as most of Emperor Taizong's descendants were abducted and Emperor Gaozong failed to produce an heir.
Because it took place during the Jingkang era of Emperor Qinzong's reign, it became known as the "Jingkang Incident".
Background In 1120, under the Alliance Conducted at Sea, the Jin and Song dynasties agreed to form a military alliance against the Liao dynasty and, if victorious, divide up the Liao territories. The Jin would get a large portion of the northern region and the Song would get a smaller portion in the southern area known as the Sixteen Prefectures.
Led by Tong Guan, the Song army marched to the Song–Liao border and was stopped by the defensive forest that the Song had maintained since the reign of Emperor Taizu. In order to pass through, Tong Guan ordered the soldiers to clear the forest and continued the expedition into the Liao.
The Jin army sacked the Liao capital of Shangjing (present-day Bairin Left Banner, Inner Mongolia) and ended the Liao dynasty. The Song army in the south, however, could not even penetrate Liao's defensive positions and the army was defeated by the remaining Liao troops afterwards. This exposed the limitations of the Song army as well as the corruption and inefficiency in the Song imperial court. In the end, the Jin took control of all former Liao territories.
After the Liao dynasty's fall, the Song wanted the Sixteen Prefectures as promised. The Jin sold the land at a price of 300,000 bolts of silk and 200,000 ounces of silver. This price was considered extremely generous as it was the tribute the Song had already been paying to the Liao annually since the Chanyuan Treaty of 1005.
Prelude to the war According to the Twenty-Four Histories, in 1123, three years after the fall of the Liao, a Jin general named Zhang Jue () defected to the Song. He was governor of the Jin-controlled Pingzhou Prefecture (present-day Zunhua, Hebei), which was within the Great Wall, but not counted among the Sixteen Prefectures. Nonetheless, the Song imperial court initially welcomed the defection and awarded Zhang Jue a title and property. The Jin, on the other hand, sent a small army aiming to overturn the defection but was defeated by Zhang Jue's troops."Twenty – Four Histories, History of Jin" 《金史·太宗本纪》：「十一月壬子，命宗望問闍母罪，以其兵討張覺。」("November of 壬子 year, the [Jin] emperor sent troops for Zhang Jue's defection.")
In 1123 or 1124 (records differ), the Jin sent diplomats for Zhang Jue and sacked three Song cities. Panicking, Song general Wang Anzhong killed someone who looked similar to Zhang Jue and sent the head to the Jin, who realized it was a ruse and attacked the Song again."Twenty – Four Histories, History of Liao" 《遼史·天祚帝本纪》：「金人克三州，始來索倉，王安中諱之。索急，斬一人貌類者去。金人曰，非倉也，以兵來取。安中不得已，殺倉，函其首送金。」("After Jin troops sacked three cities, Jin sent diplomats for Zhang Jue. Panicking, Wang Anzhong (a Song general) killed someone who looked like Zhang Jue and sent the head to Jin. The Jin realized it was a ruse and attacked Song again.") Zhang Jue was eventually executed in the winter of the same year."Twenty – Four Histories, History of Jin" 《金史·叛臣列傳》：「安中不得已，引覺出。數以罪，覺罵宋人不容口，遂殺覺函其首以與金人。」("Wang Anzhong was forced to behead Zhang Jue and send the head to Jin.") This came too late: in the fall of 1125, Emperor Taizong of Jin issued an order to launch a full-scale attack on Song territories."Twenty – Four Histories, History of Jin" 《金史·太宗本纪》：「十月甲辰，詔諸將伐宋。以諳班勃極烈杲兼領都元帥，移賚勃極烈宗翰兼左副元帥先鋒，經略使完顏希尹為元帥右監軍，左金吾上將軍耶律余睹為元帥右都臨，自西京入太原。六部路軍帥撻懶為六部路都統，斜也副之，宗望為南京路都統，闍母副之，知樞密院事劉彥宗兼領漢軍都統，自南京入燕山。」("October of 甲辰 year, the [Jin] emperor appointed a few generals and attacked Song from the west and north.")
First Siege of Bianjing
The Jin armies invaded Song territory from the west and from the north. When the Jin troops reached the former Song–Liao border, since the original defensive forest was cleared during 1122 expedition, the Jin troops marched through a defenseless border without impediment. The Jin northern army advanced quickly, sacking Qinhuangdao in October 1125, followed by Baoding, Dingzhou, Zhengding and Xingtai in January 1126. This army, commanded by Wanyan Zongwang, did not meet much resistance as most Song generals surrendered their cities as soon as the Jin army arrived. On the other hand, the Jin western army, commanded by Wanyan Zonghan,Jing-shen Tao, "The Jurchen in Twelfth-Century China". University of Washington Press, 1976, . pp. 20–21. Tao refers to the Western and Northern Force as the Western and Eastern Armies, respectively. was held up near the cities of Datong and Taiyuan from the very beginning and did not make much progress for the rest of the campaign. In February 1126, the Jin northern army crossed the Yellow River and began laying siege to the Song capital, Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng, Henan). Before the city was surrounded, Emperor Huizong had abdicated in favor of his eldest son, Emperor Qinzong, and fled with his entourage. The Jin northern army faced difficult siege warfare that was unsuitable for cavalry. At the same time, the Jin western army was still held up in the Datong area and could not come to the aid of the northern army. In an effort to end the battle sooner, Emperor Qinzong sent his ninth brother, Zhao Gou (later Emperor Gaozong), to the enemy camp for peace talks. The Jin emperor, Emperor Taizong, ordered Zhao Gou taken hostage until the Song produced a ransom. The Song imperial court eventually came forth with the ransom, and the city of Taiyuan was also given to the Jin as a gesture of good faith. Zhao Gou was released and the Jin northern army withdrew.
Second Siege of Bianjing
Everything continued as usual once the Jin forces retreated. Lavish daily parties resumed at the imperial palace and Emperor Huizong returned to Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng, Henan).
Song generals suggested that large numbers of troops ought to be garrisoned along the Yellow River, but Emperor Qinzong rejected the proposal by arguing that the Jin forces might never come back. Many experienced generals who defended the city in the first siege of Bianjing were removed from the capital and posted elsewhere in the country. Numerous army divisions were decommissioned or sent back to their prefectures of origin.
Three months after the first siege, the Jin imperial court sent two envoys to the Song. The two envoys were nobles from the former Liao dynasty. Emperor Qinzong misjudged the situation and believed they could be turned against the Jin ruler. Emperor Qinzong sent a coded letter sealed in candle wax, inviting them to join the Song to form an anti-Jin alliance. The two handed the letter to Emperor Taizong right away. Furious, Emperor Taizong ordered a larger army to attack the Song.
Since most of the Jin troops had just returned from their first expedition and had not even demobilized, the army was quickly ready for battle. Following precedents set in the previous campaign, the Jin army divided in two, Wanyan Zongwang's northern army and Wanyan Zonghan's western army.
The Jin armies took the same routes as in the previous campaign, and in September 1126, they set foot on Song territory again. This time, however, the western army was able to sack Datong within one month. Cities such as Luoyang and Zhengzhou surrendered, clearing the way to Bianjing. The northern army, having sacked Baoding, Dingzhou and Zhengding in September, regrouped and crossed the Yellow River in November. It then went on a rampage and sacked Qingfeng, Puyang and other satellite cities around Bianjing in December. By the middle of December, the two forces met at Bianjing and the capital was besieged.
Unlike the first siege, Bianjing's defenses in the second siege had some fatal flaws: Due to the lack of experienced generals and personnel, the defense process was unorganized; The Jin army was much bigger than the first time. Emperor Taizong sent an 150,000 strong force, having learnt from the first siege, when the western army was held up at Datong and could not advance on Bianjing. This time, Datong was quickly captured and the full strength of the western army was under the city walls; Although Emperor Qinzong called for help and many responded, the rapid deployment of the Jin troops made it impossible to aid the city. Song troops from all over the country, including Zhao Gou's troops, came to Bianjing but were not able to enter the city; Emperor Qinzong put his trust in an official who claimed he could summon divine soldiers to the battlefield, causing much wasted time and loss of human lives.
On 9 January 1127, Bianjing fell to the Jin forces. Emperor Qinzong and his father, Emperor Huizong, were captured. Thus, the Northern Song dynasty came to an end.The bulletin of Sung and Yüan studies (1987), Cornell University Department of History, issues 19–21
In exchange for the Jin soldiers sparing the lives of Bianjing's civilian population, the people gave them wine, meat, silk, gold and silver. Song officials also turned over wine, weapons, horses, gold and silver after Jin demanded them, as well as Buddhist and Daoist books, printing blocks, silk bolts, silk thread, pharmacy pills, parasols, ox carts, old bronze vessels, diagrams, maps, headgear worn by imperial consorts, musical instruments, bells, lanterns, Buddhist monks, teachers, physicians, storytellers, painters, clerks, jade carvers, wine makers, gardeners, masons, weapons makers, astronomers and musicians.
Abduction On 20 March 1127, the Jin troops summoned the two captured emperors to their camps. Awaiting them was a directive from Emperor Taizong according to which they were to be stripped of their ceremonial trappings and demoted to commoners, and the Jin troops would compound the imperial palace.