I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 407 Killing Wanyan Zonghan and Sacrificing the Entire Wanyan Zongwang Family to the Flag
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Actually, it wasn't that no Jin men were escorted back with Tang Kuo Hui'er and the other Jin women.

In fact, men from two Jin families were also escorted back.

These two families are the youngest members of Wanyan Zonghan's family and the youngest members of Wanyan Zongwang's family.

Wanyan Zonghan was known for his bravery at the age of seventeen, and the Jurchens in the army all admired his courage.

At that time, when the Jurchens were discussing attacking the Liao Dynasty, Wanyan Zonghan's ideas aligned with those of Wanyan Aguda, leading many Jurchens to believe that Wanyan Zonghan could become Wanyan Aguda's successor.

Wanyan Zonghan participated in the establishment of the Jin Dynasty under Wanyan Aguda and in most of the wars against the Liao Dynasty. His proudest battle was when he served as the right wing commander under Wanyan Aguda and decisively defeated the Liao army at Dalugu City.

That battle allowed Wanyan Zonghan to truly distinguish himself and become one of the Jin Dynasty's top generals.

Later, Wanyan Zonghan advised the destruction of the Liao dynasty, and was appointed Yilai Bojilie. He followed Wanyan Xieye in conquering Zhongjing Dadingfu, and then led a detachment to defeat the famous Liao general Xi Wang Xiamo. Afterwards, he suggested that Commander-in-Chief Wanyan Xieye quickly send troops to destroy the Liao dynasty, and joined forces with Wanyan Xieye at Xi Wangling. He then led 6,000 elite troops to attack Yelü Yanxi, and sent Wanyan Xiyin and others to pursue them.

Historically, Wanyan Zonghan not only made great contributions in the war to destroy the Liao Dynasty, but he also led the destruction of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jingkang Incident, and a series of subsequent wars against the Southern Song Dynasty.

Throughout his life, Wanyan Zonghan fought for the Jin Dynasty in the south and north, east and west, and made outstanding contributions. It is no exaggeration to say that he was the first meritorious official of the founding of the Jin Dynasty.

However, this is only from the perspective of the Jin people.

From the perspective of the Han people, Wanyan Zonghan was the culprit of the Jingkang Incident, the greatest enemy engraved in the blood of the nation, whose sins could not be redeemed even by being torn to pieces.

Historically, the Jingkang Incident, which he orchestrated, shattered the dignity and destiny of the Northern Song Dynasty.

When he led the Jin army to break through the gates of Bianjing, he left no room for this Han capital. He used the most extreme coercion and inducement to loot all the gold, silver, silk and treasures in the city's treasury, and even the grain and property stored in the homes of the people were not spared.

Countless ordinary people lost their homes and families as a result.

What made the Han people feel even more ashamed was his extreme humiliation and destruction of the Northern Song imperial family.

He ordered that Emperors Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan be deposed and reduced to commoners, stripped of their imperial robes, and forced the two former emperors to wear coarse prison clothes, along with thousands of concubines, princes, princesses, and members of the imperial family and ministers, to board a prison cart heading north.

Along the way, the suffering of the women of the Northern Song imperial family was beyond description. Empress Zhu was wantonly harassed by the Jin soldiers. Princesses and the emperor's concubines were either divided up and given to Jin generals as slaves or concubines, or committed suicide due to unbearable humiliation during the escort. The once golden branches and jade leaves were reduced to weeds to be trampled on at will.

Upon arriving in the Jin Dynasty, he forced Emperors Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan, as well as Empress Dowager Zheng and Empress Zhu, to perform the "sheep-leading ceremony."

That is, they were forced to kneel and worship at the mausoleum of Emperor Taizu of Jin, naked from the waist up and draped in sheepskins, like livestock. This extreme humiliation completely shattered the last vestige of dignity of the Northern Song imperial family.

Most of the royal family members and ministers who were abducted died of hunger, cold, and abuse on the way, and the survivors were exiled as slaves, never to see their homeland again.

Wanyan Zonghan used iron and blood to carve the two characters "Jingkang" into the darkest mark in the history of the Han people.

To the Han people, he was not a "founding hero of the Jin Dynasty," but an executioner whose hands were stained with the blood of the people of the Central Plains, an enemy who destroyed his homeland and trampled on his dignity.

This hatred is hard to erase, even after a thousand years.

However, although Wanyan Zonghan was the main culprit of the Jingkang Incident, he was not the primary culprit.

The primary culprit behind the "Jingkang Incident" should be Wanyan Zongwang.

Yes.

When the Jingkang Incident occurred, Wanyan Zongwang considered returning power to the Zhao family.

However, Wanyan Zongwang's advocacy was based on a purpose and preconditions.

First, Wanyan Zongwang agreed to help preserve the Zhao family on the condition that, in addition to Zhao Fujin, Zhao Huan would also send him three princesses, seven queens, and concubines.

After Zhao Huan agreed to everything, Wanyan Zongwang forced Zhao Huan to sign the document himself, fearing that Zhao Huan might go back on his word.

Secondly, Wanyan Zongwang's desire to help the Zhao family preserve their ancestral temple was not due to a change of heart, but rather because he did not want Wanyan Zonghan's power to surpass his own. This was because Wanyan Zonghan advocated deposing the Song emperor and installing a different surname emperor, while Wanyan Zongwang argued: "Although the official edict allows for the deposition and installation, the secret edict allows for discretionary actions. Moreover, we have already submitted a petition to establish a vassal state; how can we allow any changes to occur?"

Historically, after the fall of Bianliang, the situation for the Jin Dynasty was not so good, because Zhao Gou had gathered hundreds of thousands of troops around the capital region.

Therefore, did Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang request Wanyan Wuqimai to extort the Zhao Song Dynasty and force the Northern Song to submit to the Jin Dynasty in exchange for forgiveness?

Wanyan Wugumai was unaware of the situation at the front, so he sent his eldest son, Wanyan Zongpan, to the camps of Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang with two imperial edicts, one explicit and one implicit:
The imperial edict of the Ming dynasty allowed Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang to depose the Song emperor and install a different emperor.

The secret edict allowed Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang to decide whether to abolish the Zhao Song Dynasty based on the situation, thus giving them room to manipulate the situation.

When Wanyan Zonghan saw that Zhao Gou had hundreds of thousands of troops but dared not even come to the capital region, he sent the fierce general Wanyan Loushi with three thousand men to defeat Fan Zhixu's two hundred thousand most capable Northern and Western armies. Only then did Wanyan Zonghan change his mind and decide to abolish the Northern Song Dynasty and establish Zhang Bangchang as emperor.

Upon seeing this, Wanyan Zongwang said, "Emperor Taizu's words to stop us from attacking Song are still ringing in my ears. The Emperor understands this intention and therefore allows us to act as we see fit."

Wanyan Zonghan retorted, "Why would a prince be so selfish towards the Song Dynasty and disregard the great harm? The Song army is still numerous, and the people's hearts have not yet turned away. If we let go now, the consequences will be endless. If we install someone of a different surname, the national power will be easily shaken. Wouldn't it be a better plan to gradually unify the country?"

Wanyan Zongpan interjected, "The Grand Marshal Xie also intends to depose the Song Emperor and establish someone else."

Seeing that everyone was siding with Wanyan Zonghan and no one was speaking up for him, Wanyan Zongwang angrily said, "I was the mastermind behind the southern expedition, and I should be in charge. The deposed emperor and his relatives should not be treated like the Khitans."

As Wanyan Zongwang himself said, he was the mastermind behind the southern expedition. It was also his successful extortion of a large amount of money and women from the Song Dynasty when he led his troops to the city of Bianliang in the first year of the Jingkang era that inspired the ambitions of Wanyan Zonghan and other Jin people.

This led to an even larger Jurchen siege of Bianliang (Kaifeng) in the second year of the Jingkang era, resulting in the Jingkang Incident. As for Wanyan Zongwang's desire to protect the Zhao family, it was merely because he had already amassed enough wealth and did not want Wanyan Zonghan, whose strength and achievements surpassed his, to gain the upper hand.

Moreover, in the end, didn't Wanyan Zongwang compromise with Wanyan Zonghan, and the two of them jointly caused the Jingkang Incident?
Crucially, Wanyan Zongwang's southward invasion was a bloody campaign of conquest, with iron hooves crushing cities and blades slaughtering lives. Wherever he went, he frequently ravaged cities, the most heinous of which were the massacre of Xiangzhou and the calamity of Baozhou.

According to the "Compilation of Treaties with the Northern Dynasties in Three Dynasties", after this devastation, "only one or two out of ten people survived". The once prosperous city was reduced to ashes, and the survivors could only hide in the ruins and survive by eating tree bark and grass roots.

Another city to fall victim to his cruelty was Baozhou. On the day the city fell, Wanyan Zongwang ordered the massacre of its inhabitants. Jin soldiers, like jackals, stormed into the streets and alleys, not only slaughtering civilians but also setting fire to houses. The entire city of Baozhou was reduced to ashes amidst flames and cries of despair. Even more cruelly, to intimidate other Song cities still resisting, Wanyan Zongwang ordered the heads of the city's inhabitants to be cut off and piled up beneath the city walls, forming a "jingguan" (a mound of heads). The horrific scene chilled the hearts of every Song person passing through.

These two city raids were merely a microcosm of Wanyan Zongwang's southward invasion. While he may have made a proposal to "preserve the Zhao family," his true aim from the outset was plunder and slaughter, essentially an invasion that would bring endless disaster to the people of the Central Plains.

As the emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Yu hated Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang the most.

However, it was not Zhao Yu who ordered Song Jiang to bring back the Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang families to sacrifice to the flag, but Zhang Chun.

Frankly speaking, Zhang Chun's excuse, namely that "Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang hate our Great Song the most and are determined to destroy our Great Song, so it is better to escort them back to sacrifice to the flag and help the Emperor win the personal expedition," does not stand up to scrutiny.

However, Zhao Yu was willing to cooperate with Zhang Chun, who was also known for his expertise in deduction, which could turn all the illogical into the logical.

Therefore, Zhao Yu issued a special imperial edict ordering Song Jiang to escort the Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang families back.

By the time these Jurchen prisoners were escorted back to Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhao Yu's personal campaign was almost fully prepared.

In this battle, Zhao Yu aimed to annihilate the Jin dynasty in one fell swoop, or at the very least, drive the Jin people back to their ancestral homeland and completely occupy the Northeast, taking control of its black soil and abundant coal, iron, and oil resources.

This way, the development of the industrial revolution in the Song Dynasty would not be delayed, and the food supply would no longer be lacking.

Yuan Qingcheng had told Zhao Yu long ago that the largest grain-producing areas in China in later generations would be Heilongjiang, Henan, Shandong, and Jilin (two of which are in the three northeastern provinces).

The key to this was that the Northeast region's abundant steel, coal, and oil resources provided crucial support for the early stages of the Industrial Revolution.

How could the Song Dynasty, which had already embarked on the Industrial Revolution, not want to occupy such a treasure land?

The key point is that if the Song Dynasty doesn't occupy this precious land, it will breed enemies that could threaten the Song Dynasty, such as the Jurchens and the Manchus. Zhao Yu wants to eliminate them all and nip them in the bud.

Crucially, taking over Northeast China would also greatly help in eliminating the nomadic tribes on the Mongolian grasslands.

From a geographical perspective, Northeast China is the only gateway controlling the eastward and southward expansion of the Mongolian Plateau. The eastern part of the Mongolian Plateau is bordered by the Greater Khingan Mountains, while the Hulunbuir Grassland and Horqin Grassland on the west side of the Greater Khingan Mountains form a natural passage with the Songnen River Basin of the Northeast Plain.

— If nomadic tribes wanted to move eastward from the Mongolian Plateau into Northeast China, or pass through Northeast China to move southward into the Central Plains, they had to pass through this region; conversely, if they controlled Northeast China, they could rely on the mountain barrier of the Greater Khingan Mountains to block the eastward advance of the Mongolian tribes, while simultaneously penetrating northward along the valleys of the Xiliao River and Nenjiang River, reaching the heart of the Mongolian Plateau.

Historically, when nomadic regimes such as the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Turks were powerful, they all attempted to control the Horqin Grassland in western Northeast China in order to open up a passage to the east. The Tang Dynasty's Anbei Protectorate and the Ming Dynasty's Nurgan Regional Military Commission's administration of Northeast China were essentially aimed at controlling the passage to bring the eastern part of the Mongolian Plateau under their sphere of influence and prevent it from forming a separatist situation with east-west linkage.

From the perspective of economic resource balance, the products of Northeast China are the lifeline of the nomadic economy on the Mongolian Plateau.

The Mongolian Plateau is primarily based on animal husbandry, with a simple economic structure that relies on external supplies such as grain, ironware, and cloth.

The agricultural output of the Northeast Plain and the furs and minerals from the mountains and forests were precisely the core needs of nomadic tribes.

If the Northeast is controlled, the survival of the Mongol tribes can be directly affected through "resource embargoes" or "trade control".

From a military strategic perspective, Northeast China is the only strategic foothold for flanking the Mongolian Plateau.

In ancient times, when the Central Plains dynasties fought against the Mongolian Plateau, the traditional route was to go north from the Hetao region (such as the Han Dynasty's attack on the Xiongnu and the Tang Dynasty's attack on the Turks). However, this route required crossing deserts and Gobi, making supplies difficult and vulnerable to ambushes by nomadic cavalry.

Using the Northeast as a base, an attack can be launched from the eastern side of the Mongolian Plateau, forming a flanking maneuver.

The Liaohe River basin and Songnen Plain in Northeast China are flat, which makes it easy to concentrate heavy troops and transport food supplies. At the same time, it can rely on the terrain of the Greater Khingan Mountains to avoid the grassland field battles that the Mongol cavalry are good at.

In conclusion, to eliminate the nomadic peoples on the Mongolian steppe and prevent future troubles, it is essential to control the Northeast region, a crucial area, to cut off their passageways, balance their economy, and restrain their military.

Losing the Northeast would leave nomadic regimes on the Mongolian Plateau with space to expand eastward and southward, as well as access to resources, ultimately leading them into a passive defensive geopolitical predicament.

Therefore, Zhao Yu was determined to gain control of the Northeast; otherwise, his desire to completely eliminate the threat from the nomadic tribes would remain merely talk or a thought.

The war between Song and Jin is now coming to an end. The northeastern region has gathered most of the Song army, with several large war zones and many commanders. The number of regional and smaller commanders will be countless in the future.

Previously, they each controlled a war zone, which was fine. But now that they have begun to surround the Jin army for the best decisive battle, it is hard to say whether these proud and fierce soldiers will cooperate with their allies.

The fighting has escalated to this point; no matter what Zhao Yu says, he cannot allow the Jin state to escape because they are not under each other's control, thus becoming a major threat to the Song Dynasty.

Well, actually, this matter could have been resolved even if Zhao Yu hadn't personally commanded this final battle; he could have simply appointed a Grand Marshal to exercise that power on his behalf.

On the other hand, Zhao Yu did not want the Song Dynasty to have a powerful and highly respected military commander, which, frankly, was also a potential threat.

Therefore, the best solution is for Zhao Yu to personally command the battle.

This would be best for Zhao Yu himself, for the generals in command, and for the stability of the Song Dynasty.

Only then did Zhao Yu make up his mind to personally lead the army and command this ultimate battle that would determine the future fate of the Song Dynasty...

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(End of this chapter)