Zong Ze Defends the Eastern Capital

Timeline

1. 1127Eastern Capital (Kaifeng) · HenanAfter the Jingkang Incident Bianjing fell; upon accession the emperor appointed Zong Ze Left Defender of the Eastern Capital and governor of Kaifeng. On taking office he rallied routed soldiers, contacted the irregulars, and reorganized the city defenses, striving to restore the defenses of the old Northern Song capital.
2. 1127Eastern Capital (Kaifeng) · HenanZong Ze deployed his defenses; the Jin army attacked repeatedly, and Zong Ze led soldiers and civilians in fierce fighting from the city walls, defeating the Jin forces several times. Records state that his 'orders were strict and clear, and soldiers and civilians rallied to him,' making Kaifeng for a time the fulcrum of northern resistance.
3. 1127–1128Eastern Capital (Kaifeng) · HenanZong Ze submitted over twenty memorials urging the emperor to return to the Eastern Capital to plan recovery. The court, citing the unretreated Jin army and the safety of the imperial camp, moved south and never returned; Zong Ze fell ill from grief and died in office in the second year of Jianyan, depriving the northern resistance of its central figure.