Final Preparations for the Jin Invasion of the South

Timeline

1. 1160Jin Zhongdu · Jin dynastyEmperor Hailing ordered nationwide mobilization, conscripting young men from North China and the Central Plains, ordering weapons and warships built and grain stockpiled everywhere, with a deadline for southern campaign preparations. The Jin court openly proclaimed its intent to destroy Song; war was imminent.
2. 1160–1161Central Plains · Central PlainsJin forces concentrated at Kaifeng, Shouchun (present-day Shou County, Anhui), built warships along the Huai and north bank of the Yangtze, and trained a navy. Central Plains people were forced into labor service, with widespread complaints and signs of resistance in some areas.
3. 1161Huai River · Huai RiverIn early 1161, Emperor Hailing formally ordered the armies to cross south and attack Song; Jin forces advanced on multiple routes, and the Song-Jin War entered a new round of full-scale engagement. Years of tomb destruction, construction, tours and mobilization culminated in actual combat.