Jingkang Incident

Timeline

1. 1127Kaifeng · HenanAfter withdrawing in 1126, the Jin army marched south again on the pretext that the Song court had not ceded territory as agreed; Zonghan and Zongwang converged on Kaifeng from two directions, Song forces were exhausted, and the city ran out of food and reinforcements.
2. 1127Kaifeng · HenanJin forces breached Kaifeng's walls and, entering the city, extensively looted the palace treasuries, ancestral ritual vessels, and private property, carrying off hundreds of thousands of consorts, clansmen, officials, artisans, and commoners northward.
3. 1127Kaifeng · HenanEmperors Huizong and Qinzong were forced to leave the city and surrender, and the Northern Song central government effectively collapsed. The Jin army installed Zhang Bangchang as emperor of the puppet Chu, interrupting the Northern Song's legitimacy and leaving the realm without a ruler.