The Unprecedented Rise of a Eunuch Prince

In the annals of Chinese history, no eunuch had ever ascended to the rank of prince—until Tong Guan. In 1125, the seventh year of the Xuanhe era, the Song Dynasty court bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Guangyang. This shattered a centuries-old taboo; even during the Tang Dynasty, when eunuch influence peaked, none had risen beyond the rank of duke. Tong Guan’s elevation marked both the zenith of his power and a symptom of the Northern Song Dynasty’s decay. His titles—Duke of Xu and Yu, then Prince of Guangyang—came amid the chaotic aftermath of the Song-Jin alliance against the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty. But these honors masked a grim reality: the “victory” over Liao had handed the Song little more than hollowed-out cities and a looming confrontation with their erstwhile allies, the Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty.

The Illusory Victory: Reclaiming Yanjing

The recapture of Yanjing (modern Beijing) in 1123 was celebrated as a triumph, but the fanfare soon faded. The Jin, having stripped the city of its population and wealth, delivered a ghost town to the Song. Meanwhile, the western capital of Yunzhou remained firmly under Jin control, exposing the fragility of the Song-Jin “Alliance by the Sea.” Disputes erupted over the interpretation of their treaty. The Song insisted the Jin had violated terms by retaining Yunzhou, while the Jin countered that the Song had begged them to cross the Great Wall to attack Liao forces there. This diplomatic breakdown foreshadowed disaster.

The Pingzhou Rebellion and a Cascade of Betrayals

A forced migration of Yanjing’s populace sparked rebellion. En route to Jin territory, the displaced killed Liao chancellor Zuo Qigong and seized Pingzhou, declaring loyalty to the Song. The Song court, blinded by short-term gain, recognized the rebels—a decision vehemently opposed by pro-Jin officials like Zhao Liangsi. When the Jin demanded the rebels’ surrender, the Song capitulated, executing their leader. This betrayal destabilized the Song’s frontier forces, particularly the “Ever-Victorious Army” under Guo Yaoshi.

Guo, a former Liao commander, saw the writing on the wall. “If the Jin demand my head next,” he asked his officers, “will the Song protect me?” Their unanimous silence sealed his defection to the Jin in late 1125. This loss of a key military force left the Song defenseless as Jin armies mobilized for war.

The Jin Invasion and Imperial Panic

Citing “treaty violations” and harboring rebels, the Jin launched a two-pronged invasion in late 1125. Tong Guan, now a prince, fled his post in Taiyuan, abandoning the northern defenses. As Jin forces crossed the Yellow River unopposed, Emperor Huizong—a gifted artist but inept ruler—panicked. Advised by the scheming Cai You (son of notorious minister Cai Jing), Huizong abdicated to his son, Qinzong, hoping to evade responsibility. The new emperor’s ascension in early 1126 came amid public fury. Student leader Chen Dong demanded the execution of six “traitors,” including Tong Guan and Cai Jing, symbolizing popular rage against corruption.

The Siege of Kaifeng and a Fleeting Resistance

With Jin troops encircling the capital, Chancellor Li Gang rallied defenses by convincing Qinzong to stay. Soldiers, their families in the city, fought fiercely—briefly repelling attacks. But factional infighting and wavering leadership undermined this resistance. When hardliners sidelined Li Gang, the Song sued for peace, agreeing to crippling indemnities. Yet Jin demands escalated, and by 1127, they sacked Kaifeng, capturing both emperors in the catastrophic “Jingkang Incident.”

Cultural and Social Fractures

The collapse exposed deep fissures:
– Elite Decadence: Huizong’s obsession with Daoism and art (he took the title “Celestial Master of Dao”) contrasted with military neglect.
– Militarist Distrust: The defection of border armies like Guo’s revealed systemic alienation of non-Han troops.
– Public Anger: Chen Dong’s protests reflected scholar-officials’ growing assertiveness against court cronyism.

Legacy: The Southern Song and Historical Echoes

The fall of the Northern Song birthed the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279), a rump state forever haunted by the loss of the north. Tong Guan’s legacy became a cautionary tale: eunuch power, diplomatic miscalculations, and elite myopia had doomed an empire. Modern historians see parallels in states that prioritize short-term gains over strategic stability—a lesson etched in the ashes of Kaifeng.

The Jin, meanwhile, inherited the Song’s bureaucratic apparatus but faced their own decline, proving that no empire, however fierce, was immune to the cycles of overreach and fragmentation that defined medieval Eurasia.