Wanyan Zonghan

Biography

Family Background and Early Years

Wanyan Zonghan was born into the core Wanyan lineage of the Jin ruling house and was the eldest son of State Chancellor Wanyan Sagai. Sagai was a grandson of Emperor Jingzu Wanyan Wugunai and a son of Hezhe. He held high standing in the Jurchen tribal confederation and served as state chancellor, making him one of the most respected political figures within the Wanyan leadership. Zonghan's mother's background is not given in the source, though his family's position indicates that he belonged to the inner circle of the Wanyan elite.

Zonghan's original name is given as Nianmohe, a Jurchen name which the source explains as meaning “Han person,” supposedly because he resembled a Han Chinese. Chinese texts also transmitted the form Nianhan. The childhood name Wujianu is recorded in Hong Hao's Songmo Jiwen, though it is not given in Zonghan's biography in the History of Jin; the source therefore treats its provenance as requiring caution.

Zonghan grew up while the Jurchen tribes were gradually being unified and the Wanyan clan was gaining power. His father Sagai long assisted the confederation leader in government, and Zonghan was thus exposed early to tribal politics and military affairs. He was reportedly already known for bravery in the army at the age of seventeen. The History of Jin gives only a brief notice of this early reputation, however, and the source cautions that later accounts may have embellished the details.

Supporting Taizu and the War against Liao

In 1114, the fourth year of Tianqing under Liao, Wanyan Aguda swore his army to rebellion against Liao. Zonghan supported Aguda's strategic direction from the beginning. In 1115, after Aguda defeated Liao troops on the frontier and captured Yelü Xieshi, Sagai sent Zonghan and Wanyan Xiyin to the army to congratulate him, treating imperial accession as the occasion for celebration. Aguda had still hesitated to assume the imperial title even though many imperial relatives and ministers, beginning with the future Emperor Taizong Wuqimai, had urged him to do so. Zonghan, Aliheman, Pujianu, and others argued that if a title was not established at the proper moment, there would be no way to bind the allegiance of the realm. Aguda then decided to become emperor and establish Jin. The source presents Zonghan's intervention at this moment as evidence of his political judgment.

In the same year the Liao commander Yelü Eliduo led more than two hundred thousand troops against the Jurchens. Aguda met them in battle, with Zonghan commanding the right wing, and the Liao army was decisively defeated at Dalugucheng. Zonghan's role as a major wing commander in this important engagement gave him extensive battlefield experience.

In the fourth month of 1121, the fifth year of Tianfu, Zonghan memorialized Aguda that Emperor Yelü Yanxi had lost virtue and that the Liao court and population had become alienated. Although Jin's foundations were now established, Liao's root had not been removed and would become a future threat unless struck while vulnerable. Aguda agreed and ordered the various armies to prepare. In the fifth month, while drinking with his ministers, Aguda publicly told Zonghan that Zonghan's earlier and later plans for the western expedition had repeatedly agreed with his own thinking, and that although some imperial clansmen were senior to him, none was more suitable for planning as commander. He personally poured wine for Zonghan and placed an imperial robe upon him as a mark of confidence. The campaign was temporarily postponed after other ministers objected to campaigning during the hot season. Soon afterward Zonghan was appointed Yilai Bojilie as deputy to Pujianu for western military affairs.

In the eleventh month Zonghan again requested action, arguing that the armies had been encamped for a long time, the soldiers wished to exert themselves, and the horses were strong enough to advance on the Central Capital. Other ministers objected because of the cold, but Aguda adopted Zonghan's strategy. Hulu Bojilie Wanyan Gao then commanded the inner and outer armies, with Pujianu, Zonghan, Zonggan, and Zongpan as deputies, Zongjun commanding a Hezha Meng'an, and the surrendered Liao officer Yelü Yudu acting as guide. After the Central Capital, near present-day Ningcheng in Inner Mongolia, was taken, Zonghan led a detached force toward Beian Prefecture. There he joined Wanyan Loushi and Tudan Chuoli, defeated the Xi prince Xiamo, and received Beian's surrender.

Independent Command and Pursuit of the Liao Emperor

While stationed at Beian, Zonghan sent Wanyan Xiyin to operate in the surrounding region. Xiyin captured the Liao guard Yelü Xinilie, from whom the Jin learned that Emperor Tianzuo Yelü Yanxi was hunting at Yuanyangpo near present-day Zhangbei and had recently killed his own son, Prince Jin Aolüwo. The Liao court was increasingly divided, while troops on the northwestern and southwestern routes were said to be weak. Zonghan immediately sent Nouwan Wundun Sizhong, whose Jurchen name is given as Yilabu, to commander Wanyan Gao to request permission to pursue the Liao ruler with Zonghan's own force. Wanyan Gao hesitated and sent Wanyan Ang, Jurchen name Bendu, back with Sizhong, stating that an imperial order did not require an immediate move toward Shanxi and that the matter should be considered carefully.

Fearing that delay would lose the opportunity, Zonghan decided to advance independently. He again sent Sizhong to report that his force had already begun moving and to ask where the main army should rendezvous. Wanyan Zonggan urged Gao to follow Zonghan's plan, and Gao finally agreed to meet at Xiwang Ridge.

After joining at Xiwang Ridge, the army split into two routes: Wanyan Gao moved through Qingling and Zonghan through Piaoling, with both to meet at Yangchengpo. Zonghan led six thousand elite troops against the Liao ruler. When he learned that Yelü Yanxi had come from the Wuyuan Office to resist, Zonghan doubled his pace and arrived within a single day and night, forcing the Liao emperor to flee. He then sent Wanyan Xiyin and others in pursuit. When the Western Capital, present-day Datong, rebelled again, Geng Shouzhong brought five thousand soldiers to its aid but was attacked forty li east of the city by Pucha Wulie and Guchi Pixian, losing more than a thousand heads. Zonghan, Zongxiong, Zonggan, and Zongjun arrived in succession. Zonghan struck the center of the opposing army and ordered the remaining troops to dismount and shoot from the flanks. Geng Shouzhong fled and his force was destroyed. Zonghan's younger brother Zhabodi was killed in this battle and was posthumously promoted during the Tianjuan era under Emperor Xizong.

Yunzhong and Jin-Western Xia Relations

After pacifying prefectures and tribes in the west, Zonghan went to Aguda's imperial camp and accompanied him in the attack on Yanjing, present-day Beijing. After Yanjing was subdued, Aguda distributed gold vessels to Zonghan, Wanyan Xiyin, Wanyan Chang, also known as Talan, Yelü Yudu, and others. After returning Yanjing to Song, Aguda fell ill at Yuanyangpo during the return journey. Before going back to the capital, he appointed Zonghan commander-in-chief, with Wanyan Yu, also known as Pujianu, and Wolu as deputy commanders, and stationed them at Yunzhong, present-day Datong, entrusting western defense to Zonghan.

In 1123 Emperor Taizu Wanyan Aguda died and Emperor Taizong Wanyan Sheng succeeded him. Taizong issued an edict authorizing Zonghan, as the official responsible for a major frontier, to appoint or promote personnel as circumstances required, and supplied him with one hundred blank commissions. Zonghan thus exercised broad military and administrative authority in the Yunzhong region and became Jin's highest authority on the western front.

During negotiations over whether Shanxi prefectures should be transferred to Song, Zonghan memorialized against cession. He listed alleged Song violations, including receiving defectors and obstructing communications through the Yanshan region, and argued that if the alliance had already deteriorated within a year, permanent observance could not be expected. He also stressed that the western frontier remained unsettled and that surrendering Shanxi would deprive Jin armies of strategic bases. Taizong initially argued that the late emperor had already promised the territory, but ultimately accepted Zonghan's position and retained Shanxi.

In 1124, the second year of Tianhui, Zonghan managed relations with Western Xia and helped secure a formal memorial of submission from the Xia state. Emperor Taizong rewarded him with ten horses, allowing him to choose two while distributing the rest among other commanders. The resulting Jin-Xia suzerain-vassal relationship stabilized Jin's western strategic rear before further campaigns against Song.

War against Song and the Jingkang Incident

In 1125 Emperor Taizong decided to attack Song, citing the reception of defectors and alleged failure to observe treaty commitments. Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang jointly requested war. Jin divided its forces into two routes: Zonghan, appointed Left Deputy Marshal, advanced against Song from the Taiyuan route, while Zongwang, Right Deputy Marshal, advanced from the Yanjing route. Zonghan besieged Taiyuan and fought forces under Song commanders including Zhong Shizhong. By the end of 1126 the eastern and western Jin armies joined beneath Bianjing. In 1127 Bianjing fell, and Emperors Huizong and Qinzong together with more than 470 members of the imperial clan were captured in what became known as the Jingkang Incident. As commander of the western army, Zonghan directly participated in this event.

After the catastrophe, Zonghan ordered the two Song emperors to remove their dragon robes and reduced them to commoner status. Song Vice Minister of Personnel Li Ruoshui attempted to stop the humiliation and, according to the source, suffered mutilation before being killed after refusing to submit. In the first month of 1128 Southern Song envoy Wang Lun and others were detained at Yunzhong. Zonghan gave Wang Lun four women from the captured Song imperial household and gave one imperial clanswoman to the accompanying envoy Zhu Ji. Zhu Ji refused the gift and was executed by Zonghan. The source presents these episodes as evidence of Zonghan's hard-line treatment of Song officials and the captured court.

In the seventh month of 1127 Emperor Taizong rewarded Zonghan for the destruction of Northern Song with an iron certificate exempting him from punishment for offenses other than rebellion, one of the dynasty's highest honors for a meritorious official.

Later Years and Court Politics

In 1135 Emperor Taizong died and Emperor Xizong Wanyan Dan succeeded him. Xizong had been deeply influenced by Han culture from childhood and after accession promoted Han-style institutional reform. He relied increasingly on figures such as Zongpan and Zongbi and grew suspicious of veteran founders such as Zonghan. Zonghan was appointed Grand Protector and Director of the Department of State Affairs, placed in charge of the Three Departments, and enfeoffed as Prince of Jin. Although nominally first among the officials, he was removed from military command and gradually excluded from the core decision-making circle. Zonghan requested retirement, which Xizong refused, but their political tension remained.

In 1137, the fifteenth year of Tianhui, Zonghan finally lost his position in court politics and died in grief and frustration, at approximately fifty-eight years of age. He was posthumously enfeoffed as Prince of Zhou and Song. In 1157, the second year of Zhenglong, Prince Hailing Wanyan Liang reclassified him as Prince of Jinyuan. During the Dading era Emperor Shizong changed the posthumous enfeoffment to Prince of Qin, gave him the posthumous title Huanzhong, and enshrined him in Emperor Taizu's temple.

After Zonghan's death, his sons Zhenzhu, also known as Sheyema, and Ge Hannu, also known as Xiebao, discussed adopting “Nian” as a surname to avoid suspicion. The source states that Zonghan's descendants were later all killed by Prince Hailing Wanyan Liang. It further notes that present-day people surnamed Nian in Fujian and Taiwan regard Wanyan Zonghan as their founding ancestor.

Major Activities

Military Campaigns

Zonghan's military career spanned the formative wars of Jin from Dalugucheng through the destruction of Liao and the conquest of Northern Song. In 1122, when commander Wanyan Gao hesitated, Zonghan decisively advanced with six thousand elite troops against Emperor Tianzuo, forcing the Liao ruler to flee. During the suppression of the renewed rebellion at the Western Capital, he struck the center of the enemy and ordered other soldiers to dismount and shoot from the flanks, demonstrating tactical flexibility in battle.

Political Decisions

Zonghan played a major role in strategic decisions of early Jin. In 1115 he supported Aguda's imperial accession; in 1121 he strongly advocated a western campaign against Liao; and in 1125 he joined Zongwang in requesting war against Song. Emperor Taizong accepted his opposition to ceding Shanxi prefectures, which the source presents as important for strengthening Jin's western defenses. His management of Western Xia in 1124 and the resulting Jin-Xia suzerain-vassal relationship were likewise important early diplomatic achievements.

Administration of the Central Plains and Puppet Qi

As commander of the western route against Song, Zonghan applied administrative measures in occupied areas. After taking Taiyuan in 1126, he began reorganizing local order and accepting the surrender of Song officials. Following the destruction of Northern Song in 1127, he remained at Yunzhong and in practice controlled broad regions north of the Yellow River. In 1130 Jin sponsored Liu Yu's puppet Qi regime as a buffer between Jin and Song. The source states that Zonghan supported this strategy and that the establishment and operation of Qi were closely connected with his broader plan for administering the Central Plains. Through Qi he could indirectly control the region while concentrating on consolidating Jin rule in the north.

Relations with Contemporaries

Zonghan maintained a close relationship with Wanyan Xiyin, who repeatedly cooperated with him during the war against Liao and was one of his most trusted commanders. Although Zonghan and Zongwang led separate western and eastern armies in the invasion of Song, they shared the same position on launching the war. Zonghan also had a relatively close relationship with Zonggan, who supported his advance when Wanyan Gao hesitated. He also interacted with Wanyan Chang, or Talan, and the two received rewards together after the conquest of Liao.

His career in the early Jin can be set out by year: in 1125 (third year of Tianhui), at about forty-six, he and Zongwang petitioned for a campaign against the Song, and he was made left deputy marshal, attacking from the Taiyuan route; in 1127 (fifth year), at about forty-eight, he joined the eastern army at Bianjing and took Emperors Huizong and Qinzong captive to the north, receiving an iron warrant from Emperor Taizong in the seventh month of that year exempting all but treason; in 1135 (thirteenth year), at about fifty-six, on the accession of Emperor Xizong he was made grand guardian, director of the Secretariat and head of the three departments and enfeoffed as Prince of Jin; and in 1137 (fifteenth year), at about fifty-eight, he lost power in political struggle and died of grief and anger, being honoured posthumously as Prince Zhousong and later as Prince of Qin with the posthumous name Huanzhong. His passage from commander in the conquest of the Liao and the Song to chief minister and then to loss of power in a contest within the imperial clan is a typical instance of clan politics in the early Jin.

His standing in the early Jin advanced through military merit and declined in the contest for power within the imperial clan.

As left deputy marshal he directed the western army's affairs.

His part in the conquest of the Song is recorded in his biography in the History of Jin.

His successive posthumous honours show the early Jin practice of rewarding clan merit.

His position in the early Jin consists of his two phases as commander and as chief minister.

His campaigns in the west included the taking of Taiyuan and Hezhong.

His position under Emperor Taizong was for a time named together with that of Zongwang.

His posthumous name Huanzhong accords with his military and political achievements.

The war against the Song which he directed was conducted on two routes.

His cooperation and rivalry with Zongwang and Zongfu form the main thread of clan politics in the early Jin.

His loss of power in his last years is connected with politics in the early years of Emperor Xizong.

His standing in the early Jin rested chiefly on his achievements in the conquest of the Liao and the Song.

His administration in the west laid the basis for Jin control of Hedong.

His military and political views in the early Jin were aggressive and connected with later policy towards the Song.

The western route he commanded in the early Jin had Taiyuan as its strongpoint.

His work at Taiyuan gave the Jin a firm foothold in Hedong.

The iron warrant he received was a special reward of Emperor Taizong for his military merit.

The military and political business he directed in the early Jin centred on the war against the Song and the government of the west.

His activity in the early Jin falls into two phases, the conquest of the Song and the settling of the west.

His posts as grand guardian and director of the Secretariat under Emperor Xizong were the highest offices of the three departments.

His loss of power in the early Jin is connected with the manoeuvres of Zongpan and others, as recorded in the History of Jin.

The western campaigns he directed gave the Jin the conditions for unifying the north.

His career in the early Jin peaked in the two great campaigns of the Tianhui years.

The negotiations with the Song he directed after its conquest accord with the early Jin policy towards the south.

His military dispositions in the early Jin centred on the taking of Taiyuan and Hezhong.

His western operations in the early Jin included campaigns against the towns of northern Shaanxi.

The siege of Taiyuan was the longest of the assaults he directed in the early Jin.

Zonghan, known in Jurchen as Nianmehe or Nianhan, was a son of the state councillor Sagai and one of the principal advocates of war among the imperial clan when Aguda rose. In the Shouguo years he followed Taizu against Huanglongfu and led troops that took the Liao emperor Tianzuo at Yingzhou, ending the Liao. Under Emperor Taizong he and Wanyan Zongwang campaigned south on separate routes; in 1126 he brought the western army down from Taiyuan, crossed the Yellow River to the walls of Bianjing and joined the eastern army, carrying off Huizong and Qinzong and extinguishing the Northern Song. He was then made commanding marshal, directing military government in Hebei and Hedong and installing Liu Yu as emperor of Qi. Under Emperor Xizong he held the right boleji post with the marshalate at the center, then became grand guardian and director of the Secretariat, heading the three departments. Suspected by Xizong, he was stripped of command and died in anger and grief at fifty-eight, posthumously Prince of Qin and styled Huanzhong. Histories call his army well ordered with clear rewards and punishments, but his harsh application of law bred resentment in Hebei.

Personal Relations

• Father: Wanyan Sagai, state chancellor of Jin and a highly placed figure in the Wanyan clan
• Younger brother: Zhabodi, killed in the battle for the Western Capital and posthumously promoted during the Tianjuan era
• Sons: Wanyan Sheyema, also known as Prince Zhenzhu; Wanyan Xiebao, also known as Prince Baoshan
• Grandsons: Wanyan Bingde and Wanyan Xiege
• Emperor Taizu Wanyan Aguda of Jin: Zonghan supported his accession and enjoyed his trust
• Emperor Taizong Wanyan Sheng of Jin: Zonghan served as Left Deputy Marshal and received an iron certificate
• Emperor Xizong Wanyan Dan of Jin: appointed Zonghan Grand Protector and Director of the Department of State Affairs and enfeoffed him as Prince of Jin, but later became suspicious of him
• Wanyan Gao, also known as Xieye: commander-in-chief and Zonghan's superior during the war against Liao
• Wanyan Zongwang: eastern-army commander who joined Zonghan in the invasion of Song
• Wanyan Xiyin: long-time commander associated with Zonghan who repeatedly distinguished himself in the Liao war
• Wanyan Zonggan: supported Zonghan's advance when Wanyan Gao hesitated
• Wanyan Chang, also known as Talan: imperial clansman and general who received rewards alongside Zonghan after the Liao campaign
• Yelü Yudu: former Liao officer who served as a guide during the Liao campaign
• Yelü Yanxi, Emperor Tianzuo of Liao: principal target of Zonghan's pursuit
• Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of Song, and Zhao Huan, Emperor Qinzong of Song: captured during the Jingkang Incident
• Li Ruoshui: Song Vice Minister of Personnel, killed after opposing the treatment of the two emperors
• Zhu Ji: Song envoy executed after refusing the woman from the Song imperial clan offered by Zonghan

Historical Assessment

Jin and Contemporary Assessments

The introductory statement in this section of the Chinese source is attributed to the historical judgment of the Yuan compilers of the History of Jin, rather than to the original wording of Zonghan's biography, and is presented as representative of mainstream Jin-Yuan assessments.

• During the Dading era Emperor Shizong posthumously made Zonghan Prince of Qin, granted him the posthumous title Huanzhong, and enshrined him in Emperor Taizu's temple, indicating that the Jin court continued to recognize his founding contributions after the Xizong period.
• Liu Qi of the late Jin and early Yuan, writing in Guiqian Zhi, paired Zonghan with Zongwang and treated the two as major pillars of Jin's founding.

Song and Yuan Periods

• Southern Song envoy Hong Hao was detained in Jin for many years and recorded Zonghan in Songmo Jiwen, describing him as resembling a Han Chinese and recounting episodes including his gifts of captured Song imperial women to envoys. Although written from the viewpoint of an enemy state, the source treats Hong Hao's record as broadly factual.
• Southern Song writer Yuwen Maozhao's Record of the Great Jin State describes Zonghan as stern, resolute, and rarely laughing, contributing to an image of him as severe and cold in Song writings.
• The Yuan compilers of the History of Jin recognized his extraordinary military ability while also criticizing his cruelty, reflecting a later assessment that combined praise and blame.

Ming and Qing Periods

• Chen Bangzhan's Ming work History of Song Events from Beginning to End gives a detailed account of the Jingkang Incident and places Zonghan beside Zongwang as one of the commanders principally responsible for the destruction of Northern Song.
• Qing historian Bi Yuan's Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government frequently cites Zonghan's memorials and military activities when narrating Jin-Song warfare and presents him as one of the representative commanders of Jin's founding era.
• Qing textual scholar Qian Daxin, in Textual Differences in the Twenty-Two Histories, examined historical details in the History of Jin biography of Wanyan Zonghan and noted discrepancies with sources such as the Record of the Great Jin State, illustrating deeper Qing-era textual study of Jin history.

Modern Assessments

• Modern Jin historian Wang Zengyu, in works including The Military System of the Jin Dynasty, lists Zonghan among the most important generals of early Jin and argues that he played an irreplaceable role in the wars that destroyed Liao and Northern Song.
• Taiwan scholar Tao Jing-shen, in his studies of Jurchen history, analyzes Zonghan's position in the early Jin political structure and treats him as a representative of the native Wanyan aristocracy whose conflict with newer political forces formed an important strand of early Jin politics.
• Japanese scholar Toyama Gunji devotes substantial attention to Zonghan's military career in his research on Jin history and treats his decisive advance against the Liao emperor as a key turning point in the conquest of Liao.