Establishing the Kin Kingdom

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Aguda resolved on resisting the oppression of the Liao Dynasty. In the ninth lunar month of 1114, he led some 2,500 men to rise up in open rebelion. They attacked and captured Ningjiangzhou (in the vicinity of present Fuyu County in Jilin Province)–a Khitan stronghold guarded by 800 soldiers. Two months later, they crushed the far more numerous Khitan armies in Chuhedian(southwest of present Zhaoyuan County of Heilongjiang Province). This was a typical example of the few defeating the many in battle. The Jurchen troops pushed on in the flush of victory, seizing a large territory under the Liao control.

In the first lunar month of 1115, Aguda proclaimed himself emperor in Huining (south of present Acheng City of Heilongjiang), formally establishing the Kin Dynasty.

The Battle of Huanglongfu

The ambitious Aguda was not content to exercise sovereignty over only a small part of the country.

He soon chose Huanglongfu(present Nong’ an County of Jilin)–a strategic post–as the next target ofattack. As a political and economic center of the Liao Dynasty, Huanglongfu had been heavily guarded.

Aguda besieged the castle without attacking, whilst mustering superior forces to wipe out the Liaotroops stationed in the surrounding neighborhood at first. The morale of the defenders in town was thus greatly sapped. They failed to break through the encirclement and were finally annihilated in the ninth lunar month of 1115.

Two month later the Jurchen troops defeated the Khitan reinforcements outnumbering them thirty-five to one, performing another military miracle, and then seized the Liao’s East Capital(present Liaoyang City of Liaoning Province) in the next year. In 1120, the Kin and the Song reached an agreement to attack the Liao from the north and the south simultaneously. During the following years, Aguda’s army smashed all resistance and captured the Liao’s other four capitals including Yanjing (present Beijing).

Sketch Map of the Battle of Huanglongfu

In the eighth lunar month of 1123, Aguda died en route when withdrawing from Yanjing. Just two years later, Wanyan Wuqimai(1075-1135, Aguda’s fourth younger brother) who succeeded to the throne subjugated the Liao Dynasty, and after two more years put an end to the Northern Song Dynastylll, fulfilling Aguda’s unfinished task.