In this way the country’s military strength was to be restored.  Chia’s influence lasted just ten years, until 1275.  He began putting the law into effect in the region south of Nanking, where the principal estates of the greater gentry were then situated.  He brought upon himself, of course, the mortal hatred of the greater gentry, and paid for his action with his life.  The emperor, in entering upon this policy, no doubt had hoped to recover some of his power, but the greater gentry brought him down.  The gentry now openly played into the hands of the approaching Mongols, so hastening the final collapse of the Sung.  The peasants and the lesser gentry would have fought the Mongols if it had been possible; but the greater gentry enthusiastically went over to the Mongols, hoping to save their property and so their influence by quickly joining the enemy.  On a long view they had not judged badly.  The Mongols removed the members of the gentry from all political posts, but left them their estates; and before long the greater gentry reappeared in political life.  And when, later, the Mongol empire in China was brought down by a popular rising, the greater gentry showed themselves to be the most faithful allies of the Mongols!

(5) The empire of the Juchen in the north (1115-1234)

1 Rapid expansion from northern Korea to the Yangtze

The Juchen in the past had been only a small league of Tungus tribes, whose name is preserved in that of the present Tungus tribe of the Jurchen, which came under the domination of the Kitan after the collapse of the state of Po-hai in northern Korea.  We have already briefly mentioned the reasons for their rise.  After their first successes against the Kitan (1114), their chieftain at once proclaimed himself emperor (1115), giving his dynasty the name “Chin” (The Golden).  The Chin quickly continued their victorious progress.  In 1125 the Kitan empire was destroyed.  It will be remembered that the Sung were at once attacked, although they had recently been allied with the Chin against the Kitan.  In 1126 the Sung capital was taken.  The Chin invasions were pushed farther south, and in 1130 the Yangtze was crossed.  But the Chin did not hold the whole of these conquests.  Their empire was not yet consolidated.  Their partial withdrawal closed the first phase of the Chin empire.

2 United front of all Chinese

But a few years after this maximum expansion, a withdrawal began which went on much more quickly than usual in such cases.  The reasons were to be found both in external and in internal politics.  The Juchen had gained great agrarian regions in a rapid march of conquest.  Once more great cities with a huge urban population and immense wealth had fallen to alien conquerors.  Now the Juchen wanted to enjoy this wealth as the Kitan had done before them.  All the Juchen people counted as citizens of the highest class; they were free from taxation and only liable