Conquering the Realm

The Conquest Chronicle of the Jurchen's Meteoric Rise, and the Historical Cycle of Prosperity and Decline in the Northern Song and Khitan Liao Dynasties

女真强势崛起征战史，北宋、契丹由盛转衰兴亡史

In the 11th century, while the Song and Liao dynasties stood as two major powers, the Jurchen tribes inhabiting the "Land of White Mountains and Black Waters" gradually grew in strength and moved toward unification. To break free from the rule of Emperor Tianzuo of Liao, the Jurchen leader Wanyan Aguda proactively launched military campaigns, capturing key frontier towns such as Ningjiangzhou. He then advanced into Liaodong, swept through the Yan-Yun region, and penetrated deep into the northern frontiers. Over the course of eleven years (1114-1125) of warfare, and with the distant support of Song forces, the Jurchens ultimately brought about the fall of the Liao dynasty. Throughout their engagements with the Liao army, the Jurchens often achieved victory despite being outnumbered, earning the formidable reputation that "no force could withstand the Jurchens once they numbered ten thousand."

The author, having long studied ancient military history, conducted extensive research into the vast sea of historical documents. Rather than merely compiling sources, the author distilled the complexity of the material into a clear and accessible narrative, detailing the decision-making processes of both sides and the specifics of battlefield confrontations. From this, the author distilled the underlying patterns of warfare, striving to uncover the secrets behind victories and defeats.

Readers will witness the clashes between Jurchen cavalry and the cavalry of the Khitans or the infantry and cavalry of the Song army, as well as the confrontations between Jurchen siege tactics and Song defensive strategies. They will also experience the vivid dynamics of warfare in an era where firearms coexisted with cold weapons, and military tactics were frequently exchanged and evolved.

11世纪，宋、辽两大国并立之时，活动在"白山黑水"地区的女真诸部，逐渐发展壮大，形成统一之势。女真领袖完颜阿骨打，为了摆脱辽天祚帝的统治，主动兴师夺取宁江州等边陲重镇，然后讨征辽东，席卷燕云、深入塞北，经过十一年（1114-1125年）的作战，在宋军的遥相呼应之下，最终灭亡辽国。女真人在对阵辽军的过程中，常常以少胜多，由此赢得了"女真满万不可敌"的盛誉。

作者长期研究古代战史，对浩如烟海的文献资料进行了搜集研究，没有将史料简单地堆砌，而是删繁就简，以通俗易懂的语言叙述双方决策与两军对阵的具体过程，并从中总结出战争的发展规律，力图揭开输赢的秘密。

读者从中可以观摩到女真骑兵与契丹骑兵、宋军步骑兵的对决，女真攻城法与宋军守城法的对决，领略火器与冷兵器并存、兵法交流频繁时代的战争的精彩画面。