The
Jin–Song Wars were a series of conflicts between the
Jurchen Jin dynasty (1115–1234) and
Han Chinese Song dynasty (960–1279). In 1115, the Jurchens rebelled against their overlords, the
Khitan Liao dynasty (907–1125), and declared the formation of the Jin.
Allying with the Song against their common enemy the Liao, the Jin promised to return to the Song the
territories in northern China that had fallen under Liao control since 938. The Jurchens' quick defeat of the Liao combined with Song military failures made the Jin reluctant to cede these territories. After a series of failed negotiations that embittered both sides, the Jurchens attacked the Song in November 1125, dispatching one army towards
Taiyuan and the other towards
Kaifeng, the Song capital.