10. Emperor Mo was the imperial ruler of Jin China for less than a day, killed in action against the Mongols in 1234 CE
Emperor Mo of Jin, born Wanyan Chenglin, was the last Emperor of the Jurchen Jin dynasty of Northern China. A distant descendant of Helibo, the father of Emperor Taizu, the founding emperor of the Jin dynasty, Chenglin served as a military general under his familial imperial relations. Refusing, unlike many ministers, to abandon the emperor and committing to defend the empire from the Mongols who had waged a near-continuous assault on the Jin kingdom since 1211 CE, Chenglin followed his emperor as he abandoned the capital, Kaifeng, in 1232 and relocated to the city of Caizhou. Chenglin’s elder brother, who served as the Grand Chancellor, was killed in these attacks, falling the same year at Pucheng. Despite the best efforts of Chenglin, faced with the combined forces of the Mongols and Southern Song Caizhou was besieged in 1234.
Upon realizing that his fate was sealed, on February 9, 1234, Emperor Aizong announced his decision to abdicate the imperial throne. Upon the objections of Chenglin, Aizong offered two reasons: firstly, that he did not wish to be remembered as the last emperor of his dynasty, and secondly that Chenglin had a better chance of survival. Commanding Chenglin to accept the throne, informing the general that “this is my wish”, Aizong confessed to his loyal follower that “I am fat and unable to ride on horseback into battle. If the city falls, it will be difficult for me to escape on horseback. You, on the other hand, are physically fit and strong. Moreover, you are a talented military leader. If you manage to escape, you can ensure that the dynasty lives on, and make a comeback in the future.” In the course of the abdication ceremony, in which Chenglin reluctantly took part, the Mongols breached the city walls. In response, Emperor Aizong fled into an adjoining room wherein he later hung himself. Refusing to flee for his own safety, Chenglin gathered the remnants of the imperial forces and engaged the invading army in the streets of Caizhou. As the Mongols gradually occupied the city, at an unknown point during the fighting that day Chenglin was killed in action and with him, the Jin dynasty ended.