Sung Dynasty

I’m Chang Khan, royal historian for the Mongolian Empire. I help our generals out by telling them the history of lands we are going to conquer, which can sometimes help a battle plan. Today I was asked to shed some light on the Sung Dynasty. Started in 960 by General Zhao Kuangyin when he usurped the emperor of the zhou dynasty, the Sung Dynasty had large social, economical, and cultural effects on the world. From the dangerous presence of us, the Mongolians, Zhao, or as he renamed himself, Taizu, created a large national army to defend his new dynasty, which began to use gunpowder in Ernest. His capitol fell to the Jurchens in 1125, but a southern Song dynasty was set up. This southern dynasty made numerous advancements to the era, through art, literature, and numerous inventions such as the southern compass and wood block printing. Because of this form of inexpensive literature, a new middle class showed up. Now it is the year 1279, and we are going to easily take over the remnants of this dynasty.
"Song dynasty." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>