Military Campaigns
Early on in his leadership, Jingzong discarded the surnames Li and Zhao which had been given by the Tang and Song dynasties, replacing them with the surname Weiming (Chinese: 嵬名). He took an aggressive stance with the Song dynasty, and they described him as "a vigorous and persevering leader versed in military strategy." At its height he claimed an army of 500,000 men.
In 1034 Jingzong attacked the Huanqing territories. He was largely successful in these expeditions and captured Song general Qi Zongju. At this point he changed his target to the Uyghur peoples of the West, and his efforts against them began in 1036.
These campaigns proved to have more meaningful success. From the Uyghurs he took large portions of Gansu. The success of these efforts proved fairly permanent as well. The Tangut people would hold the Hexi corridor for 191 years.
In 1038 he declared himself the emperor of the Western Xia Dynasty whose capital was situated in Xinqing. Afterwards he launched a campaign against the Song. Although the Tangut empire won a series of three large battles, the victories proved to be very costly and they found their forces depleted, due in part to a scorched earth policy by the Song. In 1044 the Tangut Empire signed a treaty with the Song dynasty resulting in the nominal acknowledgment of Song sovereignty by the Tangut and the payment of tribute by the Song.
Read more about this topic: Emperor Jingzong Of Western Xia
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