The soldiers inside the city stabbed him in the throat with long spears, killing him. The brave soldiers attacked the Jin soldiers from below, killing and catching fire. The Jin generals intercepted the Jin army from behind, pressing forward with barricades and swords. From dawn to dusk, casualties continued, and all the ladders and bridges were destroyed. The Jin army, frustrated by their success, suddenly took advantage of a favorable wind to cross the moat, throwing fat and leather and burning the battle tents. Zong Zheng encouraged his men to fight a bloody battle. Fifteen battles were fought, with arrows and stones clashing. Over a thousand Jin soldiers were killed, and seventeen or eighteen crossbowmen shot their commander to death.
The wind turned against the Jin, intensifying their anger and intensifying their artillery fire. Wang Daren, leading a thousand elite soldiers, braved the encirclement and fought their way into the city. With the combined strength of both inside and outside, morale was greatly boosted. Jia Yong entered the Jin camp and, from dusk to the third watch, scattered Jin corpses across the ground. He seized sixteen of their bronze seals, including one who had abandoned his tent and fled, and captured tens of thousands of supplies, cattle, and horses. Upon his victory, the imperial court recognized his previous military exploits and promoted him to the rank of Military Officer, concurrently serving as a Minister of the Imperial Court, and bestowed upon him a golden belt.
The Military Administration Office reported that Jin troops were approaching Huyang County and sent a letter to Zong Zheng to attack them. Zong Zheng captured the county with a single blow, burning the accumulated supplies, destroying the camps, and taking captives. From then on, the Jin troops dared not attack Xiang, Han, or Zaoyang.
The Xu Kingdom moved to Nanjing, and Zong Zheng took over as the Commander-in-Chief of Jing and E, retaining the presidency of Zaoyang. Zong Zheng, with his army pressed against the moat, created a muddy area outside the northwest moat to confine the cavalry. The number of remnants from the Central Plains who came to surrender numbered in the tens of thousands.
Zong Zheng provided him with food and shelter, and named him the "Loyal and Obedient Army" for his bravery. He was allowed to patrol the borders of Tang and Deng, and to command great influence outside the borders. The Jin people called him "Grandpa Meng." He died of a carbuncle shortly afterwards. He was promoted to Right Military Officer, Training Envoy, and Defense Envoy.
Zong Zheng always rewarded those who had merit and punished those who had sinned. His love for the virtuous and kind came naturally. He had never studied military tactics, yet he was secretly in tune with them. On the day of his death, border towns shut down their markets and mourned. Zi Gong has a biography.
Wu Xian, governor of Jintang and Dengzhou, was stationed at Shunyang. He joined forces with Wu Tianxi, the defender of Tangzhou, and Yi Layuan, the defender of Dengzhou, to try to lure the Jin lord into Shu. They then invaded Guanghua, their advance being very aggressive. Meng Gong pressed Tianxi's fortress and captured it with a single blow.
The brave warrior Zhang Ziliang obtained Tianxi's head and presented it as a tribute, capturing over 400 officers and men. He also defeated the Jin army at Lüyan, taking countless prisoners. He then attacked Shunyang, where Wuxian was defeated and fled to Madeng Mountain. The county magistrate Li Ying and the Shenzhou pacifier Zhang Lin both surrendered the city.
Gong said to Shi Songzhi: "Those who surrender should be made to cultivate their own land, and appointed as leaders according to their population. The young and able-bodied should be enlisted as soldiers, so that they can farm and defend their own land. Those with talent should be given land and appointed to official positions, so that each can recruit his own followers to weaken their power."
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