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What happened when Mongol forces captured Zhongdu, the Jin capital, in 1215?
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Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan, ink and colour on silk; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan.
When Mongol forces captured the Jin dynasty capital of Zhongdu (modern-day Beijing) in 1215, the city was taken and sacked.12
Prior to the city's fall, the Jin emperor had already withdrawn to the southern capital of Bianjing (modern-day Kaifeng). Following the capture of Zhongdu, Genghis Khan determined that it was premature to commit his primary military strength to the full conquest of China. Consequently, he withdrew to Mongolia, leaving his general Mugali to continue ravaging and weakening the region while he turned his attention westward.132