Battle of Langshan Jiang facts for kids

The Battle of Langshan Jiang, also known as the Battle of Langshan River, was a big naval fight in China in the year 919. It happened during a time called the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. This battle was fought between two states, Wuyue and Yang Wu, on the Yangtze River. Wuyue won this important battle.

Why the Battle Happened

The Battle of Langshan Jiang was the biggest fight in a long series of smaller battles between the Wu and Wuyue states. These two states had been clashing since 895. The tension grew even more when the Tang dynasty was overthrown. Wu said the new government was not real, but Wuyue supported it.

In 919, the emperor of the new government, Zhu Youzhen, told Wuyue to attack Wu. The leader of Wuyue, Qian Liu, sent his son, Qian Chuanguan, to lead the attack. Qian Chuanguan sailed from Changzhou with a huge fleet of 500 ships. This was the largest attack Wuyue had ever launched against Wu.

The Armies and Their Weapons

Both sides had strong forces, with about 500 ships each. Qian Chuanguan led the Wuyue fleet, and Peng Yanzhang led the Wu fleet.

The Wuyue side had a secret weapon: a special double-pump flamethrower. This flamethrower might have used gunpowder to light its fuel, which was a type of oil similar to Greek fire. Qian Chuanguan was very clever. He had these flamethrowers decorated with silver. His idea was that if the enemy captured them, they would take the silver and leave the important parts of the weapon behind.

How the Battle Unfolded

Before the battle, Qian Chuanguan prepared his ships with ashes, sand, and beans. When the two fleets met, Qian Chuanguan moved his ships so they were upwind from the Wu fleet.

First, he threw ashes at the Wu ships. This made it hard for the Wu soldiers to see anything. Then, he spread sand on his own ships' decks so his soldiers wouldn't slip. At the same time, his men threw beans onto the decks of the Wu ships. This made the Wu ships very slippery, causing their soldiers to fall and move slowly.

After that, Qian Chuanguan's forces used their flamethrowers to set the Wu ships on fire. This caused a lot of panic among the Wu soldiers. Peng Yanzhang's second-in-command, Chen Fen, did not come to help him. Seeing no way out, Peng Yanzhang took his own life.

The Wuyue forces destroyed over 400 enemy ships with their flamethrowers. They also captured 7,000 enemy soldiers. The battle was so intense that the river water turned red with blood for many miles.

What Happened Next

After this big victory, Qian Liu ordered his son, Qian Chuanguan, to attack Chang Prefecture. However, the Wu leader, Xu Wen, personally defended the city. The weather was dry, and the Wu soldiers used fire against the Wuyue army. This caused the Wuyue soldiers to panic.

Two Wuyue generals, He Feng and Wu Jian, were killed. Qian Chuanguan had to retreat. Xu Wen then used this chance to make peace between the two states. He returned the soldiers he had captured. It is said that for the next 20 years, there were no major battles between Wuyue and Wu.

The flamethrower proved to be a powerful, though dangerous, weapon for the Chinese. Gunpowder, which was already used in things like fiery arrows, later became even more important in warfare around the world.