Battle of Yamen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Yamen |
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| Part of the Song-Yuan Wars | |||||||||
 A park in commemoration of the battle in Xinhui, Jiangmen, Guangdong |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Song dynasty | Yuan dynasty | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Zhang Shijie † Lu Xiufu |
Zhang Hongfan | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 200,000 people (mostly non-combatant court officials and servants) 1,000+ ships (mostly transport ships with warship escorts) True fighting capacity likely in the 10,000s of soldiers |
20,000 Chinese soldiers 50+ warships |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| At least 100,000 died either from fighting or drowning; the rest fled | Unknown | ||||||||
| Battle of Yamen | |||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 厓門戰役 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 崖门战役 | ||||||
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| Battle of Yashan | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 厓山海戰 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 崖山海战 | ||||||
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The Battle of Yamen (Chinese: 厓門戰役), also known as the Battle of Yashan, was a huge naval battle that happened in southern China on March 19, 1279. It was the last stand of the Song dynasty against the powerful Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. Even though the Yuan navy was outnumbered, they won a huge victory. This battle ended the Song dynasty.
Today, you can find the battle site in the town of Yamen. This is in Xinhui County, Jiangmen, Guangdong.
Contents
Why Did the Battle of Yamen Happen?
The Song Dynasty on the Run
In 1276, the Song dynasty was in trouble. Yuan forces were getting close to their capital city, Lin'an. The Song court had to flee quickly. They left their young emperor, Emperor Gong, behind. He was captured by the Yuan army.
Hopes for the Song dynasty then rested on two young princes. These were Emperor Gong's brothers. The older prince, Zhao Shi, was only nine years old. He was declared the new emperor.
A Dangerous Journey South
In 1277, the city of Fuzhou also fell to the Yuan dynasty. The Song court had to move again. They went to Quanzhou. The Song's Grand General, Zhang Shijie, wanted to borrow boats there. He needed them to keep fleeing from the Yuan.
However, a rich merchant named Pu Shougeng said no. So, Zhang Shijie took his boats. This made Pu Shougeng very angry. He killed many Song royal family members and officials in Quanzhou. Then, he joined the Yuan dynasty. This made the Yuan navy much stronger.
The Song dynasty was now very weak. They could not fight the Yuan army head-on. Zhang Shijie decided to build a large fleet of ships. This fleet would help the Song court and soldiers move safely. They hoped to find a better situation later.
The Song court sailed from Quanzhou to Guangdong. But a storm hit their boats. Emperor Zhao Shi's boat flipped over. He survived, but he became very sick. The court later found safety on Lantau Island's Mui Wo. Sadly, Zhao Shi died there. His younger brother, Zhao Bing, who was seven, became the new emperor.
Zhang Shijie took the new young emperor to Yamen. He started preparing their defenses there. In 1278, a Song general named Wen Tianxiang was captured. This meant the Song dynasty had no land forces left nearby.
How the Battle of Yamen Unfolded
Setting Up the Defense
In 1279, the Yuan general Zhang Hongfan attacked the Song navy at Yamen. Another Yuan general, Li Heng, joined him. Li Heng had already captured the city of Guangzhou.
Some Song leaders suggested a plan. They thought the navy should block the mouth of the bay. This would keep their escape route open to the west. But Zhang Shijie said no. He wanted to stop his soldiers from running away. He even ordered all buildings on land to be burned. This was to make sure no one could flee to shore.
Zhang Shijie then made a risky decision. He ordered about 1,000 Song ships to be chained together. They formed a long line in the bay. Emperor Zhao Bing's boat was placed in the middle. This was meant to stop any Song ship from escaping the fight.
Yuan Attacks and Song's Struggles
The Yuan forces tried to use fire ships. They steered them towards the chained Song ships. But the Song ships were ready. They had been painted with special fire-resistant mud. So, the fire ships did not work.
The Yuan navy then blocked the bay. The Yuan army also cut off the Song's fresh water and wood supplies on land. The Song side had many people who were not fighters, like court officials. They quickly ran out of food and water. The Song soldiers had to eat dry food and drink sea water. This made them very sick, causing nausea and vomiting.
Zhang Hongfan even captured Zhang Shijie's nephew. He asked Zhang Shijie to surrender three times. But Zhang Shijie refused every time.
The Final Attack
On the afternoon of March 18, Zhang Hongfan got ready for a huge attack. He decided not to use cannons. He thought cannons might break the Song's chains too easily. This would let the Song ships escape.
The next day, Zhang Hongfan split his navy into four groups. One group went to the east, one to the north, and one to the south of the Song fleet. Zhang Hongfan led the last group himself. He positioned them about a li (a Chinese mile) away from the Song forces.
First, the Yuan's north group attacked the Song. But the Song forces pushed them back. Then, the Yuan started playing festive music. This made the Song think the Yuan forces were having a party. The Song soldiers lowered their guard.
At noon, Zhang Hongfan launched his main attack from the front. He had hidden extra soldiers under large pieces of cloth on his boats. When Zhang Hongfan's boats got close to the Song fleet, the Yuan sounded their battle horn. The hidden soldiers jumped out.
The Song troops were not ready for such a big attack. Waves of arrows hit the Song ships. The Song fleet quickly lost seven ships. Many soldiers were killed. The Song soldiers were sick and weak. They could not fight well against the Yuan troops in close combat. The chained ships could not move to help each other or retreat.
As the Song troops were defeated, a terrible slaughter began. Zhang Shijie saw that the battle was lost. He gathered his best soldiers. He cut about a dozen ships free from the chains. He tried to break out and save the emperor.
The Yuan forces quickly moved to the center of the Song fleet. They reached Emperor Zhao Bing's ship. There, Prime Minister Lu Xiufu saw no hope. He took the young emperor Zhao Bing with him and jumped into the sea. Both drowned. Many other officials and royal women followed them into the water.
What Happened After the Battle of Yamen?
The End of the Song Dynasty
Zhang Shijie had escaped the battle. He hoped to find the Dowager Yang, the emperor's mother. He wanted her to name a new Song emperor. Then, they could keep fighting the Yuan dynasty. However, when Dowager Yang heard that Emperor Zhao Bing had died, she also died at sea. Zhang Shijie buried her on the shore.
Zhang Shijie and his remaining soldiers were believed to have drowned. A strong tropical storm hit the area soon after the battle. However, some people think his death was just Yuan propaganda. No trace of his fleet was ever found.
Since Zhao Bing was the last Song emperor, his death ended the Song dynasty. The Yuan dynasty, led by Kublai Khan, now controlled all of China. The Yuan dynasty ruled China for 97 years. Then, the Ming dynasty rose up under the Hongwu Emperor. The Chinese people took back control of their land from the Mongols.
Remembering the Battle
Even though Pu Shougeng joined the Yuan, his family later suffered. Towards the end of the Yuan dynasty, the Mongols turned against Pu Shougeng's family and other Muslims. They killed many of Pu Shougeng's descendants in a conflict called the Ispah rebellion. Many mosques and foreign buildings were destroyed.
A rock was carved to remember Zhang Hongfan at the battle site. Many temples were built nearby. They honor those who died for the Song dynasty, like Wen Tianxiang, Lu Xiufu, and Zhang Shijie. In the 1980s, another memorial was built for Zhao Bing.
A special leafy green soup dish, called patriotic soup, is also made. It helps the Teochew people remember the young emperor. Today, there is a museum complex near the battle site. It is called the Song-Yuan Yamen Sea Warfare Culture Tourist Zone.
See Also
- Largest naval battle in history
- Military history of the Song dynasty
- Naval history of China
