🚢 The great sea battle on March 19... 1279

The Great Khan Kublai completed the Mongol conquest of China on March 19, 1279, when his forces destroyed the remnant of the Song dynasty at the Battle of Yamen. It might surprise you to learn this was a naval battle.

The Song court, nominally led by a series of unfortunate child emperors, had been on the run since 1268 when Kublia established a permanent presence south of the Yangtze River. Unable to resist the Mongols on land, they had taken to boats. Kublai built a small navy and attacked them in Yamen harbor after cutting off the 1000-ship-strong Song fleet from resupply by land. Short of food and water, the Song chained their boats together to make a last stand.

The Mongols first attempted to destroy the massive fleet with fireships, but the Song had cleverly coated their hulls with fresh mud to prevent this. The Mongols then moved in, showered the defenders with massed archery, and boarded. The Song warriors, weak from lack of food and sick from drinking seawater, were no match for them. Several ships attempted to break out with the boy emperor Zhao Bing aboard but were intercepted. Zhao Bing, his Prime Minister, and numerous officials jumped into the sea and drowned rather than be captured.

~ Courtesy of The Lost Battalion Dispatch