Battle of Lake Poyang
Battle of Lake Poyang | |
---|---|
Part of | |
Result |
Yangzi River valley[1] |
- Over 100 vessels[2]
- 650,000 men
- 1,346 dead
- 11,347 wounded
The Battle of Lake Poyang (
Background
On 30 August 1363, the forces of Chen Han conducted a major amphibious assault on Nanchang but failed to take it due to the defenders' use of cannons and suffered significant losses. The town of Nanchang was strategically located to guard Lake Poyang, which connected the Yangzi with other river basins. During the early 1360s, Zhu Yuanzhang held key garrisons on the lake and administered them from Nanjing 560 kilometers downriver. In 1362, Chen Youliang used "tower ships" to transport his troops to Nanchang. They could not disembark on the city walls like they did at other cities because the wall was no longer on the shore. Chen personally led an assault on the city gates. They were repelled with a barrage of cannon fire and driven back. After this failure, Chen set up a blockade, determined to starve out the defenders, but a small fishing boat managed to slip out and reached Nanjing in time to warn Zhu Yuanzhang.[3]
Battle
Zhu Yuanzhang's fleet arrived at
On 30 August, Zhu deployed his fleet in 11 squadrons with orders to "get close to the enemy's ships and first set off gunpowder weapons (發火器), then bows and crossbows, and finally attack their ships with short-range weapons".[5] Fire bombs were hurled using naval trebuchets, and Zhu's forces succeeded in "burning twenty or more enemy vessels and killing or drowning many enemy troops". Still, their flagship also caught fire and hit a sandbar.[6] Chen's warships drove back the opposing line until they fell back to a shallow area where they could not be pursued. Zhu tried again to engage with Chen's fleet in ship-to-ship combat and was driven back once more with severe losses. The next day, the wind shifted toward Chen's forces, and Zhu sent burning ships into the opposing fleet, destroying several hundred vessels. While guns were used during the battle, ultimately, they were not pivotal to success, and the battle was won using incendiary weapons.[7]
On 2 September, the two fleets engaged in battle again. Though still outnumbered, Zhu's forces were able to isolate and destroy larger enemy warships, forcing them to withdraw. Afterward, Zhu's fleet settled into a blockade for another month before Chen decided to attempt a breakout on 4 October. Zhu was ready with fire ships set adrift, scattering Chen's ships so that clusters of ships engaged in combat far from each other. Chen was killed when an arrow struck his head.[8]
Aftermath
Chen Youliang was succeeded by his son, Chen Li, who surrendered to Zhu in 1364.[9]
The Western Wu victory cemented their position as the leading rebel group. The Western Wu would overthrow the Yuan five years later and command China. Zhu Yuanzhang then became the first emperor of the Ming dynasty as the Hongwu Emperor.[9]
See also
Notes
- ^ For those cross-referencing the History of Ming, in the old Chinese calendar 至正二十三年 refers to the year 1363 CE, 七月二十日 refers to 8月29日 or 29 August, and 八月二十六日 refers to 10月4日 or 4 October.
References
- ^ Wakeman (1993), p. 8, n. 37.
- ^ TTSL, 13/165, quoted in Hok-lam Chan (1975), p. 703.
- ^ Andrade 2016, p. 59.
- ^ a b c Andrade 2016, p. 60.
- ^ Andrade 2016, p. 61.
- ^ Andrade 2016, p. 62.
- ^ Andrade 2016, p. 63.
- ^ Twitchett 1998, p. 87.
- ^ Mingshi《明史》
Further reading
- ISBN 978-0691135977.
- Hok-lam Chan, 'The Rise of Ming T'ai-tsu (1368–98): Facts and Fictions in Early Ming Official Historiography', Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 95, No. 4 (Oct. – Dec., 1975), p. 703, quoting TTSL, 13/165, abbreviation for (Ming) T'ai-tsu shih-lu (1418), ed. Yao Kuang-hsiao (1335–1418) et al., 257 chüan. Academia Sinica, Taipei 1962. (1.1.1.).【陳,Ming T'aitsu refers to 明太祖】
- Dreyer, Edward L., 'The Poyang Campaign of 1363: Inland Naval Warfare in the Founding of the Ming Dynasty,' in Kierman, Frank A., and Fairbank, John K. (eds.), Chinese Ways in Warfare (Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press, 1974). [ISBN missing]
- Turnbull, Stephen, 'Fighting Ships of the Far East (1): China and Southeast Asia 202 BC – AD 1419.' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2002). [ISBN missing]
- Twitchett, Denis (1998), The Cambridge History of China Volume 7 The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part I, Cambridge University Press [ISBN missing]
- Wakeman, Frederic, Jr., 'Voyages', American Historical Review, Vol. 98, No. 1 (Feb., 1993), pp. 1–17.