Siege of Shouzhou
Siege of Shouzhou | |||||||
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Part of Later Zhou conquest of Huainan | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Later Zhou | Southern Tang | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Chai Rong (Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou) Zhao Kuangyin | Liu Renzhan | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown, likely large | Unknown, many armies | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Likely high | Very high, many armies destroyed |
The siege of Shouzhou[1] was a two year long (955–957 AD) siege conducted by the Later Zhou dynasty against Shouzhou, the major fortress of the Southern Tang dynasty above the Yangtze River. The Later Zhou would eventually capture Shouzhou and destroy most Southern Tang armies in the process, severely crippling Southern Tang and ending its short time as one of China's major states. This siege was part of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of Chinese history.
Background
With the collapse of the Tang Dynasty in the early part of the 10th century China became split between many states. The majority of the north was controlled by a single state, but that state saw frequent revolutions and changes of leadership. The south meanwhile was split between many feuding kingdoms. By 954 AD, the Later Zhou were the dynasty in the north while in the south the Southern Tang had conquered many of their neighbours and were the second to Later Zhou in power.
Prelude
For once the north was internally stable and so Emperor
Siege
The Southern Tang again tried to threaten the Later Zhou's line of retreat but this time they were defeated. Details of the siege itself are slim, but we know many details of
Aftermath
With their armies gone and the main fort holding a major Zhou invasion of their territory also gone, the Southern Tang had to sue for peace. The peace gave Later Zhou all Southern Tang territory above the Yangtze and practically made Tang a vassal of Zhou. Zhao Kuang Yin used his popularity gained due to his many victories during the siege to overthrow Guo Rong's son in 960 AD, founding the Song Dynasty. With the Southern Tang severely weakened the Song were in good position to unify China, which they would 980 AD.
References
- ISBN 978-1-62894-072-5.
- ^ South China and Maritime Asia. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. 1997.
- ISBN 978-1-107-08475-9.