Dali Kingdom Faces Mongol Pressure

Timeline

1. 1240–1243Dali · YunnanAfter destroying the Jin, Mongol power extended to the southwest, with Dali's northern border adjoining Mongol-controlled territory. Dali had long remained isolated in the southwest since the Duan clan founded the state, but the Mongol rise changed the regional balance of power. In the early 1240s, the Dali court had already detected Mongol strategic intentions to move south.
2. 1244Dali capital · YunnanIn 1244, the Mongols sent envoys to Dali demanding passage to attack Song; the powerful minister Gao Xiang advocated refusal and killed the envoys. Duan Xiangxing was the nominal ruler, but real power lay with the Gao clan. This act foreclosed any possibility of reconciliation with the Mongols, and Dali formally faced the threat of Mongol military retaliation.
3. 1245–1249Entire Dali Kingdom · YunnanAfter the envoy incident, Dali strengthened its northern defenses, but limited national strength made direct confrontation with the Mongols difficult. By the late 1240s, the Mongols continued massing forces in western Sichuan, and Dali's crisis grew imminent. Although the Southern Song had contacts with Dali, it was powerless to aid; Dali's independent survival hung by a thread.