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Mongol Siege of Western Xia Fortresses (1209)

Type Event Region Ningxia Time 1209–1210

In 1209 Genghis Khan launched the campaign to conquer Western Xia: first defeating Gao Lianghui's forces outside Wuhai, then capturing cities along t…

Timeline

  1. 1209Wuhai (Wulahai) · HetaoOutside Wuhai the Mongols defeated the Western Xia troops led by general Gao Lianghui, then captured Wuhai and advanced west along the Yellow River, taking several border towns in succession, their spearhead pointing straight at the Helan Mountain passes.
  2. 1209Keyimen (Kiemen) · Helan MountainsKeyimen fortress held about seventy thousand troops and received fifty thousand reinforcements, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. After a two-month standoff the Mongols feigned a retreat, luring the garrison commander Weiming Linggong's forces into open battle and annihilating them, opening the road to the capital.
  3. 1209–1210Zhongxing Fu (Yinchuan) · NingxiaThe Mongols besieged Zhongxing Fu, where the defenders numbered nearly twice the attackers. The Mongols attempted to dig a channel to divert Yellow River water to flood the city, but the dike burst and flooded their own camp. The new Jin ruler Yongji refused to send troops to aid Xia; out of grain, Xiangzong Li Anquan was forced to surrender, offering a daughter in a heqin marriage alliance and paying tribute.

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