← Explore on the interactive map

Fall of Xiangyang and Fancheng

Type Event Region Asia Time 1267–1273

The siege of Xiangyang and Fancheng was the key battle in the Yuan conquest of the Southern Song.

Timeline

  1. 1267–1271Xiangyang, Fancheng · HubeiYuan generals Azu and Liu Zheng led forces in a prolonged siege of Xiangyang and Fancheng, cutting off water and land supplies, while Song general Lu Wenhuan led the garrison in a stubborn defense, the two sides locked in a war of attrition.
  2. 1271–1272Fancheng · HubeiSouthern Song generals Zhang Shun and Zhang Gui led suicide squads up the Han River to relieve Xiangyang and Fancheng, briefly breaking the Yuan blockade, but subsequent reinforcements were weak; the Yuan assaulted fiercely with Huihui trebuchets, and Fancheng fell in the ninth year of Zhiyuan (1272).
  3. 1273Xiangyang · HubeiWith Fancheng fallen, Xiangyang was isolated and without relief; Lu Wenhuan opened the gates and surrendered to the Yuan on promised terms, ending the six-year siege and placing the strategic hub of the middle Yangtze in Yuan hands.

Sources