Siege of Xiangyang Begins

Timeline

1. 1267Yuan Dadu (Dadu) · BeijingThe defector general Liu Zheng memorialized Kublai at the Yuan capital Dadu, explicitly proposing: 'To destroy the Southern Song, first seize Xiangyang, cut its waist and spine, then follow the Han into the Yangtze and take Lin'an directly.' He also stressed that a powerful navy must first be built to break the Song's water defenses. Kublai adopted the plan, choosing a prolonged siege over a frontal assault and concentrating land and water forces on the encirclement.
2. 1267Han River basin (Jingzhou–Xiangyang reach) · HubeiKublai ordered the fierce general Aju (son of Yülianghadai, grandson of Subutai) to lead the Mongol elite, with Liu Zheng assisting in naval training. The army marched south along the Han River basin toward the Song strongholds of Xiangyang and Fancheng. Along the way the Mongols set up camps and forts and simultaneously built warships, laying the logistical and manpower foundation for the coming combined land-and-water siege.
3. 1267Xiangyang, Fancheng · HubeiAju and Liu Zheng completed their battlefield deployment: the Mongol army ringed Xiangyang with forts, while the Mongol navy laid booms and warships upstream and downstream on the Han, sealing off both Xiangyang and Fancheng across the river and cutting the Song's waterborne relief routes. Southern Song defender Lü Wenhuan held the walls, and the siege formally began, opening nearly six years of attack and defense.