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Song Victory in the Yangtze Naval Battle
In the 1161 Battle of Caishi, the Southern Song navy devastated the Jin fleet crossing the Yangtze using fire ships, warships, and thunderclap bombs …
Timeline
- 1161Caishi · Anhui ProvinceYu Yunwen arrived at Caishi to inspect the troops, found only about ten thousand men and few warships, so he boosted morale, reorganized the fleet, sent men to Jiankang to gather reinforcements, and built river defenses on the south bank of the Yangtze.
- 1161Yangtze River surface (opposite Caishi) · Anhui ProvinceSong warships led the vanguard while fire ships, riding the wind, set the Jin crossing fleet ablaze. The Jin ships were small and unsuited to river combat; their formation collapsed and countless men burned or drowned.
- 1161Caishi section of the Yangtze · Anhui ProvinceSong forces fired thunderclap bombs and other explosive weapons at the Jin fleet, filling the sky with smoke and flame. The Jin army fled in panic, the crossing plan collapsed entirely, and the Song won a decisive victory in the Yangtze naval battle.
Sources
- 宋史·兵志 — 脱脱等 (1977)
- Needham, Joseph. Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 5: Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 7: Military Technology — Joseph Needham (1986)