Battle of Xiangyang
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| The Mongol Invasions |
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| Central Asia – Georgia and Armenia – Kalka River – Volga Bulgaria – Ryazan – Vladimir-Suzdal – Sit River – Köse Dag – Legnica – Mohi – Baghdad – Ain Jalut – Korea – Japan – Xiangyang – Bun'ei – Ngasaunggyan – Yamen – Kouan – Pagan – Syria – Kulikovo – Vorskla – Ugra River |
The Battle of Xiangyang (襄陽之戰) was a six-year battle consisting of skirmishes, ground assault, and the siege of the twin fortified cities of Fancheng and Xiangyang in modern-day Hubei, China, starting in AD 1268. Lü Wenhuan, commander-in-chief of the Song Dynasty, surrendered to Kublai Khan in 1273.
The conventional use of Mongolian cavalry was restricted by the woody terrain and numerous military outposts of the Southern Song Dynasty. Chinese firearms and cannons were employed in the victorious siege of Fancheng after capturing the outposts and defeating relieving Chinese forces from Sichuan and Yuezhou.
The city was vital for the Mongol conquest of the Southern Song because of its location. The city guarded the waterways of Southern China because the Han River was a major tributary into the Yangtze River. Once the city fell, the Mongols obtained easy access into important Southern cities in China and the Southern Song collapsed shortly.
In the wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jinyong, the battle of Xiangyang is the climax of the story, with the protagonists such as Yang Guo and Guo Jing participating in the defense of the city.
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