Battle of Yamen
The Battle of Yamen , which took place on March 19, 1279 near Yamen ( Chinese 崖门 / 崖門 - "Cliff Gate") in today's Xinhui District (新 会 / 新 會) on the left bank of the Pearl River Delta (lower reaches of the West River ( Chinese 西江 , Pinyin Xī Jiāng - "Western River")) was one of the greatest sea battles in world history. Despite the numerical superiority of the armed forces of the Song Dynasty under their Admiral Zhang Shijie, the Kublai Khan's fleet was victorious , thereby ending the rule of the Song Dynasty.
Background and course
Large parts of southern China (such as the capital Hangzhou ) had been conquered by the Mongols under Kublai Khan since 1276 . The leaders of the Song Dynasty tried to turn the tide with a sea battle in the Pearl River delta region. The battle became a disaster despite the multiple numerical superiority of the Song Forces, killing more than 100,000 people. The prime minister and imperial advisor Lu Xiufu ( 陆秀夫 , 1232–1279) recognized the hopelessness of the situation, took the child emperor Song Bing and jumped with him into the river at Yaishan to kill himself and his ruler before they joined the Mongol army reached on Mount Ya near the river, which is why the battle is also called "Sea Battle on Mount Ya". The act should be seen as a sign of resistance and inflexibility towards the stranger. The Song Dynasty ended after 314 years and the rule of the Yuan Dynasty began.