Battle of Yancheng
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Yancheng took place in 1139 CE near modern day Luohe City
in Henan Province, China between the main armies of the ruling Song Dynasty
and Jurchen or Jin invaders from the north. The battle was the first major clash between the two sides and history records that under the leadership of General Yue Fei
the Song won a decisive victory despite the superior numbers of the Jin.
's Shaoxing Era
(紹興年号), Wanyan Zongbi (完颜宗弼) usually known as Wu Shu (兀术), fourth son of Emperor Taizu of Jin invaded the south at the head of the Jin army, threatening the Song on all sides. Yue Fei's West Army marched from Ezhou City
in Hubei province towards the central plains to meet the threat. The biography of Yue Fei in Chapter 365 of the History of Song
records: "The Jin attacked and surrounded Bo (亳) (near modern day Bozhou City
, Anhui Province) whereupon Liu Qi (刘锜) requested emergency assistance from the Imperial court. Yue Fei rushed to the area and sent Generals Zhang Xian (张宪) and Yao Zheng (姚政) to deal with the situation. The emperor issued an edict stating that 'the court was prepared and he was not far away'. Yue Fei then sent Wang Gui (王贵), Niu Gao (牛皋), Dong Xian (董先), Yang Zaixing (杨再兴), Meng Bangjie (孟邦杰) and Li Bao (李宝) amongst others to defend the western capital and the prefectures of Ru (汝), Zheng (郑), Yingchang (颍昌), Chen (陈), Cao (曹) Guang (光) and Cai (蔡). Next Yue Fei ordered Liang Xing (梁兴) to cross the Yellow River
, assemble citizens loyal to the emperor and attack Beizhou County (北州县). Troops also moved eastwards to assist Liu Qi and arrived in the Central Plains".
After commanding Yue Fei to counter-attack Emperor Gaozong changed his mind and in June issued a further order recalling the general and his troops. Yue Fei ignored the order as the History of Song records: "Minister Li Ruoxu (李若虚) was sent from the court with orders for Yue Fei to withdraw but he refused to comply."
(拐子马/拐子馬) tactic. They were to be followed by infantry who were to engage the Jurchen in hand to hand combat, break the enemy formation then retreat when darkness fell.
After the battle Yue Fei left for the Imperial court where he presented a memorial to the emperor saying: "On the 8th day of this month whilst out scouting, I saw four evil foreign princes, their mighty warriors and Wanyan Zongxian (完顏宗賢) (also known as King Getian 蓋天大王). General Han Shizhong
led 15,000 of our troops on horseback all dressed in shining armor. They seized the road 20 Li (6.6 miles) to the north of Yancheng where our cavalry engaged the enemy in the early evening when officers and men hacked and chopped at the foes with maza swords (麻扎刀), griffes (提刀) and large hatchets. In ten bitter battles, countless enemies were slaughtered, their bodies littering the ground. As twilight fell we withdrew, stealing two hundred horses as we went. I would like to report a great victory and now await further orders from your majesty."
Following his defeat at Yancheng, fourteen days later Wu Shu attacked Yingchang Fu (颍昌府, modern day Xuchang City
in Henan Province). Predicting the next move of the enemy, Yue Fei ordered his adopted son Yue Yun (岳云/岳雲) to lead the Beiwei Cavalry with its supporting infantry and go to the aid of the local commander Wang Gui
(王贵/王貴). At the subsequent Battle of Yingchang, the Song were once more victorious when through the use of the Guai Zi Ma tactic Wu Shu’s entire army were wiped out.
Yue Fei’s army recaptured Zhengzhou
and Luoyang
leaving his troops facing Zhuxian Town
(朱仙鎮 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south of modern day Kaifeng City
), Henan. The Han people praised the victory whereupon Yue Fei shouted “Onward gentlemen to Huanglong Fu (黄龙府 near modern day Nong'an County
, Jilin Province), where we can drink our fill!” According to historical records, during this battle Yue Fei and his army captured more than 200 horses and killed countless enemies.
When Emperor Gaozong heard the news he was exultant and exclaimed: “If we have worn down the enemy’s strength and left them exhausted it will be easy to seize the chance to exterminate them, if they are hiding some wicked plan we should understand and second guess them.” When Yue Fei’s army arrived at Zhuxian the two sides opposing stood facing one another. After a struggle Wu Shu withdrew to Kaifeng. After the Battle of Yancheng the Jin army bewailed their situation crying “to shake the mountains is easy, to shake Yue Fei’s army is barely possible” (撼山易，撼岳家军难).
Emperor Gaozong was unwilling to let Yue Fei continue his advance and in succession sent out twelve gold medals recalling the troops stationed in Zhu Xian under the general. By this time Zhang Jun (张俊/張俊) and his army had retreated along South Huainan
Road leaving Yue Fei isolated and without help. As his army retreated he lamented:
“Investigation of the meritorious service of the followers of Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong, Liu Guangshi (刘光世) and Yue Fei shows that they also had some internal strife. They pacified the provinces of the south east and were not defeated by the Jin but instead evaded them. Even though the Song won some small victories these did not compensate for previous mistakes.” Former Shanghai Guanghua University Professor of History Lu Simian
(吕思勉/呂思勉) wrote in his Baihua Benguoshi (白话本国史, literally: Vernacular History of China): "As regards their initial deployment of troops the Song Imperial court appeared victorious against the Jin. However at Shunchang (顺昌), and Yancheng, Wu Shu underestimated his enemy and was thus defeated. What he did to rectify this situation is not known. The conflict in Shaanxi Province ended in a stalemate from which it may be said no victor emerged. Clearly, viewed from an overall perspective this protracted situation was disadvantageous to the Song Imperial court.”
Well known 20th century historian Deng Guangming
(邓广铭/鄧廣銘) believes that there was no fundamental victory when the Song and the Jin clashed at Zhu Xian. Yue Fei’s supply lines had been cut by the Jin army and he lacked reinforcements: “However， whilst it is certainly true that Yue Fei’s army were ‘harder to shake than the mountains’, it was unnecessary for them to find another route controlled by friendly forces. Yue Fei’s army was only in a position to resist southward attacks by Jin troops along the roads from Hebei
and Shandong
Provinces. As a result, Yue Fei and his troops could march northward during the day as indications were that the Jin army were already preparing its imminent retreat from Henan Province. At the same time, Yue Fei’s army were already moving south towards the Song Imperial court, needing its immediate orders for all troops to advance at full speed. By the time Zhang Jun’s army had withdrawn from Bozhou the Jin army were in the process of attacking Yue Fei’s forces at Yancheng and Yingchang in a series of engagements. Although he was marginally victorious in these, in an overall strategis assessment of the war Yue Fei was the loser”
Deng Guangming goes on to point out in Chapter 15 of his Biography of Yue Fei that at the time of the Southern Song Imperial court’s commendation of Yue Fei: “The victory of Yue Fei’s army at the Battle of Yancheng had not been easily won. If this army had met up with the forces of Zhang Jun and Wang De (王德), a subordinate of General Zhang Guangshi, as they withdrew along the Huainan East Road (淮南东路) it can be imagined that this would have been a morale booster for Yue Fei’s army at this difficult time in the campaign.”
Contemporary Song Dynasty historian and expert Wang Cengyu (王曾瑜) notes that: “The great battles of Yancheng and Yinchang took place during the wet months of June and July in the Central Plains area. Here the Jin cavalry showed off their speed and skill making the few victories achieved difficult for Yue Fei and his army.” and “Comparative evidence from the Zhuzi Yulei regarding the battle at Zhu Xian shows that “Two separate parts of Yue Fei’s army marched from the approximate locations of Linying
and Yingchang to Xiangbian Du (向汴都), when there is the strong probability that they attacked and slaughtered the Jin army at Zhuxian.”
Wang Cengyu also claims that during the withdrawal of the Yue Fei Battalion, Liu Qi had the enemy pinned down and assisted the retreating troops although other sources claim he is mistaken.
Luohe
Luohe is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province, People's Republic of China. It is surrounded by the cities of Xuchang, Zhoukou, Zhumadian and Pingdingshan on its north, east, south and west respectively.-Administration:...
in Henan Province, China between the main armies of the ruling Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
and Jurchen or Jin invaders from the north. The battle was the first major clash between the two sides and history records that under the leadership of General Yue Fei
Yue Fei
Yue Fei , style name Pengju, was a military general of the Southern Song Dynasty. His ancestral home was in Xiaoti, Yonghe Village, Tangyin, Xiangzhou, Henan...
the Song won a decisive victory despite the superior numbers of the Jin.
Background
In May 1139, the tenth year of Emperor Gaozong of SongEmperor Gaozong of Song
Emperor Gaozong , born Zhao Gou, was the tenth emperor of the Song Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of the Southern Song. He reigned from 1127 to 1162. He fled south after the Jurchens overran Kaifeng in the Jingkang Incident, hence the beginning of the Southern Song dynasty 1127–1279...
's Shaoxing Era
Chinese era name
A Chinese era name is the regnal year, reign period, or regnal title used when traditionally numbering years in an emperor's reign and naming certain Chinese rulers . Some emperors have several era names, one after another, where each beginning of a new era resets the numbering of the year back...
(紹興年号), Wanyan Zongbi (完颜宗弼) usually known as Wu Shu (兀术), fourth son of Emperor Taizu of Jin invaded the south at the head of the Jin army, threatening the Song on all sides. Yue Fei's West Army marched from Ezhou City
Ezhou
-Geography and climate:Ezhou is located in southeastern Hubei province, on the southern bank of the Yangtze River east of Wuchang , and across the river from the city of Huanggang, to which it is connected by the Ehuang Bridge...
in Hubei province towards the central plains to meet the threat. The biography of Yue Fei in Chapter 365 of the History of Song
History of Song
The History of Song or Song Shi is one of the official Chinese historical works known as the Twenty-Four Histories of China that records the history of the Song Dynasty...
records: "The Jin attacked and surrounded Bo (亳) (near modern day Bozhou City
Bozhou
Bozhou is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, People's Republic of China. It borders Huaibei to the northeast, Bengbu to the southeast, Huainan to the south, Fuyang to the southwest, and the province of Henan to the north.-Administration:...
, Anhui Province) whereupon Liu Qi (刘锜) requested emergency assistance from the Imperial court. Yue Fei rushed to the area and sent Generals Zhang Xian (张宪) and Yao Zheng (姚政) to deal with the situation. The emperor issued an edict stating that 'the court was prepared and he was not far away'. Yue Fei then sent Wang Gui (王贵), Niu Gao (牛皋), Dong Xian (董先), Yang Zaixing (杨再兴), Meng Bangjie (孟邦杰) and Li Bao (李宝) amongst others to defend the western capital and the prefectures of Ru (汝), Zheng (郑), Yingchang (颍昌), Chen (陈), Cao (曹) Guang (光) and Cai (蔡). Next Yue Fei ordered Liang Xing (梁兴) to cross the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
, assemble citizens loyal to the emperor and attack Beizhou County (北州县). Troops also moved eastwards to assist Liu Qi and arrived in the Central Plains".
After commanding Yue Fei to counter-attack Emperor Gaozong changed his mind and in June issued a further order recalling the general and his troops. Yue Fei ignored the order as the History of Song records: "Minister Li Ruoxu (李若虚) was sent from the court with orders for Yue Fei to withdraw but he refused to comply."
Miitary situation
When Wu Shu moved southwards he split his army into four divisions that used different routes, Yue Fei's army meanwhile was stationed at Yancheng. On July 8, 1139 Wu Shu, at the head of a force of 15,000 elite troops attacked. Yue Fei ordered his Beiwei (背嵬) and Youyi (游奕) cavalry units to attack the Jurchen using the Guai Zi MaGuai Zi Ma
The Guăi Zĭ Mă , was at one time believed to involve the linking together of three cavalrymen with a hide rope to enhance their fighting capabilities...
(拐子马/拐子馬) tactic. They were to be followed by infantry who were to engage the Jurchen in hand to hand combat, break the enemy formation then retreat when darkness fell.
After the battle Yue Fei left for the Imperial court where he presented a memorial to the emperor saying: "On the 8th day of this month whilst out scouting, I saw four evil foreign princes, their mighty warriors and Wanyan Zongxian (完顏宗賢) (also known as King Getian 蓋天大王). General Han Shizhong
Han Shizhong
Han Shizhong was a Chinese general of the late Northern Song Dynasty and the early Southern Song Dynasty. He dedicated his whole life to serving the Song Dynasty, and performed many legendary deeds. It is said that he had scars all over his body and, by the time he retired, there were only four...
led 15,000 of our troops on horseback all dressed in shining armor. They seized the road 20 Li (6.6 miles) to the north of Yancheng where our cavalry engaged the enemy in the early evening when officers and men hacked and chopped at the foes with maza swords (麻扎刀), griffes (提刀) and large hatchets. In ten bitter battles, countless enemies were slaughtered, their bodies littering the ground. As twilight fell we withdrew, stealing two hundred horses as we went. I would like to report a great victory and now await further orders from your majesty."
Following his defeat at Yancheng, fourteen days later Wu Shu attacked Yingchang Fu (颍昌府, modern day Xuchang City
Xuchang
Xuchang is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest....
in Henan Province). Predicting the next move of the enemy, Yue Fei ordered his adopted son Yue Yun (岳云/岳雲) to lead the Beiwei Cavalry with its supporting infantry and go to the aid of the local commander Wang Gui
Wang Gui
Wang Gui , courtesy name Shujie , formally Duke Yi of Yongning , was a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang...
(王贵/王貴). At the subsequent Battle of Yingchang, the Song were once more victorious when through the use of the Guai Zi Ma tactic Wu Shu’s entire army were wiped out.
Yue Fei’s army recaptured Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...
and Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
leaving his troops facing Zhuxian Town
Zhuxian
Zhūxiān is a town located to the south west of Kaifeng in Henan Province, People's Republic of China.Along with Foshan, Jingde, and Hankou, Zhuxian is regarded as one of the "four ancient towns of Qing Dynasty China"....
(朱仙鎮 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south of modern day Kaifeng City
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
), Henan. The Han people praised the victory whereupon Yue Fei shouted “Onward gentlemen to Huanglong Fu (黄龙府 near modern day Nong'an County
Nong'an County
Nong'an County is a county of Jilin, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Changchun, the provincial capital.-Administrative Divisions:There are 10 towns and 11 townships.Towns:...
, Jilin Province), where we can drink our fill!” According to historical records, during this battle Yue Fei and his army captured more than 200 horses and killed countless enemies.
When Emperor Gaozong heard the news he was exultant and exclaimed: “If we have worn down the enemy’s strength and left them exhausted it will be easy to seize the chance to exterminate them, if they are hiding some wicked plan we should understand and second guess them.” When Yue Fei’s army arrived at Zhuxian the two sides opposing stood facing one another. After a struggle Wu Shu withdrew to Kaifeng. After the Battle of Yancheng the Jin army bewailed their situation crying “to shake the mountains is easy, to shake Yue Fei’s army is barely possible” (撼山易，撼岳家军难).
Aftermath
After receiving several high level reports confirming the victory at Yancheng, Emperor Gaozong rewarded his officers and men. He issued an edict saying:Emperor Gaozong was unwilling to let Yue Fei continue his advance and in succession sent out twelve gold medals recalling the troops stationed in Zhu Xian under the general. By this time Zhang Jun (张俊/張俊) and his army had retreated along South Huainan
Huainan
Huainan is a prefecture-level city with 2,334,000 inhabitants in central Anhui Province, People’s Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the south, Lu’an to the southwest, Fuyang to the west, Bozhou to the northwest, Bengbu to the northeast and Chuzhou to the east.Its...
Road leaving Yue Fei isolated and without help. As his army retreated he lamented:
Assessment
According to Ma DuanlinMa Duanlin
Mă Duānlín was a Chinese historical writer and encyclopædist. In 1317 he published the comprehensive Chinese encyclopedia Wenxian Tongkao in 348 volumes....
“Investigation of the meritorious service of the followers of Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong, Liu Guangshi (刘光世) and Yue Fei shows that they also had some internal strife. They pacified the provinces of the south east and were not defeated by the Jin but instead evaded them. Even though the Song won some small victories these did not compensate for previous mistakes.” Former Shanghai Guanghua University Professor of History Lu Simian
Lu Simian
Lu Simian was a prominent Chinese historian as well as a former professor and history department head at Shanghai Guanghua University, now East China Normal University. He also worked as a professor at Fudan University. Lu took the courtesy name Chéng Zhī and wrote under the pseudonym Nú Niú...
(吕思勉/呂思勉) wrote in his Baihua Benguoshi (白话本国史, literally: Vernacular History of China): "As regards their initial deployment of troops the Song Imperial court appeared victorious against the Jin. However at Shunchang (顺昌), and Yancheng, Wu Shu underestimated his enemy and was thus defeated. What he did to rectify this situation is not known. The conflict in Shaanxi Province ended in a stalemate from which it may be said no victor emerged. Clearly, viewed from an overall perspective this protracted situation was disadvantageous to the Song Imperial court.”
Well known 20th century historian Deng Guangming
Deng Guangming
Dèng Guăngmíng was a leading Chinese historian and historiographer who specialized in the 10th to 13th century Song, Jin and Liao Dynasty Dynasties remembered for his meticulous attention to detail....
(邓广铭/鄧廣銘) believes that there was no fundamental victory when the Song and the Jin clashed at Zhu Xian. Yue Fei’s supply lines had been cut by the Jin army and he lacked reinforcements: “However， whilst it is certainly true that Yue Fei’s army were ‘harder to shake than the mountains’, it was unnecessary for them to find another route controlled by friendly forces. Yue Fei’s army was only in a position to resist southward attacks by Jin troops along the roads from Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
and Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
Provinces. As a result, Yue Fei and his troops could march northward during the day as indications were that the Jin army were already preparing its imminent retreat from Henan Province. At the same time, Yue Fei’s army were already moving south towards the Song Imperial court, needing its immediate orders for all troops to advance at full speed. By the time Zhang Jun’s army had withdrawn from Bozhou the Jin army were in the process of attacking Yue Fei’s forces at Yancheng and Yingchang in a series of engagements. Although he was marginally victorious in these, in an overall strategis assessment of the war Yue Fei was the loser”
Deng Guangming goes on to point out in Chapter 15 of his Biography of Yue Fei that at the time of the Southern Song Imperial court’s commendation of Yue Fei: “The victory of Yue Fei’s army at the Battle of Yancheng had not been easily won. If this army had met up with the forces of Zhang Jun and Wang De (王德), a subordinate of General Zhang Guangshi, as they withdrew along the Huainan East Road (淮南东路) it can be imagined that this would have been a morale booster for Yue Fei’s army at this difficult time in the campaign.”
Contemporary Song Dynasty historian and expert Wang Cengyu (王曾瑜) notes that: “The great battles of Yancheng and Yinchang took place during the wet months of June and July in the Central Plains area. Here the Jin cavalry showed off their speed and skill making the few victories achieved difficult for Yue Fei and his army.” and “Comparative evidence from the Zhuzi Yulei regarding the battle at Zhu Xian shows that “Two separate parts of Yue Fei’s army marched from the approximate locations of Linying
Linying County
Linying County is a county of Henan, China. It is under the administration of Luohe city....
and Yingchang to Xiangbian Du (向汴都), when there is the strong probability that they attacked and slaughtered the Jin army at Zhuxian.”
Wang Cengyu also claims that during the withdrawal of the Yue Fei Battalion, Liu Qi had the enemy pinned down and assisted the retreating troops although other sources claim he is mistaken.