The Mongol riverine<\/a> navy played the decisive role in the victory at Xiangyang \u2013 the turning-point triumph in the Mongols\u2019 long war to defeat the Song Dynasty, which had ruled China for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With this victory, Kublai established the Yuan Dynasty<\/a> (1271-1378) and paved the way for conquering all of China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1265, after a decade of failed attacks on the Song by Kublai\u2019s older brother, Mongke, Kublai captured 146 Song warships in a battle in Sichuan province. This early victory gave him the nucleus of his Mongol fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kublai quickly recognized the importance of capturing the Chinese riverine force, saying of the Song navy, \u201cIf there were no Yangtze [River], that country would not exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the campaign in China progressed, Kublai ordered captured Chinese shipyards to begin the construction of 5,000 warships of varying sizes and used Chinese defectors to begin training 70,000 Mongols as sailors and naval infantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the coming years, the Mongol fleet would continue to grow in size, and in 1273, following the operations at Xiangyang, Kublai would order the addition of another 2,000 vessels and 50,000 sailors and naval infantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His Mongol shipbuilding and naval training allowed him to replace the men and vessels he lost in battle and to maintain pressure against the more experienced Song navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mongols were at the threshold of adopting sea power as a strategic weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In late 1267, the Mongol army advanced on China\u2019s fortified twin cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng, which straddled the Yangtze River. The fortifications dominated the middle Yangtze and for centuries had ensured Song control of the waterway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mongol land forces established a siege of the cities while the Mongol navy massed upstream from Xiangyang. Kublai dispatched his new riverine force to begin contesting the Song fleet\u2019s domination of the river, which was allowing reinforcements and supplies to reach the besieged defenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the siege continued, regular naval engagements occurred on the Yangtze as the Song ships attempted to bring relief supplies and the Mongol navy maneuvered to beat them back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1269, the Song navy sent a fleet of 3,000 ships to resupply the besieged cities, but the Mongols overwhelmed the vessels and repulsed the attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1272, two Song fleets were deployed down the Han River (a Yangtze tributary) from Song territory. Upon reaching the Yangtze, the first fleet, composed of warships, engaged the Mongol ships and pinned them in place during a lengthy battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second fleet, composed of supply ships and escorts, pushed past the fighting and delivered 3,000 troops and vital supplies to the beleaguered cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After completing their mission, the ships gathered to sail back to Song territory \u2013 but the Mongols were ready for them. Forewarned by a Song defector, they set a trap and destroyed the Song ships as they attempted to flee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Five years into the siege, Kublai realized that the connected nature of the two fortifications was allowing Xiangyang and Fancheng to be mutually supportive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He dispatched two armies along the banks of the Yangtze \u2013 one to attack Fancheng, and the other to strike at the pontoon bridge linking the cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response, the Song land forces focused on the army attacking Fancheng while the Song fleet moved upriver to defend the bridge. Mongol naval squadrons descended the river and engaged the Song fleet in a decisive action, burning dozens of Song warships and capturing more than two dozen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mongol army, meanwhile, destroyed the bridge without facing resistance on shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With support from Xiangyang cut off, Fancheng was overwhelmed by the Mongol armies concentrated against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a last-ditch effort, a Song naval squadron attacked the Mongol forces on Fancheng\u2019s riverside. Winds and currents favored the Mongols, and they struck at the Song warships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Repelled in the initial attack, the Mongols dispatched fireships,<\/a> which decimated the remainder of the Song naval forces and sank over 100 vessels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fancheng fell and the Mongol warriors marauded through the city, slaughtering defenders and inhabitants alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\t![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Kublai2.jpg.jpg\")
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