The Song Dynasty was a unique dynasty that was historically known for its image of being weak, lacking ambition, and not possessing great military strength. During the Song Dynasty, the Central Plains Dynasty was often in a position of being passively beaten, leaving people with the impression that the villain was ambitious and heroic, and it looked quite cowardly.
Although the Song dynasty faced the expansion of the Mongol Khanate in the last years of the Southern Song Dynasty, it displayed unexpected military strength. Unlike other contemporaneous countries, the Southern Song Dynasty operated along the Yangtze River for more than 40 years, stubbornly resisting Mongol attacks.
Xiangyang, as the key to Chu, has a superior geographical location, protected by the natural barrier of Chu Mountain and Han River in front, backed by the plain, and has sufficient grain and grass, so it has become a battleground for soldiers.
In the Battle of Xiangfan in the Song and Mongolian Mountains, although Xiangyang was impregnable and resisted the Mongol army for 6 years, in fact, the city had also been captured by the Mongol army earlier. Although the historical outcome cannot be changed, the Song Dynasty's tenacity and heroic resistance are worth remembering.
In 1234 AD, the Song army joined forces with the Mongols to eliminate the Jin Dynasty and completely washed away the shame of Jingkang. Song Lizong showed rare ambition and was determined to recover the Central Plains, so he ordered his army to go to Shangqiu, Luoyang and other places.
However, due to the haste of the action, the Song army, under the counterattack of the Mongol army and its servant army of 500,000 troops, not only failed to recover the old land, but even lost Xiangyang, and had to turn to the defensive.
However, the Southern Song Dynasty also had famous generals like Meng Hui, who led his army to the front line, successfully resisted the Mongol offensive, and over the next four years, engaged in a fierce tug-of-war with the enemy, and finally knocked the enemy army out of the country and recaptured the two cities of Xiangfan.
However, the two cities were destroyed by the Mongol army, and the city defenses were no longer usable. In 1267, the Mongols launched their third attack on the Southern Song Dynasty, and the new Great Khan Kublai Khan changed his previous strategic direction and pointed the spearhead directly at Xiangyang, determined to use this place as a springboard to open the door to the Southern Song Dynasty.
At this time, the defender of Xiangyang was Lu Wenhuan, and he would rely on this important town to resolutely resist the attacks of the Mongol army. The Battle of Xiangfan was a tragic battle, and although it had a somewhat comical beginning, it ended with an important victory supported by courage and determination.
In order to blockade the impregnable city of Xiangyang, the Mongols put forward an unbelievable plan - asking the Southern Song Dynasty to set up a field outside the city to carry out the activities of both sides.
As a result, the Mongol army tightly surrounded the two cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng, cutting off the north-south connection between the defenders in the city and the Song army. In 1267, the Battle of Xiangfan officially began.
In view of the important strategic position of Xiangyang, the Southern Song Dynasty court immediately launched a rescue operation.
In 1271, Fan Wenhu finally led the army to send relief supplies to Xiangyang City for the first time, so that the defenders who were short of food and grass could continue to hold on. The Mongol general Ali Hague saw hope of victory in 1273, and the result was just as he expected.
When the two cities of Xiangfan were cut off, the situation had become very critical. If the imperial court can send heavy troops to rescue at this time, there may be a glimmer of life. However, because the minister Jia Yidao misjudged the situation of the battle and believed that Xiangyang was not the main direction of attack of the Mongols, he never concentrated a large army to deal with it.