Stalemate, 1400–1401 Jingnan Campaign

1 stalemate, 1400–1401

1.1 battle of jinan
1.2 battle of dongchang
1.3 battle of jia river-gaocheng
1.4 ensuing battles

stalemate, 1400–1401
battle of jinan

temple of tie xuan in daming lake, jinan

as city of jinan under siege yan forces, defenders led tie xuan , sheng yong refused surrender. on 17 may, yan forces diverted river flood city. tie xuan pretended surrender , lured zhu di city gate. zhu di approached city gate, ambushed government forces , fled camp. siege continued next 3 months. strategic important of jinan crucial, , zhu di determined capture city. after suffering several setbacks during siege, zhu di turned use of cannons. in response, defenders resorted placing several plaques written name of zhu yuanzhang, father of zhu di, on top of city walls. zhu di forced stop bombardment.

in june, jianwen emperor dispatched envoy negotiate peace, rejected zhu di. government reinforcements arrived in hejian around july, , disrupted supply line of yan forces. supply line threatened, zhu di forced withdraw beiping on 16 august. garrison in jinan followed , recaptured city of dezhou. both tie xuan , sheng yong promoted replace commanding post led li jinglong. government forces advanced north , settled in dingzhou , cangzhou.

battle of dongchang

in october 1400, zhu di informed government forces marching northwards, , decided launch preemptive strike on cangzhou. departing tongzhou on 25 october, yan forces reached cangzhou 27 october , captured city in 2 days. yan forces crossed river , arrived in dezhou on 4 november. zhu di attempted summon sheng yong surrender, refused. sheng yong defeated while leading attack on rear of yan army. in november, yan forces have arrived in linqing, , zhu di decided disrupt government supply line force sheng yong abandon jinan. counter decision, sheng yong planned decisive battle in dongchang, , armed troops gunpowder weapons , poisonous crossbows.

on 25 december, yan forces arrived in dongchang. sheng yong lured zhu di encirclement, in yan general zhang yu killed in action while trying break zhu di out. while zhu di able flee battlefield, yan forces suffered defeat next day , forced withdraw. on 16 january 1401, yan forces returned beiping. battle of dongchang largest defeat suffered zhu di since onset of campaign, , particularly saddened death of zhang yu. during battle, zhu di killed on numerous occasions. however, government forces instructed jianwen emperor refrain killing zhu di, in prince of yan took advantage of.

the news of victory following battle of dongchang received jianwen emperor. in january 1401, qi tai , huang zicheng restored of posts, , emperor went on worship imperial ancestral temple in nanjing. military morale of sheng yong forces received significant boost, , yan forces stayed clear of shandong in subsequent attacks.

battle of jia river-gaocheng

the defeat @ dongchang humiliating loss zhu di, close advisor yao guangxiao supported continue military operations. yan forces mobilised again on 16 february 1401 , marched southwards.

in anticipation of yan strike, sheng yong stationed himself in dezhou 200,000 troops, while placing remainder of forces in zhending. zhu di decided strike sheng yong first. on 20 march, yan forces encountered forces of sheng yong in jia river near wuyi. on 22 march, yan forces crossed jia river. seeing camp of sheng yong heavily guarded, zhu di decided scout opponent search weak spots. since jianwen emperor forbade killing of zhu di, government forces refrained shooting @ zhu di scouted around minimal harassment.

after scouting operation, zhu di led yan forces , attacked left wing of sheng yong. ensuing battle lasted until nightfall, in both sides suffered equal amount of casualties. both sides engaged again next day. after several hours of intense fighting, wind started blow northeast southwest toward government positions. government forces unable battle against wind yan forces ran on positions. sheng yong forced retreat dezhou. government reinforcements zhending retreated after hearing news of sheng yong s defeat.

the battle of jia river re-established military edge prince of yan. on 4 march, qi tai , huang zicheng held accountable loss , dismissed post. emperor instructed them recruit troops other areas.

after defeat of sheng yong in jia river, yan forces advanced zhending. zhu di managed lure government forces out of city , engaged them in gaocheng on 9 march. facing gunpowder weapons , crossbows utilised government forces, yan army suffered heavy losses. battle ensued next day, , severe wind started blow. government forces unable hold on position , crushed yan forces.

from baigou river jia river , gaocheng, yan forces aided wind in of these occasions. zhu di convinced yan forces destined victory.

ensuing battles

in immediate aftermath of battle of jia river-gaocheng, yan forces took advantage , marched southwards no resistance. zhu di demanded peace talks, , jianwen emperor consulted advisor fang xiaonu opinions. fang xiaonu suggested pretend negotiate while ordering forces in liaodong strike beiping. strategy did not work planned, , in may sheng yong sent out army attack supply line of yan army. zhu di claimed sheng yong refused stop military actions ill intentions, , managed convince jianwen emperor imprison sheng yong.

as both sides ceased negotiate, zhu di decided raid supply line of government forces starve defenders in dezhou. on 15 june, yan forces destroyed main food storage of government forces in pei, , dezhou on brink of collapse. in july, yan forces captured pengde , linxian. on 10 july, government forces zhending launched raid on beiping. zhu di divided army reinforce beiping , defeated government forces 18 september. in hope reverse tides of battle, imperial advisor fang xiaonu attempted intensify existing distrust between first , second son of zhu di, zhu gaochi , zhu gaoxu, strategy failed once again.

on 15 july, government forces led fang zhao datong began approach baoding, threatening beiping, , zhu di forced withdraw. yan forces had decisive victory in baoding on 2 october, , fang zhao retreated datong. on 24 october, yan forces returned beiping. government forces liaodong attempted raid city again, attack repelled.

the jingnan campaign has been ongoing more 2 years until point. despite of numerous victories, yan forces unable hold on territories due lack of manpower.