Genghis Khan swept across Eurasian countries. Why did the Southern Song Dynasty, which had always been regarded as weak, persist the longest?

Introduction:

From the first Mongolian-Song War to the disastrous defeat in Yashan, the Southern Song Dynasty resisted the Mongol Empire's attack for half a century. In the eyes of everyone, because of the Song-Liao War The Southern Song Dynasty, which had a poor performance in the Song-Jin War and was weak, was surprisingly tenacious when facing Mongolia, the top boss.

The Song army even killed the Mongolian Khan Mengge in Diaoyu City, creating the most magical record in the entire Eurasian continent against the Mongol invasion. Looking back on its historical origins, the tenacity of the Southern Song Dynasty was due to the unique geographical structure of southern China and the rich experience of ancient Chinese civilization against the Ma people.

At the same time, it should be noted that the Southern Song Dynasty had a strong population of more than 80 million, the country’s financial structure was reasonable, and the entire nation had strong cohesion under hardship. At the same time, Mongolia’s political struggles and conquests inevitably dispersed It gained strength, which objectively helped the Southern Song Dynasty persevere.

1. Dense water networks and a large number of giant cities limited the advantages of Mongolian cavalry in field warfare

No matter how excellent the Mongolian army was in the eleventh century, there would never be an army that excelled in all fields in human history. The Mongols have strong combat effectiveness in terrains such as plains and plateaus, but Meng Gong of the Southern Song Dynasty discovered this as early as the first Mongolian-Song campaign.

The Mongols are not good at fighting in terrains with dense rivers. In the Jiangling victory, they released water and dug ditches to prepare a battlefield, introducing the war into an environment that the Mongols did not like. The developed economy and agricultural technology of the Southern Song Dynasty led to the increase of giant cities. These giant cities were naturally enemies of the Mongolian cavalry who were good at field battles. The Mongolian system was greatly reduced by the number of opponents in the battles with Zalandin and the Egyptian Mamluks. suppress.

In the Southern Song Dynasty, they were suppressed by systematic firepower. Just like in current wars, the crossbows in the Southern Song Dynasty systematically killed and wounded the Mongolian army from thousands to hundreds of steps, and there were also a large number of gunpowder weapons. The use of the Mongolian cavalry was useless in front of the majestic Southern Song Dynasty city walls. Without the help of returning artillery, many cities were completely unable to be captured by Mongolian technology.

2. The Mongols were involved in a lot of politics

After Genghis Khan's death, his army and territory were divided into four parts, which objectively affected the number and combat effectiveness of a certain Mongolian army, such as the Battle of Yehuling Main force battles are very difficult to see in the Mongolian-Song battles. This is of course the reason why the Song army avoided main force battles, but also because the Mongolian logistics may not be able to guarantee an overly dense army. After all, the Southern Song Dynasty is not in the north, which is conducive to the accompanying army with a large number of livestock.

After Meng Ge was killed in the second battle, Ali Buge and Kublai Khan launched a long civil war over the position of the Great Khan, which objectively changed the situation of Mongolia's southern expedition. , bought time for the Southern Song Dynasty. After Kublai Khan's victory, the rebellion of the northern Han landlord armed forces also involved a lot of energy of the Mongolian regime. The Mongols were unable to form a strategic posture for a long and fierce offensive for a long time.

3. The Mongolians may not adapt to the southern climate

From the historical data of Kublai Khan’s attack on Dali and the Mongolian army’s subsequent attack on Vietnam, we can see that the authentic Mongolians, the residents of the Mongolian plateau are very disgusted with the hot and humid weather in the south Yes, Kublai Khan used a large number of northern Han people to serve in the Yuan army in the later period, and there were also considerations of adapting to the climate. The hot and humid weather may even have an impact on the Mongolian army's ace weapon, the draw force of the Mongolian bow, which greatly affected the combat effectiveness of the Mongolian army. .

More importantly, logistics has an almost decisive influence in military struggles. In the Mongolian military system, the livestock herds that move with the army are the providers of milk and meat and are the de facto basis of the Mongolian cavalry. Providers, humans can overcome their aversion to humidity and temperature, but animals may be more sensitive.

The Mongolian army is definitely not adaptable to such a logistical combat environment, but the replacement of the northern Han army, which eats noodles and rice, requires time for integration. The author believes that Kublai Khan spent a lot of time on integration. The northern landlord class was armed, and the northern Han people may have been the main component of the Mongolian army in the Third Song-Mongol War.

1. The Southern Song Dynasty was substantial

The Southern Song Dynasty has always been criticized by the Chinese people for being rich but not strong. However, the Southern Song Dynasty's per capita GDP, population, and technological strength were among the best on the road to Mongolia's conquest. In addition to the scattered Middle East, Hungary, Russia, and Xiliao.

In fact, the national power of several Central Asian countries is far from that of the Southern Song Dynasty. Indeed, the Southern Song Dynasty lacked aggression because of its comfortable life, but the rich were also ruthless when they wanted to save their lives. At the same time, the Southern Song Dynasty's technological power It can ensure the existence of a large number of heavy armored infantry and advanced crossbows. These military units are attached to fortresses built in difficult terrain and are almost natural enemies of the Mongolian cavalry.

The economy of the Southern Song Dynasty could guarantee the supply of materials in the continuous war. The Southern Song Dynasty could not be said to be lacking in materials until its demise. The country with a population of 80 million decided to resist. If it were not Jia Sidao and Liu Zheng, the Southern Song Dynasty can definitely last longer.

2. China's military system is trustworthy

The Central Plains as an ancient battlefield and the defensive area of ​​the Southern Song Dynasty as a war zone have existed in China for a long time. Although modern Western military theory has surpassed us, during the Southern Song Dynasty, Sun Tzu The content of the art of war is beyond the reach of Western countries that advocate unskilled confrontation of forces.

From the perspective of military geography, the construction of fortresses such as Xiangyang and Hezhou took into account the advantages of the Song Army's navy and crossbow weapons. It was difficult for them to be completely cut off logistically and attacked. They are full of difficulties. They are traps waiting for the Mongols to die, but they cannot be bypassed strategically.

Gunpowder weapons and long-range crossbows are a nightmare for city attackers. However, the Mongols have been unable to completely cut off the logistics supply of such cities because of their navy. The city defense system has become the Mongolian The natural restraint of the military system.

This is just like the qi in Go. Two qi in a vast area maintain the stability of the regime. With this long qi in Xiangyang, the Mongols had no choice but to take it over and over for a long time. Take human life to fill it. In the end, if Liu Zheng hadn't helped the Mongols train the navy and cut off Xiangyang City's backup, the people of Xiangyang would have been able to hold on longer.

3. The cohesive people of the Southern Song Dynasty fought desperately

Seeing the collapse of the regime in the late Ming Dynasty and looking at the integrity of the people of the Southern Song Dynasty, we will be filled with emotion. In most battlefields in the Southern Song Dynasty, the army and the people were united They have been killing and wounding the enemy, and it is almost rare to see surrendered people on the land of Xiangyang, Sichuan, and Jiangsu.

Of course, this was due to the Mongolians being too brutal. The strength of moral integrity advocated by Confucianism during that period was also an important reason. The people who had been besieged Xiangyang City for more than ten years were almost together for several generations. and the Mongolian army have been fighting.

Although the person who killed the Song Dynasty was Song Zhang Hongfan, for a long time, the Southern Song Dynasty did not collapse. He always persisted. From civil servants to military generals, everyone understood their responsibilities and Love their dynasty, from Lu Xiufu to Wang Jian, the Song people were worthy of their emperor.

1. The first Mongolian retreat was indeed unable to achieve a decisive victory

In Mongolia’s first southern expedition, both the east and middle routes suffered failures in field battles. Meng Gong and Du Gao fought against the Jin people in the Southern Song Dynasty. During the war, they accumulated rich experience in fighting cavalry. They first used waterways to prevent the Mongolian cavalry from attacking, and then used the advantage of the range of the Southern Song war machinery in long-range shooting to consume a large amount of the Mongolian manpower.

During this period, the famous generals of the Southern Song Dynasty relied on the terrain in field battles to have the strength to compete with the invincible Mongolian army. China in East Asia could completely compete with the Mongols in tactics and defense. The beatings came and went.

2. The second Mongolian retreat was inevitable by accident

The death of Meng Ge was a turning point in the war. There were accidental factors in it, but it must be seen that the resistance will and skills of the Southern Song Dynasty were what caused the Mongolian The key to his death was that Diaoyu City had a technical beauty and extremely practical layout, which was the reason why the Mongols returned home in defeat.

Judging from the urban structure map of the Southern Song Dynasty discovered by archeology, before the emergence of European bastions, the urban defense system of the Southern Song Dynasty was probably the most complex. The towers protected each other and had multiple parapets. The settings, a large number of insidious and clever shooting holes, the protection of the most critical logistical road, the choice of location close to mountains and rivers, and the key strategic location were the key to Meng Ge's death.

Meng Ge's death was inevitable by chance. If Liu Zheng had not surrendered, and if Jia Sidao had been replaced by Yu Qian, the mobilized Southern Song Dynasty would not have fallen so easily.

The most basic reason why the Southern Song Dynasty persisted is that this country with a population of 80 million and a unified value system and cultural circle is the leading power in East Asia. It may not be aggressive, but it is very important to defend itself. The wealth created is full of confidence, and its technology and financial structure have allowed it to withstand the impact of the strong winds of the Mongolian Plateau for half a century.

The integration of the Mongols was of course also the key to the Southern Song Dynasty's persistence, and it was constantly being adjusted politically. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the interests of the Mongolian groups directly overrode the national interests. The rise of the Mongols was mainly a military success. The sustainability of this success was extremely weak to bind the cohesion of various classes. This is also The reason for the rapid collapse of the Mongols at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

Compared with the times, Mongolia’s political structure is primitive, and the Southern Song Dynasty was brave and great. Look at the weakness of the civilizations in the Mesopotamia and Volga River basins in front of the Mongols. The Southern Song Dynasty was unfortunate. , and ultimately failed to survive the internal rebellion and Kublai Khan's strategy, and disappeared into the waves of the cliff mountain.

Reference materials:

"History of the Yuan Dynasty"

"History of the Song Dynasty"

"Secret History of Mongolia"