Steel and Fire on Poyang: The 1363 Battle of Kanglang Mountain and the Legacy of Yugan's Loyal Ministers Temple
Steel and Fire on Poyang: The 1363 Battle of Kanglang Mountain and the Geographic Linkage Jiangxi Province, Yugan County, Kanglang Mountain (Kangshan), Poyang Lake, Hongdu (Nanchang), Jiangzhou (Jiujiang), Wuchang, Nanhu Mouth, Jingjiang Mouth, Ruihong, Wuling Mountain, Gutang. I. The Siege of Hongdu: Prelude to the Battle of Kanglang Mountain In 1361 (21st year of the Zhizheng era), Zhu Yuanzhang captured Jiujiang, Nankang, and Jianchang, forcing Chen Youliang to flee to Wuchang. However, Chen, the most powerful warlord at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, did not accept defeat. In April 1363 (23rd year of Zhizheng), Chen launched a massive offensive against Hongdu (modern Nanchang) with a combined land and sea force of 600,000 troops and a fleet of 5,000 giant warships. These ships, several stories high and painted in cinnabar, spanned dozens of miles and were chained together like floating fortresses [1-3]. ...