Battle of Zhongli
507 CE · Zhongli (northeast of modern Fengyang, Anhui) and Shaoyang Islet · China · Ancient
The Liang army held out at Zhongli; the relief forces of Wei Rui and Cao Jingzong used the flooding of the Huai River to burn the Wei pontoon bridges with fireships, crushing the Northern Wei
Belligerents
Liang
- Commanders
- Wei Rui, Cao Jingzong, Chang Yizhi
- Strength
- About 3,000 defenders; tens of thousands of reinforcements
Northern Wei
- Commanders
- Yuan Ying, Yang Dayan
- Strength
- Claimed several hundred thousand
Background
Yuan Ying, the Northern Wei Prince of Zhongshan, led a large army south, built pontoon bridges across both banks of the Huai River at Shaoyang Islet, and besieged the Liang city of Zhongli.
Course of the battle
- Holding out at ZhongliThe defending commander Chang Yizhi had only 3,000 men, while the Wei army filled in the moats and assaulted the city day and night without pause
- Camp built overnightWei Rui's relief army arrived and built a fortified camp on Shaoyang Islet in a single night, greatly alarming the Wei army
- Burning the pontoon bridgesIn the third month the Huai River rose sharply; the Liang army loaded small boats with oil-soaked straw and floated them downstream to burn the Wei pontoon bridges, attacking from within and without
- Wei army routedWith the pontoon bridges cut, more than 100,000 Wei troops scattered and drowned, and Yuan Ying fled alone on horseback
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 507 CE |
|---|---|
| Place | Zhongli (northeast of present-day Fengyang, Anhui) and Shaoyang Islet |
| Result | The Liang army held out at Zhongli; the relief forces of Wei Rui and Cao Jingzong used the flooding of the Huai River to burn the Wei pontoon bridges with fireships, crushing the Northern Wei |
| Winner | Liang |
| Casualties | More than 100,000 Northern Wei troops drowned or were killed in battle, and 50,000 were captured |
| Territorial change | The Northern Wei southward expansion was checked, and the Liang dynasty kept its Huai River defense line |
Impact
The Battle of Zhongli was one of the Southern Dynasties' rare great victories during the Northern & Southern Dynasties period; afterward the Northern Wei could hardly launch another major southward advance.
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