Later Jin destroys Later Tang
936 CE · Taiyuan (Jinyang) and Heyang area · China · Early modern
Holding Jinyang, Shi Jingtang asked the Khitan for troops, offering to cede the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and to become a tribute-paying vassal; the Khitan crushed the Later Tang relief army, the last Later Tang emperor burned himself to death, and Later Jin was founded.
Belligerents
Later Jin-Khitan coalition
- Commanders
- Shi Jingtang, Yelü Deguang
- Strength
- Jinyang garrison and Khitan reinforcements, several tens of thousands of cavalry
Later Tang
- Commanders
- Zhang Jingda, Li Congke
- Strength
- The great Later Tang punitive army, laying a long siege to Jinyang
Background
Holding Hedong, Shi Jingtang fell out with the Later Tang court; Later Tang sent troops to besiege Jinyang, and Shi Jingtang turned to the Khitan for help.
Course of the battle
- Jinyang besiegedThe great Later Tang army laid a long siege to the city of Jinyang.
- Khitan southward advanceYelü Deguang led Khitan cavalry over the Yanmen Pass to the rescue.
- Reinforcements rout the TangAttacked from within and without by the Khitan and the Jin army, the Later Tang besiegers were crushed.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 936 CE |
|---|---|
| Place | Taiyuan (Jinyang) and Heyang area |
| Result | Holding Jinyang, Shi Jingtang asked the Khitan for troops, offering to cede the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and to become a tribute-paying vassal; the Khitan crushed the Later Tang relief army, the last Later Tang emperor burned himself to death, and Later Jin was founded. |
| Winner | Later Jin-Khitan coalition |
| Casualties | The besieging Later Tang army scattered, and the last emperor, Li Congke, burned himself to death along with his family. |
| Territorial change | The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were ceded to the Khitan, leaving the gateway to the northern Central Plains wide open and sowing the seeds of border troubles for centuries to come. |
Impact
From then on the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun long lay beyond the control of Central Plains regimes, profoundly shaping the frontier defenses of the Central Plains for centuries to come.
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