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About Emperor Bing
Lifespan: 1271 – 1279 A.D
Reign Years: 1278 – 1279 A.D
Given Name: Zhao Bing
Reign Name:
Emperor Bing
Emperor Bing – Song Dynasty
The Song emperor Bing was the 18th and the last emperor of the Song Empire. He was also the 9th, as well as the last ruler of Southern Song. Bing of Song ruled from 1278 to 1279.
His rule ended when the Song Dynasty was completely defeated by the Yuan Dynasty during the Battle of Yamen.
The Rule of Emperor Bing
The Mongols sent General Zhang Hongfan to lead the attack against Zhao Bing and the remaining Song people. This led to the war at Yamen.
The Song army, which was led by Zhang Shijie, fiercely resisted and defended themselves against the Mongols. Unfortunately, they were eventually wiped out by the Mongols.
Around February 1276, Lin’an, capital of Song, was captured by the Mongol Empire’s army led by General Bayan. Emperor Gong was taken by the Mongols, yet his brothers Zhao Bing and Zhao Shi escaped to Southern China. They were able to flee due to the help of Yang Liangjie, Chen Yizhong, Lu Xiufu, and Wen Tianxiang.
They eventually reached Jinhua, where Zhao Shi became Grand Marshal, while Zhao Bing became Vice Grand Marshal. Eventually, Bing’s title was changed to the Prince of Wei.
In June of 1276, the 7-year-old Zhao Shi ascended the throne in Fuzhou and was crowned the new emperor. In history, he was known as the Emperor Duanzong.
Upon hearing this, General Bayan of the Mongols was set on eliminating the threat posed by the remaining Song. So, he led his troops to attack Southern China.
The Rise of Bing
After the death of Emperor Duanzong in 1278, the morale of the Song army began dwindling. This led to most soldiers deserting the army.
Lu Xiufu then brought Zhao Bing to the area of Mei Wei in Guangzhou. It’s today’s Mui Wo, Lantau Island in Hong Kong. There, he was enthroned as Emperor Bing under the era named Xiangxing.
They also renamed Guangzhou to Xianglong County. After settling and preparing, Bing of Song and his army moved to Yamen to evade the Mongols’ attacks.
Battle of Yamen
The Battle of Yamen, which was also called The Naval Battle of Mount Ya, occurred in March of 1279. It was considered as the final stand of the Song against the Yuan Dynasty. Despite being outnumbered, the Yuan army dealt a crushing and tactical attack, ultimately destroying the Song.
During this time, the army of the Song emperor prepared for little skirmishes. They didn’t expect a large attack from the Mongols.
With that, huge waves of arrows attacked the Song army’s ships. Since they were caught off-guard, they instantly lost seven ships, together with a large number of troops.
After killing the Song troops, the Mongols started their bloody slaughter of the Song court. Knowing that they lost the battle, Zhang Shijie chose his best soldiers then used a dozen ships from their formation. This was an attempt to break out and save the Bing Emperor.
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Buy Now!Death of Emperor Bing
After realizing their loss in March of 1279, Lu Xiufu brought the 7-year old Bing of Song to a cliff. Together, they threw themselves into the sea, marking the end of the Song Dynasty.
The tomb of the Song emperor Zhao Bing can be located in today’s Chiwan in the Nanshan District of Shenzhen. It was rediscovered in the year 1960 and was restored and expanded in 1984.
After the demise of the Song Dynasty, Kublai Khan and those who succeeded him ruled China for 97 years. They stayed in power until the Ming Dynasty rose under the leadership of the Hongwu Emperor.
It was the time when the Chinese were able to regain control over the territories they lost from the Mongols.
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