Battle of Lake Poyang

Part of Red Turban Rebellion

Date	August 30, 1363 – October 4, 1363
Location	Lake Poyang, near Nanchang, China
Result	Decisive Ming victory, Zhu Yuanzhang gained mastery over the Yangtze valley^a

Belligerents

Han navy

Ming navy

Commanders and leaders

Chen Youliang †

Zhu Yuanzhang

Strength

Over 100 vessels^b
650,000 men

200,000 men

Casualties and losses

Chen Youliang and most of his army

1,346 dead
11,347 wounded

^a Wakeman (1993), p. 8, n. 37.
^bTTSL, 13/165, quoted in Hok-lam Chan (1975), p. 703.

The naval battle of Lake Poyang (鄱陽湖之戰) took place 30 August – 4 October 1363 and was one of the final battles fought in the fall of China's Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. There were at this time a number of rebel groups who sought to topple the reigning dynasty; the three most powerful were the Ming, the Han, and the Wu.

The relieving navy of the Ming, under Zhu Yuanzhang, met the Nanchang-besieging Han navy, commanded by Chen Youliang, in Jiangxi Province on Lake Poyang, China's largest freshwater lake.

Though at a numerical disadvantage, the more nimble Ming fleet, and their tactic of employing fire ships to attack, achieved the upper hand over the heavier tower ships of the Han, destroying their armada.

The ensuing Ming victory here ensured Zhu's ascending the throne as Hongwu Emperor when the Yuan Dynasty finally fell five years later.

The battle of Lake Poyang began as an amphibious siege by the Han against the Ming-held town of Nanchang. The descriptions from the time seem to indicate the use of lóuchuán (楼船, tower ships), which were essentially floating fortresses, very tall and strong, but also relatively slow, and requiring deep water to sail.

Nanchang defended itself well against the siege, the city's tall walls neutralizing the chief strength of the tower ships; the ground assault was also successfully repelled for some time. A Ming messenger managed to break through the Han fleet's blockade, getting out a call for help to Zhu Yuanzhang. The majority of the Ming forces, in particular its ships, were occupied at the time in fighting Zhang Shicheng's Wu Kingdom elsewhere, but Zhu nevertheless arrived with what force he could muster. These ships were, on average, smaller than the Han ships, which meant a disadvantage in size and strength, but also great advantages in speed, maneuverability, and viability in shallow waters. The summer sun had already caused the lake's water level to drop considerably, to the Ming's advantage. They sailed for nine days from Zhu's capital Nanjing to Nanchang, capturing the town of Hukuo along the way on 25 August.

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