Battle of Lake Poyang
Poyang Lake, near Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China
What happened
The rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang fought the rival rebel leader Chen Youliang of the Chen Han state. As the Mongol Yuan dynasty weakened, rebel leaders fought to control China. Chen Youliang brought a huge fleet with tall tower ships to besiege the city of Nanchang, but a fishing boat slipped out to warn Zhu. Zhu's smaller fleet came to the rescue and used fire ships to burn and scatter Chen's fleet, and Chen fell.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The victory made Zhu Yuanzhang the strongest rebel leader. Five years later he drove out the Yuan and became the first emperor of the Ming dynasty.
What came next
Chen's son surrendered to Zhu in 1364. In 1368 Zhu became the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty.
Did you know?
Zhu's fleet used early gunpowder weapons, including one nicknamed the 'No Alternative', but fire ships were what won the battle.
Timeline
- 1363Chen Youliang besieges Nanchang.
- 30 August 1363Zhu's fleet arrives, and the battle on the lake begins.
- 4 October 1363Chen falls trying to break out.
- 1364Chen's son surrenders to Zhu.
- 1368Zhu founds the Ming dynasty.