Battle of Caishi – Wikipedia

The BATTAGLIA DI CAISHI (in Chinese: Battle of Stones ^T , Battle of Stones ^S , Cǎish zhàn ^P ) It was a naval battle that took place between 26 and 27 November 1161, during the Jīn-Song war. The soldiers under the command of Prince Hinging, Jourcher Emperor of the Jīn dynasty, tried to cross the Yangtze river during their military campaign against the Song dynasty. The songs had fought against the Jin for several decades and lost almost all their territories north of the Huai river. A peace treaty stipulated in 1142 established the border between the two states, with the Jīn maintaining control of the north of China and the Song of the South.

Prince Hinging was put on the throne in 1122, and was his intent to combine northern and southern China under a single empire. In 1158, he stated that the songs had violated the Treaty of 1142, a case of war to declare war. Therefore, the following year, the preparations for the battle began. He established the lever and all skilled men were required to enlist. This provision was somewhat unpopular, leading to revolts that they were then suppressed. The Jīn army left the Kaifeng capital on October 15 and went through the Huai, towards the Yangtze river, without finding a lot of resistance from the songs.

The songs fortified the whole front of the Yangtze river. Hooding then prossed to cross the river in Caishi. He then sailed from the northern bank of Yangtze, on November 26, and clashed with the Song forces, led by the Yu Yunwen government official in a naval battle. War ships with wheels of the Song fleet, armed with trabucchi and bombs with bullets, defeated the ships of the Marina Jin. The battle was a decisive victory for the songs. The numbers of the Jin soldiers participate in the battle are contradictory and probably inflated. Modern studies suggest that the battle was more limited and more impartial than the song forces on the field. The victory raised the morale of the Song infantry and stopped the southern advance of the Army Jin. A military coup took place in the Jin Court, while Hooding was absent. Haililing was then murdered in a military field by his own men. A subsequent peace treaty signed by both Song and Jin in 1165, ended the conflict between the two states.

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