Defending Heaven: China's Mongol Wars, 1209-1370

by James Waterson

Overview

Defending Heaven brings together, for the first time in one volume, a complete history of the Jin, Song and Ming dynasties' wars fought against the Mongols. Lasting nearly two centuries, these wars, fought to defend Chinese civilization against a brutal and unrelenting foe, pitted personal heroics against the inexorable Mongol war machine and involved every part of the Chinese state.

The resistance of the Chinese dynasties to the Khans is a complex and rich story of shifting alliances and political scheming, vast armies and navies, bloody battles and an astonishing technological revolution. The great events of Chinas Mongol war are described and analyzed, detailing their immediate and later implications for Chinese history.

In this excellent new book James Waterson tackles this fascinating subject with characteristic verve and skill. Setting the Mongol war in the wider context of Chinas ancient and almost perpetual conflict with the northern nomads, it sheds light on the evolution of China's military society and the management, command and control of the army by the Chinese state.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399083256
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	05/13/2022
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x (d)

About the Author

James Waterson was born into a London family of Royal Marines and Paratroopers. Fatherly advice however steered him away from a military career and into academia and teaching. He is a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and received his Masters degree from Dundee University. He worked and taught in the United States and China for a number of years and now divides his time between the Middle East and Italy whilst trying to makes ends meet. The Ismaili Assassins is his second book and grew out of his travels in Iran. His first book, The Knights of Islam, a history of the slave soldiers of Islam, was published in 2007 by Greenhill Books. He continues to work at producing a life of the Crusader Bohemond of Taranto but knows it will never be finished.

Table of Contents

List of Maps and Illustrations ix

Timeline xi

Dynasties xvii

A Note on Transliteration xxi

Foreword John Man xxiii

Introduction and Acknowledgements xxvii

1 Heaven Inverted: China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasions 1

2 Bystanders to Destruction: The Mongol Reduction of Northern China 36

3 All Under Heaven: Song's Long War Begins 51

4 Feeding the Beast: Song Resistance on the Yangzi and Huai and the End of the Mongol World Empire 68

5 Rumours of a War: Court Politics and the War of Attrition 84

6 A Chinese Civil War? The Fall of Fancheng and Xiangyang 101

7 Horses on Heaven's Wide Plain: The Loss of Hangzhou and the Flight of the Song Court 111

8 Child Emperors and Suicides: The End of the Song Dynasty 134

9 The Phoenix and the Dragon: The Ghosts of the Song and the Fall of the Yuan 146

Epilogue: A Poisoned Wound? China after the Expulsion of the Mongols 197

Notes 203

Bibliography 221

Index 229

Editorial Reviews

"Waterson’s treatment is clear, a considerable achievement considering the often very complex ways in which events unfolded. He links the events in China to contemporary developments in the rest of the world, sometimes in startling ways (e.g., the “movements” of the trebuchet). Waterson often explains events in China by comparing them with similar developments in other parts of the world, which is a considerable help for anyone who is a novice to Chinese history. And Waterson is not shy about criticizing Western perceptions of China (e.g., just how familiar were Chinese generals with Sun-Tzu?). Defending Heaven is a good read for such novices, but also will satisfy the more seasoned student of Chinese history."

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