Battle of Caishi

Battle of Caishi
Part of the Jin–Song Wars
Song dynasty river ship armed with a trebuchet catapult on its top deck, from the Wujing Zongyao
Date November 26–27, 1161 Location Caishi, on the Yangtzi River 31°42′00″N 118°26′24″E / 31.70000°N 118.44000°E / 31.70000; 118.44000 Result Song victory
Belligerents
Jin dynasty	Southern Song dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Wanyan Liang  †	Chen Kangbo (prime minister / navy) Yu Yunwen (army commander)
Strength
40,000[1]	18,000[1]
class=notpageimage| Location within Northern China

The Battle of Caishi (Chinese: 采石之戰) was a major naval engagement of the Jin–Song Wars of China that took place on November 26–27, 1161. It ended with a decisive Song victory, aided by their use of gunpowder weapons.

Soldiers under the command of Wanyan Liang, the emperor of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty, tried to cross the Yangzi River to attack the Southern Song dynasty.

Chen Kangbo, prime minister of the Song dynasty, was chief military strategist and commanded the navy. Yu Yunwen, a civil official, commanded the defending Song army. The paddle-wheel warships of the Song fleet, equipped with trebuchets that launched incendiary bombs made of gunpowder and lime, decisively defeated the light ships of the Jin navy.