Zhang Shijie assembled the remaining Song forces into a floating fort by lashing a great fleet together. The formation concentrated people and fighting power, but Yuan commander Zhang Hongfan cut its access to fresh water and supplies. Accounts describe desperate thirst, illness after drinking seawater, and the collapse of the final defence. The episode ends with the child emperor carried into the sea, making Yamen both a naval defeat and the political end of the Song dynasty.
Chapter · 2:50:47-2:56:45
At Yamen the Song fleet became a floating fortress
Meet the commanders at the Song dynasty's last battle and see how chaining ships together created both strength and fatal dependence on supplies.