Mongol siege of Kaifeng

Mongol siege of Kaifeng
Part of the Mongol–Jin War
Mongol Conquest of Jurchen Jin
Date April 8, 1232 – May 29, 1233 Location Kaifeng, Northern China Result Mongol victory Emperor Aizong flees to Caizhou
Belligerents
Jin dynasty	Mongol Empire
Commanders and leaders
Emperor Aizong of Jin Cui Li (Han officer who defected to the Mongols)	Subutai Tolui Ögedei Tang Qing [ja] † (Han general)
Strength
300,000	15,000
Casualties and losses
Almost all, though exact figures are unknown	Very heavy; many Mongols killed or injured

In the Mongol siege of Kaifeng from 1232 to 1233, the Mongol Empire captured Kaifeng, the capital of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty. The Mongol Empire and the Jin dynasty had been at war for nearly two decades, beginning in 1211 after the Jin dynasty refused the Mongol offer to submit as a vassal. Ögedei Khan sent two armies to besiege Kaifeng, one led by himself, and the other by his brother Tolui. Command of the forces, once they converged into a single army, was given to Subutai who led the siege. The Mongols arrived at the walls of Kaifeng on April 8, 1232.

The siege deprived the city of resources, and its residents were beset with famine and disease. Jin soldiers defended the city with fire lances and bombs of gunpowder, killing many Mongols and severely injuring others. The Jin dynasty tried to arrange a peace treaty, but the assassination of a Mongol diplomat foiled their efforts. The Emperor Aizong of Jin fled the city for the town of Caizhou. The city was placed under the command of General Cui Li, who executed the emperor's loyalists and promptly surrendered to the Mongols. The Mongols entered Kaifeng on May 29, 1233, and looted the city. The dynasty fell after the suicide of Aizong and the capture of Caizhou in 1234.