page_title: Battle of Yangxia
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Yangxia / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Hankow (Hankou, in Pinyin) with Hanyang and Wuchang, as of 1915. These three cities have later merged to form modern Wuhan. The map shows the borders of the French, British, Russian, German, and Japanese concessions in Hankou.
context_page_description: The Battle of Yangxia, also known as the Defense of Yangxia, was the largest military engagement of the Xinhai Revolution and was
  fought from October 18-December 1, 1911, between the revolutionaries of the Wuchang Uprising and the loyalist armies of the Qing Dynasty. The battle was waged in Hankou and Hanyang, which along with Wuchang collectively form the tri-cities of Wuhan in central China. Though outnumbered by the Qing armies and possessing inferior arms, the revolutionaries fought valiantly in defense of Hankou and Hanyang. After heavy and bloody fighting, the stronger loyalist forces eventually prevailed by taking over both cities, but 41 days of determined resistance by the Revolutionary Army allowed the revolution to strengthen elsewhere as other provinces defied the Qing Dynasty. The fighting ended after the commander-in-chief of the Qing forces, Gen. Yuan Shikai, agreed to a cease-fire and sent envoys to peace talks with the revolutionaries. Political negotiations eventually led to the abdication of the Last Emperor, the end of the Qing Dynasty and the formation of a unity government for the newly established Republic of China.
context_section_description: On October 10, 1911, revolutionaries in Wuchang launched an uprising against the Qing Dynasty.  They quickly seized Hankou and Hanyang, on the north bank of the Yangtze River, and made Li Yuanhong their commander.  On October 14, the Qing court in Beijing ordered Yinchang and Feng Guozhang to lead the Beiyang Army, the strongest military unit of the regime, against the uprising in Wuhan.  Sa Zhenbing, commander of the Qing Navy, was ordered to sail from Qinhuangdao to Shanghai and then up the Yangtze River to Wuhan to assist with military operations.  The Qing court also recalled Yuan Shikai, the founder of the Beiyang Army, from retirement and made him the Viceroy of Huguang, but did not initially vest him with formal powers.  Yuan had been forced into retirement in 1908 because the court feared that he wielded undue influence.
caption: 1915 Map of the tri-cities of Wuhan, with Hankou (Hankow) to the upper left, Hanyang to lower left and Wuchang, across the Yangtze River to the right.  Hankou and Hanyang are divided by the Han River.  Dazhimen (Ta-tche-men) Station is on the Beijing-Hankou (Peking-Hankow) Railway in Hankou.  The green patch just south of the Han River represents the Guishan (Kwei-shan) Heights of Hanyang.
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