Which city did the Mongols besiege from 1268 to 1273?

The Mongols besieged Xiangyang from 1268 to 1273. The fortified city stood on the Han River in present-day Hubei, China, beside its twin city, Fancheng, and guarded access toward the Yangtze River and the Southern Song heartland.

The siege was part of Kublai Khan's long campaign against the Southern Song dynasty. Mongol forces built forts around the cities and tried to cut off supplies, while Song defenders repeatedly attempted to break the blockade. Xiangyang's strong walls, river defenses, and surrounding terrain made it exceptionally difficult to capture.

The turning point came when the Mongols obtained powerful counterweight trebuchets from engineers connected with the Ilkhanate in Persia. These machines could hurl massive stones farther and more accurately than earlier siege engines. Fancheng fell first in 1273, and Xiangyang's commander, Lü Wenhuan, then surrendered the city on March 14.

The victory opened the Han and Yangtze river routes and helped the Yuan advance deeper into Southern Song territory. It was not the same as the later Mongol capture of Hangzhou, the Song capital.