[7] This was intended as a punitive expedition against Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to the Yuan and maimed one of their emissaries.

After a fierce campaign, Kediri surrendered, but the Yuan forces were betrayed by their erstwhile ally, Majapahit, under Raden Wijaya.

[15] The king of Singhasari, Kertanegara, was offended by Men-shi's proposal and branded his face with a hot iron as was done to common thieves, cut his ears, and scornfully sent him on his way.

[17] According to the History of Yuan, 20,000–30,000 men were collected from Fujian, Jiangxi, and Huguang in southern China, along with 500[18]–1,000 ships and enough provisions for a year.

However, seizing the opportunity of the lack of an army guarding the capital, in 1292 Jayakatwang, the Duke of Kediri (Gelang-gelang), a vassal state of Singhasari, revolted against Kertanegara.

The king of Singhasari only noticed the invasion from the north and sent his son-in-law, Nararya Sanggramawijaya (Raden Wijaya), northward to vanquish the rebellion.

[23] Jayakatwang usurped and killed Kertanegara during the Tantra sacred ceremony while drinking palm wine, thus bringing an end to the Singhasari Kingdom.

[24] The death of Kertanegara and the fall of Singhasari is recorded in the Gajah Mada inscription in the month of Jyesta in 1214 Saka, which has been interpreted as April–May 1292 or between 18th May and the 15th June of 1292.

He and his three colleagues, Rangga Lawe, Sora, and Nambi, went into exile to Madura under the protection of the regent Arya Wiraraja, who then turned to Jayakatwang's side.

If the equipment was similar to the Mongol invasion of Japan, the soldiers would have worn light steel helmets and hide armor.

The weapons included pikes, battle axes, reflex bows, rockets, and tiě pào (鐵炮 — grenades launched by catapults).

[30] The kind of ships used in the campaign is not mentioned in the History of Yuan, but the norm of Chinese junks pre-1500 was about 20–30 m (65.6–98.4 ft) long.

[36] Their infantry (professional soldiers, not the levy) wore a scale armor called siping-siping, possibly made of brass.

Javanese junks (jong) were more than 69 to 80 metres (226 to 262 ft) long, able to carry 600–1,000 men, and constructed in multiple thick planks that rendered artillery useless.

[39] The Yuan forces departed from the southern port of Quanzhou,[40] traveled along the coast of Trần dynasty, Dai Viet and Champa along the way to their primary target.

Three commanders sailed using fast boats from Sedayu to Majapahit's floating bridge and then joined with the main troops on the way to Kali Mas River.

[42][43] When the Yuan army arrived in Java, Raden Wijaya sent an envoy from Madura and informed them that Kertanagara had been killed in a palace coup and the usurper, Jayakatwang, currently ruled in his place.

[44] Wijaya allied himself with the army to fight against Jayakatwang and gave the Mongols a map of the country Kalang (Gelang-gelang, another name for Kediri).

[5][note 6] Once Jayakatwang had been captured by Yuan forces, Raden Wijaya returned to Majapahit, ostensibly to prepare his tribute settlement, and leaving his allies to celebrate their victory.

Shi Bi and Yighmish allowed Raden Wijaya to go back to his country to prepare his tribute and a new letter of submission, but Gao Xing disliked the idea and he warned the other two.

After that Raden Wijaya marched his forces to the main Yuan camp and launched a surprise attack, killing many and sending the rest running back to their ships.

Shi Bi was left behind and cut off from the rest of his army, and was obliged to fight his way eastward through 123 km of hostile territory.

[56][57] The Yuan forces had to withdraw in confusion, as the monsoon winds to carry them home would soon end, leaving them to wait on a hostile island for six months.

Jayakatwang composed Kidung Wukir Polaman during captivity in Jung Galuh,[58] but the Mongols killed him and his son before they departed.

[67] Kublai Khan summoned his minister, Liu Guojie, to prepare another invasion of Java with a 100,000-strong army, but this plan was canceled after his death.

[68] Travelers passing the region, such as Ibn Battuta and Odoric of Pordenone, however, noted that Java had been attacked by the Mongols several times, but always ending in failure.

[69]: 885 [70][71] The Gunung Butak inscription from 1294 may have mentioned that Arya Adikara intercepted a further Mongol invasion and successfully defeated it before landing in Java.