In the Song Dynasty, a period often fraught with external threats in Chinese history, the Western Xia (a neighboring kingdom) launched a significant invasion, pushing the nation into a critical state. During this crisis, Grand Tutor Zhang Ying, a traitor conspiring with the enemy, advocated for ceding territory and seeking peace, using the excuse that there were no capable generals left in the court.
However, the upright official Bao Zheng vouched for the heroines of the Yang family, proposing they lead the army to battle. Mu Guiying, one of the most famous female generals of the Yang clan, led her troops to Xiong Prefecture to confront the formidable invaders. Due to the sabotage of Zhang Xin, Zhang Ying's adopted son, the Song forces were initially at a disadvantage.
Later, Mu Guiying uncovered evidence of Zhang Xin's treasonous collaboration and realized that Yang Zongbao (her husband) had also perished during a previous Western expedition because of Zhang Ying's betrayal. Seizing this opportunity, she laid a clever ambush, annihilating the enemy forces and turning defeat into a decisive victory. With the Western Xia army routed, they sued for peace, and the heroines of the Yang family triumphantly returned to the capital.
- In the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, the nation faced severe internal strife and external aggression, with the country in a perilous state. The Khitans from the north and the Western Xia from the west frequently launched invasions, plundering and massacring, causing immense suffering to the border populace.
2. Within the imperial court, an incompetent emperor ruled, and corrupt officials held power, often persecuting loyal ministers and brave generals. Even the prestigious Tianbo Yang Mansion, home to the revered Yang family, had a "Heirless Plaque" hung outside its gates – a deep insult implying their lineage was broken.
3. This particular year, the Western Xia King once again dispatched Marshal Yin Qi, leading an army of 100,000 elite soldiers, to attack the Central Plains. The commander of Liang Prefecture was killed in battle, and urgent dispatches from the border, like snowflakes, flew towards Bianliang (the capital). Panic spread, and the capital was shaken.
4. The Song Emperor summoned his ministers to discuss a counter-strategy. Venerable and influential officials like Bao Zheng strongly advocated for resisting the enemy and proposed inviting generals from the Tianbo Yang Mansion. However, Grand Tutor Zhang Ying repeatedly opposed this, and the two sides almost came to blows.
5. The Song Emperor also wished to leverage the Yang family's strength to stabilize the crisis. He ordered Bao Zheng and Zhang Ying to go together to the Tianbo Yang Mansion to assess the situation and see if anyone there was still capable of commanding an army.
6. That day happened to be the death anniversary of Yang Ye, the revered Elder General. After completing the memorial rites in the ancestral hall, Lady She (Yang Ye's widow) gazed at the portraits of several generations of loyal Yang family heroes hanging on the wall. She also looked at the Dragon Spring sword, once worn by the Elder General, displayed on the incense altar. Tears welled up in her eyes, and memories from the past unfolded before her.
7. She wiped away her tears. To inspire the younger generation, she pointed to the portraits of their ancestors and recounted to her daughters-in-law and granddaughters the heroic deeds and valiant sacrifices they made for the nation.
8. She first spoke of the Battle of Jinshatan, where Yang Yanping, the eldest son, bravely impersonated the Song Emperor to meet with the Khitan ruler. He shot and killed the enemy chieftain with an arrow but also perished for his country. His younger brothers, Erlang and Sanlang, also died in the chaotic battle while trying to rescue their elder brother.
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