Who is She?
One of the known female generals in ancient China and potentially the only one that had spent some time in a humble situation
Notable Life Events
- It is not really known what is her actual birth name but it has been passed down since Ming literature that her name is Hong Yu which is probably made up. She was born in 1102 in the late Song dynasty. Multiple sources suggest that she was born to a family of military officials and was trained to fight alongside her elder brother but became a prostitute presumably due to a crime committed by his father. She first became the concubine to the general Han Shi Zong and then got promoted to the wife position after his original wife died
- In March 1129, Madame Liang and her son were first held hostage during a rebellion but she was later sent as an emissary to her husband to persuade him to not attack. Instead, she went to him to discuss tactics together and the rebellion was successfully quelled. For this, she became the first wife of an official who had her own separate wages.
- In March 1130, she and her husband were stationed at the mouth of a river when the Jing (a nomadic group) invaded in force. She directed forces via drumbeats by climbing up to a tall building despite the threat of arrows and managed to blockade the Jing general for 48 days before he had to make his escape. For this, both her and her husband received promotions in their titles.
- In March 1135, the two of them were assigned to move to a much war-ravaged Chu Zhou. She died about 5 months after arrival.
Why is She Remarkable?
I didn’t actually know she was the one who started a trend of wives of officials earning a separate wage. I didn’t even know that this was a thing that existed in ancient China. And I think that clearly sets her apart.
Moonlake’s Thoughts on her:
Not sure what I think about her actually since her notable life events focused on battles.
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