The Yang Family Generals

The story of the Yang family generals is one of the most beloved heroic legends of Chinese tradition. In the early Song dynasty, Yang Ye and his seven sons — the famous Seven Sons and Eight Braves — defended the northern frontier against the Liao. When Yang Ye died at the Liling Stele, cornered by treachery, his family did not fall. His widow, She Saihua; his sixth son, Yang Yanzhao; the fierce Meng Liang and Jiao Zan; the bold Mu Guiying; and then his grandson Yang Zongbao carried on the cause. The household was a family of heroes, and even their sworn enemies admired their spirit.

This version, the Ming novel The Romance of the Yang Family Generals (Yang Jiajiang Yanyi) by Xiong Damu, weaves the legends into a full heroic epic — from the oath of fate and the founding of the Song, to the great battle against Liao, the death of Yang Ye, the adventures of Yang Yanzhao at the Three Passes, the breaking of the Heavenly Gate formation, and the final campaign to pacify the Western Xia. It is a story of loyalty, of family, and of a loyalty that deepens in the face of hardship.