Liang Hongyu (梁红玉) (1102 AD - 1135 AD) was a Chinese general of the late Northern Song Dynasty and the early Southern Song Dynasty. She became famous during the war against the Jurchens. Her real given name was lost in time. She was simply referenced in the official Chinese history books as Liang Shi(梁氏)， meaning "the woman from Liang clan". Hongyu(红玉), meaning Red Jade in Chinese, was the name given in folk legends, Chinese operas, and novels after her heroic death in battle in 1135 AD.
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Her father was an army commander at the frontier, from where Song China was increasingly threatened by the Jurchen. He taught her martial skills.[1] Liang Hongyu's feet were not bound.[2] She was a master of martial arts. Several Chinese counts [1] [2] stated she was a woman with incredible strength and a master of archery.
At some point she was forced to work as a female slave due to her father being punished for losing a critical battle. According to some Chinese historian accounts, her slave work might be similar to modern day's woman wrestler. In Song Dynasty, woman wrestling was a popular sport that even attracted the Song emperors to view woman wrestling in public matches. Most female wrestlers were dressed as males who wore nothing but loincloth during the match. This sport was completely ban in Ming Dynasty (1368 AD - 1644 AD). People in Ming Dynasty viewed this almost-naked female wrestling sport as immoral. Some modern day historians argued this was the reason her position had been misinterpreted as prostitution by some historians in Ming Dynasty.
Liang Hongyu quickly made a fame for herself in entertainment. Her martial arts skills quickly enabled her to become one of the best female wrestlers at the time although she was still a slave.
At certain point in her career, she met her husband Han Shizhong. There were several different versions of how they met. The most believable version was that she met Han at a banquet which she was entertaining the troops that Han lead. Han led his troop in crushing a rebellion in southern China. Han personally arrested the rebel leader. Fang La (方腊). However, his superior stole his credit. Han was unpleased with his victory was stolen. Liang Hongyu knew the truth and admire Han's victory. She saved enough money to pay her own redemption of slavery. After she was free, she became Han's second wife.
The Jurchen soon started the total invasion on Song Dynasty. Han formed an army to fight the Jurchens. Liang Hongyu worked as a general in her husband's army.
Han and Liang's army soon became part of the main force against Jurchen after Song lost its capital and northern China to Jurchen. After Jurchen captured two Song's emperors, Emperor Gao Zong (宋高宗) re-established Song government in southern China. In 1129 AD, there was a coup in Song's Court and Emperor Gao Zong was held hostage and forced to abdicate. At the time, Han was leading an army in the front line. Liang was also house-arrested by the rebels in the hope to force her husband surrender. She worked with Gao Zong's loyalists to come up a plan that misled the rebel leader into releasing her as a messenger and goodwill gesture to her husband. Once free, she rode to her husband immediately and told her husband about the rebel's defence. This enabled her husband to crush the coup and restore Emperor Gao Zong. Afterwards, Liang was rewarded with noble rank of Archduchess of Yang (杨国夫人) which was not related to her husband's rank. This was unique in Chinese history since most Chinese noble woman got their rank through their husbands.
When the Jurchen once more invaded and attacked Hangzhou in 1129 AD shortly after the coup had been crushed. Liang Hongyu and her husband led their troops to ambush Jurchen army on their way back to Jurchen territory. Their troops were outnumbered and the Battle of Huangtiandang (黃天蕩) commenced. This was a series of navel battles fought on Yangtze river. Liang Hongyu made a plan by which she would direct the soldiers with her drums. When the battle started, the Song troops were pushed back by Jurchen troops due to superior numbers on Jurchen side. With great courage, Liang Hongyu throw her helmet and armour, beating the drums and led the charge into Jurchen's formation. This became the turning point of the battle. Chinese 'Tiger Ships', could spew fire with flame throwers and they destroyed many ships while Liang Hongyu drummed directions. The Jurchen were trapped for more than a month, before a traitor revealed a weakness in the Chinese encirclement and they escaped, but with heavy losses.
In 1135 AD, Han was given the Commander-ship of Wuning Anhua Army (武宁安化军节度使). Liang Hongyu and her husband rebuilt the fortress of Chuzhou (楚州) and increased its defense. They and their soldiers also worked on the rebuilding of houses and the planting of fields.[3]
Liang and her force fought a campaign to drive out the Jurchen forces. She was wining battles after battles. Jurchens were so afraid of her. Often they would flee once her banner appeared on the battle field. This might led Liang underestimating Jurchen's fighting capability. Jurchens then hitched a plan to strike back.
On October 6, 1135 AD, Liang Hongyu led a raid of Jurchen's supply line with a small elite cavalry force. However, this was a trap set up by Jurchen generals to retaliate her. Her force walked into an ambush. Not only they were outnumbered by 1 to 10, but also Jurchen released their most fearsome force Tie Futu (铁浮图), meaning Iron Tower. According to historian, these are heavy infantry / cavalry. They are completely protected by heavy armour and almost invincible on battle field at that time.
In the midst of battle, Liang Hongyu was mortally wounded: enemy slashed her abdomen wide open causing her intestine flowing out of her belly. Her body guards drove the enemies out temporary enabling her to examine the wound. There were about 3 feet of intestine dangling outside her belly. She realized this would be her final battle. She used all her remaining strength to push her intestine back into her belly and wrapped the wound with a long scarf around her waist to stop her internal organ flowing out again; she said to her followers, "Today is the day I die for my country!"
She then led the charge into Jurchen's formation. Jurchen concentrated archers shooting at her. Volleys of arrows penetrated her body. Her armour was soaked in blood. However, she managed breaking Jurchen's formation and cutting down dozens of enemies before she eventually lost all her strength and falling from her horse and got slain by Jurchen soldiers.
Seeing Liang Hongyu's fall in battle, due to the high reward on her head, a fight immediately broke among Jurchen soldiers for her corpse. Jurchens soldiers killed each other for getting near her body and laying hand on her to claim part of her corpse. Finally, her body was chopped into several pieces by Jurchen soldiers during the fight. After the battle, the soldier who snatched her head got two-rank promotion; and other soldiers who snatched her limbs and torso got one-rank promotion.
Liang Hongyu's death was a great victory to Jurchens. They impaled her naked torso, legs, thighs and arms on spears to display them in occupied front-line cities for three days to suppress the resistance. Her head was preserved with salt and spice in a wooden box and rushed to the Jurchen Government in the north. After reviewing her head in royal court, Jurchen Emperor ordered to display her head to public by hanging it on the front gate of Jurchen capital as a trophy of victory.
However, Liang Hongyu's courage, loyalty and patriotism even conquered her enemy. One of her arch rivals, Prince Wuzhu (兀术) who was defeated by Liang Hongyu in Battle of Huangtiandang, ordered his soldier to gather her dismembered body parts after the three-day display. Her remains were stitched together and returned to Song army for a proper burial. When sewing her body parts together, an examination of her body was conducted. It was discovered hundreds of wounds on her broken body. Seven of them were fatal. All fatal wounds were in the front of her body.
Upon hearing the sad news of country's greatest heroine's demise, the Song Government rewarded her with honour of title Arch Duchess of Yang, the Heoric and Brave Martyr (英烈杨国夫人). She was given a state funeral with the highest honour. Her family got presented with silver and expensive cloth from the Emperor himself. A temple was erected to commemorate her. This temple still exists today in Chuzhou (楚州) to honour her bravery.
Liang's husband, Han, died in 1151 AD. Liang's headless body were exhumed and moved to Linyan Hill in Suzhou (苏州灵岩山) to be buried together with her husband.
Poetry was written in her honour, which contributed to her fame. Together with Qin Liangyu, Thirteenth Sister and the legendary Hua Mulan, she is one of the most well-known military women in China.[4]