How the Yang family male generals were killed by traitors?

The real Yang Family Generals were not that many

"Yang Family Generals" is the most widely circulated and influential historical legend in China's opera and rap art since Song and Yuan dynasties. The Old Lord Yang Ye, She Taijun, the Seven Langs and Eight Tigers (especially Yang Yanzhao, the Sixth Lang), Yang Zongbao, Mu Guiying, Yang Wenguang, the Eight Sisters and the Nine Sisters, including the fire-burning girl Yang Paifeng, are almost all well-known heroes in the household. Especially on the stage of opera, this legendary family showed strong patriotism and noble heroism. "In the battle of Jinsha Beach, the Yang brothers were killed and wounded, followed by the death of your father, the murder of Seventh Lang, the departure of Fifth Lang, and the disappearance of Fourth Lang and Eighth Lang. The only one left was Liulang, who was still fighting for his country. After the death of Sixth Lang, his descendants, Yang Zongbao and Yang Wenguang, remained the mainstay of the defense of the country. Not only did the men of the Yang family go to war, but the women were no less impressive. Mu Guiying was in command, and the 100-year-old She Taijun was in command, making the blood of many Chinese sons and daughters boil.

However, from the point of view of historical facts, the story of the Yang family is only an artistic interpretation of the tragic historical event of Yang Ye's bloody battle in Chenjiaguan Valley and his final loyal martyrdom in opera novels. After the death of the real Yang Ye in history, only his son Yanzhao (i.e. Sixth Lang) and grandson Wenguang were famous generals of the Song Dynasty who guarded the borders. The reason why the folk interpretation of the "Yang family generals" this resistance to foreign invasion of the hero "group", from the Song and Yuan since the northern people y foreign invasion of the national hero's memory and yearning.

The biggest difference between folk novels and operas and history is that many of the characters and events in the legends do not exist. According to the legend as well as the play and other records, the genealogy of the Yang family generals is like this:

Yang family male generals: the first generation, the golden sword order of the male Yang Jiyi, Jiyi had eight sons, the sixth of which was named Yang Yanzhao, also known as Yang Sixth Lang, the Sixth Lang gave birth to a son named Wenguang, Wenguang's son was named Zongbao, and Zongbao gave birth to a son named Huaiyu.

Yang Men Women Generals: The main characters are She Taijun, Wang Huai Nu, Mu Guiying and so on.

Yangmen genealogy, especially the Yangmen female generals from the "Yang Family House generations of loyal and courageous Popular Performances" and "Yang Family Generals" two books, due to the artistic image of these characters to create a good, y for the people loved.

However, in the official history, Yang Ye, Yang Yanzhao and Yang Wenguang do exist, but their deeds are far less amazing than those depicted in the novels. The other characters are hard to find, or their figures are vague.

Yang Ye did exist, and his death had other hidden reasons

Yang Ye was the first generation of the Yang Family Generals, with the greatest achievements and the most heroic sacrifices.

According to legend, at the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, when the Liao soldiers came to attack, the court asked for a commander. Pan Bao, the son of Pan Renmei, wanted to be the marshal, so he set up a stage and killed many people, and then was killed by Yang Qilang, and the Yang family took the seal of command. Soon after that, the old lord of the Yang family took the seal of command, but Pan Renmei did not follow the original plan to receive him and killed Yang Qilang, and the old lord of the Yang family, Yang Jiye, was trapped in the Two Wolves Mountain, and finally died by touching the monument. The other brothers of the Yang family were all bloodied in the battlefield, Dailang, Erlang and Sanlang gave their lives, while Silang and Wulang either left their homes or were displaced to other countries, and only Liulang returned home. Yang Jiye's wife, She Taijun, wrote a letter to the emperor, reprimanding Pan Renmei for not pressing on with his troops; together with the help of the Eight Virtuous Kings and others, Pan Renmei was eventually demoted. According to folklore, Yang Jiye had seven sons and eight sisters and nine sisters. After Yang Ye's death, the Song Emperor reluctantly consoled his family by presenting Taijun with a dragon-headed walking stick, which could be used to beat up the fainting ruler and the traitorous officials.

The above legend is partly true, but not quite.

The real Yang Ye was named Yang Chonggui, and his father, Yang Xin, was a tycoon in Linzhou (north of Shenmu, Shaanxi Province), who took advantage of the chaos of the Five Dynasties to occupy Linzhou and call himself an assassin, and then became a vassal of the Later Han Dynasty and the Later Zhou Dynasty. Around the time of Yang Xin's affiliation with the Later Han, he sent a young man, Yang Chonggui, to Taiyuan in order to make friends with Liu Chong, the Hedong provincial governor at that time. Later, Yang Xin defected to the Later Zhou, while Yang Chonggui stayed in Taiyuan. After the death of Yang Xin, Yang Ye's younger brother, Yang Chongxun, succeeded him as an assassin, and then he submitted himself to Liu Chong of the Northern Han Dynasty with Linzhou. Subsequently, Yang Chongxun again submitted to the Later Zhou.

Despite this repeated subjugation of the Yang family, Yang Chongxun's life in Taiyuan did not suffer much during that chaotic and special era of the Five Dynasties. Liu Chong valued Yang Chonggui, who was young and heroic, and recognized him as his adopted grandson, changing his name to Liu Jiye. Liu Jiye first served as the commander of the defense, and was known for his bravery. He was promoted to the position of the military governor of Jianxiong for his achievements. Because of Liu Jiye's outstanding achievements in battle and invincibility, the people of China called him "Invincible".

Liu Jiye's main rival in the Northern Han Dynasty was the Liao Kingdom, as evidenced by the Liao History. According to the Liao History, after Liu Jiye submitted to the Northern Song Dynasty, he fought against the Liao army, and the Liao general Yelu Xiezhong chided Liu Jiye, who had changed his name to Yang Ye, saying, "You have been fighting with our country for more than 30 years, so why are you facing each other today?"

Some people may have doubts: the Northern Han Dynasty has always been subordinate to the Liao Kingdom, how could Yang Ye fight with the Liao Kingdom? The reason is that Liao, which was in a strong position at that time, often invaded the borders of Northern Han, and Liu Jiye, who guarded the borders for Northern Han, was bound to often fight with the incoming Liao army. According to the words of Yelu Shixing, Liu Jiye had fought against the Liao army for more than thirty years, and although the scale of the battle was not large (just a "competition"), it was enough to bear the title of "invincible". This experience also allowed Liu Jiye to accumulate a wealth of experience in border defense.

After the fall of the Northern Han Dynasty, Liu Jiye surrendered to the Northern Song Dynasty, and Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, who was well aware of Liu Jiye's reputation, granted him the title of left general and defense ambassador of Zhengzhou. After Song Taizong sent Liu Jiyuan to beckon him to surrender in person, Liu Jiye cried out and relieved himself of his armor before surrendering.

After Liu Jiye returned to Song, he resumed his family name, Yang, and was known as Ye. Because of his rich experience in the defense of the Liao Kingdom, he was appointed by the court to take charge of the defense of the area around Daizhou (Daixian County, Shanxi Province) and Sanjiao (north of Taiyuan). In his second year of service, Yang Ye defeated the Liao army at Yanmen (Shanxi). In the third year of Yongxi (986), the Song army launched a large northern expedition against Liao, Yang Ye and Pan Mei led the west road army to conquer Yun (Datong, Shanxi), Shuo (now Shuo County), Huan (northeast of Shuo County), and Ying (Ying County), and the east road army, Cao Bin, captured Zhuozhou. Liao's Empress Dowager Xiao came south to respond to the attack. Soon after, Song's east road army was defeated in Hebei, Yang Ye was ordered to escort the people of the four states to retreat, and on the way, he met with Liao's army. The commander-in-chief Pan Mei and the supervisor Wang Susumu forced Yang Ye to fight, but Yang Ye knew that he was no match for them, so he had no choice but to fight alone, and eventually he was trapped at the mouth of Chenjia Valley (south of Shuo County, Shanxi Province), where he was seriously wounded and captured, and died of hunger strike at the age of about 60. The story of Yang Ye was told at that time, and later gradually evolved into the story of "Yang Family Generals".

According to the novels and novels, the culprit of Yang Ye's death was Pan Renmei. According to folklore, during the Song army's northern expedition in the third year of the Yongxi era, Pan Renmei was the commander-in-chief of the West Road Army, and Yang Ye was his second-in-command. Since Pan Mei was very jealous of Yang Ye's talent, he deliberately hoarded his troops and refused to supply them with food and grass when Yang Ye was pursuing him in victory, which eventually led to Yang Ye's defeat and death. In the "Song History - Yang Ye" there is also such a paragraph records: "the Lord will be more jealous of the garrison, there is a potential on the libel book rebuke its shortcomings, the emperor reads all do not ask, sealed its play to pay the industry." To this effect: at that time, the main general of the garrison was very jealous of Yang Ye, and quietly wrote a book to slander Yang Ye, the Song Emperor read it and asked nothing, but sealed the book and sent it to Yang Ye. At that time, Yang Ye had not yet cut down the Liao, still stationed in Yanmen Pass, served as Daizhou and three cross the garrison troops and horses are deployed. Who was the "main general" on top of Yang Ye? Folk agree that it is Pan Renmei. However, in the event of Yang Ye's death, Pan Renmei is not the culprit, but the supervisor Wang Susumu.

Some people have suggested that the ultimate culprit in Yang Ye's death was not Susumu Wang, but someone else. At that time, Wang Susumu and Liu Wenyu were the same supervisors. Liu Wenyu's official position is above Wang Susumu's, and he is a relative with some experience in the field, so his power in the army should not be lower than Wang Susumu's. The power of Wang Susumu in the army should not be lower than that of Wang Susumu. Wang Susumu supervise the army power again, but also can't only hand cover the sky. In this way, the death of Yang Ye should have been the responsibility of Liu Wenyu. Of course, in any case, Wang Susumu can't escape the blame for his poor decision-making.

Yang Liulang should be Yang Dalang

Traditional operas say that Yang Laolinggong and his wife, She Laotaijun, had seven sons in one ****. There is also an opera that says Yang Jiye had eight sons, called "seven wolves and eight tigers". The Song History - Yang Ye Biography records that Yang Ye **** had seven sons, while the Southern Song Dynasty's Li To's "Renewal of the Ziji Tongjian" says that Yang Ye only had five sons. As for the Southern Song Dynasty's "Eastern Capital Affairs Strategy", it only mentioned Yang Yanzhao a son. From all the historical data, how many children Yang Ye had is still a mystery.

The seven sons recorded in the Song Dynasty History are Yang Yanlang, Yang Yanpu, Yang Yanxun, Yang Yanhuan, Yang Yangui, Yang Yanbin and Yang Yanyu. Among them, Yang Yanyu with his father's war, in the Chenjiagokou battle martyred, the remaining six sons, after all the good end, Yang Yanlang for the Chongyi Deputy Secretary, Yan Pu, Yan training and for the enshrinement of the officer, the Yanhuan, Yan Gui, Yan Bin, and for the temple straight (official name). Visible, they do not have the exile of the foreign countries, the death of a traitor's hand.

Yang Ye's four sons are quite controversial characters. Yang Si Lang was named Yang Yan Huan in the official history, while he was called Yang Yan Hui in the folk opera. The Yuan Opera has said that Yang Si Lang was lost after the Battle of Two Wolves Mountain, while the Ming Dynasty's Yang Family House Performances claimed that Yang Si Lang did not go missing during the battle but was captured by Liao soldiers. Empress Dowager Xiao loved his martial arts skills and saw that he was a good-looking man, so she betrothed Princess Qiong'e to him, thus making Yang Silang the emperor's son-in-law of the Khitans. In the eyes of the later generations, he was a traitor who begged for surrender and rebelled against the king and forgot his father. However, it is recorded in the Song History - Yang Ye Biography that after Yang Ye's death in battle, Yang Si Lang was appointed by the imperial court as a court official, and he did not commit any act of treachery. Therefore, it is not known what happened to Si Lang.

In addition, Yang Bailang was also a rather mysterious character, suddenly present and absent.

Among the male protagonists of the "Yang Family Generals" legend, the most famous ones are Yang Liulang and Yang Zongbao, the father-son duo, in addition to the old lord Yang Jiye. However, these two characters are not the true face of history.

According to official history, Yang Liulang was Yang Ye's son, Yang Yanlang (later renamed Yang Yanzhao), which is true, but he was not Yang Ye's sixth son, but his eldest son, and was just called Liulang. Legend has it that Yang Liulang was also a county horseman of prominent status, but judging from the trajectory of Yang Liulang's life in the official history, it is unlikely that he was a county horseman of the Chai family, as he spent long years guarding the border, and had no roots in the capital, let alone having lived or served in the capital.

According to historical records, the young Yang Yanzhao was quiet and reticent, but always liked to play the game of marching and fighting, and Yang Ye looked at him and said, "This child is like me." After that, Yang Ye said, "This child is like me." He would bring him along with him when he went to war in the future. After Yang Ye was killed in battle, Yang Yanzhao continued to serve on the frontier of Hebei. In the second year of Xianping of the Northern Song Dynasty (999), the Liao Kingdom invaded the south. At that time, Yang Yanzhao was in Suicheng, due to the small size of Suicheng and the lack of preparation for defense, it was heavily besieged by the Liao army, and the city was in a state of panic. Yang Yanzhao gathered the strong men in the city, granted them weapons, and cooperated with the Song army to defend the city. At that time in the middle of winter, Yang Yanzhao ordered people to carry water to pour on the city wall, and it froze into ice overnight. The city wall was so smooth and difficult to climb that the Liao army could not continue their fierce attack and had to retreat, and the Song army captured the Liao army's abandoned military equipment. Yang Yanzhao showed his military skill by saving Suicheng, and he was awarded the title of Assassin of Mozhou for his achievement.

During the Battle of Stillwater, Yang Yanzhao opposed peace, and his ideas coincided with those of Kou Zhun, the prime minister at the time, but the Northern Song court did not respond to this. Yang Yanzhao led his own men into the Liao territory and broke through the ancient city, achieving considerable results. After that, Yang Yanzhao was promoted to the rank of deputy commander of Gao Yang Pass because of his achievements in defending the border. Later, Yang Yanzhao died at the age of 57. When Song Zhenzong heard the news, he was extremely sad, and sent messengers to escort the spirit and return, and the people of Heshuo, more than looking at the bier and weeping for him.

Yang Yanzhao guarded the border for more than twenty years, the Liao country is very revered him, called him Yang Liu Lang. So why did the Liao people call him Yang Liu Lang? According to one theory, it was because the Liao people were superstitious, believing that the sixth star in the Big Dipper was the one that was responsible for killing the Liao country. Because Yang Yanzhao was very intimidating to the Liao people, they thought he was the reincarnation of the sixth star, and therefore called him Yang Liu Lang. Later generations may have interpreted Yang Yanzhao as Yang Ye's sixth son based on the name "Yang Liu Lang".

Yang Zongbao is not real

According to the novel's genealogy, Yang Sixth Lang's son is Yang Zongbao, and his grandson is Yang Wenguang, however, according to the Song Dynasty History, Yang Yanzhao's third son is called Yang Wenguang, and Yang Zongbao does not exist.

Yang Wenguang was initially awarded the title of Temple Straight for his success in crusading against the rebel Zhang Hai. Later, he met with Fan Zhongyan, who was pacifying Shaanxi, and Fan realized that Yang Wenguang was very talented, so he took him with him. When the famous general Di Qing went on a southward expedition to Guangxi, Yang Wenguang accompanied the army and joined the expedition, at this time Yang Wenguang was still an unknown person. Later on, Emperor Yingzong of Song considered Yang Wenguang as a famous general, and also had merits, so he promoted him to be the envoy of the regiment training in Chengzhou (around Chengxian County of Gansu Province), the commander of the four compartments of the Longshenwei, and then moved to be the defense envoy of Xingzhou, and the deputy governor of Qinfeng Road. He thus took part in the defense campaign against Western Xia.

At that time, the famous general Han Qi sent Yang Wenguang to lead his troops to build Wicker Castle northwest of Qinzhou (Tianshui City, Gansu Province). Since the Song army had previously built castles, the Western Xia would send troops to break them up. Therefore, Yang Wenguang adopted the strategy of attacking the west by claiming that he would go to a certain place to build the Wicker Castle, so as to lure the Western Xia army to destroy it. Then he led his army to Wicker Man quickly, constructed fortifications overnight and prepared for battle. The next day dawn, Western Xia cavalry to, see the Song army has occupied favorable terrain, ready, can only helplessly retreat. Before leaving, he wrote a letter saying that he would ask for tens of thousands of cavalry to come back to destroy the area. Yang Wenguang immediately sent soldiers and generals to attack and chase, and beheaded a lot. Some people asked him why he chased the enemy, Yang Wenguang said: "This is a preemptive strike, which can kill the enemy's anger. Besides, this is the place to be fought for, if the Western Xia people know and take it, it will be hard to take it back." After this blow, the Western Xia people really do not dare to come back to make trouble.

In September of that year, the three castles of Gangu and Wicker were completed. The emperor issued an imperial edict to commend him, rewarded him handsomely, and appointed him to know the Jingzhou (Jingzhou, Gansu) Zhenrong army, deputy governor of Dingzhou Road, and relocated him to be the Marquis of the Foot Guards. Later, there was a dispute between the Liao and Song dynasties over the border demarcation of Deizhou. Yang Wenguang presented the formation map as well as the strategy of attacking Youyan to the court, and before he could wait for a reply from the court, Yang Wenguang died in office, and the court of the Northern Song Dynasty posthumously honored him with the title of Observation Minister of Tongzhou.

Yangmen female generals confused

"Yang family male generals" is already half-true, half-false, confused, then "Yangmen female generals" and how? The answer is still "confusing". There is no She Taijun or Mu Guiying in the official history of the Yang family, but there are some clues in some historical books.

First, let's talk about the official history. Some people may say that there is a tradition of "male superiority over female" in ancient China, so there is no record of Yangmen female generals in the official history. However, the loophole in this argument is that there are other female generals and marshals in the official history. For example, during the Wang Mang period, there was a strange woman in Langya, Shandong Province, Lu Mu, who later became a female general in charge of one side of the country (see "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty - Liu Xuan Liu Benshi Liezhuan"). After Lv Mu, the famous female generals include Princess Pingyang, the daughter of Li Yuan, the founder of the Tang Dynasty at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. When Li Yuan rebelled against the Sui Dynasty, Princess Pingyang, together with her husband Chai Shao, recruited troops for the Li family and "raised 70,000 troops, which made the Guanzhong area very powerful". After Li Yuan crossed the Yellow River, Princess Pingyang led 10,000 troops to meet with Li Shimin in Weibei, and opened a tent, just like a commander-in-chief, and her troops were also known as the "Maiden Scouts".

These heroines are all known in history, but the "Yangmen Women Generals", which is known to everyone in the folklore, is not even a shadow in the official history. If there had been a female general of Yangmen, it is impossible that the official history would not have recorded it. Even if the "History of Song" did not record it, the "Legend of the Martyrs", which specializes in the deeds of "righteous women and women of integrity", should also have recorded it. It is doubtful that the Yangmen Women's Generals existed at all.

If the Yangmen female generals only appeared in novels, then we can be sure that they are artistic fictions, however, in some historical data can be seen vaguely their shadow.

First of all, let's talk about She Lao Taijun. According to the opera legend, She Taijun, formerly known as She Saihua, was the wife of Yang Ye, the oldest ancestor of the Yang family. After the death of Yang Liulang and Yang Zongbao, the Yang family generals, except for Yang Wenguang, are all clear women heroes. At that time, the country was in trouble, the border was tight, Yang Wenguang led the troops to the Western Xia and was besieged by heavy troops. She Taijun, at the age of 100, led twelve widows to conquer the Western Xia, defeating it and rescuing Wenguang, a move that was admired by all.

Some scholars believe that She Taijun did exist in history. Qing dynasty Guangxu "Baodezhou Zhi" contains: "Yang Jiyi ...... thing North Han for the Jianxiong army section history, married to the folded de searched for women." Searched for the Han Dynasty Hidden Emperor period of the Fuzhou regiment, this "Searched for the female" is said to be She Saihua, the title of Taijun. The name "She" is a corruption of "Xie" (折).

Bao Dezhou Zhi also said that the folding family repeatedly lived in Shaanxi Fugu, from the folding of the great-grandfather, hereditary military service, many times to participate in the war against the Liao, and the Yang family is also the world of the place, generations of martial arts, the two families are said to be the right family. She Taijun since childhood by his father and brother's influence, love to study the art of war, quite through the general strategy, has assisted his father and brother to practice military gatekeeper. After the marriage of the two families, She Taijun accompanied her husband, Yang Jiye, to serve the Northern Han Dynasty. When her husband fought on the border, she organized martial arts training for male and female servants and maids in Yang's house, and the servants' martial arts skills and loyalty and courage were no less than those of the soldiers on the border.

In addition, She Taijun is also mentioned in the Genealogy of the Yang Clan preserved in the Yang Zhongwu Ancestral Hall in Dai County, Shanxi Province.

Since She Taijun is indeed a real person and so famous, why is there no biography for her in the official history? Some people think that for a martial arts family like the Yang Clan, it was common for women to be able to help their husbands in battle and train soldiers, so it is not surprising that there is no biography of She Taijun. This argument is a bit far-fetched. Given that most of She Taijun's exploits are found in Qing dynasty sources, it remains difficult to tell whether the character of She Taijun actually existed.

Mu Guiying was another popular female general in the Yang family. She is referred to in the opera as Yang Zongbao's wife, and she makes a spectacular appearance.

The story goes that after Yang Ye's death, Yang Liulang took command against Liao and won many battles. Later, he was framed by the traitor Wang Qiang, and his friend Ren Tanghui died in his place. Yang Lulang then went to the North under an alias to sell cattle and put up a big bull formation. After defeating the Liao soldiers, he resumed his real name, Yang Yanzhao, and took command of the Liao for the second time. At that time, the Liao soldiers set up the Tianmen Formation, which could not be broken by Sixth Lang, and he was instructed by a high ranking person that the only way to break the formation was to find the Dragon Bucking Wood. This dragon tree grows in Mu Ke Zhai of Shan Da Wang, and the owner of the Zhai Zhai is Mu Guiying, an eighteen-year-old female general. Yang Yanzhao sent his generals Meng Liang and Jiao Zan to borrow the wood, but they turned out to be stealing the wood and were beaten by Mu Guiying and fled. On the way, they met Yang Zongbao, the seventeen year old son of the marshal, and they used the method to make Yang Zongbao accompany them to meet Mu Guiying, and as a result, all three of them were captured alive. Mu Guiying was very fond of Yang Zongbao, and said that she was the descendant of a loyal man, and was willing to offer the dragon logs and accompany the army to attack the Tianmen Formation, but asked Yang Zongbao to take her as his wife. Yang Zongbao initially disagreed, but was moved by Mu Guiying's words and agreed to marry her. In the morning of the next day, Yang Liulang saw that his three sons had not returned, so he came to attack the cottage himself, and was captured alive by Mu Guiying. Luckily, Meng Liang heard the commotion and was able to clear up the misunderstanding. Yang Liulang returned in shame, and Yang Zongbao and the others were embarrassed.

When Yang Zongbao and his men returned to the Song camp, Yang Liulang was ready to dispose of his son, and was about to be executed when Mu Guiying broke into the camp and offered to save Yang Zongbao's head by offering him a dragon log, killing a Liao general, and helping to break the Tianmen Formation. After a lot of troubles, Yang Liulang finally recognized Mu Guiying's ability, and not only agreed to his son's marriage, but also sponsored her to be the marshal of the Tianmen Formation. After more than a year of hard work, Mu Guiying led the crowd to finally break the Liao's one hundred single eight formations. When Mu Guiying shot the commander-in-chief of the Tianmen Formation, her son, Yang Wenguang, was born because of her over-exertion.

Afterward, Mu Guiying had led the army and acted as a general many times, frequently turning the tide of battle. However, this formidable Marshal Mu Guiying was not recorded in the official history, coupled with the fact that the character of Yang Zongbao simply did not exist in history, so many people believe that Mu Guiying also does not exist. Some people also say that although Mu Guiying is fictional, she can be found in Yang's family members. Yang Yanzhao's son, Yang Wenguang, had a cousin named Yang Qi, who was married to the Murong clan. The Murong clan was a large Xianbei clan at that time, and also practiced martial arts for generations. Therefore, this Murong Clan might be the prototype of Mu Guiying, and "Mu" might be a transcription of "Murong". And "Guiying" is a popular folk name, opera novels would have allowed adaptation, so there is a Murong's as the prototype of Mu Guiying.

Of course, the above is speculation, there is no real evidence.

Why the Yangs became popular

The story of the Yangs has been passed down for nearly 1,000 years. So how did the Yang family general story become a household name? There is a historical evolution.

The story of the Yang Family Generals took place in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, and by the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, the story had spread rapidly throughout the world. Ouyang Xiu, a famous writer of the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote an article praising Yang Ye and Yang Yanzhao, "both father and son were famous generals, and their wisdom and courage were unrivaled", and pointed out that the story of the Yang Family Generals was widely circulated in all walks of life at that time. This article was written in the 65th year after Yang Ye's death, and it was called "Epitaph for Yang Jun, the Deputy Minister of Provision of Treasury". This Yang Jun was a descendant of the Yang family named Yang Qi. Su Zhe, another great writer of the Northern Song Dynasty, also wrote a poem titled "Passing the Temple of Yang Invincible", and his poem confirms the influence of the story of the Yang family in the Song Dynasty from another side.

By the Southern Song Dynasty, folk artists had turned the story of the Yang Family Generals into a playbook, which became more and more popular among the people. As the Northern Song Dynasty was eventually destroyed by foreign enemies, the Southern Song government, faced with the humiliation of seeking peace, became more admiring and nostalgic for the generals who fought to protect the country. Folk artists of the Southern Song Dynasty imagined and processed the story of Yang Family Generals, adding many amazing stories and characters. The most representative of these is the "Ashes to Ashes Record" written by Xu Dachuo of the Southern Song Dynasty, in which the character of Yang Yansi, the seventh son, was created based on Yang Si, a general who was a contemporary of Yang Yanzhao, and then Yang Zongbao, and the plot of the Yang family generals and their sons sacrificing their lives to rescue Emperor Taizong of Song Dynasty was also conceived.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the form of the Yang Family Generals story was newly expanded, and miscellaneous dramas appeared, such as "Hao Tian Tower Meng Liang Stealing Bones" and so on. By the Ming Dynasty, the story of the Yang family generals was further enriched, and there appeared the "Yang Family Generals Acts" and "Yang Family Generals Biographies", and the story of the Yang family generals was widely circulated in the form of novels and commentaries. These stories reflect an increased time span, from the ascension of Zhao Kuangyin, the founder of the Song Dynasty, until Zhao Xu, the Song Dynasty's Emperor Shenzong, a history of about one hundred years.

In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the court was weak and foreign enemies were watching, a situation similar to that of the Song Dynasty, and the Yang Family Generals became the best weapon for folk to borrow from the past and talk about the present. On the other hand, the Ming government also highly respected the Yang family generals, hoping to use this to promote the idea of loyalty to the emperor. In such an atmosphere, the story of Yang Family General was further developed and perfected. In the Ming Dynasty, Ji Zhenlun's "Popular Performances of the Yang Family Generals" and in the Qing Dynasty, Xiong Damu's "Biography of the Northern Song Dynasty" finalized the story of the Yang Family Generals. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were as many as 360 plays based on the Yang Family General on the opera stage. Until today, Peking Opera and other local operas often stage plays such as "Four Langs Visiting the Mother" and "Mu Guiying Hangs Up the Marshalship". These novels and operas have diverged so much from historical facts that they have become heroic legends.

After a long period of development, the Yang family, which originally had only three generations, was paved with five generations; the iron and bloody sands, which were originally only for men, were integrated with vivid and flower-like heroines such as She Taijun and Mu Guiying.