Saving General Yang

In the early Northern Song era (AD 986), the Yang clan rises from the ashes of the fallen Northern Han and pledges loyalty to the Song regime. The patriarch Yang Ye forges a cautious return to the political order, anchoring the family as a stabilizing force. This loyalty seeds a fragile balance that shapes the clan’s future.

Yang Ye works to secure a cautious peace with the new rulers after decades of conflict. The settlement grants the Yangs a protected niche within the regime and cushions the family from ongoing warfare. It also tests Yang Ye’s leadership as the regime stabilizes.

Years later, Yang Yansi steps into the martial arena by filling in for his sixth brother in a perilous tournament against Pan Renmei’s son Pan Bao. Pan Bao is killed, sealing Chai Meirong’s future through blood and consequence. The event marks the Yangs’ entry into a ruthless martial world.

The morning after the tournament, Yang Ye presents the consequences of political risk by slashing thirty lashes on his own young sons. The harsh punishment demonstrates fraternal risk and political gravity and tests the family’s loyalty to the new regime. The moment reverberates through the clan as the emperor and courtiers watch.

Khitan forces launch a ruthless campaign, burning frontline stations along the Song borders as revenge for an old defeat. Yelü Yuan leads the assault while Pan Renmei is rewarded with fifty thousand troops to organize the defense, though his leadership proves flawed. The war now puts the Yangs at the heart of an unforgiving siege.

Yang Ye is assigned to a lesser task: to lead a reconnaissance charge as a scout, placing him at the center of the conflict between ambition, duty, and survival. His courage in this role pulls him deeper into the widening war. This decision cements his role as the family’s military pillar.

When the two armies clash, Pan Renmei’s inexperience and miscalculations sow chaos, and the Song defense collapses in a decisive Khitan victory. The defeat jeopardizes the Yang family’s safety and exposes their loyalties to the empire. The stage is set for a brutal turning point in the clan’s fate.

Yang Ye becomes trapped behind enemy lines in an abandoned town in front of Wolf Mountain. He endures isolation and the constant threat of capture while the rest of his family undertakes a perilous mission to reach him. The siege tests the clan’s resolve to its limits.

Before departure, a fortune teller warns She Saihua: 'Seven will set off, six will return.' The ominous slip of paper becomes a guiding lens for the clan’s next moves, coloring every act with grim destiny. The prophecy intensifies the sense that numbers, lineage, and sacrifice matter more than personal fate.

Under the banner of the Yang clan, the eldest Yang Yanping leads his six brothers through overwhelming odds toward the besieged town. Filial duty and clan loyalty drive their march as they push toward a dangerous, nearly impossible rescue. The mission is a crucible of courage and sacrifice.

In the brutal combat around Wolf Mountain, Yang Ye is grievously wounded by a poisoned arrow and chooses death over capture. The seven brothers manage to extract their father’s body and bear him home, a solemn pilgrimage of mourning and duty. The rescue effort continues even as the patriarch passes from the world.

Pan Renmei’s archers execute Yang Yansi as vengeance for the peril inflicted on their forces, a brutal blow to the Yangs. The youngest surviving brother, Yang Yanzhao, defeats Yelü Yuan, turning the tide, and returns with his father’s weapons and Yelü Yuan’s head. Four bodies are recovered, two remain missing, and a fragile victory marks the clan’s rebirth.

Yang Yanzhao marries Chai Meirong, sealing a personal and political reconciliation that echoes through the dynasty's future. The alliance signals a shift in loyalties and a path toward stabilization after years of bloodshed. The union ties the Yang clan to the former princess and reshapes the political landscape.

With the cost of so many lives, the Yang clan’s reputation becomes a cornerstone of Chinese legend. The Song emperor’s realm is spared, and the Khitan empress must temper her assault. The Yang family endures as symbols of courage, loyalty, and resilience in the annals of history.