ExclusiveThe True Story of Yang Yanzhao, China's Legendary Sixth Son. #yangyanzhao #songdynasty #yangye

In the winter of 999, a powerful Khitan army surrounded a small Chinese fortress. The walls were low. The defenders were badly outnumbered. For days, the enemy attacked, and fear spread through the city. Then the commander gave a strange order. “Bring water to the walls. Pour it over the stones!” Water? With enemy soldiers trying to climb the walls, why make them wet? But the commander had noticed something the attackers had overlooked. The temperature was falling. As the water froze, the walls became coated in ice — hard, smooth, and almost impossible to climb. The Khitan soldiers could no longer gain a foothold. Finally, the army withdrew, leaving armor and weapons behind. The fortress had been saved by a general who turned winter itself into a weapon. His name was Yang Yanzhao. Today, he is remembered as Yang Liulang — often translated as“the Sixth Son of the Yang Family.” But was he really the sixth son? And how much of his extraordinary story actually happened? Hello everyone, I'm Sara. Welcome to my channel. Today, we're going back a thousand years to meet the man we're going back a thousand years to meet the man behind one of China's most enduring military legends. 37 00:01:34.727 --> 00:01:36.775 His father was Yang Ye, a celebrated commander known as Yang the Invincible. According to the History of Song, Yanzhao was a quiet child who preferred organizing mock battles to ordinary games. Watching him, his father said, “This boy is like me.” Yang Ye began taking his son on military campaigns. In 986, during a Song expedition against the Khitan-led Liao Empire, Yanzhao served in the vanguard. While attacking Shuozhou, an arrow pierced his arm. He refused to withdraw. The historical record says his fighting only grew fiercer. That campaign ended in disaster. Yang Ye was surrounded after expected support failed to arrive. Captured by the enemy, he refused food and died. His son survived and would spend much of his life defending the same northern frontier. 59 00:02:38.177 --> 00:02:42.272 northern passes that once protected the Chinese heartland. Without these natural defenses, Khitan cavalry could sweep south across the open plains. Yang Yanzhao became one of the commanders responsible for holding this exposed frontier. At Suicheng, he used ice to defend a fortress. At Yangshan, he used a trap. He hid troops near the mountain, then led another force forward to engage the Khitans. When the enemy advanced, he began to retreat. The Khitan soldiers pursued, believing the Chinese army was breaking. But Yang Yanzhao was leading them toward his hidden troops. As the pursuers reached the mountain, the ambush was sprung. The enemy was defeated, and a commander was captured. Yang Yanzhao was not invincible, however. In 1002, his troops suffered a serious setback while responding to a Liao attack. He escaped severe punishment and continued serving on the frontier. Two years later, the Liao launched another major invasion. Yang Yanzhao believed their long advance had left them vulnerable. He urged the Song court to strike back and recover lost territory. But the government chose peace. In 1004, the two empires concluded the Treaty of Chanyuan, ending decades of major warfare. For Yang Yanzhao, the chance to recover the lost northern lands had passed. Yet he remained at his post. 95 00:04:21.346 --> 00:04:22.537 the Sixth Son? In Chinese opera and popular fiction, the explanation is simple: he was the sixth of Yang Ye's seven sons. But the History of Song tells a different story. According to the chronicle, the Khitans believed the sixth star of the Big Dipper was a star that brought them misfortune in war. They associated Yang Yanzhao with that star and called him the Sixth Son. The name may have been given by his enemies rather than being a reference to his birth order. Whether this account accurately reflects Khitan beliefs is difficult to establish today. Over time, extraordinary stories gathered around his name. 112 00:05:11.006 --> 00:05:15.310 It is not a battle confirmed by the official historical record. According to the tale, a Khitan commander named Han Chang believed a vast stretch of water between the frontier passes would protect him from Yang Yanzhao. He ordered his men to raid nearby villages, confident that even an immortal could not cross the flooded ground in time. Then a soldier arrived, breathless. “Commander! Yang Liulang is coming! His horsemen are riding across the water!” Han Chang laughed. “Impossible! Horses can't run on water!” But moments later, another messenger rushed in. “Commander! They're almost here!” Han Chang hurried outside. Through the mist, he saw a line of Song cavalry advancing straight across the flooded plain. At their head rode Yang Yanzhao. The explanation was hidden just beneath the surface. Long before the battle, Yang Yanzhao had ordered his men to build a narrow causeway across the flooded ground. Its surface lay just below the waterline. On a cold, misty day, it was almost invisible. To the enemy, the horsemen seemed to be galloping over open water. As the Song cavalry approached the frontier defenses, Yang Yanzhao's officers noticed smoke rising from nearby villages. The raiders were burning houses. They turned to their commander. “General, should we reinforce the pass first, or rescue the villagers?” Yang Yanzhao answered at once. “Save the people first!” The cavalry turned toward the villages. Caught off guard by the sudden arrival of Song horsemen, Han Chang's troops were driven back. The defenders at the pass also rallied, forcing the attackers to retreat. According to local tradition, the hidden crossing later became associated with a defensive embankment known as the Liulang Dike. This is a folk legend, not established history. But it shows how people remembered Yang Yanzhao: a general whose ingenuity served a larger purpose — protecting ordinary lives. 162 00:07:35.469 --> 00:07:38.205 why such stories grew around him. Yang Yanzhao served on the northern frontier for more than twenty years. He shared his rewards with his soldiers and lived simply, even in harsh weather. In battle, he led from the front. When his troops won, he gave the credit to his men. He devoted so much attention to military affairs that he rarely concerned himself with his own household. In 1014, Yang Yanzhao died while still serving on the frontier. He was fifty-seven by traditional Chinese age reckoning. Emperor Zhenzong arranged for his remains to be returned home. His son, Yang Wenguang, would also become a military commander. Over the centuries, the Yang family's story grew into one of China's most beloved heroic traditions. Opera, novels, and folklore added extraordinary adventures and supernatural wonders. But behind those legends stood a real man. For more than twenty years, Yang Yanzhao defended a frontier that remained vulnerable His enemies feared him. His soldiers respected him. And when his coffin was carried home, the people of the northern frontier stood along the road and wept. Perhaps that was his greatest victory. And that is the story of Yang Yanzhao — the real man behind the legendary Sixth Son. Thank you for watching. I'll see you next time.