The Dream of Pomegranate Blossoms, by Li Guiyu, Edited by Qingyang and Xiaoming

Set against the Tang Dynasty, this novel tells the story of its heroine, Gui Hengkui (Gui Bifang). Born into a distinguished family, she grew up amid chaos. With corrupt officials holding power and colluding with foreign forces to invade, the Tang emperor was besieged in Yangzhou. At this critical moment, with the nation on the brink of collapse, Gui Hengkui resolutely disguised herself as a man, raised an army, and set out to bring the realm under control. First she defeated the foreign invaders, then turned back to rescue the emperor. The Tang emperor appointed her commander-in-chief of all the imperial forces and granted her authority to direct the armies from every region coming to the court's aid. Once peace was restored, the emperor rewarded her services with an iron certificate of immunity and enfeoffed her as a king. But before long, the emperor grew wary of her power and prestige, fearing she might overshadow him. He fabricated charges and tried to have her killed, but Hengkui used her wits to save herself. Seeing the meritorious general had fallen from favor, foreign forces thought they had found an opportunity and invaded again. Gui Hengkui led her troops to annihilate the southern barbarians, then turned north and purged the court of those surrounding the emperor, finally bringing the entire realm under control.

This is the longest classical novel in China.

Theme: Sisters unite and help one another, proving themselves on the battlefield.