General Xie, Take the Field

Xie Huan is the Ming Dynasty’s foremost female general: brave in battle, steely in resolve, undefeated, and renowned for her military exploits. She always wears an iron mask, so no one knows what she really looks like. Her mother worries, “You’re even braver than a man. I’m afraid it’ll be hard to find you a good husband someday.” Whenever she appears as a female general, she wears the mask. But her great achievements have also made the emperor wary of her, even as he struggles to find another talent as capable as she is at court. So he grants Xie Huan a military tally, giving her command of the three armies, in the hope that if anyone rebels, she can help identify them. Her true identity is Xie Jinyue, the fourth daughter of the Xie family, a spoiled and willful young lady of the capital who is arrogant, overbearing, and notorious for her misdeeds. With three famous general brothers to cover for her, someone is always there to clean up her messes. Her furious parents punish her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for five days and nights without food, and even petition the emperor to arrange her marriage to the imperial uncle. He is said to be upright and impartial, magnanimous and forthright, and wise despite his unassuming appearance. He once led 100,000 soldiers to defeat an army of 300,000 in defense of the country, but is now disabled in both legs.