The Legend of Iron Peak Fort

A long episodic novel about peasant armies in central Hunan resisting Yuan forces at the end of the Yuan dynasty. In the final years of the Yuan, the emperor, Zhizheng, lived a debauched and lawless life, while ministers fought for power. Officials at every level imposed exorbitant taxes, corruption became rampant, and cruel bureaucrats ran wild, leaving the people destitute. Many peasants in central Hunan could no longer endure Yuan rule. They gathered in the mountains and forests, joined forces in a righteous cause, and raised the banner of resistance against the Yuan.

The story's main character is Sun Biyun, a heroine who began as a Taoist nun. She fell in love with a stronghold leader and became his wife. After her husband died, she succeeded him as leader. Under her command, the band was disciplined, the people protected, and talented men recruited. Within a few years, she had built a major stronghold of several thousand people. With the help of Yi Hua, Liu Shang, and Feng Ping, she became the chief leader of forty-eight strongholds across three regions. From then on, she raised the banner of resistance against the Yuan and commanded tens of thousands of rebel forces across Heng, Bao, and Tan, fighting the authorities and Yuan armies and conquering cities and territory. They captured more than a dozen regions, prefectures, and counties, including Baoqing, Wugang, Xiangxiang, Xiangtan, and Chenzhou. She was unfortunately killed in battle while attacking Hengzhou. Under the leadership of successors such as Yi Hua, the rebels carried on the struggle and captured Hengzhou, Yongzhou, Daozhou, and Quanzhou. They also persuaded the prefectures of Changning and Leiyang to surrender and join them, linking the rebel forces across central and southern Hunan.