On December 7, 2011, the tombstone of Dong Xian, a famous Song general who fought against the Jin, was discovered at East Lake in Wuhan, revealing the extraordinary life of this mid-ranking Song dynasty officer. Born in the Northern Song, Dong Xian was a renowned Southern Song general who fought against the Jin and one of the Five Tiger Generals of Yue Fei's army. He served as the Vanguard Commander of the Taibai Army and eventually held office in the Military Affairs Commission for the Jinghu North and South Circuits and Xiangyang Prefecture. Born into poverty, Dong Xian spent forty years on campaign. His life took him through the suppression of bandits at the end of the Northern Song, the Northern Song alliance with the Jin to destroy the Liao, the Jingkang Incident, a stint as an outlaw, his return to the Southern Song, and nine victorious campaigns north with Yue Fei. He became a master of mountain and jungle warfare. In his later years, he drew on the battles of his life to write On Warfare in the Mountain Forests, leaving it to posterity.
Dong Xian was born into a world in chaos. His parents died when he was young, and his wife and children were killed in the wars. His life was full of hardship. As a representative of the Song dynasty's mid-ranking officers, Dong Xian embodied the worldview of most generals of that turbulent era. He faced many choices throughout his life, some right and some wrong, but history ultimately remembers him as a famous general who fought against the Jin.
This book chronicles Dong Xian's extraordinary life in detail. All the historical events and figures are documented in official histories; where those histories are silent, the account draws on unofficial records and the author's deductions based on historical facts. Dong Xian's military career was thrilling, and he worked miracles time and again. He was truly the Song dynasty's Li Yunlong!
My Dear Wife, I Really Don't Want to Take the Imperial Exams
The Turbulent Tang
The Carefree Young Noble