Princess Pingyang, the leader of “the army of the lady”. When Pingyang’s father, the duke of Tang Liu Yuan, started a rebellion against the tyrannical emperor Yang, Pingyang initially went into hiding; while in hiding, she spread out all the money she had to support the people around her and recruit soilders for her own army. She proved to be a very capable leader, convincing leaders of bandit clans to join her cause and gathering 70,000 men. She had firm rules for her soilders, no pilaging, no murder of civilians, and no rape. Instead, she and her army shared food and other necessities with the villages they passed through. Eventually, she and her army were able to capture the Sui capital Chang’an, dealing a devastating blow to emperor Yang. Her own army, combined with her father’s army overthrew emperor Yang, and established the Tang dynasty, or the golden age of China. Unfortunately, Pingyang died only a few years after their victory, and was the only woman in ancient China to receive an imperial funeral.
theclumsiestninja 