Han Shizhong

Who was Han Shizhong?

Han Shizhong was a Chinese general of the late Northern Song Dynasty and the early Southern Song Dynasty. He dedicated his whole life to serving the Song Dynasty, and performed many legendary deeds. It is said that he had scars all over his body and, by the time he retired, there were only four fingers left on both of his hands. General Han distinguished himself in the Jin–Song wars against the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, and was reputed to win battles in situation where he had to face larger amount of enemies with smaller numbers of soldiers. He was a great fighter and because of his feats in battle, Yuan Tan said that Han Shizhong is truly an even match for 10,000 men. He is also a known military inventor: his inventions including various modified bows, chain like armor, a horse jumping obstacle, and the archery target. His wife, Liang Hongyu, was also known to have an exceptional military mind.

After Yue Fei's execution, through this tragedy Han realized the corruption rampant throughout the Song imperial court, and retired from military service afterward.