Yang Ye

Who was Yang Ye?

Yang Ye or Yang Jiye was a military general in ancient China. Originally serving the short-lived Northern Han Kingdom during the later years of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, he pledged allegiance to Song Dynasty in 979 and in the following years fought against the Khitan-ruled Liao Dynasty on Song's northern border. Nicknamed "Invincible Yang", he was instrumental in Song's major victory at Yanmenguan in 980. His eventual defeat by Liao and death - a direct result of persecutions by other Song generals - formed the basis of the Generals of the Yang Family legends.

After his death, one of his 7 sons Yang Yanzhao also became an important Song Dynasty general.