Many hundreds of years ago, there lived far away in the northern
mountains of China a very beautiful girl, named Liu Chin Ting. She was
an only daughter and having no girl companions came to spend most of
her time with her brothers. For long years the country had been rent by
rebellions and wars. The children, breathing in the spirit of their
fathers, played at sham battles and dreamed of rescuing their land.
Chin Ting came gradually to be looked upon as their leader, her wise
little head was full of plans, and her eyes would flash fire as she
gave her orders to the youths who followed her.
Her deeds were talked of far and near and the people began to say,
“Surely a God has come down to lead us, and help us hold our mountain
against the roaming tribes of banditti.” When she was but sixteen years
old she was placed at the head of the mountain clan. The men and boys
looked upon her as the French did upon Joan of Arc and gave her their
fullest confidence and devotion. She knew their mountains, all the
paths leading up and down, the places which needed to be guarded, the
caves where she and her soldiers could hide and spring out upon an
unsuspecting foe.
The men of the land had either been away fighting, or at home tilling
laboriously their poor lands, so there was no one who knew the hills
and valleys as did Chin Ting. In every attack she was successful until
the neighbouring tribes were subdued and left the little kingdom in
peace, for, they said, “We cannot fight against a god!”
When their enemies were thus overcome Chin Ting’s father and mother
thought that the time had come when their daughter should marry. From
the north and the south, the east and the west, came offers for her
hand, but she would listen to none of them, for she said she had still
to rescue her land from their great southern foe, the Chinese.
Her parents laid their commands upon her until at last she yielded so
far as to say, “I will marry none but the man who can defeat me in my
own mountains.” She wrote her vow on a tablet and had it set up in the
main pass through which all must go to reach the heights.
Many were the battles fought by the heads of the other tribes, but she
easily held her mountain.
One day the general of the northern Sung dynasty, Kao Chun Pao, on his
way to report to the Emperor, crossed the pass and seeing the tablet
read the inscription, and in disgust broke the slab into bits, saying,
“Is it possible that in our great land there is a woman with so little
self-respect as thus to proclaim her want of feminine delicacy? She
must surely be some great overgrown ugly creature. I would stamp upon
her even as I do upon the broken bits of this tablet,” as he ground
them under his feet.
A man of the mountains, who had heard from his lookout post the bitter
words, ran in hot haste to Chin Ting and told her all that the General
had said and done. The proud maiden was furious at being thus scorned,
and blowing her horn summoned the men of the mountains to hear the
insult offered her and to revenge her wrong.
Meanwhile General Kao had decided to give battle and punish this woman.
While he was making inquiries as to who she was, her men came upon him
with great fury. With amazement the famous general saw the young girl
who led them. The engagement was long and severe, but resulted in the
defeat of the Chinese leader, who was made a prisoner and carried to
the home of Chin Ting to be beheaded.
Now, General Kao was a very handsome young man of distinguished
bearing.
His admiration for his conqueror was so evident in his looks and words,
that he not only disarmed her anger but won her heart. She decided to
marry rather than to kill him. The wedding was hastily arranged, and
the General with his bride set out at once for Peking, to take his
report to the Emperor and to take command of a large force which was to
move southward from the capital to recapture the city of Yang Chow,
which was in the hands of southern rebels. According to the law of the
land, any officer, under orders, who married during a campaign should
be beheaded. When the Emperor heard the story of General Kao he ordered
that he be degraded and at once executed, but later, as he heard more
and more of the valour of the wife he had taken, he said, “If she will
take the city of Yang Chow, her husband’s life shall be her reward.”
She was given command of the army in place of Kao Chun Pao, who was
allowed to accompany her as assistant.
She led the army to the south and attacked the city day after day with
resistless energy and resourcefulness. After a long siege the
stronghold fell into her hands. The Governor was taken prisoner and
sent as voucher for the completeness of her conquest to the Emperor. On
his arrival the papers granting pardon to her husband were sent to Chin
Ting, and she was made Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial forces. For
thirty years she led them in many victorious battles and recovered much
territory which had been lost by the northern kingdom in previous
years. A picture showing her attack on the gates of Yang Chow is a
great favourite with the Chinese, and always on sale at the New Year
when Chinese homes are freshly decorated.