She was simply referenced in the official Chinese history books as "Lady Liang" (梁氏).
Historical details of Liang's life are sketchy,[2] but she was known to be the wife of Han Shizhong, a Song general known for resisting invaders from the Jin Dynasty together with Yue Fei and others, and to have commanded troops at the Battle of Huangtiandang using drums to coordinate the Song forces.
[6] Han Shizong was a general commanding Song troops against the Jin Dynasty, and Liang accompanied her husband on these campaigns.
When Han Shizong resigned after the execution of Yue Fei, Liang followed her husband into retirement.
When the Jurchens once more invaded and attacked Hangzhou in 1129, shortly after the coup had been crushed, Liang and her husband led their forces to ambush the enemy army on their way back to Jin territory.
With great courage, Liang threw her helmet and armour, beating the drums and led the charge into the enemy formation.
The Jurchens were trapped for more than a month, before a traitor revealed a weakness in the Chinese encirclement and they escaped, but with heavy losses.
Liang Hongyu followed her husband out of Chuzhou, and Han Shizhong "draped himself on grass and set up a military mansion" and shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers.
[10] The exact time of Liang Hongyu's death is unknown, but it is generally believed that she died in 1153.
Together with Qin Liangyu, He Yufeng, and the legendary Hua Mulan, she is one of the most well-known female warriors in China.