In legend, there is a Banner of Hegemony that allows its owner to rule the world. During the search for the banner under the
Song emperor's order,
Yang Zongbao finds an alleged owner of the banner and takes him back to meet the emperor. When the man turns out to be an assassin and severely wounds the emperor, Yang Zongbao is accused of treason and thrown into prison along with the Yang family. Yang Zongbao's daughter-in-law, Wei Ling'er, who is pregnant at the time, flees to seek help from the upright official
Bao Zheng. She encounters henchmen working for an ambitious Song prince plotting to seize the throne, but is saved by the loyal Song general
Di Qing, who escorts her to meet Bao Zheng. With Bao Zheng's help, the Yangs prove their innocence and are released from prison. Around this time, the banner is seen in
Western Xia, so Di Qing and Yang Zongbao are sent by the Song emperor to retrieve it. Along the way, they meet
Li Yuanhao, who is suffering from amnesia, and become sworn brothers with him. Later, Li Yuanhao regains his memory and remembers that he is actually the Western Xia emperor, so he turns against his sworn brothers in a power struggle for the banner. == Cast ==