YUE FEI 岳飛
陸游: 公卿有党排宗澤，帷幄無人用岳飛。遺老不應知此恨，亦逢漢節解沾衣。
Yue Fei (1103-1142) was born to a peasant family in Xiangzhou (today’s Henan Province) during the warring period of the Northern Song Dynasty. He was very studious and scholarly. He received grueling training in martial arts, archery and military tactics from the Martial-Scholar Zhou Tong, who taught him how to utilize all weapons of war.
Yue Fei enlisted in the army at the age of 19. Not long afterwards, his father passed away. He resigned from the military and stayed home mourning for his father. In 1126, Jurchen invaded the Song Dynasty from the north, imprisoning Emperor Qinzong and his father, the former Emperor Huizong. They drove the Song out of their capital, Kaifeng, thus ending the Northern Song Dynasty.
Years later, the Southern Song Dynasty commenced upon the enthronement of Emperor Gaozong and the relocation of the capital to Hangzhou. Yue Fei re-enlisted in the army. 男兒立志扶王室，聖主專師滅虜酋。Before his departure, his mother tattooed the phrase ‘盡忠報國 serve the country with utmost loyalty’ on his back. Because of his great valor, wisdom and persistent triumphs in the battlefield, he swiftly rose through the ranks to general.
Yue Fei, commanding the Song armies, fiercely fought and won long battles against the invading Jurchen. He was considered peerless by all his rivals. 撼山易，撼岳家軍難。 Despite his troops were outnumbered in many battles, with his bravery and unmatched battle skills, he won impressive victories after victories. 經年塵土滿征衣, 威名千古更無敵。
Yue Fei prudently selected his troops and trained them to become skilled warriors. Furthermore, he was well-known for caring for his soldiers on and off the battlefields. He was extremely strict with his troops and prohibited them from taking advantage of the citizens in the towns they passed through. Thus the Yue’s army was fully supported by the populace. 凍死不拆屋，餓死不擄掠。 當年誰說岳家軍, 紀律森嚴孰與鄰。師過家家皆按堵, 功成處處可鐫瑉。百戰收功指顧間，岳家軍令重如山。江南忠臣善用兵者，止有岳飛，所至紀律甚嚴。
In fact, Yue Fei did not lose any of the hundreds of battles he courageously fought during his life time. 先計後戰，屢勝強敵。 He and his troops reclaimed many of the lost territories in central China south of the Yangtze and Huai rivers. He made it his mission to rescue the former Song emperors in captivity as well as reclaim all the lost territories in the north as depicted by his battle cry and calligraphy, “還我山河 Return my mountains and rivers.” 恢復山河日，捐軀分亦甘。號令風霆迅，天聲動北陬。長驅渡河洛，直搗向燕幽。馬蹀閼氏血，旗梟克汗頭。歸來報明主，恢復舊神州。
Unfortunately, just when Yue Fei was preparing to attack and reclaim Kaifeng in 1141, his ambition was vigorously challenged by the corrupt political opponents, the emperor’s advisers at the imperial court, led by Qin Hui 秦檜, the prime minister. 逢惡徒成秦相奸。They were jealous of his glorious military achievements and popularity. They convinced Emperor Gaozong to sign a peace treaty with the Jurchen conceding their full control of the northern territory and offering them annual tribute. Emperor Gaozong worried that if Yue Fei defeated the Jurchen, they would release the former Emperor Qinzong, who could dethrone him.
Emperor Gaozong recalled Yue Fei from the front. Yue Fei was extremely disheartened for giving up the hard won reclaimed territories which were still covered with his troops’ blood, asserting that his ten years of effort were shattered in one single day. 十年之力，廢於一旦。Subservient to the emperor, he returned to the capital, where he was imprisoned. Qin Hui was successful in persuading the emperor to execute Yue Fei on some trumped-up charge (not proven) of possible treason 莫須有. 百戰河山近夕暉，金陵王氣亦湮微。金牌晝飛玉塞昏，三字獄成岳飛死。 He died at the age of 39. 自古忠臣帝主疑，全忠全義不全屍。古來英雄何可測，駿骨往往埋埃塵。
Yue Fei was vindicated posthumously by Emperor Xiaozong, absolving him of any crimes; and his name was restored to honor. 卿家冤枉，朕悉知之，天下共知其冤。 Yue Fei has been an acclaimed name for centuries until this day. He is indubitably an epitome of heroism, loyalty and patriotism. 惟中興之初，先武穆王手扶天戈，忠義與日月爭光，名在旗常，功在社稷，天報勳勞，克昌厥後，雖百世可知也。
岳飛 (滿江紅): 怒髮沖冠，憑欄處，瀟瀟雨歇。抬望眼，仰天長嘯，壯懷激烈。三十功名塵與土，八千里路雲和月。莫等閑、白了少年頭，空悲切。靖康恥，猶未雪；臣子恨，何時滅？駕長車，踏破賀蘭山缺！壯志飢餐胡虜肉，笑談渴飲匈奴血。待從頭，收拾舊山河，朝天闕。
About the author:
Dr. Patrick Lau was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to the U.S. after high school. He retired from the VA Northern Indiana Heath Care System where he served as Chief Radiologist and moved to Florida with his wife in 2011. He was an active member & contributor of IACA and ICMA while in Indiana. Dr. Lau is also a scholar of art and literature and a prolific writer, he has been a dedicated columnist for Indy Asian American Times since 2010.