Loyal and Valiant Yue Fei (Part 1)
 
Yue Fei (1103 – 1142 AD), courtesy name Pengju, was from Tangyin, Xiangzhou, which is part of present-day Henan Province. He was a general in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 – 1279 AD) as well as one of the most famous generals in Chinese history for his defense against Jin (Jurchen) invaders.
 
Yue Fei, a national hero in Chinese history, was deeply respected by the Chinese people for his loyalty to the country. “Man Jiang Hong,” (“A River of Red”) a poetic masterpiece that he wrote with a heart filled with grief and indignation during this northern expedition, still enjoys deep respect and admiration today after almost a thousand years. Yue Fei’s troops were admiringly called the “Yue Army,” and that “It is easier to shake Mount Tai than to shake Yue Army.” This showed how highly the people respected Yue Fei and how deeply the enemy feared him.
 
A Brief Account of Yue Fei's Life
 
In the first year of the Jingkang Era (1126 AD), Yue Fei joined the army to defend the country against an invasion by the Jurchens. He was recognized for his accomplishments again and again and was soon promoted by Marshal Zong Ze to the position of Tong Zhi (equivalent to an army commander today). In 1129 AD, Zong Ze passed away, and the Jurchen general, Wanyan Zongmi, attacked Song again. The Song army suffered a heavy defeat, and Emperor Gaozong (1107 – 1187 AD) fled. At that time, Yue Fei was serving in the Jianghuai region and he led his army to fight against the Jurchen invaders in Guangde (part of Anhui Province today) and Yixing (part of Jiangsu Province today). He defeated the Jurchen army in the battle at Qingshuiting. His army won four more battles as they chased the Jurchen chief, Wuzhu, and realized the unfulfilled dream of a veteran general, Zhong Zhidao. Yue Fei was then promoted to become head of the Tongtai region.
 
In 1133 AD, the illegitimate Qi government of Liu Yu, who had the backing of the Jurchens, seized Xiangyang (in current Hubei Province) and the nearby shires. The next April, Yue Fei took a northern expedition and defeated Liu Yu, recovering the territory of six shires. He was promoted to Qingyuan Army Military Commissioner for his accomplishments.
 
In the summer of 1135 AD, the Song suspected that Yang Yao was colluding with the illegitimate Qi to overthrow the Southern Song. Yue Fei received orders and defeated Yang Yao's army, thus completely clearing out any internal trouble. In 1136 AD, Yue Fei launched a sudden attack on Liu Yu's army, using part of his troops to attack Caizhou in the east (Runan in Henan Province today) while his main force went from Xiangyang to attack Yiyang (Song County in Henan today). He recovered a large stretch of territory in Yuxi and Shannan. In 1137 AD, Yue Fei took the opportunity when the Jurchens sacked Liu Yu and came up with the idea of restoring central China. He petitioned Emperor Gaozong several times to oppose a peace treaty with the Jurchens, but his petition was rejected by the Emperor and Prime Minister Qin Hui.
 
In 1140 AD, the Jurchen chief, Wanyan Zongmi, violated the treaty and pushed forward to attack the Southern Song. Yue Fei sent his men to make an alliance with the northern rebels to attack the Jurchen army from behind, while he led his main force northbound and defeated the main Jurchen forces in the battles in Yancheng and Yingchang. However, right when Yue Fei's army was about to cross the river to chase after the defeated enemy, Emperor Gaozong and Qin Hui ordered all of the Song troops to return. Yue Fei's army had no other support and was forced to retreat in the end. His strategy to recover Central China failed on the verge of success.
 
The next year, when Yue Fei returned to the capital Lin'an, he was removed from his military position. On December 29, 1141 AD, Yue Fei was executed by Gaozong and Qin Hui for "unfounded guilt." His son, Yue Yun, and General Zhang Xian were also killed. After Emperor Xiaozong took the throne, he redressed and exonerated Yue Fei. In 1178 AD, Yue Fei was bestowed a posthumous title, Wumu (Solemn and Valiant). In 1204 AD, Emperor Ningzong granted him the title "King of E" retroactively. In 1225 AD, Emperor Lizong changed the posthumous title to "Zhongwu" (Loyal and Valiant).

精忠报国的岳飞 (上)
 
岳飞（1103年-1141年），字鹏举，相州汤阴(今属河南)人。南宋军事家，中国历史上著名的抗金名将。
 
岳飞作为中国历史上的民族英雄，其精忠报国的精神深受中国各族人民的敬佩。在出师北伐、壮志未酬的悲愤心情下写的千古绝唱《满江红》，至今仍是令人深感敬佩。率领的军队被称为“岳家军”，人们流传著“撼山易，撼岳家军难”的名句，表示对“岳家军”的最高赞誉。
 
生平简述
 
靖康元年(1126年)岳飞投军抗金，因屡立战功被宗泽提拔为统制（大致相当于现在的军长）。建炎三年(1129年)，宗泽亡故，金将完颜宗弼再次南侵，宋军大溃，高宗逃亡。岳飞时任江淮宣抚使司右军统制，率部转战广德(今属安徽)、宜兴(今属江苏)地区，并于清水亭等战打败金兵，一举收复建康，又追击兀术四战四胜，实现了老将种师道“（金兵）半渡而击”的未竟遗愿，升任通泰镇抚使。
 
绍兴三年(1133年)，金扶植的伪齐刘豫政权派军攻占襄阳（今属湖北）等郡。次年四月，岳飞自江州（今江西九江）挥师北上，打败刘豫军，收复六郡，因功授清远军节度使。
 
五年（1135年）夏，宋廷疑杨么勾结伪齐图谋南宋，岳飞受命击破杨么军，彻底消除内患。六年（1136年），任湖北京西路宣抚副使，举兵奇袭刘豫军，以部份兵力东向蔡州（今河南汝南）诱其来攻，主力自襄阳出击伊阳（今河南嵩县），收复今豫西、陕南大片失地。七年（1137年），岳飞乘金朝废除刘豫之机，提出举兵收复中原的主张，后多次上书反对与金议和，均遭高宗和宰相秦桧拒绝。
 
十年（1140年），完颜宗弼毁约南进。岳飞遣将联络北方义军，袭扰金军后方，自率主力北上，在郾城、颖昌诸战中击败金军主力。正当岳飞行将渡河时，高宗、秦桧诏令各路宋军回师。岳家军孤军难支被迫撤退，恢复中原的计划功败垂成。
 
次年（1141年），回临安，被解除兵权，改授枢密副使。十二月二十九日，被高宗、秦桧以“莫须有”的罪名杀害。其子岳云和部将张宪也惨遭杀害。宋孝宗继位后为岳飞平反昭雪。淳熙五年（1178年），谥武穆。宋宁宗嘉泰四年（1204年）追封鄂王。宋理宗宝庆元年 (1225年)，改谥忠武。