Yue Fei

Life

Born to a farming family, Yue Fei studied diligently in youth, especially the Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals and the military methods of Sun Wu; he also learned archery from Zhou Tong.

In the Xuanhe era he volunteered for military service; one account places this in the fourth year of Xuanhe (1123). He was promoted to Bingyilang for merit and served under Zong Ze; when Gaozong was still Prince Kang, he went to Xiangzhou and received the rank of Chengxinlang.

After Gaozong’s accession, he lost his office after opposing the southward relocation of the capital and advocating a northern expedition; he then served under Wang Yan, fought Jin forces in the Taihang Mountains, and later joined Zhang Suo, the Hebei military commander, as central army commander.

Yue Fei returned to Zong Ze’s defense of Kaifeng and, after Zong Ze’s death, followed Du Chong south. As a tongzhi, he defeated Jin forces at Changzhou and Zhenjiang in the fourth year of Jianyan, recovered Jiankang, and was promoted to Tongtai zhenfushi while concurrently serving as governor of Taizhou.

Early in Shaoxing, he helped suppress Li Cheng, Cao Cheng, Fan Ruwei, and other forces, was promoted to dutongzhi, and was stationed at Jiujiang; his troops were known for strict discipline and bravery in battle and became known as the Yue Family Army. His offices also included commissions in Jiangxi, Jingnan-E-Yue, and Hubei, as well as the Qingyuan military command, zhaotaoshi, xuanfushi deputy, and xuanfushi; he eventually held the posts of Taiwei and vice commissioner of the Privy Council.

In the fourth year of Shaoxing, Yue Fei defeated Jin and the puppet Qi forces, recovered six commanderies including Xiangyang, and successively held the posts of Han-yang military commissioner, Qingyuan military commissioner, and Hubei Jingxiang-Tanzhou military commissioner, while stationed at Ezhou. In the fifth year he suppressed the uprising of Yang Yao, was redesignated commander of the Rear Protector Army, and remained stationed at Wuchang for eight years; in the sixth year he was stationed at Xiangyang, recovered counties southwest of Luoyang, and established contact with the Taihang volunteer forces.

In the tenth year of Shaoxing, he led a northern expedition, recovering Cai, Zheng, and Luoyang, defeating Wuzhu at Yancheng, and advancing to Zhuxianzhen in preparation for crossing the Yellow River. Gaozong and Qin Hui pressed for peace, and in a single day twelve golden tallies ordered him to withdraw, forcing him to return.

In the eleventh year of Shaoxing, Yue Fei was summoned to Lin’an, relieved of his military command, and appointed vice commissioner of the Privy Council; he was soon falsely accused by Moqi Xie and others and imprisoned in the Court of Judicial Review on a charge of treason. Qin Hui regarded him with hostility, and the Jin made Yue Fei’s death a condition of peace; he was killed under the charge called “莫須有,” at the age of thirty-nine, and his place of death is given as Lin’an. The execution order is attributed to Gaozong.

Family

His father was Yue He, his mother Yao, and his younger brother Yue Fan (岳飜); his wife was Li, and his daughter was Yue Yinping.

His five sons were Yue Yun (1119–1141), Yue Lei, Yue Lin, Yue Zhen, and Yue Ting.

His grandsons included Yue Fu and Yue Ke; later descendants included the sixth-generation descendants Yue Jun and Yue Shidi, the seventh-generation descendant Yue Zhongming, the ninth-generation descendant Yue Hong, and the direct descendant Yue Zhen.

Posthumous honors and writings

During Xiaozong’s reign, he was posthumously given the name Wumu, and Ningzong posthumously enfeoffed him as Prince of E; the date of that enfeoffment is variously given as the fourth year of Jiatai (1204) or the fourth year of Jiading (1211), while Lizong later changed his posthumous name to Zhongwu.

His writings were collected as Yue Wumu ji; the collections Yue Ewang wenji and Yue Zhongwu wang ji are also listed, and the transmitted corpus includes thirteen poems and three lyrics.

During a renewed return to Ezhou in the eighth year of Shaoxing, he wrote “Manjianghong: A Feeling on Climbing the Yellow Crane Tower,” expressing the hope of returning to continue his visit to Hanyang and ride a yellow crane. In his commemoration, Yellow Crane Tower Park has erected a pavilion with his posthumous portrait, a bronze statue, a “Serve the Country with Complete Loyalty” archway, and a stone inscription of his hand reading “Restore Our Rivers and Mountains.”