In the Southern Song Dynasty’s Shaoxing realm, Zhu Xian Town.
Seeing Yue Fei’s confused expression, the palace attendant smiled slightly and leaned in, whispering:
“The Emperor certainly received it. This golden token was also issued after receiving the report.”
The meaning was clear!
Zhao Gou had received Li Ruoxu’s military report, but still sent a golden token, ordering all troops to withdraw!
Could it be that the Emperor was again swayed by treacherous ministers at court, wishing to negotiate peace with the Jin Dynasty?
Yue Fei’s eyes narrowed, and the first person he thought of was Qin Hui, the current prime minister trusted by Zhao Gou!
It must be Qin Hui who spoke to Zhao Gou, prompting the Emperor to issue the golden token and order the Yue Family Army to withdraw!
Thinking of this, Yue Fei felt unwilling. He took the golden token, just as he was about to persuade the palace attendant to wait a moment while he wrote a petition to be presented to the Emperor, explaining the current favorable situation—the recapture of the former capital and the promise of a glorious resurgence of the Southern Song Dynasty—he suddenly heard the voice of the golden board:
【The Yue Family Army is extremely strong, the strongest in the world. They have fought countless battles and crushed countless foes. If Han Shizhong is an unparalleled military genius, then Yue Fei is a legendary commander unmatched for a century!】
【The Yue Family Army has a resounding slogan, "Starve rather than plunder, freeze rather than dismantle houses." They are the only army in that era that has won the hearts of the people. Their battle prowess is fierce, so much so that the Jin army, their enemy, also fears and admires them immensely!】
【However, Zhao Gou has been a surrenderist from the very beginning. The Jin army's repeated incursions into the south and searches for mountains and seas have extinguished Zhao Gou's courage to fight against the Jin. All he thinks about is peace talks, even if the Jin army captures and mistreats his mother and wife, even if the Jin army destroys the Southern Song temples and tombs, he doesn't care!】
【And Qin Hui, this "pro-peace" figure, is deeply trusted by Zhao Gou. Earlier, the Yue Family Army recaptured Xiangyang and even launched a Northern Expedition, encircling Kaifeng. This was merely to give the Southern Song Dynasty some leverage for peace negotiations, hoping that Zhao Gou and his court could live comfortably in a corner, enjoying the prosperity of the south. 】
【Therefore, when the Yue Family Army achieved extraordinary feats and stationed their troops in Zhu Xian Town, just a step away from Kaifeng, Zhao Gou issued a decree to the front lines, ordering them to withdraw, and sent a palace attendant to deliver the golden token of withdrawal to Yue Fei.】
Seeing the words on the golden board, Yue Fei’s breath caught. The Yue Family Army collectively widened their eyes, clenched their fists, and their faces flushed red!
The palace attendant was also taken aback.
Unexpectedly, even the Emperor’s current actions were foreseen by this golden board?
Doesn’t that mean that the future of the Southern Song Dynasty also cannot escape the eyes of the golden board?
At this moment, Yue Fei abandoned his intention to petition. He simply stared at the golden board, watching the future events revealed by the golden board:
【Yue Fei couldn’t understand. What kind of dynasty would stop its own army from reclaiming its former capital? Yue Fei was filled with grief and indignation, and wrote a petition, vehemently opposing the withdrawal.】
【The petition clarified the situation at the time. If the Song army marched north, with the Jin army in complete defeat, reclaiming the capital would be effortless. But Zhao Gou wouldn't listen. He issued twelve golden tokens in a row, forcing Yue Fei to withdraw, not allowing any delay!】
【Yue Fei was bewildered and shocked. He cried out in grief, "My ten years of effort have been wasted in a moment. It's not that I'm incompetent, but the treacherous minister Qin Hui is misleading His Majesty!"】
【But no matter how grief-stricken Yue Fei was, he couldn’t disobey the Emperor’s order. The Yue Family Army had to retreat. At this time, Yue Fei still didn't realize where the problem lay. This was not just the will of the treacherous minister Qin Hui, but also the intention of Zhao Gou himself!】
【In the ninth month of the ninth year of Shaoxing, on the nineteenth day, Yue Fei withdrew. Liu Qi and Han Shizhong also retreated shortly after. Wanyan Zongbi was overjoyed and immediately ordered Kong Yan Zhou to retake Kaifeng. Zhao Gou even ordered Yang Yi Zhong to lead the Three Regiments of the Imperial Army north. The purpose was that if Yue Fei and the others refused to retreat and insisted on a Northern Expedition, the army would be ready for an internal conflict, to forcibly arrest Yue Fei.】
【The Northern Expedition ended in this way. Hundreds of thousands of loyalists who had been looking forward to this in the north were brutally slaughtered by the Imperial Army. Yue Fei was filled with grief and indignation. After returning to the capital, he pleaded to be relieved of his military duties, but Zhao Gou wouldn't allow it.】
【In the eleventh year of Shaoxing, Wanyan Zongbi invaded the south again. Yue Fei led the army to assist Huai West for the third time. After this battle, the Jin army feared the powerful Yue Family Army and negotiated peace with the Southern Song Dynasty again. In the peace conditions, they added a clause: Yue Fei must die.】
【Zhao Gou and Qin Hui were overjoyed. In April, they removed Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong, and Yue Fei, the main advocates for war, from their military posts and assigned them to the Privy Council in Lin’an. Yue Fei repeatedly pleaded to resign due to illness, but Zhao Gou wouldn't allow it. Moreover, Zhao Gou and Qin Hui secretly promised Zhang Jun that after the matter was settled, they would allow him to annex the troops of Yue Fei and Han Shizhong. This made Zhang Jun very happy.】
【In May, the court divided Han Shizhong's troops. Wan Qi Xie and Luo Ru Ji, Qin Hui’s cronies, accused Yue Fei of “delaying his advance” during the Huai West campaign, resulting in Yue Fei’s dismissal and assignment to the meaningless post of “Wanshou Guan Shi” (Wanshou Temple Official), where he was sent into forced retirement in Lushan Mountain, Jiangzhou.】
【At this point, Yue Fei no longer had military power and was placed under house arrest, losing any threat. But Zhao Gou and Qin Hui pressed on, first using Zhang Jun to coerce and lure Wang Gui, the number two figure in the Yue Family Army, into a scheme to arrest Zhang Xian, Yue Yun, and other main generals of the Yue Family Army. Then, they used torture to extract confessions from Zhang Xian and others, accusing them of treason and arresting Yue Fei, who was tried by the Three Departments.】
【Qin Hui’s crony, He Zhu, questioned Yue Fei about his treason. Yue Fei unbuttoned his clothes, revealing four large characters on his back—Loyal and Patriotic. This surprised He Zhu, who intended to rescue Yue Fei.】
【But Qin Hui wouldn’t allow it. Soon, He Zhu, who sympathized with Yue Fei, was dismissed from his post. Wan Qi Xie, who harbored a grudge against Yue Fei, took over as the presiding judge of Yue Fei's trial. In prison, Yue Fei remained unyielding. No matter how cruelly Wan Qi Xie tortured him, Yue Fei remained unmoved.】
【Upon hearing this, Han Shizhong also wanted to rescue Yue Fei. He tried to persuade Qin Hui to let Yue Fei go, but Qin Hui replied with three words, "It’s not necessary," rejecting Han Shizhong. Helpless, Han Shizhong never inquired about Yue Fei again.】
【After that, the Song and Jin reached a peace treaty. All the land that Yue Fei had reclaimed earlier was returned to the Jin Dynasty. The territory of the Southern Song Dynasty was greatly reduced, and there was no longer any possibility of a Northern Expedition to defend the country and restore the nation.】
【Furthermore, the Jin peace treaty stipulated that Qin Hui could not be dismissed as prime minister, which further confirmed Qin Hui’s identity as a traitor. But at this time, Zhao Gou was enamored with temporary wealth and peace, and had already handed over power to Qin Hui.】
【On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth month of the eleventh year of Shaoxing, New Year’s Eve, Yue Fei was murdered in the Dali Temple prison. On the confession that Wan Qi Xie handed over to Yue Fei to press down on, Yue Fei left his final words in life—The heavens will clear my name! The heavens will clear my name!】
【These were Yue Fei’s last words. Shortly after, Yue Yun and Zhang Xian were beheaded, their property confiscated, and their families exiled to Guangnan.】
【When news of Yue Fei’s death spread, the common people wept, while the Jin people rejoiced, celebrating, saying, "The peace treaty is now secure!"】
【Yue Fei’s unjust case shook the heavens and the earth. Zhao Gou and Qin Hui left behind a legacy of infamy, but no one dared to overturn the case until Emperor Xiaozong Zhao Shen ascended the throne, when justice was finally done for Yue Fei. In the fourth year of Jia Tai during the reign of Emperor Ningzong, Yue Fei was posthumously awarded the title of Duke of E, and was posthumously granted the rank of Grand Tutor. In the fifth year of Chun Xi, he was posthumously given the posthumous title of "Wu Mu" (Martial and Honorable). Later, in the first year of Bao Qing during the reign of Emperor Lizong, his posthumous title was changed to "Zhong Wu" (Loyal and Martial).】
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