Yue Fei

24 March 1103 – 28 January 1142

Yue Fei (1103-1142) was a Southern Song general renowned for his campaigns against the Jurchen Jin dynasty during the Jin-Song wars. Executed on fabricated charges engineered by chancellor Qin Hui, he was posthumously rehabilitated and became China's enduring symbol of loyalty and patriotism.

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Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Yue Fei.

Life events

Born in Tangyin, Xiangzhou
24 March 1103

Yue Fei was born to a farming family in Tangyin county, in present-day Henan province.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Enlisted in the Song army
1122

Yue Fei joined the Song military as a young man, having trained in archery and the military arts.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Mother tattooed 'serve the country with utmost loyalty' on his back
c. 1126

According to popular tradition, Yue Fei's mother tattooed the characters jin zhong bao guo on his back before he went to war; the story is legendary embellishment.

Personal ?
Rose to prominence resisting the Jin invasion after the fall of Kaifeng
1127

Following the Jingkang catastrophe of 1127, Yue Fei distinguished himself in the fighting that preserved the Song dynasty south of the Yangtze.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Recovered Xiangyang and surrounding prefectures from Jin-backed forces
1134

Yue Fei's army retook the strategic middle Yangtze region, securing six prefectures around Xiangyang for the Southern Song.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Won major victories in his northern expedition, including the Battle of Yancheng
1140

In his final campaign Yue Fei defeated Jin commander Wuzhu's forces at Yancheng and advanced toward the old capital Kaifeng.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Recalled from the front by imperial order as peace talks began
1140

Tradition holds he was summoned back by twelve successive gold-plaque edicts; Yue Fei was forced to abandon his gains and return south.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Stripped of command and imprisoned on fabricated charges
1141

As chancellor Qin Hui pursued peace with the Jin, Yue Fei was relieved of his military command and jailed on charges his accusers could not substantiate.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Executed in prison in Lin'an
28 January 1142

Yue Fei was put to death in Lin'an (modern Hangzhou); he was posthumously exonerated in 1162 under Emperor Xiaozong and honored with the title Prince of E.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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