mtlumby2d Chapter 397 The Death of Yue Fei's Mother
Chapter 397 The Death of Yue Fei's Mother
The live broadcast continues.
"The year is March. This month, an event occurred: Yue Fei's mother, Yao, tragically passed away on March 26th. At this time, Yue Fei was still on orders to return to his army in Ezhou, planning to advance on Xiangyang."
"Such devastating news was a blow to Yue Fei, who was also a filial son."
"Although there's a saying that loyalty to one's country and filial piety are mutually exclusive, Yue Fei chose his mother at this time."
"After submitting a memorial to the Song court, he resigned his post without waiting for a reply. He then escorted the coffin with his eldest son, Yue Yun, and others, and was later buried at Mount Lu."
"After the funeral, Yue Fei did not intend to return to his post. He insisted on observing three years of mourning for his mother in accordance with the rites and stayed at Donglin Temple."
"However, Yue Fei's decision was not agreed upon by officials such as Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun. They believed that the Northern Expedition was urgent at this time, and the overall national situation should be prioritized. He could remain in office and observe mourning."
"At that time, even Li Gang, who was then the Pacification and Control Commissioner of Jiangnan West Road, wrote a letter requesting Yue Fei to send troops to the front line as soon as possible, and also wrote a letter to Yue Fei to encourage him."
"Because he has already sent the money and provisions to Yingzhou. If he doesn't go, the supply lines might be cut off, and that would be a real problem!"
"However, Yue Fei should not have agreed with these opinions. Later, Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, issued an imperial edict with a 'golden plaque' and sent it to Lushan, specifically ordering Yue Fei to [return to his post].
"However, Yue Fei still refused to respond to the three imperial edicts, especially since Tangzhou in the southwest was captured by Wang Wei, a general of the puppet Qi state, at this time, which greatly worried Zhao Gou."
Finally, Emperor Gaozong of Song, having almost lost his patience, issued a final proclamation to Yue Fei and his subordinates:
If you refuse again, you will all be punished according to the law!
"There was no other way. Yue Fei saw that even the emperor had issued such an order; his single mistake would lead to the punishment of everyone else. He would never do such a thing."
"Therefore, Yue Fei could only [shift his filial piety to loyalty], return to Ezhou, lead his troops, and set out to garrison Xianghan."
Hearing this, everyone was moved. Even though Yue Fei went to the front line to launch the Northern Expedition, they would still remember his filial piety towards his mother!
Alas, no one expected that, if we were to point fingers, no one would be at fault, but all of these things would happen at the same time!
Lin Ke's voice continued to come from the screen:
"The situation was already very serious before this Northern Expedition. For example, in mid-February, shortly after Zhang Jun had made his plans and deployments, Han Shizhong launched an offensive!"
"However, at that time Yue Fei was still in Lin'an Prefecture meeting with Emperor Gaozong of Song and could not rush to provide support. Therefore, Han Shizhong defeated the puppet Qi army in Suqian County, Huaiyang Army and besieged the city of Huaiyang Army."
"However, because the other armies were unable to coordinate with Han Shizhong, the puppet Qi garrison received reinforcements, and Han Shizhong was ultimately forced to retreat!"
"But he did not give up and asked Zhang Jun for help so that the two armies could join forces and launch a counterattack."
"It's just that Zhang Jun's strategist abilities were not up to par, and he had no experience in dealing with large-scale battles like this, so in the end he could only send Yang Yizhong to lead troops to assist him."
"As for Yang Yizhong, judging from his battles before the sixth year of the Shaoxing era, he did not have the opportunity to lead troops into battle independently."
"In the battles that followed, he excelled at fighting when the tide was in his favor, rather than large-scale battles like this."
"Therefore, in this battle against Han Shizhong, he completely ignored Han Shizhong's plans."
"Perhaps the very act of sending him out foreshadowed failure, and ultimately Han Shizhong's plan was forced to a halt."
"June arrives quickly, the weather gradually cools, and with autumn's peak season for plump crabs, it signals the start of Jinren's annual zero-yuan shopping spree in the south."
"Zhang Jun decided to abandon his offensive plan and focus on defending against Qiu, so he told his generals to [first defend themselves... and then take the opportunity to attack]."
"Zhang Jun's move made the army hesitant and timid, as if they wanted to attack but didn't want to. Even a great advantage turned into a disadvantage, which put even more pressure on other places."
"By July, Wang Yan, who was stationed in Jingnan Prefecture, had recovered, so the Song court transferred his 'Eight-Character Army' to Lin'an Prefecture."
Whether the Song court's move completely baffled Yue Fei is unclear, but it cannot be denied that:
Jinghu North Road was originally the location where the Eight-Character Army was stationed. Therefore, instead of strengthening their forces, Yue Fei's army had to bear additional pressure!
A Han Dynasty official: Pfft! Does "zero-yuan purchase" mean buying things for free? That's quite a vivid description, hahaha!
General Judy, the Northern Expeditionary General: Of course it's free! The previous times we went south, didn't we bring back people and gifts?
Emperor Zhu Zhanji of the Ming Dynasty: Not only that, but they also send everything. The Zhao family is really too hospitable!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: My mother tongue is speechless.jpg
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: They should have been annoyed by the fact that we march south every autumn and winter. I don't understand why it took eight years for them to think of retaliating!
A minor official in the Qin Dynasty: He probably spent the last few years indulging in sensual pleasures! What a waste of time!
……
In another timeline, Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu, became increasingly annoyed as he read the comments. These Jurchens were treating the Song people like a treasure trove, coming every winter to steal their grain and valuables!
Most importantly, knowing full well that there would be a calamity of the Golden Man in the autumn and winter, this good-for-nothing still didn't take it seriously!
What's wrong with you?! You just enjoy getting beaten up and having money taken from others?!
……
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han
Liu Che kept scrolling through the comments on the small screen, and couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Zero-yuan purchase, that's really a fitting term, isn't it? It's exactly what zero-yuan purchase is!"
Before anyone else could chime in, he continued, "From the perspective of the Jurchens, this is absolutely fantastic! When will the Huns be able to let us buy things for free? Hahaha!"
Wei Qing and Huo Qubing exchanged a silent glance, thinking to themselves: The Song people are rich. The Xiongnu are not!
But since His Majesty likes it, how about we bring some of their local specialties next time?
Xiongnu: ...Fine, fine! ...You're so high and mighty...You think you're so great! Not only did you attack us, but you also want the spoils of war!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke drank a glass of water, her mouth dry from talking, and then continued, "Although Zhang Jun believed and told them that autumn should not be an opportunity to attack."
"They told them to calm down and not to send troops, but Yue Fei insisted on proceeding according to the original plan."
"Therefore, Yue Fei planned to launch his operation sometime between July and August of that year."
"Especially during the autumn and winter seasons, it was certain that the Jurchens would move south; this was a consensus between both the Song and Song armies."
"Therefore, when Yue Fei informed Zhang Jun of the plan, he also said that since they know their habits and we know theirs, their defenses certainly won't be too strong, and we can use this to launch an offensive."
……