In December of the same year, Yue Fei's hometown, Tangyin County, Xiangzhou, was captured by the Jin army, who set up camp there.
In May 1130 (the fourth year of Jianyan), Yue Fei led his troops to defeat the Jin army and recaptured the strategic city of Jiankang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu), driving all the Jin troops out of Jiangnan. By this time, Yue Fei had already grown from an ordinary soldier to a capable general, and he formed a powerful anti-Jin force affectionately known by the people as the "Yue Family Army";
In June 1132 (the second year of Shaoxing), Yue Fei was ordered to lead his troops to garrison Jiangzhou (now Jiujiang, Jiangxi).
After that, Yue Fei spent more than half a year in Jiangzhou, where he was well impressed by the local customs and folkways as well as the beautiful mountains and rivers.
Yue Fei loved Jiangzhou and the nearby Mount Lushan, and planned to spend the rest of his life in Jiangzhou instead of moving back to his hometown of Tangyin in the north after his success.
From May to July 1134 (the fourth year of Shaoxing), Yue Fei led his army to launch the first Northern Expedition, defeated the coalition forces of the Jin Kingdom and the Qi Dynasty, and recovered the six counties of Xianghan, including the strategic city of Xiangyang.
Afterwards, Yue Fei was ordered to lead his troops to station in Ezhou (now Wuchang, Hubei), which became the headquarters of the Yue Family Army. In August of the same year, the Southern Song court issued an order granting Yue Fei the title of Jiedushi of the Qingyuan Army, thus propelling him to become a high-ranking general of the Southern Song Dynasty.
After that, in the wars against the Jin army and to quell the civil unrest, Yue Fei made great military exploits and was continuously promoted. He was successively awarded the titles of Jiedushi of Wusheng and Dingguo Army and Taiwei. His highest official rank was Shao Bao and Kaifu Yitong Sansi of the first rank. He was also awarded the title of the founding duke of Wuchang County.
The salaries of military governors in the Song Dynasty were exceptionally high, even exceeding those of prime ministers. Calculated based on the salary standards for Yue Fei's official title, his annual salary peaked at around 11,000 strings of cash, averaging over 900 strings of cash per month.
Dong Sigao, a poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, wrote a poem called "Passing Yuejia Market", in which he wrote:
"The remaining followers of Marquis E have been farmers here for many years.
The summer heat is over in the thatched inn, and the sound of bells is heard from the pine hills.
The stream separates the valley, and the evening light loses the front peak.
Gone are the traces of immortals, and the dark clouds are tens of thousands of layers thick."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
