Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

"The royal army has pacified the Central Plains... I wonder if I'll ever live to see it!"

Yue Fei looked extremely dejected; compared to before, his spirit and energy had visibly diminished by more than half.

He seemed to realize that his long-cherished dream of a northern expedition, of recovering lost territories and welcoming back the two emperors, was now just a pipe dream.

If only the current emperor were Emperor Zhao Jiu!

Yue Fei didn't care whether he would have a peaceful end, nor did he care whether he was granted a title of king.

As long as we can drive the Jurchens out and avenge the blood feud of Jingkang,

Even if he were killed by the authorities, Yue Fei felt he would die without regret.

Even without Emperor Zhao Jiu, a monarch like Liu Shan would have been fine!

For example, the Four Generals of the Southern Song Dynasty, these four main commanders who resisted the Jin Dynasty.

However, Liu Guangshi, one of these four, was not as capable as he seemed. He repeatedly fled south when he encountered the enemy and, like Zhao Gou, feared the Jurchens.

The remaining three all strongly advocated resisting the Jin dynasty, especially Yue Fei, who was the most capable and also the one whose fate is most tragic.

[As for Yue Fei, from beginning to end, his goal never changed; it boiled down to just two words.]

[The Northern Expedition!!!]

Marshal Yue!

The people of northern China during the Southern Song Dynasty knelt down and cried out loudly as if they had seen a savior.

Yue Fei's army was the only glimmer of light they hoped for in their long darkness.

As soon as Yue Fei's army arrived, the Jurchens became like mice before a cat, completely losing their former arrogance.

But in the end...

"Is someone planning a northern expedition?"

Upon hearing the words "Northern Expedition," Liu Shan jumped to his feet, his eyes gleaming.

He was familiar with those two words.

Liu Shan consistently provided full support for Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions.

Even after Zhuge Liang's death and Jiang Wei's numerous Northern Expeditions, Liu Shan never uttered a single word of dissent.

For Liu Shan, it didn't matter who wanted to launch the Northern Expedition.

I must lend a hand!

Zhu Yuanzhang let out a long sigh, his breath filled with unspeakable regret.

"Yue Fei was utterly loyal to his country, dedicating his entire heart to the Northern Expedition!"

"But in the end, he gave his loyalty to the wrong person!"

"Such a loyal minister is truly rare."

Since the Southern Song Dynasty, Yue Fei can be considered the greatest regret of the Han people.

Zhu Yuanzhang grew up listening to stories of Yue Fei, and he deeply hated Zhao Gou, Qin Hui, and others who persecuted Yue Fei.

Even as a child, Zhu Yuanzhang had this idea: why didn't Yue Fei just ignore Zhao Gou's orders and march north to destroy the Jin people?

Now that Zhu Yuanzhang has become emperor, he focuses more on Yue Fei's loyalty and integrity.

Such a loyal subject was unfortunately born at the wrong time and was unjustly killed by Zhao Gou.

If a different monarch had ruled, would the outcome have been different?

Yue Fei, courtesy name Pengju, was born in Tangyin, Xiangzhou in the second year of the Chongning era. His family was poor and had been farmers for generations.

[He was fond of reading Zuo Zhuan and Sun Tzu's Art of War from a young age, and he also possessed superhuman strength. Before he reached adulthood, he could draw a bow weighing 300 jin and a crossbow with a draw weight of 8 shi.]

In the first year of the Jingkang era, the Jin army launched a major southward invasion. Yue Fei joined the army, and the words "Serve the country with utmost loyalty" were engraved on his back.

After the establishment of the Southern Song Dynasty, Yue Fei initially served under Zong Ze. After Zong Ze's death, Yue Fei went south.

In the fourth year of the Jianyan era, Yue Fei recaptured Jiankang and defeated the Jin army at Qingshuiting and Niutou Mountain.

Afterwards, they fought in Yixing, Taizhou, and Gaoyou, suppressing local rebels and bandits, gradually forming the army later known as the "Yue Family Army".

"Serving the country with utmost loyalty—good, what a noble ambition!!"

Zhao Xu clapped his hands in praise, saying that a general like Yue Fei was the kind of minister every emperor dreamed of.

He's a formidable fighter, invincible in battle, and most importantly, loyal.

"In the second year of Chongning..."

Just hearing the reign title, Zhao Xu already understood that it must have been during the time when Zhao Ji had just become emperor.

Chongning must have admired the Xining Reforms.

At this time, Emperor Huizong still intended to continue implementing the new laws.

"If I can live another twenty years, a minister like Yue Fei will be at my service!"

"Twenty years..."

"Perhaps twenty years from now, Yue Fei won't even have a chance to use his talents!"

Zhao Xu rubbed his fair hands. Ever since he moved out of the palace, improved his diet, and started practicing the Five Animal Frolics that had been mentioned on the screen,

He felt as if the energy in his body was constantly increasing.

As a result, he felt much stronger.

Moreover, Zhao Xu felt that he was in better shape than before in that aspect.

If things continue like this, it's only a matter of time before I have children.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han,

"Yue Family Army?"

The appearance of these three words caused Liu Che's expression to shift between anger and uncertainty.

If the image on the screen hadn't mentioned Yue Fei, Liu Che would probably have blurted out, "A traitorous minister, harboring treacherous intentions."

How can an army's name be the surname of its general?

In that case, whose orders should this army take?

Have they become the general's private army?

It's no wonder that Liu Che harbored suspicions; a similar thing had happened to his grandfather, Emperor Wen of Han.

Zhou Yafu, that brute,

His taxi driver even dared to say, "In the army, we obey the general's orders, not the emperor's edicts."

What are they trying to do? Are they planning a rebellion?

How can such a thing be allowed?!

In particular, I must oppose deposing Crown Prince Liu Rong. If he is not deposed, how can I remain Crown Prince?

A cold glint flashed across Liu Che's face. If it were him, he would also have dealt with Zhou Yafu!

After that, Yue Fei won a series of victories. In the fourth year of the Shaoxing era, Yue Fei led his army on a northern expedition and recovered the six counties of Xiangyang.

This was the first large-scale recovery of lost territory since the establishment of the Southern Song Dynasty. After the war, Yue Fei was appointed Military Governor of Qingyuan Army at the age of 32.

The Yue Family Army under Yue Fei's command instilled fear in the Jurchens.

At its peak, Yue Fei's army numbered approximately 100,000, with the Beiwei Army being the most elite. They were renowned for their ability to defeat cavalry with infantry, achieving a remarkable feat of decisively defeating Jin Wuzhu's 15,000 heavy cavalry in open plains without chariot formations.

In the Battle of Yingchang, Yue Yun led 800 elite cavalrymen to charge head-on into Jin Wuzhu's army of over 100,000 men.

The bloody battle raged from dawn until noon, with "men covered in blood and horses covered in blood."

[Finally, Xia Jinwu, son-in-law of Jinwuzhu, and Nianhan Suobojin, deputy commander, were killed.]

In contrast to their formidable battle record was the Yue Family Army's extremely strict military discipline.

We would rather freeze to death than dismantle houses, starve to death than loot, and never harass the people.

The Jin people lamented, "It is easier to shake a mountain than to shake Yue Fei's army."

"We're not seeing things, are we...?"

Many generals stared blankly, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Is this the kind of record a human could achieve?

Pure infantry decisively defeated heavy cavalry, even 15,000 men.

Since their emergence, cavalry has almost become the decisive force on the battlefield.

Especially when the cavalry charged, the sheer number of horses galloping was truly earth-shaking.

If they were light cavalry, it would be fine, but if they were given heavy armor, turning them into heavy cavalry...

Those were truly a line of large transport trucks rushing in.

Infantry defeating cavalry is not unprecedented.

In the Battle of Junji Mountain, Li Ling's 5,000 infantrymen were surrounded by 80,000 Xiongnu cavalry.

Li Ling used large carts to form a ring of camp, with halberds and shields in the front and powerful crossbows in the rear, killing and wounding tens of thousands of Xiongnu.

Liu Yu also used a crescent-shaped formation with 2,700 infantrymen to decisively defeat 30,000 heavy cavalry of the Northern Wei.

However, both battles benefited from the terrain and the use of chariots.

And what about Yue Fei's Beiwei Army?

Infantry charging head-on against heavy cavalry?

Who exactly said that the Song Dynasty was incapable of fighting against foreign enemies?

That's amazing!!!