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

The preconditions for peace proposed by the Jin people were clear to everyone.

The main reason was that Yue Fei was truly a formidable warrior; even his infantry could rout the elite cavalry of the Jin Dynasty.

If Yue Fei were allowed to continue living, what would happen if the Jurchens were to invade the south again and Yue Fei were to return to public life?

Yue Fei was only thirty-nine years old; he could have lived for at least several decades.

Therefore, to solve this major problem once and for all, we must eliminate it directly.

But the key point is that Zhao Gou actually agreed.

How could he possibly agree?!

During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty,

"Yue Fei was loyal, but he was unjustly killed by Zhao Gou and Qin Hui."

Emperor Yongzheng spoke indifferently, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger, and casually brushed aside the matter of Yue Fei.

Yue Fei was indeed a loyal minister, but his opponents were a more sensitive group.

Although the Qing Dynasty changed the clan name to Manchu, they were ultimately descendants of the Jin Dynasty.

How can we praise Yue Fei without any scruples?

Therefore, starting from the Yongzheng era, Yue Fei was removed from the Temple of Martial Arts, while Guan Yu's status was greatly elevated.

After all, Guan Yu's loyalty was primarily to his lord, while Yue Fei's loyalty was for the country.

If we continue to extol Yue Fei, what if those Han people really start clamoring to resist the Jin and restore the Han?

Therefore, the Qing Dynasty mainly emphasized Yue Fei's loyalty to the emperor, portraying him as a model of loyalty regardless of whether the monarch was right or wrong.

As for Yue Fei's role in recovering the Central Plains and fighting against the Jurchens, that aspect has gradually faded from memory.

If it undermines the national policy of "Manchu and Han as one family," it will be detrimental to the rule!

Faced with the Jin people's condition of killing Yue Fei, Zhao Gou, as the most filial son of the Jin Dynasty, naturally had no objections.

Moreover, Zhao Gou had long wanted to kill Yue Fei.

On the one hand, Yue Fei's slogan for the Northern Expedition was "Welcome back the two emperors," but what would happen after that? Would he abdicate the throne to Emperor Qinzong Zhao Huan?

On the other hand, Yue Fei was a military general, and the Song Dynasty had a long-standing tradition of valuing civil officials over military ones. After the Miao-Liu Rebellion, Zhao Gou became even more suspicious of military generals.

[Yue Fei's army was powerful and prestigious, and Yue Fei himself repeatedly petitioned for the early establishment of an heir apparent.]

In Zhao Gou's view, Yue Fei was threatening the monarch and interfering in the affairs of the state.

Under a multitude of factors, Zhao Gou made the decision to kill Yue Fei.

In April of the eleventh year of the Shaoxing reign, Yue Fei returned to the capital and was appointed as the Deputy Privy Councilor, but his military power was stripped away. Meanwhile, the other two of the Four Generals of the Restoration, Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun, were transferred from the army at the same time.

In August, Yue Fei was dismissed from his position as Deputy Privy Councilor and appointed Commissioner of the Wanshou Temple.

In October, Yue Fei was imprisoned in Dali Temple on the pretext that he had instructed his subordinate Zhang Xian to seize Xiangyang and plot a rebellion.

[Initially, Qin Hui appointed He Zhu, the Imperial Censor, to preside over the trial. He Zhu believed that Yue Fei was innocent, but Qin Hui was displeased and said: This is the Emperor's will. In the end, Wan Qixie, who had a grudge against Yue Fei, was chosen to preside over the trial.]

Wan Qixie fabricated charges against Yue Fei, ultimately convicting him of: lingering without advancing, observing the outcome of the battle, criticizing the emperor, and plotting to seize Xiangyang as part of a coup.

Such arguments are naturally unconvincing.

Han Shizhong was indignant and questioned Qin Hui, who replied: "The matter is fabricated."

Huh? What does that mean?

"Moxuyou" is a colloquial expression unique to the Song Dynasty; these three characters never appeared in previous dynasties.

"Moxu, doesn't that mean 'unnecessary'?"

Some people in the Tang Dynasty were puzzled because the word "莫须" in the Tang Dynasty meant "unnecessary."

These two characters have appeared in numerous documents and poems.

However, in this context, it seems particularly unreasonable.

【莫须有 (Moxuyou) is a colloquial term unique to the Song Dynasty. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty, 莫须 originally meant "unnecessary" or "unnecessary".】

However, by the Song Dynasty, its meaning had changed to "perhaps" or "probably".

Therefore, we can interpret Qin Hui's words as suggesting that this was probably true.

"Isn't this just wild guessing?!"

"This is a frame-up! This is a frame-up!"

"Arrested on the spot, what a fine 'arrested on the spot'!"

"Zhao Gou and Qin Hui were utterly shameless!"

The unfounded message displayed on the sky caused all those from before the Song Dynasty to curse and swear.

Where has this ever happened before?

To execute a loyal and capable minister who was as loyal as could be for such a reason is simply the most ridiculous thing in the world!

If the emperor could do that, he could simply kill anyone he deemed guilty without needing evidence.

How can one win over the world and the hearts of the people?

"In all my years, this is truly the first time I've ever seen such a crime!"

Li Shimin tilted his head, speaking incredulously.

After such a clear-cut situation emerged, how could the officials of the Southern Song Dynasty still be loyal to the emperor and the country?

This is just like Zhu Qizhen killing Yu Qian. Future officials who want to do things should think about Yue Fei's fate first.

"Qin Hui!! He deserves to die!!"

Cheng Yaojin roared, clenching his right fist and threatening to slam it down, venting his anger.

As a military general, he understood Yue Fei's thoughts. How could Yue Fei possibly be thinking of rebelling?

"The mastermind behind it all wasn't Qin Hui; it was all Zhao Gou's orders."

Wei Zheng said coldly,

If Zhao Gou were an emperor like Zhao Jiu, how could Qin Hui have said such a thing?

Ultimately, Qin Hui was merely a mouthpiece for Zhao Gou.

"Now I understand why later generations harbor such deep resentment towards Zhao Gou."

"Could this be the same King Kang from before?"

Li Shimin now felt that, let alone letting Liu Shan replace Zhao Gou, even if Sima Zhong were to take the throne, he might do a better job than Zhao Gou.

Although Sima Zhong was a bit simple-minded and slow-witted, he was a good boy.

He couldn't possibly do something like killing Yue Fei.

Moreover, Sima Zhong also had a son with exceptional talent.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Song,

"Beasts, idiots, two idiots who deserve to be buried alive!!"

"Is this how you're supposed to be applied to 'emphasizing civil affairs over military matters'?"

"Don't you even know what time it is?"

Zhao Guangyi was utterly devastated at this point, wondering why everything was being blamed on his prioritization of civil officials over military ones.

When he implemented a policy of emphasizing civil affairs over military matters, the country was generally at peace.

What about Zhao Gou at that time?

Externally, the Jurchens invaded; internally, displaced people rebelled.

At this point, is it appropriate to prioritize civil affairs over military matters?

Even killing a donkey after it has finished grinding the millstone is done after the millstone has been used; dismantling a bridge after crossing the river should only be done after the bridge has been crossed.

Who could have known that Zhao Gou was such a genius?

Zhao Guangyi really wanted to crack open Zhao Gou's skull to see if he had a brain inside!

The charges against Yue Fei had been decided, and he was sentenced to beheading. However, Zhao Gou, in order to demonstrate his exceptional leniency, changed the sentence, allowing Yue Fei to commit suicide in prison instead of being executed in the marketplace.

In the Song Dynasty, allowing ministers to commit suicide in prison was considered a relatively lenient way to die.

Zhao Gou may have felt that he had treated Yue Fei very well, and may even have been complacent about it.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Yue Fei died in prison at Dali Temple at the age of 39, the peak of his military career.

His son, Yue Yun, and his general, Zhang Xian, were sentenced to beheading and publicly executed in the middle of the city.

It is worth mentioning that Yue Yun was originally sentenced to imprisonment, but Zhao Gou changed the sentence at the last minute, sentencing him to beheading.

[Subsequently, Yue Fei's property was confiscated, and his wife was exiled to Lingnan.]

After Yue Fei's death, his remains should have been left to rot in the wilderness. However, a jailer named Wei Shun risked his life to secretly carry them out of the Dali Temple prison and bury them in the Jiuqu Congci Temple in Lin'an. He kept this a secret from everyone until his deathbed, when he told his son about it.

If it weren't for this jailer, Yue Fei would probably have ended up dead in the wilderness.