Stories from Ancient China: Yue Yun is Loyal, Courageous, Kind and Devoted; His Fame and Glory Will Last Forever

Yue Yun, Yue Fei's eldest son, was a loyal, courageous, kind and devoted young general; he is truly a rare person. Holding great aspirations from a very young age, he wanted to be like his father, Yue Fei, and serve the country loyally. He was intelligent, righteous, and successful in many military endeavours. At the age of twenty-three, Yue Yun and his father were framed and killed by the cunning minister, Qin Gui. With his pure heart and righteous spirit, Yue Yun is being remembered as a courageous Chinese patriot.

Yue Yun was seven years old when Yue Fei left home to defend the country against the Jin army. Many town residents gathered to see Yue Fei off. Yue Yun also rushed there and asked his father, "I heard in school that people had gathered to see you off. Where are you going? And what are you going to do?" Yue Fei replied, "I thought that since you are young, you would be heartbroken if you were told. Now, since you are here, I will tell you. I was summoned by the new Emperor to destroy the Jin army and to protect our country. You need to show filial piety to your grandmother, respect your mother, take care of your siblings, and study hard." Yue Yun replied, "Yes father, I will follow your words. Please do not destroy the entire Jin army. Please leave half of them for me to destroy." Yue Fei said, "Nonsense! Return home immediately!" Since Yue Yun was still a young boy, and did not take the separation that seriously. He bowed to his father and cheerfully returned home.

Yue Yun remembered his father's words and showed filial piety to the elderly, took care of his younger siblings, studied hard and practised martial arts every day. He was very intelligent. When he was twelve, several teachers asked to have another teacher assigned as he had grown beyond their knowledge. Yue Yun followed Yue Fei's study curriculum on his own and learnt every single military strategy from the books. He was very enthusiastic about practising martial arts. He once dreamt that two generals were teaching him the "double hammer method," and sensed he already knew how to use the hammers. He asked someone to make a pair of silver hammers that weighted eighty-two kilos. He loved carrying them around and practised diligently.

One day, someone reported that 5,000 soldiers were on their way to take Yue Fei's family hostage. They wanted Yue Fei to surrender. No one knew what to do. Yue Yun said to his grandmother and mother, "Do not despair! I will defeat them." His grandmother said, "What do you know? How can a young boy like you boast about something like this!" Yue Yun replied, "If I cannot defeat them, you can still escape." He then led heads of households and people from surrounding villages to meet the enemy. The enemy's general, Xue Li Hua Bao, was ready to fight Yue Yun. He thought Yue Yun was young and did not expect him to be deft and quick. Before he could strike Yue Yun with his knife, Yue Yun had already thrown him off his horse. This took the vice-general, Zhang Zhaonu, by surprise, so he grabbed an axe to strike Yue Yun. Yue Yun used one hammer to ward off the axe, and the other hammer to hit back at Zhang Zhaonu. Zhang Zhaonu could not avoid the hammer and died. Upon seeing the death of their commander in chief, the soldiers turned around and ran away. Yue Yun returned to the village victoriously.

Because Yue Yun witnessed the brutal killings and the devastation of his beautiful homeland by the Jin army, he was determined to join the army to serve his country. When he heard that his father was trapped on Mount Niutou while protecting Emperor Song Gaozong, and that the military was in a tight spot, he wrote a letter to his grandmother and left for Mount Niutou the same evening. He attacked the Jin camp and killed the soldiers. Then he rushed toward the mountain. Upon seeing seven truce tablets hanging outside his father's military camp, Yue Yun became very angry. He swung the silver hammers and crushed the tablets into pieces. When Yue Fei realised that the person who disregarded military discipline was the son he had not seen for years, he was in great distress. However, to follow established military discipline regulations, Yue Fei had to execute Yue Yun. The generals tried to dissuade Yue Fei and said, "Yue Yun is still young, and it's his first time eh has made a mistake. The reason why we hung the truce tablets is because no one in the Song military camp can defeat Jin Wushu's son, Jin Chanzi. We suggest that Yue Yun fight the enemy and redeem himself." Yue Fei agreed to allow his son to face the enemy. The generals secretly suggested to Yue Yun, "If you cannot defeat the enemy, then at least try to get out of the enemy's camp and run home to your grandmother." Yue Yun did not let anyone down and was exceptionally brave. In front of the two armies, he struck Jin Chanzi to death with his silver hammers. The Yue troop won the battle, and Yue Yun established great merit for dissolving the crisis at Mount Niutou.

Growing up in the military environment, Yue Yun gradually matured and became the young hero of the military in the battlefield. At every battle, Yue Yun was on the front line and won every single battle. He was called by his comrades in arms, "The Invincible Official." When they regained Sui Zhou and Deng Zhou, sixteen-year-old Yue Yun fought on the front line. He was invincible wherever he went. He was the first one to reach Cheng Yuan in Sui Zhou. Afterwards, he immediately led the troop toward the north and regained Deng Zhou. When Jin Wushu attacked Xu Chang, Yue Fei ordered Yue Yun to lead the troop to meet the enemy head-on. During the brief contact with the Jin army, Yue Yun took the lead and defeated the enemy with a surprise attack, capturing seventy-eight leaders of the Jin army. In this battle, Yue Yun destroyed Jin Wushu's power and increased the Yue army's morale. Jin Wushu was extremely shocked by their loss and sighed deeply, "It's easy to shake the mountain, but very difficult to shake the Yue army!" Several times, Yue Fei sent Yue Yun to transport rice to the victims who suffered from famine and to help people in dire distress. He was sympathetic to the soldiers and cared about the people. Therefore, he gained popularity with the officers and the commoners.

Yue Fei was extremely strict with Yue Yun. One time, Yue Yun fell off the horse when he was practising mounting the horse while wearing heavy armour. His father almost beheaded him. Although the generals pleaded against it, he still received forty military beatings. Yue Yun excelled in his military studies and had many accomplishments to his name. However, when Yue Fei reported the officers and soldiers' military accomplishments, he never mentioned Yue Yun's achievements. Furthermore, Yue Fei did not accept promotions offered to Yue Yun by the Imperial Court. Yue Yun was very much influenced by his father's desire for a simple life. Yue Fei disliked the cutthroat behaviour of politicians, and was known for his loyal, honest, and upright character. At a young age, Yue Yun had little desire for fame and profit, and didn't worry about his father not reporting his military accomplishments. He paid no attention to any of that, as he only wanted to regain the lost territory and his homeland. When men of outstanding talent, intelligence, and courage came to have martial arts matches with him, Yue Yun made friends with them and created a pact with them to serve the country together.

Minister Qin Gui brought false charges against Yue Fei using the term "mu xu you" (fabricated charges). He knew that Yue Fei's general, Zhang Xian, was very brave. Qin Gui forged Yue Fei's handwriting and signature and wrote a letter to Yue Yun and Zhang Xian. They were deceived by the letter and were also imprisoned. One of Yue Fei's generals, Zhang Bao, came to visit them in prison and pleaded with Yue Fei, "Let's fight our way out." Yue Fei replied, "Since ancient times, loyal officials have not been afraid of death. Let's see how long that traitor is going to last while exposed in broad daylight!" Zhang Bao then asked the other two, and they responded, "I am a loyal official, and I am a devoted son. If Yue Fei does not want to fight his way out, then how can the two of us leave?" Qin Gui killed Yue Fei, Yue Yun, and Zhang Xian on the evening of the Chinese New Year in 1142 A.D. People were in tears when they heard the news, and held great hatred towards Qin Gui. They made flour dough into a human shape, fried it in a wok, and named it "Pan-Fried Gui." Later on, they cast galvanised iron into the shape of Qin Gui, and made it kneel in front of Yue Fei's grave.

Hundreds of years later, people fondly remember the heroic Yue Fei, Yue Yun, and the loyal generals, whilst despising and detesting the traitorous officials like Qin Gui. Today, Jiang Zemin and the Chinese Communist Party have framed and are persecuting Falun Gong. More and more righteous people have stepped forward to urge them to stop the persecution, and are expending much effort to save the innocent good people that believe in "Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance." The righteous ones will eventually triumph, and the evildoers will forever be cast down and remembered in the hall of shame. History and people will clearly show who is righteous and who is evil, and who is the true hero!

A poem was written to praise Yue Yun: "A brave young man goes to the battlefield, his high aspiration and strong spirit melt the autumn frost. He gains high honour by serving the country and the people. His name will forever be praised"