The Loyalty of Yue Fei

Back during the twelfth century, toward the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, China was invaded from the north. The weak imperial court was in desperate need of capable warriors.

Yue Fei was more than capable—he studied special martial arts techniques and could simultaneously shoot nine arrows through a bull's-eye 240 paces away. However, he faced a dilemma. On the one hand, he wanted to battle the invaders and defend his country; on the other hand, he wanted to stay back and look after his elderly mother. These two virtues—loyalty and filial piety—were both treasured by ancient Chinese, and now they seemed to compete. Yue Fei was torn.

To encourage him, his mother asked him to take off his shirt, and tattooed four Chinese characters on his back: jing zhong bao guo—“serve the country loyally.” Now able to fulfill both his mother’s wish and his duty to the country, Yue Fei promptly went off to battle.

As he rose through the ranks to become the Song’s most-celebrated general, Yue Fei never lost a battle. On one occasion, he stopped 100,000 Jurchen invaders with only 500 men.

He took great care of his soldiers when they were sick or injured—personally treating their wounds and calling on the families of those who died. He kept his troops to a strict moral code, forbidding them from pillaging or taking advantage of common folk. He became, and remains today, China’s symbol of unwavering loyalty.

And yet, Yue Fei’s great popularity led to great jealousy.