Yue Fei executed at Lin'an

1142

The Southern Song general whose victories against the Jin had terrified the Jurchen court was recalled and executed on trumped-up charges by the emperor's chief councilor Qin Hui, who needed a scapegoat for the Treaty of Shaoxing. Yue Fei became China's most enduring symbol of loyal patriotism. Temples in his honor still stand across China, and the bronze kneeling statues of Qin Hui before his tomb are spat upon by visitors to this day.