In the second year of Jingkang (1127), the Jin Kingdom, which had grown from the north, moved southward and looted Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. Subsequently, Zhao Gou, the ninth son of Song Huizong, ascended the throne in Yingtianfu of Shangqiu, Henan, and established the Southern Song Dynasty. As soon as Zhao Gou ascended the throne, he lived a life of displacement and misery. Pursued by the Jin soldiers, Zhao Gou fled all the way south, crossing the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River, and finally stabilized in Lin'an, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and took a breath. This is what history calls the "Jianyan South Crossing" event. .
For Zhao Gou, the two years were not smooth and smooth. In 1129, Wanyan Zongbi once again led the Jin soldiers to pursue the south, and Lin'an was looted. Unable to escape the disaster and with nowhere to escape, Song Gaozong and Zhao Gou fled to the sea in a hurry.
Just when the Jin soldiers were preparing to return to the court, Song general Han Shizhong rushed out. The mourning soldiers must win. After Han Shizhong and the Jin soldiers went through the "Battle of Huangtiandang", the already flagging Southern Song army achieved absolute victory.
The Jin soldiers hurried north. In Jiankang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu Province), Yue Fei led his army to block the attack, and the Jin soldiers were defeated.
Han Shizhong and Yue Fei boosted the spirit of the Southern Song Dynasty, which was weak and vulnerable. From then on, Jin soldiers no longer rashly went south. Han Shizhong and Yue Fei also became famous generals who fought against the Jin Dynasty.
So, compared with Yue Fei or Han Shizhong, who has a higher official position?
Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, and Liu Guangshi are collectively known as the "Four Generals of ZTE". Among them, Yue Fei ranks first among the four. Regardless of his achievements in the anti-Jin war or his reputation in the minds of future generations, Yue Fei is at a high level and can be regarded as the undisputed number one general of the Southern Song Dynasty. Yue Fei seems to be the one with the highest official position among the "Four Generals of ZTE". We need to talk about his position.
In the second year of Chongning (1103), Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Yue Fei was born in Tangyin County, Xiangzhou, Hebei West Road (today's Tangyin area, Henan Province). Like the birth of many famous figures, Yue Fei also had a beautiful legend when he came to the world. According to legend, when he was born, a large bird like a swan came from the southeast and flew over his dormitory. Therefore, Yue Fei's nickname was taken as "Pengju". According to the "Jin Tuoyang Bian": "The former minister has little sense of integrity, is taciturn, upright in nature, speaks his mind, and does not avoid misfortunes and blessings." He is gifted with a keen mind and strong memorization, and can read all books and biographies, especially "Zuo Shi Chun Qiu" and Sun Wu's Art of War. ?
Although he came from a humble background, Yue Fei has been very sensible since he was a child. He has an upright personality, is bold in dealing with things, is also extremely intelligent, and has excellent memory. He likes to read, has a wide range of interests, and can be said to be well-read. In particular, he loved "Zuo Zhuan" and the Art of War by Sun Tzu and Wu Qi. He often read it at night by candlelight, staying up all night and able to deeply understand the essence of it.
As he grew up, Yue Fei practiced arrow shooting diligently and kept improving, so he could shoot left and right and hit the target easily. ?During the training of the Yue Family Army, Yue Fei taught through words and deeds and brought out many people who were good at shooting.
Whether a person can accomplish great things depends on whether the person has the ability to accomplish great things and the environment in which he can accomplish great things. Yue Fei was born with invincible bravery and great strength. With acquired hard work, he became a hero with all-round talents in both civil and military affairs.
In the fourth year of Xuanhe (1122), when Yue Fei joined the army for the first time, he led two hundred cavalry to lure the rebel leader, set up an ambush, and captured him alive. The second year of Jingkang (1127) was a key node in the war against Jin. As soon as Zhao Gou ascended the throne, he planned to flee south. Although Yue Fei's official position was low, he resolutely wrote a letter: "I hope that your majesty will take advantage of the enemy's stronghold and lead the six armies to cross north. Then the soldiers will be strong and the Central Plains can be restored." ?
At that time, the court had different opinions. The opinion of the central government to surrender became the mainstream, and Yue Fei was dismissed because a minor minister had overstepped his duties and spoke inappropriately. But newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. On the anti-golden front, Yue Fei's bravery was appreciated by Zhang Suo, the ambassador. From then on, he began to have the right to speak and gradually became the main force in the fight against the Jin soldiers.
Wanyan Zongbi led the Jin soldiers to attack the Song Dynasty on a large scale, and Gaozong fled south. The Jin soldiers moved north, and Yue Fei regained the lost ground, blocking Wanyan Zongbi's retreat and driving him back to the north. It was advisable to leave the troops to pursue the poor bandits. After that, Yue Fei made several northern expeditions and once regained the ancient capital Luoyang.
If the trees are beautiful in the forest, the wind will destroy them. Qin Hui tried every means to frame him, and Yue Fei eventually died in prison unjustly. Before his death, Yue Fei's highest official position was deputy privy envoy. The Privy Council is the highest military institution, and the deputy is the second-in-command. Therefore, this official position is equivalent to the deputy to the highest military officer in the Southern Song Dynasty, and the official ranks in the second rank.
At the same time, he also enjoyed the honorary title of Zhengyipin Taibao.
Han Shizhong was born in Suide County, Yan'an, Shaanxi Province in the fourth year of Yuanyou's reign (1090), the reign of Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty. Shockingly similar to Yue Fei, Han Shizhong was also born with supernatural powers, strong and strong, and joined the army at the age of eighteen. In the Southern Song Dynasty army, Han Shizhong quickly showed his extraordinary military talents and talents, which surprised Tong Guan, who was in charge of border military affairs at the time.
When the Jin soldiers went south, Han Shizhong insisted on resisting the Jin in Hebei. In the third year of Jianyan (1129), a coup occurred in the Southern Song Dynasty court, and Gaozong was forced to abdicate. Because he rescued Gaozong and helped him restore his throne, Han Shizhong was reused. After Huang Tiandang besieged Yan Zongbi and achieved a great victory in Dayi Town, Han Shizhong was finally named Privy Councilor.
Yue Fei was killed by Qin Hui, and Han Shizhong felt that there was no hope of resisting the Jin Dynasty, so he resigned and went into seclusion. After leaving Jianghu, Han Shizhong was still granted the titles of Duke of Tanguo, Prince of Xian'an County, and Jiedu Envoy of Zhennan, Wu'an, and Ningguo Towns by the imperial court. What's interesting is that on the day he just passed away, the imperial edict conferring him the title of Grand Master also arrived at the same time.
From this point of view, although Yue Fei is famous, Han Shizhong's official position is still slightly higher.