In the tenth year of the Shaoxing reign of the Southern Song Dynasty (1140 AD), Jin forces launched a massive invasion southward, and Emperor Gaozong ordered the great general Yue Fei to lead a campaign in Henan.
General Yue Fei led his army in a fierce assault on Yancheng (in present-day Henan), crushing the 100,000-strong Jin army under the general Wuzhu and sending them fleeing in defeat, annihilating tens of thousands of enemies in a single stroke to achieve the famed Yancheng Victory.
Yue Fei sent messengers to the Taihang Mountains and other areas to contact the local volunteer armies, urging them to resist the Jin together. The volunteer forces from all sides responded one after another, raising banners bearing the character "Yue," preparing to join forces with Yue Fei's army.
The northern people, long bitter toward the Jin army, eagerly awaited Yue Fei's troops day and night. When the volunteer forces raised banners bearing the character "Yue," locals rushed to pull carts and lead oxen, loading grain to deliver to them. Others balanced basins on their heads, incense burning inside, waiting reverently along the roads to welcome the imperial army. The scene was bustling with excitement.
At that time, south of Yanshan, no one heeded the empire's decrees. Wuzhu tried to conscript troops to resist Yue Fei, but not a single person from north of the Yellow River answered the call. Wuzhu could only sigh, 'Since I raised my army in the north, I have never suffered such a crushing defeat as today!'
At this point, the Jin generals grew restless, with many defecting to Yue Fei. A commander named Han Chang prepared to surrender with 50,000 troops, while the fierce Jin general Wulingsimou, unable to control his own men, told them, "Do not act rashly—wait for Yue Fei's army to arrive, then surrender."
Yue Fei saw the situation was very favorable and was overjoyed. He excitedly said to his subordinates, "We will soon storm the Jin's stronghold at Huanglong Prefecture (present-day Nong'an, Jilin). When that day comes, I will surely drink heartily with all of you!"
Later, the idiom "Drink to Victory at Huanglong" came to represent the ambition to reclaim lost territory.
Source: *History of Song*, "Biography of Yue Fei"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "痛饮黄龙" came to describe the ambition to reclaim lost territory.