Yue Fei, a famed general of the Southern Song Dynasty, harbored the grand ambition to "storm the Golden Horde's lair at Huanglong Prefecture" and spent his life on the battlefield. He once routed 100,000 troops of the Jin commander Wuzhu with just 500 cavalry, and the mere mention of "Yue's Army" struck terror into the enemy's hearts. Unfortunately, the Southern Song court preferred appeasement, with Emperor Gaozong and the minister Qin Hui bent on peace. Wuzhu, understanding the peace faction's mindset, secretly sent a letter to Qin Hui: "Only by killing Yue Fei can peace be achieved." So Qin Hui issued twelve golden tokens in rapid succession, recalling Yue Fei from the front lines, and soon falsely accused him of treason, throwing him into prison.
At the start, Imperial Censor He Zhu was sent to interrogate Yue Fei. Yue Fei tore open the clothes on his back, revealing four large characters clearly tattooed there: "Utmost Loyalty, Serve the Country." The ink had long since sunk deep into his skin, as if branded. All the officials and attendants in the hall, recalling Yue Fei's lifelong service to the nation, were deeply moved.
The idiom "Utmost Loyalty to Serve the Country" perfectly captures Yue Fei's life. On the battlefield, he led from the front to recover lost territory, earning great merit without thought for personal gain. A general named Wu Jie admired Yue Fei and, seeing he had no concubines, sent him a famously beautiful woman dressed in finery. Yue Fei refused, saying, "The emperor toils for the state from dawn till dusk; as a high general, how can I indulge in pleasure?" In his youth, Yue Fei loved wine and could drink heavily. The emperor told him, "When you recover our lost lands, drink north of the Yellow River!" From that day, Yue Fei never touched alcohol. When the emperor offered to build him a mansion, Yue Fei declined: "Until the barbarians are wiped out, why should I have a home?" He often distributed his rewards among his soldiers, keeping nothing for himself, and said, "When civil officials love no money and military officers fear no death, the world will be at peace!"
A great loyal minister and hero like Yue Fei was actually killed by Emperor Gaozong and Qin Hui. No wonder history books repeatedly exclaim, "Alas, what injustice! Alas, what injustice!" Later, the idiom "Utmost Loyalty to Serve the Country" came to describe giving one's utmost loyalty and serving the nation.
Source: *History of Song*, "Biography of Yue Fei"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "尽忠报国" came to describe giving one's utmost loyalty and serving the nation.