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岳家軍能征慣戰，金兀朮的軍隊一聽岳家軍來了，都怕得不得了，望風而逃。尤其是朱仙鎮一戰，把金兵打得大敗，是岳家軍聲勢最盛的時候。他並立志要直搗黃龍，直接打到金兀朮的家裡，把他們給捉回來。
岳家軍節節勝利，金兀朮撐不住，就去買通秦檜，讓他在朝廷裡極力主和，並設法去除岳飛這個眼中釘。秦檜就假藉皇帝的命令，在一天之內，連下了十二道假金牌，召岳飛回京，不讓他再和金兵交戰。雖說「將在外，君命有所不受。」但一天中連來了十二道金牌，並不尋常。再者，岳飛也不知道金牌是假的，所以就趕回京城。
岳飛也曾皈依三寶，在回京的路上，經過金山江天寺，就去拜見他的師父道嶽禪師。見了師父後，他就問師父：「這次回去，吉凶如何？」道嶽禪師勸他不要回去，最好跟他出家。岳飛覺得國家正在多事之秋，怎可以就此撒手不管？道嶽禪師覺得他主意已定，也不再多說，就送他一首偈頌，說：
歲底不足，謹防天哭；
奉下兩點，將人荼毒。
本來年三十才是年終的最後一天，但那年的十二月正好是小月，祇有二十九日，第二天就是新年初一，所以叫歲底不足；暗示岳飛在那天要特別留心，防備天哭，天都會哭了，足見是一件很重大的事。「奉」下加兩點，就是「秦」字。荼毒就是殘殺人命。這首偈頌已在暗示他回京並不是明智之舉，但岳飛當時並不很明白到底是怎麼一回事。再說，他自覺一心為國，並沒有犯什麼過錯，有什麼好害怕的？就決定還是回去碰一碰，這也是一種愚忠。
秦檜因為自己下的是假金牌，所以不等岳飛見到皇上，就先派人把他及隨從一起抓起來，關到監獄裡。果真在二十九日這一天，以「莫須有」的罪名，糊裡糊塗地就將岳飛斬於風波亭。這是糊塗人殺明白人。
岳飛臨死之前，長嘆一聲說：「我後悔當初沒有聽道嶽禪師的話，今天才會這樣不明不白地枉死於此，對國家也沒有什麼幫助。真是糊塗來，糊塗去，臨死還蓋個糊塗被。」
岳飛死後，秦檜就問殺他的人，不是監斬官，因為是偷偷的殺，「岳飛臨死前，說了些什麼？」他說：「岳飛說，悔不聽道嶽禪師的勸，今天才會身首異處。」秦檜一聽：「道嶽禪師這麼厲害！」怎麼容得了他？立刻就派何立去抓道嶽禪師。何立尚未到金天寺，道嶽禪師就已知道，遂說：
行年三十九，是非日日有；
不是為別的，只因多開口。
何立從東來，我往西邊走；
若非佛法大，豈不落他手？
我行年已經三十九了，還是終日都有是非；不是為別的，祇因講話講得太多了，所以能不講話最好了。何立從東而來，我就向西方去；如果不是佛法妙不可言，豈不就落到秦檜手中了？道嶽禪師說完此話後，就盤腿端坐圓寂了。何立到金天寺一看，禪師已經圓寂，就空手回去覆命。
岳武穆一生忠肝義膽，為國為民奔走萬里，可惜壯志未酬，就糊裡糊塗地被害於風波亭，死時才三十九歲。他被殺的風波，至今還沒有平息。後來宋寧宗知道他是位忠臣，就將他厚葬於杭州西湖之畔，諡武穆，後又追諡為鄂王。
後人因痛恨秦檜殘害忠良，就用鐵鑄成秦檜夫婦的像，跪在岳墳前懺悔。古人有副對聯說得很好：「青山有幸埋忠骨；白鐵無辜鑄奸臣。」青山很幸運，得以掩埋忠臣的屍體；而白鐵沒有罪，卻很不幸地被用來鑄成奸臣的像，受盡世人的辱罵。凡是到岳墳憑弔的人，看到秦檜跪著的鑄像，都會忍不住踢它一腳。所以秦檜的鐵像，全身都生滿了鐵鏽，惟獨屁股的地方，被踢得光溜溜的，一點鐵鏽也沒有。
雖然鐵人不怕踢，也沒有什麼痛癢的感覺，但這也顯示一個奸臣的果報，死後還被人鞭屍。這也是在警愓後人，要效法岳武穆的忠貞，以留芳千古，切不可學秦檜的奸詐，而遺臭萬年。
待續 |
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The soldiers under Yue were tough and well-tested in combat, and so the moment the troops of Jin Wuzhu heard of their coming, they were terrified and fled at the mere sight of the oncoming force. In the battle at the garrison post of Zhuxian, the Jin soldiers suffered an especially great defeat, and that was when the fame and might of the army of Yue reached its peak. Yue Fei resolved to conquer the country of Jin right then and there, directly attacking Jin Wuzhu’s house and capturing all of those inside.
Because the army of Yue gained victory after victory, Jin Wuzhu was unable to take the onslaught of its military might. Hence he bribed Qin Kuai to try his best to broker peace in the imperial court and to think of a way to eliminate Yue Fei who was a thorn in his flesh. Qin Kuai falsely used the emperor’s order, and in the space of a day, issued twelve counterfeit gold tablets successively to Yue Fei to recall him back to the capital, and to halt the battle that he was waging with the Jin soldiers. Although “a general in the battlefield has the right to disregard the command of the ruler,” it was extremely unusual to receive twelve imperial gold tablets successively within a day. Moreover, Yue Fei did not know that the gold tablets were counterfeit and so he made haste to return to the capital.
Yue Fei had taken refuge in the Triple Jewel, and on his way back to the capital, he passed by Jiangtian Monastery on Gold Mountain and decided to visit his Master, Dhyana Master Dao Yue. When they met, he asked his Master, “Is it auspicious or not to return to the capital this time?” Dhyana Master Dao Yue dissuaded him from returning and told him that it would be best to leave the home-life under him. But Yue Fei felt that the country was then beset with many problems, so how could he wash his hands of the affairs of the country? Dhyana Master Dao Yue knew that he had made up his mind, and so he said no more to try and change his mind but gave him a verse:
The year’s end is not complete; beware of Heaven’s tears;
Two dots below the word ‘feng’ will harm one greatly.
Usually the 30th of the twelfth month is the last day of the year, but that year the twelfth month was a short one, and only had 29 days. The day after the 29th would be the New Year, and hence that was what was meant by ‘the year’s end is not complete’. It was a hint to Yue Fei that he was to be extremely careful on that day and beware of Heaven’s tears. Even Heaven would cry that day, so it was a sign that something ominous was about to happen. Adding two dots below the word ‘feng’ would make the word ‘qin’ and ‘will harm one greatly’ meant that he would be killed. This verse was a warning that returning to the capital was not a wise move, but Yue Fei did not understand what it was all about at that time. Furthermore, he felt that he had been single-minded in serving his country and had not committed any mistakes, so what was there to be afraid of? Hence he decided to return to find out what the matter was; this was a case of foolish loyalty.
Because Qin Kuai had forged the counterfeit gold tablets, he could not allow Yue Fei to have an audience with the emperor. He ordered his men to seize him and his following and throw them all into prison. It was then the 29th of the twelfth month, and with the charge of “No reason needed,” he muddle-headedly had Yue Fei beheaded at Fengbo Pavilion. This is a case of a deluded person killing a clear-minded person.
Before Yue Fei died, he let out a long sigh and exclaimed, “I regret not having listened to the words of Dhyana Master Dao Yue, and now I die in vain here, not having understood what had happened, and am no help to the country. It is really a case of ‘confused I come, confused I go, and I am covered in a blanket of confusion before I die’.”
After Yue Fei’s death, Qin Kuai asked the person who put Yue Fei to death ( not the official executioner, for Yue Fei was secretly killed), “Before Yue Fei died, what did he say?” That person replied, “Yue Fei said, ‘I regret not having listened to Dhyana Master Dao Yue’s advice, and so now I must be beheaded.” When Qin Kuai heard this, he thought, “That Dhyana Master Dao Yue is really something! How can he be allowed to live?” He immediately ordered He Li to capture Dhyana Master Dao Yue.
Even before He Li had reached Gold Mountain Monastery, Dhyana Master Dao Yue was already aware of his coming and said,
“I am now thirty-nine, and yet everyday there is trouble;
Not for any reason other than that I had said too much.
He Li is coming from the east but I am off to the West;
Were it not for the greatness of the Buddhadharma, wouldn’t I have fallen into his hands?”
“I am already thirty-nine years old, and yet day in day out there is trouble. There isn’t any special reason for it but just that I had spoken too much.” So it’s best not to talk. “He Li is coming from the east, but I am now going to the West. If it weren’t for the wonderful and inconceivable Buddhadharma, wouldn’t I have fallen into Qin Kuai’s hands?” After saying these words, Dhyana Master Dao Yue sat in lotus-posture and entered stillness. When He Li arrived at Gold Mountain Monastery and took a look, the Dhyana Master had already entered stillness and so he returned empty-handed to report to Qin Kuai.
Distinguished Warrior Yue was loyal and righteous all his life, and traveled ten thousand miles for the sake of his countrymen. Unfortunately his noble ambition was not fulfilled, and he was muddle-headedly put to death at Fengbo Pavilion. He was only thirty-nine years old when he died. The outcry over his death has not died down even now. Later the Song emperor Ningzong came to know that he was a loyal minister and had him buried in honor by the bank of West Lake in Hangzhou. He was posthumously conferred the title of ‘Distinguished Warrior and Duke of Hubei’.
Later, people, hating Qin Kuai for his treachery in killing the loyal and good, cast an iron statue of him and his wife kneeling before Yue Fei’s grave in repentance. The ancients have a couplet that expresses this aptly, “The mountains are fortunate to hold the bones of the loyal; the iron, though guiltless, was used to cast the statue of a treacherous minister.” The mountains are very fortunate in that they bury the body of a loyal minister, but the unfortunate iron, though it had not committed any crimes, is used to cast the image of a traitorous official, and has to endure the insults and censure of all people. Anyone who goes to Yue Fei’s tomb to pay his or her respect to him would inevitably give the iron statue of the kneeling Qin Kuai a kick. So the statue of Qin Hui is rusty all over, except for the buttocks, which are shiny because of the kicks aimed at that spot.
Although an iron figure is not afraid of kicks and does not feel pain, this shows the retribution that befalls a treacherous minister: even after death, his corpse is still flogged by people. This is a warning to people of the present and future generations to emulate Yue Fei’s loyalty and integrity and leave a lasting legacy that is honored generation after generation, and not to follow the traitorous behavior of Qin Kuai and be reviled for ten thousand years.
To be continued
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