Yu is not only excellent in poetry and prose, but also an accomplished calligrapher. Wu Kuan, a calligrapher in the Ming Dynasty, commented: "Yu Shouji, with clear pronunciation and mellow voice, is graceful." Wang Shizhen, a literary critic of the Ming Dynasty, also said: "The sixth volume of Stop Cloud Pavilion is a famous work of the Southern Song Dynasty, such as Yu Yonggong's Elegance, which can be adopted." At that time, Yu was appointed as the military attache of Jianghuai Military Horse House, and was assigned to be a teacher in quarrying (now in Maanshan City, Anhui Province), just as King Hailing's army had to cross the river by quarrying. Seeing that the situation was critical, Yu resolutely organized troops scattered along the Yangtze River, frustrated Jin Jun's plan to cross the river south, and won a great victory in quarrying (see the battle of quarrying). The king of Jin Hailing studied in Yangzhou and rushed to Zhenjiang Prefecture (now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province) to intercept. With the northward withdrawal of Jin Jun, Yu gained a high reputation in the Southern Song Dynasty.
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