Chapter 126 Memorial Ceremony

"Give 360 ​​taels for 10 years. In addition, the soldier's family will be exempted from taxes. Also, their families should be given preferential treatment in all aspects of Yan County." Zhao Xu said.

Each soldier in the palace is young and strong, and they are the backbone of the family.

They died on the battlefield, and he couldn't let them bleed and their families cry again.

For him, he would rather the palace be smaller and his food and clothes be worse, but he couldn't let down these dead soldiers.

"This..." Liu Fu was about to say something but stopped.

Chang Wei, a tough man, had red eyes, "Your Highness, I thank you on behalf of the families of the dead soldiers."

"This is what I should do, and it is also within my power. Okay, go back and prepare for the memorial service for the dead soldiers." Zhao Xu said.

Chang Wei heard this and nodded heavily.

...

Overnight, the north wind blew, and an autumn rain fell in Yancheng.

The rain was not heavy, and there were only drizzles floating in the sky.

Even so, in such weather, the people of Yancheng were reluctant to go out.

But today seemed different.

The people of Yancheng who were supposed to stay at home all came out.

They got the news that the King of Yan was going to pay tribute to the soldiers who died in the war today.

This was a shocking news to them.

The King of Yan was going to pay tribute to the soldiers.

They had never heard of such a thing, because he was the King of Yan, the prince of Dasong.

In their hearts, these soldiers and themselves were just chickens and dogs, how could they be worthy of the King of Yan to pay tribute to them.

It was precisely because of this that they abandoned their comfortable homes and went to the streets in the rain to wait for the tribute to the soldiers.

Not long after, a shrill sound of suona came.

They saw a long team coming towards them.

In front was the musicians playing, followed by a team.

"That's the King of Yan, and behind him are General Chang, Liu Wangfu, and behind are the generals in the army and officials in the government office. It's really grand." A citizen on the street shouted.

The people all looked over and were shocked.

He thought it was just a rumor, but it turned out to be true.

The King of Yan really took officials and generals to see off the dead soldiers.

Their hearts suddenly felt warm.

Although this was a memorial service for the dead soldiers, it was enough to show that the King of Yan loved the people like his own children.

When the team passed by, they bowed their heads to show their respect for the dead soldiers.

The team came out of the North Camp and went south along the main street.

There were civilians along the way.

Zhao Xu did not ride a horse, he and the generals and officials just walked.

Behind them, the soldiers carried the coffin.

The soldiers in the coffin had no family or friends.

After they died, no one would even remember them. ‘

But he couldn't let these brave warriors be forgotten.

So he asked Chang Wei to pick a piece of land in the south of the city and build a cemetery similar to the contemporary martyrs' cemetery.

They will be buried there and enjoy the admiration of future generations.

And this is the origin of today's memorial service.

Walking silently along the road, Zhao Xu's eyes swept over the people on both sides of the road.

The people of Yan County have consciences.

From their eyes, he saw their admiration for the dead soldiers.

At the same time, there was hatred for the enemy in those eyes.

Yes, without the invasion of the Northern Di people, these young soldiers should be leisurely looking at the wheat that is about to mature at home on the ridges of the fields.

But now, he is lying in a cold coffin.

Some young people choked with sobs at the sound of the suona.

They secretly decided to join the army to fill their positions after the memorial service.

They will train where these dead soldiers stood and continue their ambition to expel the Northern Di.

The rain was getting heavier, and the people had no intention of leaving.

They saw that the black robe on the King of Yan was soaked, and the armor on the generals was soaked, but they still did not change their faces and continued to lead the team forward.

After leaving the south gate, the team stopped in a pine forest two miles west of the city.

Many people arrived here with the team.

"Lower the coffin."

The team stood still, and Chang Wei shouted loudly.

The soldiers carrying the coffin stepped forward and buried the soldiers.

Then, they erected stone tablets with the names of the soldiers written on them.

"In this battle, 1,231 soldiers died. In front of us are 300 soldiers without families. Today, they will rest here forever." Zhao Xu stepped forward and picked up the bowl of wine handed over by Chang Wei.

After a pause, he continued: "Their names should not be forgotten, and their sacrifices should not be forgotten. This king has decided that every year on this day, the government office and the army will hold a ceremony here, offering strong liquor and flowers to comfort the souls of these warriors in heaven."

After saying that, he poured the wine on the ground.

Then he placed his right hand on his left chest, bent over, and saluted.

Chang Wei and the soldiers immediately saluted the stone tablet.

At this moment, their hearts were relieved.

They were not afraid of death, but they were afraid of being wronged after dying.

The King of Yan was convinced by his compensation and respect for the dead soldiers.

The next moment, when the Northern Di came again, they were still willing to defend the King of Yan and Yan County with their lives.

After Zhao Xu, the generals toasted one by one.

Finally, three hundred soldiers, each holding a handful of wild chrysanthemums.

They came to the tombstone of the soldier, gently put down the wild chrysanthemums, saluted, and slowly returned to the team.

The people witnessed the memorial ceremony throughout.

At this moment, they were actually a little envious, and even hoped that it was themselves lying in it, because what an honor it was.

The drizzle fell for a while, and then turned into continuous rain.

A ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, drawing a rainbow.

A commoner said: "Auspicious."

"Yes, the heavens were also moved by the sincerity of the King of Yan."

"Maybe the spirits of the soldiers who died in the battle are relieved."

"..."

The commoners looked at each other and passed on the ears of the generals and officials.

They looked up at the sky in the east, and there was indeed a clear rainbow.

Chang Wei was moved by the expressions of the people, "They are really relieved."

Zhao Xu shook his head, the ancients were very superstitious.

But he didn't intend to point it out, it was good to comfort the soldiers.

The memorial service ended.

Zhao Xu returned to Yancheng, and the people went home.

But this memorial service left a mark in the hearts of both generals, officials and common people.

When the foreign enemies come back again, they will remember these sacrificed soldiers, and they will give them courage.

"Da Da Da..."

After entering the city, they took a few steps.

A burst of rapid horse hoof sounds suddenly sounded.

Everyone saw a cavalryman coming from the north and stopped in front of Zhao Xu. The cavalryman dismounted, knelt on one knee and said: "Your Highness, there are 500 imperial knights from the capital waiting at the north gate. They said they have the emperor's edict. Are they allowed to enter the city?"

"The imperial knights of the capital?" Zhao Xu frowned.

Liu Fu said: "I think your highness's victory over the northern barbarians has been reported to the capital."

Chang Wei nodded, "Almost. Urgent military information is often rushed eight hundred miles away. The capital must know about it."

Zhao Xu nodded, "Let them in."

But this time Zhao Heng did not send eunuchs, but directly sent imperial soldiers. I am afraid that they knew that he had captured Kutu.

Such a formation seemed to be taking Kutu to the capital.

Thinking of this, he took Liu Fu and Chang Wei to the palace.

After waiting in the front yard for a while, a rumbling sound of horse hooves was heard.

Many cavalrymen stopped in front of the palace.

A general got off his horse and went straight into the palace.

Seeing the general's appearance, Chang Wei's face suddenly turned cold.

"Xie Kuan!"

This person was none other than his immediate superior in the imperial army.

If it weren't for him, he wouldn't have been sent to Yan County.