Two days later, in the southern suburbs of the capital.
The rising sun was rising, and it was already the end of the year. The cold wind in the morning was extremely biting, and it could be said that drops of water turned into ice. Frost was everywhere outside the capital city, and the earth seemed to be covered with a pale white coat.
At this time, outside the Xuanda and Shandong Army camps, more than 1,800 soldiers of the Xiahe Village New Army led by Liu Yan had assembled and formed a huge square array. The chariots and horses in the army were also ready to go. Money, food and supplies, as well as the clothes and relics of the fallen soldiers were also loaded on the carriages. Hundreds of carriages were arranged in a long line in front of the phalanx, ready to set off with the army.
Liu Yan put on his helmet and whipped armor and led the war horse to the gate of the camp. Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Guozhu, and Hu Dawei sent them out one after another.
Lu Xiangsheng looked at the neat new troops of Xiahe Village outside the camp, and felt relieved, and said: "Liu Yan, now that you have been summoned by His Majesty as a defense officer, it is a great honor. After you return, you must run the front thousand households of Xiahe Village well. Therefore, train more new troops for the country and make new achievements in the future!"
Liu Yan clasped his fists in promise and said: "The governors should also take care of their health, as well as Yang Junmen and Hu Junmen. I will take my humble post to see the three superior officers one day!"
Yang Guozhu said with a smile: "Haha, okay, then I'll wait for you in Xuanda Town. As long as you Liu Yan comes, I will welcome you!"
Hu Dawei laughed even more and said: "Then I will wait for you in Shaanxi Town. You must come over. We must not go back until we are drunk!"
Liu Yan smiled, clasped his fists and said, "I will definitely go to the official position!"
Then Lu Xiangsheng's face changed and he said: "Yesterday evening, the imperial court received an urgent report from nine sides, and the Qing troops have been released. Now everyone in the government and the public is relieved, but we cannot relax. We must train our troops seriously after we return. Never slack off.”
"In addition, as far as I know, the armies that invaded the capital this time have returned to the capital one after another, and the related aftermath matters have been started in full swing. Those who have made meritorious services need to be rewarded, and those who have lost their lives need to be punished. His Majesty has ordered Yang Sichang to take charge of the rewards and punishments of the ministers. Yang Sichang Report the five things that happened: the opportunity was lost while guarding the border, the city was destroyed, the vassal was lost, the commander was lost, and the troops were waiting to watch."
"The result was determined by Zheng Xizhao, the director of Jizhen, Sun Maolin, the sub-supervisory officer, Chen Zubao, the governor of Shuntian, Zhang Qiping, the governor of Baoding, Zu Kuan, the chief of the aid and suppression army, and down to the prefecture and county officials, a total of thirty-four people discussed it. More than two hundred people were killed and degraded.”
Lu Xiangsheng lowered his voice slightly and said, "However, neither Gao Qiqian nor his general Guan Ning was found guilty. Only Zu Kuan, the commander-in-chief of the aid and suppression, was found guilty!"
"After this great victory, our army will definitely receive rewards. However, as Yang Sichang is the Minister of the Ministry of War, our army's rewards will be affected to some extent. There is no news about the rewards yet, but when the court's decree comes down, you will have What you have prepared is not to harbor hatred towards the court and your majesty because of the reward. Our army leads the army to fight for the sake of the court and your majesty, and for the people below. Our own honor and disgrace are all trivial matters, do you understand?"
Although Liu Yan didn't quite agree with Lu Xiangsheng's words, military exploits were all earned with the blood of the soldiers, so why shouldn't they be rewarded normally?
It's just that Lu Xiangsheng was dedicated to serving the country and the people, and Liu Yan couldn't bear to say anything to his face. He just clasped his fists and said, "My subordinates have all recorded the words of the Governor. Don't worry, Governor!"
"Ah That's good."
Then Liu Yan said goodbye to Lu Xiangsheng, Hu Dawei, and Yang Guozhu again, got on his horse, said goodbye to the three people, and came to the front of the formation, saying loudly: "Blow the trumpet! Let's go!"
More than 1,800 soldiers of the new army of Xiahe Village set off in neat formation amidst the sound of bugles, starting from the capital along the official road and returning to Qianhu Station in front of Xiahe Village.
Liu Yan led his troops to bid farewell to Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei and others, and then went all the way south to Baoding Prefecture, passing through Qingyuan, Gaoyang, Hejian Prefecture, Jiaohe, Jingzhou, and then southward into Shandong Province. It took seven days to reach Jinan Under the city.
At this time, the city of Jinan was still desolate. Only the city walls were still standing. Most of the buildings in the city were still in ruins. There were also very few people in the city. It was estimated that there were only one or two thousand people. And most of the people were well-educated. , looked panic-stricken. When they saw Liu Yan's troops entering the city, the common people gave way and ran away, for fear of being stopped by these well-equipped soldiers and horses.
Liu Yan and Chen Xun, Wang Yue and others beside him were all sighing when they saw this. Jinan Fucheng is the capital of Shandong, and now it has been tortured by the Qing army and has been reduced to such a situation. It is really a human tragedy.
On the day Liu Yan led his troops into Jinan City, a team specially sent by Lu Xiangsheng pursued them all night and brought good news to Liu Yan. The reward agreed upon by the Ministry of War had been finalized, and formal officers would be dispatched later. Order.
In this award, the civil servants took Yang Sichang as the chief merit, and awarded him the title of Special Officer Guanglu. He served the Zuozhu Kingdom and provided for his son to clothe thousands of households in the world.
Chen Xinjia moved to Zuodu as censor and minister of the Ministry of War, and his son led hundreds of families to be richly clothed.
Hong Chengchou was transferred as governor of Jiliao from the post of governor of the three sides.
Sun Chuanting became an official and was demoted to a civilian, but he no longer had the pain of prison.
Lu Xiangsheng was transferred to the post of governor of Shandong, and was awarded the special rank of Ronglu. He honored the right pillar of the country and oversaw thousands of households in the world.
The military attachés were headed by Yang Guozhu, who was granted the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Left, and he was responsible for over 1,000 households in the imperial palace.
The tiger is so majestic that he is awarded the title of Commander-in-Chief on the right, and he has the power to protect hundreds of households in the world.
Liu Yan was promoted to four ranks in a row, from the fifth-rank Qianhu official to the third-rank commander of the guard station. He served as Lingshan Guards Officer, was awarded the title of Captain of Qingchao, General Xun Zhaoyong, and Yin Yizi Shi Jinyi. Hundreds of households. His wife Wang Yunhe also received a reward.
Zhang Yan, a counselor in the Xuanfu, gave gifts to General Hussars, offered sacrifices and burials, built ancestral halls for ministers, increased his rank to three levels, and protected his son for hundreds of households.
After reading Lu Xiangsheng's autographed letter, Liu Yan was also happy in his heart. He deserved all these rewards. Although he had made such great contributions and was only awarded to an officer of Lingshan Guard, he was awarded the title of Wuxun and Wusan. , already a head taller than the third-grade military attache at the same level, which can be regarded as compensation.
The seven people around Chen Xun, Wang Yue, Miao Shao, Xu Ming, Wang Bo, Zhang Yi, and Shen Tuo were a little angry after seeing it. They thought that Liu Yan led the new army of Xiahe Village in a bloody battle in the battle of Julu. How could they do it? He was promoted to a general in the Jimo camp, but was only given the command of one Lingshan Guard. The court was too harsh.
But Liu Yan is very satisfied. With this result, he has been promoted to four levels in a row, and he can actually control Lingshan Guard. This is the most important thing.
If Liu Yan is promoted rashly and enters Jimo Camp, not only will Liu Yan have to hand over control of the Qianhu Station in front of Xiahe Village, but he will also be restrained by the generals of Jimo Camp. This will be a bad thing, and all previous efforts will be in vain. .
So Liu Yan smiled and comforted everyone, and then led everyone into the city, where he first paid a visit to Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong.
This time, because of Liu Yan's great contribution in the Battle of Julu, Yan Jizu was not cleared by the court for the Qing invasion. Instead, the court even issued some rewards, which made Yan Jizu feel very happy.
After Liu Yan led his troops into the city, he first settled his troops in the school grounds in the city, and then led Chen Xun, Wang Yue, Miao Shao, Xu Ming, Wang Bo, Zhang Yi, Shen Tuo, and Xun Jingyun to the governor's Yamen to report to Yan Jizu. .
Yan Jizu laughed heartily when he saw Liu Yan returning in triumph, and left everyone behind enthusiastically. He held a banquet that night and showed great concern for Liu Yan.
During the banquet, Liu Yan took the opportunity to propose to Yan Jizu that more than half of his new army suffered casualties, and begged Yan Jizu to provide compensation.
Yan Jizu couldn't help but be moved when he heard this. At this time, Yan Jizu also received the news from the Ministry of War, so he immediately said: "Commander Liu, don't worry, you will report the list of casualties after you go back. Even if I sell the iron, I still have to give away the soldiers' pensions." The full amount will be distributed.”
"In addition, after Commander Liu returned to Qianhu Station in front of Xiahe Village, he settled the affairs as soon as possible, reported his meritorious officers, and then rushed to Lingshan Guard as soon as possible to take office. If you have any questions after taking office, just contact me Tell me, I will definitely support you!"
Liu Yan thanked him immediately.
At this time, Yan Jizu already knew that Lu Xiangsheng was about to become the governor of Shandong. Although the governor and the governor were nominally on the same level, the governor was in charge of civil affairs and military affairs, while the governor was fully responsible for the civil and military affairs of Shandong, but he had no actual power. He is higher than Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong, and is considered his superior.
After the battle in Julu, Yan Jizu naturally knew that the relationship between Liu Yan and Lu Xiangsheng was unusual, so he was very attentive at this time, trying to leave a good impression on Liu Yan and lay a good foundation for his future career.
Liu Yan clasped his fists and accepted the order, then asked: "Futai, my subordinate is appointed as the conduct officer of Lingshan Guard. Where did Hu Zongming, the former conduct officer of Lingshan Guard, go?"
Yan Jizu said with a smile: "Because Hu Zongming recommended you to lead his troops to rescue Lu Duchen, so you also got a share of the credit. In addition, Hu Zongming made money in private, so he was promoted to Jimo Camp and became a guerrilla general. "
Liu Yan was slightly stunned. Now Hu Zongming and Li Jiwen had "meeted" in Jimo Yingcheng. They were both guerrilla generals?
That night, Liu Yan and others were warmly received by Yan Jizu. They left the governor's office the next day. After bidding farewell to Yan Jizu, they led their troops southward from Jinan City and returned directly to Qianhusuo City in front of Xiahe Village without stopping.
When Liu Yan led his troops to arrive at Qianhusuo City in front of Xiahe Village, Wang Yunhe, who was pregnant with Liujia, stood in the center of the crowd. Two concubines, Shang Shan and Ruoshui, were serving Wang Yunhe on the left and right. In addition, Zhang Lei, the garrison officer in charge of Qianhu , Tan Xiaoda, the head of the Firearms Supervision Department, Xu Le, the head of the Bingjia Supervision Department, Zhao Min, the official of Qianhu Office, Yue Ming, the money and grain officer of Qianhu Office, and Song Gongming, the commercial officer, came one after another. Chu Yunfei, Gao Yunshan, Chen Jiang The principals of the workshops such as Shi Shi and Qian Zao, as well as supervisors such as Chen Luo, Tang Yuan, Zhao Xun and Cui Mingyuan were also present.
In addition, the people in Qianhusuo City also gathered outside the city gate to welcome the victorious army officers and soldiers.
Liu Yan led the army and soldiers into Qianhusuo City amidst the sound of gongs and drums and the cheers of the people.
On that day, the whole city celebrated all night long.
When Liu Yan returned to the Qianhu Official Hall, Wang Yunhe could no longer suppress his emotions. He cried and threw himself into Liu Yan's arms, unwilling to let go. Shang Shan and Ruoshui also stood nearby and sobbed, obviously missing Liu Yan very much.
At the same time, Chen Xun saw Chen Jiangshi in the military camp in Qianhusuo City, and the couple also hugged each other and cried, telling about the pain of missing each other during this period.
Early the next morning, in the north of Qianhusuo City, a majestic courtyard that had just been listed as Martyrs' Shrine was shrouded in warm sunlight.
A grand worship ceremony is being held here. Liu Yan led a group of subordinate officials and generals to publicly worship the fallen soldiers here. The tablets of more than a thousand fallen soldiers were enshrined here, and the incense continued every day.
After the ceremony, it seemed that the atmosphere of mourning had not dissipated. At this time, no matter the front hall or the back of the courtyard, there were incense everywhere, and there was an endless stream of soldiers and civilians going to burn incense and worship.
From then on, Liu Yanhui will continue to improve the related buildings of the Martyrs' Shrine and add special priests and sweepers. Starting from this month, special funds will be allocated on a monthly basis for maintenance and management.
As for the sacrificial staff at the Martyrs' Shrine, Liu Yan had already thought of using soldiers who were retired from the Xiahe Village New Army after being disabled. In addition, local people from Qianhusuo City in front of Xiahe Village will take the initiative to clean and pull weeds every New Year. Every festival is a very lively day for the Martyrs' Shrine. In addition to official worship, tens of thousands of civilians flock in. Related drum towers and stages in front of the shrine have sprung up like bamboo shoots after a rain.
Of course, these are all things for later.
At this time, Liu Yan distributed all the pensions issued by Governor Yan Jizu, as well as a part of the money and food specially allocated by himself, to the families of the wounded and wounded soldiers. At the same time, Liu Yan began to deal with the promotion matters of the meritorious soldiers, as well as many other matters preparing to take office in Lingshan Guard. What a joy.
Some people died, but not completely...
