Although Li Daozong and others were confused, at this scene... they could only move on.
"Salute to Mrs. Li and her family!" Every time they walked a certain distance, a captain shouted loudly. Following the captain's roar, all the surrounding soldiers saluted in unison.
Madam is a female rank in the Tang Dynasty, which is equivalent to an official position. In such an occasion, it is natural to call an official position.
Li Daozong and his family were a little confused at first, but when they heard what the other party was shouting, everyone became excited.
Mrs. Li, who was following Li Daozong, had red eyes. She held back her tears. The status of women in the Tang Dynasty was relatively high, but it was only relative to that of other dynasties. In the history books, even the names and birth dates of very high-status women such as princesses and queens cannot be completely preserved, which shows how big this invisible status gap is.
At this moment, Mrs. Li felt an unspeakable emotion in her chest. Excited? gratitude? incredible? Or aggrieved? It's just that she has never been so respected by anyone, never! Because this kind of respect is completely different from that of a slave. The complicated emotions made her almost cry, but she held back.
The three sons following Li Daozong were equally excited. Their faces turned red. They wanted to go down and yell with the soldiers, but there was an inexplicable emotion that made them straighten their waists on the horse. Hold the pole, raise your head and straighten your chest without squinting.
The two daughters of Li Daozong at the back seem to be relatively calm. The older one is fifteen or sixteen years old, and the younger one is only twelve or thirteen years old.
In this way, as they continued to advance, the voices of the captains continued to sound, "Salute!"
"salute!"
Uniform movements, like waves, one after another.
Li Daozong and his family were shocked at the beginning, then excited, moved, and finally turned into an indescribable sense of honor.
Until they arrived in front of Li Ke, there were one thousand guards standing on both sides in front of Li Ke holding ceremonial knives. These ceremonial knives were exclusively used by the Imperial Guards of the Tang Dynasty and were used for ceremonial purposes in major festivals or important sacrifices and other activities. knife.
The sword is two feet eight inches long, with a gold handle and a crystal pendant. It is used for killing enemies and for ceremonial purposes. There are also eight-foot-long two-handed ceremonial swords in the Imperial Guard and Qianniu Guard.
Li Ke was standing underground. He didn't build a high platform or anything like that. That was too obvious.
Li Daozong and his party stopped a long way away, then turned over and dismounted.
After everyone dismounted, Li Daozong led his family to Li Ke, and then he knelt down to salute with a moved face. Li Ke, with quick eyesight and quick hands, took two steps quickly and supported Li Daozong, preventing him from kneeling. Go down.
"General Li, we are not here to welcome you today!" Li Ke stopped him and said.
"Your Highness...how can I and my family deserve such courtesy!" Li Daozong said with a look of shame.
"General Li, this is wrong." Li Ke said with a serious face.
After speaking, Li Ke took a step back, and then said loudly: "Fellow soldiers!"
As Li Ke's voice sounded, some of the surrounding soldiers naturally spread his voice in all directions.
"General Li just told me that he and his family are not worthy of such courtesy! I told him that this was wrong! I said this not only to General Li, but also to all the soldiers. !”
"I know that when you received the order, some of you may have doubted in your hearts why you should be so polite to General Li's family!"
"I'll tell you why today!"
"General Li, including all the soldiers present, you did not hesitate to abandon your own lives and come to this bitter cold place in the Western Regions for the sake of the lives and contentment of tens of millions of people in the Tang Dynasty. You risked your lives, endured the hardships of the plateau and the scorching sun, and went to the Great Tang Dynasty. To put it simply, it is to protect the Tang Dynasty forever! The people live and work in peace and contentment! To put it more seriously, it is to protect your respective families behind you!"
"You are also other people's sons, husbands, and fathers! You risked never seeing your parents, wives, and children again to come here just so that they don't have to take such risks in the future!"
"You are the greatest people in the Tang Dynasty! Because of you, the people can live and work in peace and contentment, with clothes to wear, houses to live in, land to farm, food to eat, and books to read! But, have you ever thought about your family? !”
"They are at home, looking forward to the safe return of their sons, husbands, and fathers! They are worried every day, fearing that one day what awaits you will not be your triumphant return, but a handful of dead bones or even a piece of rags!"
"While they are scared, they also have to work hard to raise their families."
"So, do you understand now?! The greatness is yours, but the hardships are theirs! Now tell me, do military relatives like General Li's family deserve such courtesy?!"
Following Li Ke's words, all the soldiers' eyes were a little red. Everyone has a family, and everyone misses his family. But at this moment, even as they miss each other, they also have a sense of heroism and glory in their hearts! Because these words of His Highness represent a heavy responsibility!
When Li Ke asked the last question, almost everyone yelled with all their strength: "It's worth it!"
"worth!"
"worth!"
Uniform roars resounded throughout the world! Li Daozong was also very excited, but at this moment he could only bear it silently. Next to her, Mrs. Li and Li Daozong's concubine were already in tears.
Li Ke did not speak, but waited for all the soldiers to calm down before he raised his hand.
The scene immediately fell silent.
"Today, this ceremony is not a show for me, Li Ke, but I want to use this ceremony to tell all of you: There is a country first and then a family. The country is the embodiment of the family, and the family is the foundation of the country! I will not follow You talk about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, because there is no need, you just need to know that you are fighting here to protect your family!"
"If you protect your family, it means you protect the country, and it also means you are loyal to His Majesty."
"In the future, you may bleed, or you may die in battle, wrapped in horse leather! Even after you die in battle, the ordinary people of the Tang Dynasty will not know you! Nor will they know you! But your blood will be integrated into the mountains and rivers of the Tang Dynasty! The mountains of the Tang Dynasty will know you! The rivers of the Tang Dynasty will know you! The Tang Dynasty will not forget you!"
"I hope you can remember my words today! Keep them in your heart!"
"As for me, Li Ke, as the prince of the Tang Dynasty, I can't do much, but I can't let you heroes of the Tang Dynasty bleed, and then let your family members shed tears! So as the Protector of Xizhou, I express my sincere gratitude to all of you. Promise! I have ordered people to conduct surveys at the bottom of the Huangshui Valley. It is very suitable for growing food, the land is very fertile, and there is enough water for irrigation."
"So you soldiers who stayed behind to guard the border, if your family members are willing to move to Xizhou, I am willing to pay privately and send people to escort your family members to move here! Then each household will be allocated 100 acres of land, Yongye The number of fields will be increased to 50 acres!”
"In addition, regardless of whether they are willing to move here or not, starting from today, each soldier will receive 150 civilian military pay per month. After that, each time he is stationed at the border for an additional year, the monthly salary will increase by 20%! This money Directly paid by the Tang Dynasty royal family! The monthly salary of other generals and officials also increased by 20%!"
"There's not much I can do, but I hope that I can allow you heroes to have no worries while risking your lives to protect your home and country!"
