The official road outside the capital city of Changzhou Prefecture, which is directly under the direct control of Ming Dynasty South, is full of densely packed heads. There were groups of common people, scholars calling for friends, and officials at all levels wearing black gauze hats.
Just looking at this posture, I am afraid that half of the officials and people in Changzhou have left the city. From the looks of them, they seemed to be waiting for someone.
Both the officials and the people were waiting for people outside the city. Even the last time the Imperial Envoy Master Zhang came, it was not so grand. So who are they waiting for?
Passers-by passed by and were very curious when they saw this situation, so they leaned over to listen to what they were talking about.
"Tell me, Mr. Lu has been away from his hometown for many years, and now he is finally back!"
"Yes, Lord Lu has been fighting for the country for so many years in the blink of an eye. If I remember correctly, he has never been back to his hometown since he became a Jinshi in the second year of Tianqi!"
"No, Mr. Lu died in the tenth year of Chongzhen's reign. At that time, the Japanese invaders happened to invade. Mr. Lu was deprived of his love and could not fulfill his filial piety but was loyal to the country!"
"Master Lu has served the country loyally and has finally come back. He has returned to his hometown in glory. He is the second civil servant to be knighted in the Ming Dynasty after Wen Chenggong. Master Lu is a surname from Changzhou Prefecture. It is indeed a great honor for me in Changzhou. How can I be more honored than you?" ah!"
"..."
The passerby was confused at first, but when he heard that it was the second civil servant of the Ming Dynasty who was knighted, he suddenly interjected in surprise and asked: "I dare you to ask, what you are discussing is me, the Ming Dynasty Uncle Liaodong?"
Hearing his words, the person closest to him immediately looked up with pride and replied: "If it's not Uncle Liaodong, who else can make me willing to wait on the roadside outside the city just to see it with my own eyes?" Last glance?"
"That's right, Uncle Liaodong is the pride of my Changzhou Mansion!" Another companion said proudly, "We don't know what those officials are like. We, including all the common people, heard that Mr. Lu will meet in the morning I arrived at Changzhou Mansion, so I came here early to wait outside the city, just to take a look at Mr. Lu!"
Hearing this, the passerby was also excited and immediately said: "Then I have to pay my respects to Mr. Lu!"
After finishing speaking, he looked back at the distance and saw no movement, so he turned back and continued: "You don't know, in the past, there were bandits everywhere and Jianlu were wreaking havoc. I really didn't dare to come out and do something. Small business. Master Lu fought for the Ming Dynasty in the north and south. As far as I remember, he went to the capital, Huguang, Anhui, Shaanxi, Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Liaodong, and Korea, right?"
Hearing that he respected Lord Lu so much, he immediately won the favor of these people. One of them immediately said friendlyly: "It's rare for a friend to remember it so clearly, that's right!"
"In ancient times, Dayu controlled the floods and kept the three countries from entering!" Another person followed, "Now our Lord Lu from Changzhou has been loyal to the emperor and served the country. He has been fighting for the country for at least nineteen years. Now, it is the first time for Lord Lu Go back home!”
A younger man did not dare to lag behind and rushed to speak: "You don't know, I have heard about the various turmoils in the Ming Dynasty since I was a child. At that time, I was really worried about what kind of chaos the world would be like when I grew up? Later I heard There is someone in our Changzhou Prefecture who has been quelling the chaos. Although he is a Jinshi, he is braver than a military general. He fights on the front line and takes the lead. At that time, I wanted to see what kind of person he is. He is actually a Jinshi in literature and can charge into battle with martial arts. Champion the three armies bravely.”
"When you said that, I also remembered it!" After hearing this, the passerby immediately participated in the discussion excitedly, "Liaodong Bo is really an outlier in our Ming Dynasty. Although he is a scholar, he can carry a cauldron..."
"..."
Just like everyone else, they were discussing Lu Xiangsheng's affairs. Suddenly, a man dressed as a government servant rode up on the official road and shouted at the same time: "Uncle Liaodong is here, Uncle Liaodong is here..."
Upon hearing this shout, the "buzzing" sound outside Changzhou City immediately disappeared without a trace. Everyone stopped chatting privately, looked at the yamen servant who reported the news, and then immediately looked towards the distance of the official road, hoping to see the person they wanted to see as soon as possible.
However, it was obvious that the yamen servant rushed to report the letter, and Lu Xiangsheng did not appear in sight so quickly. But even so, the people waiting outside the city rushed to both sides of the official road.
Seeing this situation, the local soldiers who were maintaining order suddenly felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy and quickly scolded them to stop the chaos. However, who is willing to miss this rare opportunity to meet Mr. Lu?
This energy can be described by a famous saying from a later generation: If you have never seen Chen Jinnan in your life, it is useless to call him a hero. Here, it’s Lu Xiangsheng!
Seeing that this situation is a bit wrong, if it continues like this, there will probably be trouble. When a civil servant saw this, he frowned and immediately explained.
So, I heard the soldiers who were maintaining order shouting and asking loudly: "Master Lu will be arriving soon. Do you want Master Lu to see the chaos in his hometown?"
Not to mention, upon hearing this, those who were pushing forward stopped pushing, and the originally chaotic situation was immediately brought under control.
It's obvious that they admire Lu Xiangsheng and don't want Lu Xiangsheng to see their bad side.
After a while, I saw dust flying in the distance of the official road, and a group of knights galloping towards Changzhou City.
"It's coming, it's coming, Mr. Lu is coming!" When the officer who reported the news before saw this, he immediately shouted happily.
Suddenly, there was a little commotion again, but the soldiers' questions were still in their ears, so the commotion quickly subsided.
Despite this, you can see excitement on everyone's face. The eyes were wide open. The shorter ones were looking around with their feet up.
"Bahhhh..."
The rapid sound of horse hooves came faintly, and the figures of the knights became more and more clear.
I saw the leader, wearing a scarlet robe, very conspicuous. Behind him, there was a team of red-coated guards. Just by looking at them from a distance, you can tell that each of them is very skilled in riding skills.
I believe there are only a few people among the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty who can wear a scarlet robe and gallop on a horse. Now there is only one person who will appear here.
Suddenly, all the waiting officials and people became very excited and stretched their necks to get a clear look.
That's right, the person who came here is Lu Xiangsheng.
After he handed over the work to Sun Chuanting according to the order, he finally had the opportunity to return to his hometown to visit his relatives. He remembered that he had never seen his family again since he led troops to conquer the north and south in the second year of Chongzhen. Even his father died and he could not keep his filial piety. , almost died in Jiazhuang. Thinking that the emperor was so considerate and specially gave me the opportunity to visit my relatives, it was really like an arrow to return home.
Therefore, it can be said that he traveled day and night. He sailed down the Yangtze River overnight yesterday. He could have entered Taihu Lake and then returned to his hometown. When he thought the boat ride was too slow, he galloped on horseback after crossing the Yangtze River, eager to rush to his hometown immediately.
But when he arrived at Changzhou City, he felt a little strange when he saw the dense crowd standing outside the city. He wondered what these people were doing.
So, he slowed down his horse and wanted to ask clearly. In these ancient times, when so many people gathered, it was definitely something big.
What Lu Xiangsheng never expected was that as soon as he approached the crowd, he saw happy faces, and they were all shouting to him: "Master Lu, we have been waiting for you for a long time!"
"Master Lu, you are the pride of our Changzhou!"
"Master Lu, it is a blessing for students to witness heroic figures. It is truly a blessing for three lifetimes!"
"..."
Hearing the buzzing words, Lu Xiangsheng immediately understood that they were all waiting for him and just wanted to take a look at him.
When he understood this, he couldn't help but get excited. These were the elders from his hometown who specially greeted him outside the city!
As the saying goes, when a fellow villager meets a fellow villager, tears well up in his eyes!
Lu Xiangsheng is already forty-six years old and has never seen anything like this. Now after many years of fighting abroad, when he finally returned to Changzhou Prefecture, he suddenly received such a grand courtesy from his hometown elders, which made him very emotional.
He felt that everything he had to do to protect his family and country was worth it.
Involuntarily, Lu Xiangsheng slowed down his horse, listened to the local accent, straightened his upper body, clasped his hands in fists, and gestured left and right to return the favor.
Sweet or not, it’s the water from my hometown, or not, it’s the people from my hometown!
The Changzhou City officials who were waiting on the official road rushed forward to greet Lu Xiangsheng one by one. Among them, the magistrate of Changzhou Prefecture, who had the highest official position, said on their behalf: "I, my colleagues, and the people in the city heard that your Excellency is going to return home." Dear relatives, I am waiting here specially for you. Your Majesty has been working hard for the country in the south and north, and I have already given you a banquet in the city to wash away the dust!"
After hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng did not dismount. Instead, he clasped his fists on horseback and returned the salute. At the same time, he said apologetically: "You are really thoughtful. It is my duty to be loyal to the king. Now I have not been reunited with my family for seventeen years." , I haven’t kept my filial piety for my late father, but my heart is like an arrow, and I hope you all..."
Having said this, he saluted the people around him, and then said again: "Please forgive me, I must rush back to Yixing today!"
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but stand in awe.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Lu was so loyal to his country that when he had the chance, he would return home quickly and even rush back to Yixing, which was still more than a hundred miles away! In the past, loyalty and filial piety could not be fulfilled at the same time, but now that I have been loyal, I will fulfill my filial piety wholeheartedly. It is true that loyalty and filial piety are all in my heart.
If it had been anyone else, his father would have been dead for so many years and he would not be in a hurry at this moment. Now that I'm back home in glory, isn't it just to show my glory in front of others?
Thinking like this, both the officials and the people nearby were in awe of Lu Xiangsheng and made no attempt to persuade him to stay.
They heard the governor of Changzhou Prefecture say again on their behalf: "Now that Mongolia and Liaodong have been pacified, even the Japanese country has been defeated by you, the war has subsided, you should have time to spend more time with your relatives in your hometown!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng frowned when he saw everyone around him nodding in agreement.
