vrcanaries Chapter 221 Return to Shouxi County
Chapter 221 Return to Shouxi County
It's a rare warm winter.
Zong Yanli did not have much free time. Although the war had temporarily stopped, the aftermath of the war had never stopped. The belongings of the soldiers who died in the war had to be sent to their homes in batches, and the pension money applied for had to be delivered to their families in a rigorous manner to avoid embezzlement.
In addition, wounded soldiers will receive subsidies and, depending on the severity of their injuries, will be encouraged to return home and are not allowed to stay in the army.
These were not trivial matters. Zong Yanli was always rigorous in handling these matters. He checked their identities and names over and over again, and reported their lives one by one according to the records in the military merit book, striving to ensure that the families of the brothers who died in battle received the comfort they deserved.
She was busy every day, and sometimes she would receive invitations from all over, most of which were from the garrisons of various cities.
With the national treasury so tight and the war going on, the memorials submitted by Zong Yanli were often stuck. Although Gao Jiayue stood on Zong Yanli's side, she had to consider the overall situation no matter what. A country's foundation was not a place for her to be in power and have the final say.
Gao Jiayue also needs to consider the suggestions and opinions of the court officials.
She often has to negotiate between letting Zong Yanli get what he wants and not being too indulgent on the other hand. Since the new king ascended the throne, Gao Jiayue has been very tired and exhausted.
The pressure she faced was no less than that of Zong Yanli. She even had to keep an eye on the battle situation at all times. A defeat would be a huge loss for Daqian.
Fortunately, Zong Yanli won in the end. Such a huge victory won applause from the world, and Gao Jiayue also had some confidence to deal with the ministers.
"Are you okay, sir?" When Zong Yanli came back from outside, he saw Gongsun Pu sitting outside the tent with his hands in his pockets, basking in the sun, squinting his eyes and looking sleepy.
"The general is back..." Gongsun Pu opened his eyes and looked at the general who was always wearing heavy black armor, with a bronze mask on his face and a wolf-que long sword at his waist, which was very eye-catching.
He smiled slightly and said, "Everything is fine."
Zong Yanli walked over, sat down beside him, exhaled lightly and said, "The brothers who died in the battle have been settled almost completely, and this matter has come to an end."
Not all soldiers who died in battle had families, so for those who had no relatives left in this world, Zong Yanli took it upon himself to find a Feng Shui treasure land on the border and built a mausoleum for his brothers. Any relics that could be found were placed in the mausoleum, and those that could not be found would only have an empty tomb.
She erected a monument for her brothers, carving the names of those who died in battle on it stroke by stroke. There were also small characters on the sides of the densely packed names, briefly recording their military exploits.
Gongsun Pu was also shocked when he first heard Zong Yanli make this proposal.
He has always known that a general loves his soldiers like his own sons.
Now this action is more deeply reflected. The mausoleum took a full month to be completely completed.
"The general's merits and virtues will be passed down through the ages." Gongsun Pu shook his robe, stood up, raised his hand and bowed to Zong Yanli.
"Your contribution is so insignificant that it's not worth mentioning." Zong Yanli reached out to help him and took off the mask on her face. The warm sun fell on her slightly weathered face. There was an obvious crack on her lips and some dark circles under her eyes. Only her eyes were firm and bright, without any sign of wavering over the years.
Zong Yanli sat upright, and when Gongsun Pu looked at her, she also looked at Gongsun Pu seriously, frowning slightly and trying to lower her voice, "I have asked the emperor for permission, and the imperial physician will come to diagnose you soon."
She pursed her lips and said, "I asked about the Empress Dowager Gao's 'immortal pill'. She said that you cannot use this medicine, so I ordered people to search for warm jade to nourish your body. Please wait for me, sir."
Gongsun Pu was moved by what he heard. He looked at Zong Yanli with a bitter look and sighed. Finally, he lowered his head helplessly and said, "General, why are you like this? Birth, aging, illness and death are common to all people. I am not afraid. I am lucky to be able to follow you on this journey in my life."
"I have my own persistence." Zong Yanli's face was solemn. She clenched her hands on her knees and said, "Sir, wait for me a moment."
"Okay." Gongsun Pu's brows relaxed and he slowly lowered his eyes in agreement.
Daily life in the army was very boring. During the truce, the soldiers were also training hard. Monkie, Long Feiguang and others were responsible for patrolling. They took turns arranging people to patrol around the border to prevent the Northern Army from making a comeback. Even though they knew that the North would not attack again so soon after the setback this time, they did not dare to slack off.
On the other hand, we are also contacting various departments to replenish troops and military supplies.
Rest and recuperate while waiting for the next battle.
Zong Yanli was so busy that he only had a chance to rest near the New Year. After giving orders to the military, he set out for Shouxi County.
Zong Yanli still took Wen Nian and the other two with him as usual. After being away from this place for many years, as soon as they entered Shouxi County, they felt the place was becoming more and more prosperous and lively. Merchants and travelers pulling donkey carts and sitting in horse-drawn carriages could be seen everywhere.
Zong Yanli was a little surprised. This place used to be a strategic location, but he didn't expect it to become such a bustling transportation hub now?
As Zong Yanli became more and more famous, even the warhorse she rode became well-known.
Therefore, when Zong Yanli arrived today, he was not riding Chifeng, but just an ordinary horse for transportation. Even so, he was still very eye-catching when entering the city.
Zong Yanli, who was sitting high on the horse, was wearing an ordinary cotton-padded martial arts uniform. A long sword wrapped in cloth was hung on the horse's back. His posture was upright and his aura was extraordinary. A scarf was wrapped around his neck to cover his mouth and nose, thus concealing his features and blocking the cold wind when he was riding the horse.
"Soldier, come and take a rest!" As soon as we entered the city gate, a waiter from a tea stall or tavern greeted us warmly and saw at a glance that Zong Yanli and Wen Nian were military households.
"Have some hot tea!" The call was quite enthusiastic.
Zong Yanli stopped his horse, looked at the greatly changed street in front of him, and just in the mood to ask for directions, he simply stopped to rest.
After she asked for a pot of tea, she asked the shopkeeper about the address left by Zong Yanfeiyi. The waiter gave directions to Zong Yanli without thinking twice. Zong Yanli thanked him, drank a pot of tea, and got on his horse again and headed towards the city.
The further you go in, the busier it gets. Perhaps because it's approaching the New Year, there are more and more vendors selling things on the street. There are also guards patrolling everywhere, and if they catch a pickpocket, they will beat him up.
Passing by a storyteller on the street, I heard the gavel ringing. The storyteller was talking with saliva flying about how Zong Yanli fought against the Northern Army and the Lu Army and how she defended the camp alone. He described her as a nine-foot-tall general with a long sword, a ghost-faced general, and a Yama who was demanding her life. He made exaggerated statements like these.
After listening to it, Zong Yanli doubted for a moment whether the storyteller was really talking about himself.
Tsk.
She couldn't bear to listen any longer, so she rode away quickly.
When we arrived at a small courtyard, we saw three or two red persimmons hanging on the branches sticking out from the top of the wall. Smoke could be seen rising from the courtyard. The ground in front of the door was dry and clean, and the walls seemed to have been just refreshed, looking very warm.
"Hey, who are you two looking for?" The courtyard door was pushed open, and an old woman came out with a basket on her shoulder. Seeing Zong Yanli and Wen Nian were both stunned, she immediately asked, "Are you looking for our general?"
"Yes." Zong Yanli bowed his head and said politely, "I'm here to look for my fourth uncle, Zong Yan Feiyi."
When the old lady heard this, her eyes suddenly lit up, her face full of joy and surprise, she was a little at a loss and shouted: "Oh! Oh! My son-in-law! Madam——!"
"The general is here! Go and invite the son-in-law!" The old maid danced with joy and hurriedly saluted to Zong Yanli, saying, "This old servant greets the general."
"You're welcome." Zong Yanli was stunned for a moment, then he looked up and saw his fourth uncle running out of the yard with a pair of scissors in his hand. Zong Yanli's face was full of joy as he said, "You little brat! You're so slow to come, and you made me wait so long!"
“Come in quickly!” Zong Yanfeiyi handed the scissors in his hand to the servant, and then called out, “Mao Yu, take the two masters’ horses to the stable and keep a close eye on them!”
Zong Yanfeiyi put his arm around Zong Yanli's shoulders with a smile, and walked into the yard with an attitude of a good brother.
He had only walked a few steps inside when he saw the woman who had come to greet him in a hurry. She was wearing a beautiful skirt, with a light makeup on her face and two pearl hairpins simply inserted in her bun. She was looking at him with a look of joy in her eyes.
Zong Yanfeiyi stepped forward and introduced: "Madam, this is my nephew, Zong Yanli."
"Ali, this is your fourth aunt." Zong Yanfeiyi said with a grin.
"Hello, Fourth Aunt." Zong Yanli took off the veil on his face and bowed to Fourth Aunt respectfully.
"You're too polite, General." Yang Shangyue was a little nervous. Knowing Zong Yanli's identity very well, she was naturally a little scared.
"We are all family, there is no need to be so polite. Fourth Aunt, just call me A Li." Zong Yanli raised her lips and smiled. Even though her face was weathered, it was not difficult to tell that she had a good appearance.
Seeing how friendly and unpretentious Zong Yanli was, Yang Shangyue's smile deepened. She quickly called the two of them into the house to talk, saying, "I'll go make some tea, you guys come in and sit down."
Zong Yanfeiyi said quickly, "Thank you for your hard work, Madam."
Zong Yanli followed Zong Yanfeiyi into the main hall of the courtyard. The courtyard was not big, with only three entrances, but it was decorated very warmly. When they sat down in the wing room, they saw red persimmons on the table. They were picked from the persimmon tree in the yard.
"The fruits planted by your fourth aunt are big and sweet this year. Try them!" Zong Yanfeiyi's eyes were full of tenderness when he mentioned his wife.
"Dad——!" Zong Yanli was eating red persimmons when he suddenly heard a call from outside.
"The little guy is back." Zong Yanfeiyi laughed and stood up to take the child from the wet nurse. The child was still a young child, about two years old, wearing a tiger-head hat hanging around Zong Yanfeiyi's neck.
"This is my son, Zong Yanyao." Zong Yanfeiyi looked at Zong Yanli and then at his own son. He was also an old man who had a child. He got married late. The age difference between Zong Yanyao and Zong Yanli was too big, but they were cousins in terms of seniority.
Zong Yanli accepted it well. He teased the child and his eyes were full of smiles as he looked at his fourth uncle holding the child.
In my previous life, my fourth uncle died in the war early. Now I am very relieved to see that he has a wife and children.
Yang Shangyue came in with tea, stood for a while, then went out with the child in her arms, leaving the place for the uncle and nephew to talk.
Zong Yanfeiyi's savings were quite considerable. His yard was neither big nor small, and he did not have many servants. Of course, it was not as good as those in the Zong Yan Mansion. After Zong Yanfeiyi got married and separated from his family, Zong Yanhongjing actually got a lot of the family property, but Zong Yanfeiyi refused it all.
Only a small portion was left. Although Zong Yanli now holds a high position, he actually does not have much money, and most of his savings were used to subsidize the military.
The rewards given by the emperor were quite a lot, but I didn't dare to exchange those things for money at will, and I kept them all in my family's assets.
If you ask Zong Yanli how much money she has now, she herself can't even figure it out...
Yang Shangyue is not an old lady. She helps with the housework and spends most of her time raising silkworms. She is a very capable girl. She has two older brothers and her parents are still alive. She likes Zong Yanfeiyi very much.
The two brothers-in-law, the eldest brother took over the family business, selling silk and other things, while the second brother took over the family's mulberry forest.
The three brothers and sisters get along well with each other and help each other to this day.
When Yang Shangyue met Zong Yanfeiyi, the Yang family was still just a small family. Although they also raised silkworms, it was not very successful. It was barely enough to support the family, and the income was very average.
Later, when Yang Shangyue got married, Zong Yanli became famous, and his uncle Zong Yanfeiyi also benefited from it. Needless to say, there were rewards for his meritorious service. Who in Shouxi County didn't know about Pingnanying? The new county governor came to visit Zong Yanfeiyi many times.
The benefits brought by this increased exponentially, and the Yang family's silkworm breeding business also grew rapidly.
"I was looking forward to your coming earlier so that I could show you the current Shouxi County." The uncle and nephew talked about family matters for a long time. Zong Yanfeiyi sighed and looked at Zong Yanli and said, "Are you done with the military affairs? Do you want to stay for a few days after the New Year?"
Zong Yanli touched the tip of his nose and did not agree immediately. He just said he would see after the New Year.
Zong Yanfeiyi knew that she was concerned about the army, so he didn't say much and asked her to go to the guest room to rest first and have dinner together later.
Zong Yanli and Wen Nian went to the guest room together. The two rooms were adjacent to each other. They saw that the beddings in the room were newly made and all the utensils were obviously prepared early. Even the charcoal brazier was brought in.
Zong Yanli couldn't help but sigh at the thoughtfulness of his uncle and aunt. He immediately fetched some water to wash, changed into clean clothes, and sat by the charcoal fire to dry his wet hair.
"General." Wen Nian's voice was heard outside the door, and Zong Yanli responded by calling him in.
"Aunt Fourth Yang has brought some snacks." Wen Nian walked in carrying a plate. Perhaps he was afraid that they would be hungry after their long journey, so he wanted to eat something to fill their stomachs first.
"Fourth Aunt is so polite." Zong Yanli smiled, asked Wen Nian to sit down, picked up a snack and stuffed it into his mouth, saying: "Let's rest today, and go shopping tomorrow. It's a good time to join in the fun after not being here for a while."
Wen Nian nodded in response, looked at Zong Yanli's wet hair, frowned slightly and said, "General, be careful not to catch a cold."
Zong Yanli took a bite of the cake and said vaguely, "It's okay."
After eating snacks and drinking tea, Zong Yanli sat for a while. Seeing that his hair was almost dry, he tied his hair up, straightened his clothes, and took Wen Nian out. In the yard, Zong Yanfeiyi was holding Zong Yanyao and shelling beans. The father and son looked very affectionate.