The convoy did not stop when it passed some small counties, but rolled all the way south towards the capital.
The journey was long, so we set off from Longshou Temple in the early morning, but we didn’t arrive at Longyuan North Gate until noon the next day.
People were coming and going at the city gate, and the people were walking in a hurry.
When they saw the long motorcade approaching, they just looked at it curiously and had no intention of stopping to watch.
Ren Ning looked up at the two simple characters on the city gate and was about to stand up and dismount.
Some guards came over on horseback and saluted, but they didn't check their way.
"Thank you for your hard work, Commander. The news of sending the spirit back to his hometown reached Longyuan City yesterday. The Lord Commander has been waiting at the mansion for a long time. Please come with me in the convoy."
Ren Ning checked his identity and waved for the convoy to follow.
He had to settle down the female relatives of Yingchuan and Yunzhong counties in the county captain's mansion first, and then received the pension from the Ministry of War before sending people from all directions to send the heroic spirits or female relatives from the counties to their hometowns.
After entering the city, Ren Ning looked around, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
The streets in the city extend in all directions, are wide and clean; the merchants on both sides of the street are densely packed, one after another, selling all kinds of goods; the people who come and go on the road are well-dressed and smiling.
He searched carefully again.
There are beggars on the streets, but they are not many. Sometimes even after walking several streets, there is not a single one.
Ren Ning looked back with emotion.
Walking all the way from the west, it seems that I have arrived at the living world.
The others didn't know what Ren Ning was thinking and continued to move forward.
Longyuan City has a large population and a vast area. The convoy walked in the city for nearly an hour before arriving at the Commandery Mansion.
Two people had been standing in front of the house for a long time. When they saw the motorcade approaching, they quickly came to greet them.
Ren Ning turned over and dismounted, and saluted the county lieutenant on the left, "Ren Ning of the Starfall Army has met the county lieutenant. This..."
He looked at the other party's clothes and his eyes couldn't help but shrink slightly.
The man on the right is about twenty-five years old and looks very talented. The most important thing is that he has a dragon with teeth and claws embroidered on his collar and cuffs.
royal!
Chen Xiuzhu was also surprised.
He had known that the security commander who sent the spirit back home this time was a bit young, so he didn't take it seriously. Moreover, he could become a security commander at a young age. He would definitely be a rare general in the future and worthy of investment.
When he looked at the other person at this time, he felt a vague sense of familiarity. When Chen Xiuzhu looked carefully, he felt that he was a complete stranger, and he couldn't help but feel a little confused.
"Commander Ren, this is His Highness the Third Prince." The county lieutenant introduced Chen Xiuzhu to Ren Ning.
"I have met His Majesty the Third." Ren Ning bowed to Chen Xiuzhu in a neither humble nor overbearing manner, then ignored him and turned to look at the Lieutenant, "Your Excellency, Lieutenant, official matters are important. Let's go in and hand over the matter first."
Chen Xiuzhu and Chen Xiuzhu changed their expressions slightly, but after looking at the bright red flag in Ren Ning's hand, they did not dare to say anything and hurriedly welcomed the convoy into the house.
For hundreds of years, there have been regulations for sending spirits back to their hometowns.
What Ren Ning needs to communicate with the county lieutenant at this time is to confirm the identity and home address of the soldiers who died in battle, receive their pensions according to their rank, and receive tax exemptions for their families, etc.
After completing all this, send people from all directions to send the ashes or coffins back.
However, there are eight counties in Xingluo, and Ren Ning is short of manpower, so he usually has to ask local commanders to send troops to help.
"Commander," the county lieutenant said in a dilemma. "Most of Xingluo's garrison has been sent to the south to guard the intersections leading to Yunzhong County. Now I can't spare many people."
Ren Ning nodded, not too surprised, "Lord Commander, actually I don't need many people. As few as fifty or more than one hundred people who are familiar with the road will be enough."
The entire team has a total of fifteen coffins, 603 altars of ashes, and 110 women and children. It is divided into three counties. There are not many in one county. If everything goes well, they can be delivered in a day or two.
However, if the addresses left by the soldiers were unknown or even incorrect, then it would not make much sense to have more people.
Seeing that although Ren Ning was young, he was also reasonable. The county lieutenant couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and quickly asked his subordinates to arrange manpower.
In previous years, there were teams that sent spirits back to their hometowns from other directions. When delivering a red coffin, the local county captain had to bring a large group of soldiers and horses to escort them home with gongs and drums, and many people criticized them.
"Does the Sheriff know what the situation is like in Yunzhong County?" Ren Ning asked.
"This..." The county lieutenant glanced at Chen Xiuzhu beside him, "I will only guard the boundaries of Xingluo. The other three princes know better."
Chen Xiuzhu smiled and arched his hands toward the north.
"My father loves his people as much as his son. He learned about the epidemic in Yunzhong Palace three months ago and was extremely anxious. He specifically asked the six ministries and nearby counties to help Yunzhong County control the epidemic at all costs. He asked the doctors to send doctors and medicinal materials for medicine."
"I have just received news that the epidemic has been brought under control in some counties. I believe it will not take long to completely eliminate it, so that the people in Yunzhong can live and work in peace and contentment."
"That's good." Ren Ning nodded.
The third prince has said so much. In summary, the court has worked very hard, but there is no control letter yet.
But let's make peace with it now. Ren Ning doesn't want to think too much about it.
He and the county lieutenant first went together to assign the escort tasks to each soldier.
He looked at the map of Longyuan City, and after Hu ate something, he took the relics and pensions of Liu Goukuan and Liu Dashi and rode Zhui Feng out.
The two Liu brothers were both scouts, knew a few words, and the addresses they left behind were very clear.
After leaving the east gate, Ren Ning asked a few passers-by, quickly figured out the specific direction, and hurried over.
It had been a long time since Zhui Feng had run happily, and now he was running at an alarming speed. In just over an hour, Ren Ning arrived at the brothers' village.
After asking the old man chatting at the entrance of the village, he quickly found the brothers' home.
As soon as they identified themselves and explained their purpose of coming, the second elder of the Liu family fainted, and the small house burst into tears. The neighbors were so frightened that they came in with sticks to see what was going on.
Ren Ning ignored these and handed over the brothers' belongings, pensions, tax exemption certificates, etc. one by one, and finally took out the short wolf fang.
His eyes fell on the young woman holding the baby girl, "Sister-in-law, this is Brother Dashu's daughter."
"Yes!" the woman choked, "I haven't given a name yet, let's call her Nannan."
Ren Ning nodded and put the wolf fang into the baby girl's hand.
"Wolf fangs are mascots in Xiliang. Brother Dashi received a letter from home and heard that his daughter was born, so he went to kill a wolf and cut off a wolf fang, intending to make a gift for the child..."
"Now bring it back and give it to her. When we passed Longshou Temple on the way, I had already asked the abbot, Master Hongguang, to have it opened. I believe it will bless my daughter to be healthy, happy and safe in the future."
"Thank you." The woman thanked her with tears, "Little brother, when Dashi and uncle left..."
Liu Goukuan's tattered body flashed before Ren Ning's eyes, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. I was with them at the time. They left peacefully and there was no pain."
"That's good, that's good." The woman was already prepared to send her relatives to join the army.
She wiped away her tears and looked out the door: "Then why are there only clothes and corpses?"
Ren Ning forced out a smile.
"Sister-in-law, the Rock Frontier Fortress is a thousand miles away from Xingluo. We have limited manpower. Every time we send a spirit back home, we cannot bring too many corpses, so we have to dig them out and burn them into ashes."
"Brother Dashi said that he didn't like burning, so he just wanted to find a geomantic treasure to bury him in. So we followed the brothers' wishes and sent some clothes back."
"But sister-in-law and uncles and aunts don't have to worry. There are mausoleum guards at the fortress, and every year during the Qingming Festival and Double Ninth Festival, someone will sweep your tombs and hang paper. Besides, if incense and paper are burned here at home, Brother Dashi and the others will protect you if they see you underground."
After talking nonchalantly, Ren Ning kowtowed to the two old men again before turning back to Longyuan City.