Since the crown prince came to Taiyuan City, the yamen of Taiyuan Prefecture in this new city has become a lively place. Every day, many people come to the prefect's yamen to witness the crown prince's face.

Two years after the fall of Taiyuan Mansion from the Jurchens to the south, Wang Shi finally recovered this important northern town. The arrival of the crown prince has lifted the spirits of the people, and they feel that there is hope for the days to come.

Every day, more people gathered on the edge of the school yard in the southeast. Everyone came here, first, to see the training of the soldiers of the Loyal and Righteous Army, and more people to see Wang Song, the anti-gold hero in the eyes of the people.

It's just that with the passage of time, I don't know when, the big guy found that in this Taiyuan city, not only can I not see Wang Xianggong, but the strength of the training of loyal and righteous soldiers is also worse day by day. The original scene of high morale slowly became deserted, and even the shouts of the soldiers during training were weakened a lot, and they seemed so weak.

Wang Xianggong led his troops to the three states outside the river to fight against the Jin people, and it had already been rumored. Everyone sweated in their hearts, and many people in the people had personally learned the ferocity. Wang Xianggong wants to go to carry it with Fanzi, and many people are up and down in their hearts, and they are worried all day long, and they all pray secretly for Wang Xianggong and his soldiers, and they continue every day.

Since Wang Xianggong left, the loyal army in Taiyuan City seems to have become more and more unfamiliar, the military discipline of the soldiers has become worse and worse, the training has become more and more lazy, and the officers have become weak and irritable.

So much so that the people were a little puzzled, was this still the invincible holy army in their impression?

Wang Xianggong, where did he go, why haven't he come back yet?

The weather is getting colder and colder, snowflakes are flying for several days, the northwest wind is howling non-stop, and the entire Taiyuan city has fallen into a white vast.

Old man Gao got up in the morning, put on his padded jacket, got out of bed, picked up a broom, swept the snow in the courtyard and at the door, then sealed the coal basin, picked up the rice bag, locked the door, and then walked in the direction of West Street.

Since the recovery of Taiyuan Mansion, more and more people have gathered here, and the people have occupied the shack market in the south of the original Taiyuan City, flocking into the city to beg during the day and returning there for the night at night.

In the absence of the king, the government did not let the people enter the city at all, and in the winter, there was no food and clothing, and the people became ragged homeless people and beggars.

So much so that the old man in Taiyuan City muttered to himself, what kind of government is this dog's day, and what kind of world is this straight thief?

Seeing the homeless people and beggars all over the street, Old Man Gao couldn't help but shake his head. Among these people, many of them are strong men, and they rely on the old, weak, sick, and disabled, orphans and widows to eat and drink, which is really helpless.

Think about the past, if the prince was here and saw so many poor people, the porridge pots would have been set up, the clothes to protect against the cold would have been given to these poor people, and the strong men would have been recruited into the army......

Now there is nothing, and I have to endure the evil words of the officials, and even fists and feet.

The grain harvest failed, and a liter of rice rose to 80 yuan, which was 7~8 times that of the Taiping period. Ordinary people can't afford it, and seeing that the rice shop in front of him is full of people, the old man Gao hurriedly walked a few steps and followed the queue.

Finally bought the rice, the old man Gao held the rice bag, and secretly thought in his heart, the money in his hand still has to be saved, otherwise this winter will be really difficult.

Who knows if the people are out of rice, will these officials in Taiyuan City be like Wang Xianggong, giving porridge and opening warehouses to release grain?

Several horses rushed towards him, and the tall old man walked with his head bored, and he was about to collide. The knight on the horse widened his eyes and grabbed the reins of the horse tightly.

"Phew!"

The knight reined in the horse, flicked the whip in the air, glared at the old man in front of the horse, and shouted angrily: "You old man, how can you walk without looking at the road, if it hits you, can you stand it with your bones?"

Old man Gao was shocked, quickly stopped, nodded and said: "The general is angry, the little old man is old, this ear is a little back, and I hope the general will forgive the sin!"

The leading knight is tall and big, with a leopard's head and ringed eyes, and he is more than forty years. He had a white cloth wrapped around his head, and he was wearing filial piety clothes and armor inside, and the sergeants behind him were the same.

The knight glanced at the old man Gao, held back his temper, and said softly: "Old man, you should be careful when walking, so as not to break your body, I can't afford to compensate you!"

The long black man next to the knight said weakly: "The prime minister is gone, and there is a bird law, who the hell cares about these bird military regulations!" ”

Another knight whispered, "Be careful, don't cause trouble."

Old man Gao replied and quickly stepped aside.

The soldiers behind the knights were all wearing iron armor and filial piety clothes outside. Old man Gao recognized clearly that these soldiers were all dressed as loyal and righteous soldiers, but he didn't know that the soldier was killed.

Old man Gao was just about to leave, but he heard a knight wearing filial piety clothes say: "Wang Xianggong died in battle, I don't know how to explain to my brothers after I go back?"

Another knight had red eyes and choked up: "When the prince is gone, the hearts of the brothers will be scattered. There will be no more loyal rebels!"

"Wang Xianggong died in battle!"

It's like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, and the rice bag in the old man's hand fell to the ground with a "snap".

"Brothers, please ask, are you soldiers of the Loyal Army? Why didn't you see Wang Xianggong come back?"

In the distance, someone stopped the knights and asked again, and the old man's face turned pale, and he didn't care about picking up the rice bags on the ground, so he pricked up his ears and listened.

"Great officials, we are soldiers of the Loyal and Righteous Army, Wang Xianggong died in Fuzhou, and we are sending the ashes of the army back!"

The old man Gao took two steps back, his legs and feet could no longer stand steadily, and he sat down in the snow with a "flutter", and two lines of old tears flowed down his cheeks.

At that time, before the city gate was opened for a while, in the city of Taiyuan, a deafening cry suddenly remembered. At first, the crying came from the barracks, and slowly spread to the people of Taiyuan City, and finally, those homeless people and beggars also cried on the long street.

Even some ruffians wept bitterly, crying non-stop, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing, and the fierce chivalry of the past was like two people.

At about noon, all the people in the city put on white clothes, and the better conditions even erected a spiritual shed.

For several days, the city of Taiyuan was full of crying and shaking the sky, one after another. All yamen, barracks, streets and alleys are all white, adding to the gloom.

In the southern suburbs outside the new city, the original market in the south of the city, the people spontaneously built a mound of clothes, and engraved the monument "The tomb of Wang Song, the hero of the Great Song Dynasty's anti-gold war". There is an endless stream of people who go to worship every day, both soldiers and ordinary people, the clothes and mounds are fragrant and misty, and the people are overcrowded, and it has become a holy place in the southern suburbs.

The whole army in Taiyuan City is vegetarian, and there is no one in the loyal army who does not have a solemn face, and he is dressed in white. Even the crown prince Zhao Chen is not an exception. Although under the admonition of the courtiers, he did not wear a full body of clothes, but he also put on plain clothes to show respect and condolences to Wang Song.

The military camp in Nancheng was silent, and even the guards at the camp gate who usually held their heads up and stood tall and upright were all depressed, like plants wilted in summer, unable to lift their spirits.

The sergeants who came and went in and out, no one dared to speak loudly. The atmosphere in the camp was extremely depressing, and even some officers who were usually amiable became tyrannical and impermanent, losing their temper and slapping the table at every turn, and reprimanding and scolding them were even more common.

Won the king's affairs in the world, and won the name before and after his death. Wang Song himself has not yet completed his ambition to resist the captives, but has become a heroic soul in the clouds.

Niu Gao's sentence "Xianggong is dead", there is no follow-up, the generals in the city are a bolt from the blue, the great cause of resisting gold comes to an abrupt end, personal interests and future are not guaranteed, and everyone is worried.

Xianggong's body was already cold, and Ma Xuanzan and the brothers of the Zhongyi Society took away Xianggong's body. As for where I went, I don't know, Hugh will ask me! ”

In the lobby, Niu Gao impatiently interrupted Meng De's questioning. Just a little angry, the voice was a little louder, and his throat was uncomfortable, and his whole body was hot and painful.

"Brother Niu, I'm just asking, what are you angry about!"

Meng De also widened his eyes, and the calmness on his body was swept away.

"In the battle of Fuzhou, Wang Xianggong died on the battlefield, you all came back, but Wang Xianggong ......"

"What are you talking about!"

Niu Gao suddenly stood up from the chair and shouted angrily: "My Niu Gao has many wounds all over his body, and he will die for a lifetime!" You are talking nonsense again......"

Niu Gao pointed at Meng De, but the rest of the words did not continue.

Meng De in front of him had already covered his face and cried bitterly, obviously sad from his heart.

"You're right, how can I not die!"

Niu Gao softened suddenly, sat back in his chair, and wept in a low voice: "Xianggong, your death really cost Lao Niu's life!"

"Brother Niu, have you brought back the ashes of the brothers?"

Ma Xuanzan took Wang Xianggong's body and left first. The bodies of the other brothers were all brothers from the Chungyi Society, and the fleeing people helped to cremate them. Ma Xuanzan said, let you handle the aftermath and pension of your brothers. ”

According to the Song law, the government will give injured soldiers half of their usual food and clothing for life, and a one-time subsidy of 30 yuan. However, the number of soldiers who were injured and did not die was very small, and the government could save this money.

As for the war dead, according to custom, the imperial court had to bury the corpses, collect the children and grandchildren, and receive family allowances, that is, pensions for soldiers.

The Song court stipulated the grade standard of money and goods to be given to the families of fallen soldiers, and those who died in military academies without children and grandchildren were given family money, and the commander was given 70 guan, the deputy commander was 60 guan, and the military envoy, the capital head, the deputy soldier and horse envoy, and the deputy capital head were 50 yuan. For ordinary fallen sergeants, each family has two months of food.

"When the brothers die, the bereavement pension is only two months of money, and the delivery to the family is only two dollars and 100 catties of food, how many months can the family support it? A family is waiting to be fed, who do they go to to talk to? ”

Zhang Xian shook his head and said, "I have already reported the brothers' pensions. However, according to the regulations of the imperial court, the sum of the money and food for this pension is only 100,000 yuan, which is a drop in the bucket. ”

"100,000 guan, more than 10,000 brothers!"

Niu Gao jumped up suddenly, pulled the wound on his body, and grinned in pain.

"If the prince is here, just by virtue of the military exploits of beheading the enemy, it will have exceeded 200,000 times. Each of the brothers received at least 10 pieces of money. plus the 100 yuan of the pension, it is enough for the family to live for a while. Now, it's just fate!"

Everyone was silent, Wang Song's death, and everyone completely lost their backbone. Since the Jin soldiers went south, the imperial court in Hedong, Hebei and the Jin people several times, the soldiers were killed and wounded, in this stormy, the country is ruined, whether it is the king, or the minister, only concerned about how to deal with the Jin people, who can still care about the death of the soldiers, and has never heard of a pension.

The crying outside shook the sky, Zhang Heng was irritable, pounded the table, frowned, and said: "Who is crying outside, what kind of system!"

Meng De replied: "Today, it is the families of the casualties who summon the souls of the fallen brothers. Let's go and visit the families of our brothers!"

Zhang Heng sighed. It's a pity for Wang Song and Dong Ping, it's a pity for so many brothers in the Loyal and Righteous Army!