It was already afternoon when Guo Song returned to Qingxu Palace, and he was really a little tired, but he still had to fight hard to call Li Ji and Liang Wu to his big tent.

He told the two of them what happened in the military department today and Guo Ziyi's advice to him.

Li Ji was a little worried: "The current seventy-five brothers can wait, it's not a big problem, but what about the bereavement of the fallen soldiers?" We plan to start going to our homes tomorrow to report the funeral and return some of the soldiers' ashes to their families. ”

"Wait if you don't have a dead soldier!" Liang Wudao.

"Don't wait, let's go to the funeral according to the original plan."

Guo Song said to the two: "I have already thought about the issue of bereavement, and I will personally take out 120,000 yuan to give 500 yuan to the family of each fallen soldier." ”

Li Ji and Liang Wu were taken aback at the same time, Guo Song was able to take out 120,000 yuan, the two glanced at each other, Li Ji hurriedly said: "There is no need for so much for the bereavement, the imperial court has clear regulations, all the soldiers who died in battle, the captain will give thirty silks, Guo Yi will give twenty horses, ten captains, a pair of coffins, two horses of silk for the deputy and above, one horse for the soldiers, one piece of silk for the soldiers, a collar for the funeral clothes, a coffin, and the corpse will be returned home." ”

Guo Song shook his head, "I know the rules of the imperial court, but two hundred and fifty-five soldiers followed me to Anxi and died, and in the end, they gave their families a piece of cloth and sent them away, do you think it is reasonable?" Am I worthy of those fallen soldiers? Five hundred yuan of money, you can raise their children, you can give their parents a pension, this is what I have to do Guo Song, so that I will not feel guilty, and I can calmly face those fallen soldiers after death. ”

Li Ji nodded, "I can understand Changshi's decision, and I support it, in addition, I also want to make a suggestion, please ask Changshi to write a few words of elegy to each fallen soldier and give them an evaluation, Changshi can't go to every family, it's best to let the soldiers help together, so that this matter can be done as soon as possible." ”

Guo Song thought about it and agreed, "You first sort out the detailed roster of the fallen soldiers, and I will be responsible for writing an elegy and giving them an evaluation." ”

The news that Guo Song paid for the families of the fallen soldiers soon spread throughout the barracks, which moved the soldiers very much, and many people couldn't help but burst into tears.

..........

On the morning of the next day, Guo Song selected 60 soldiers and divided them into 10 groups, and rushed to Guanzhong, Guannei and Hedong to report the funeral.

Guo Song took out 130,000 taels of silver from the five cabinets in Chang'an, some of which were used for the soldiers' travel and living expenses, and the rest were given as special pensions to the families of each fallen soldier, with 500 taels of silver for each family.

Although Guo Song was also very uncomfortable, in the end he used money to appease the families of the fallen soldiers, which is disrespectful to those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country in Anxi, but this is also a reality, money can make their families live with dignity, and they can not worry about their families under Jiuquan.

In the afternoon, Guo Song came to Gaoling County with two soldiers, Gaoling County belongs to Jingzhao Mansion, the county seat is quite large, densely populated, the three of them entered the city, Guo Song asked an old man who set up a stall, "May I ask this old man, where is Donghuai Lane?" ”

The old man pointed to the two big locust trees in the distance, "Do you see those two big locust trees?" It is located at the mouth of two alleys, the west is called Xihuai Lane, and the east is the Donghuai Lane you asked. ”

"Thank you, sir!"

Guo Song took two soldiers to the direction of the big locust tree, there were many pedestrians on the road, Guo Song and the three of them led the horse all the way to the alley, only to see a large group of children playing at the alley, Guo Song stepped forward and asked: "Who of you knows where Tang Dalang's family lives?" ”

The children giggled and said to a child with a hair comb next to him: "Little mantis, someone is looking for your father!" ”

Guo Song saw that the child was about six or seven years old, and he really had a bit of Tang Dalang's appearance between his eyebrows.

"Your father is Tang Dalang?"

The little boy nodded timidly, and Guo Song said again: "I'm your father's friend, come and see you." ”

"I know, my dad is like you, he wears a military uniform and specializes in fighting bad guys."

The little boy took Guo Song and jumped into the alley, "What's your name?" Guo Song asked with a smile.

"My name is Tang Xiaolang, and they all call me Little Mantis."

"Do you have any brothers and sisters?"

"I also have a sister."

Tang Xiaolang took Guo Song and the three of them to the depths of the courtyard and walked into a small courtyard, the courtyard was very small, there were only three rooms, one of which was probably a kitchen.

In the courtyard, an eight- or nine-year-old lady was feeding a flock of chickens chaff, and a woman of about thirty years old was sitting next to a well in the corner of the courtyard, washing clothes with her sleeves rolled.

She suddenly saw three people brought in by her son, and was very surprised: "Xiaolang, who are they?" ”

"Mother, they are friends of Daddy, come and see us."

The woman hurriedly got up, shook off the water droplets on the water, and said embarrassedly: "The house is very messy, you can sit casually, Niuniu, go get a few stools and come out." ”

"You're ..... Sister-in-law Tang? Guo Song asked.

"I am, how is Da Lang now, there has been no news of him for more than a year, he said that he was transferred to Hexi."

Guo Song was silent for a moment and said: "I am his commander, I have come to tell you, Da Lang.... He gave his life for his country. ”

Tang Dalang's wife covered her mouth violently, tears welled up, she suddenly turned around and ran into the room, crying heartbreakingly, and the two sisters and brothers also hugged each other at the door and cried.

Guo Song was sad for a while, standing in the courtyard and waiting patiently, many neighbors outside the courtyard gate whispered at the door.

"Da Lang is dead, hey! Last year, my in-laws died of illness, and this year the man died in battle, and this family is unfortunate! ”

"How will their mother and son live in the future? The rent has not been paid for half a year, and now the landlord is going to be kicked out. ”

After a long time, under the repeated persuasion of several neighbors, Sister-in-law Tang stopped her tears and walked to the yard with red eyes. He knelt down for Guo Song and cried: "Where did my family Datang die in battle, and how did he deal with his funeral?" ”

"Da Lang was unfortunately killed in battle with the Shatuo people in Beiting, and his body was buried at the foot of the Silver Mountain, and thirteen other comrades-in-arms were buried with him."

Sister-in-law Tang cried sadly again, "Da Lang is dead, how can we orphans and widows live!" ”

Guo Song turned around and gave the two subordinates a look, and the two of them carried a heavy box and put it into the house, there were too many people outside, and five hundred taels of silver were too eye-catching.

Guo Song said to Sister-in-law Tang: "In the box is Da Lang's pension money, which allows you to raise the children to grow up, you have to take care of it, and Da Lang also left a piece of beautiful jade for his son and daughter." ”

He took out a small cloth bag in his arms, "These are two pieces of beautiful jade, he got them in Anxi, and he specially left them for his children as a souvenir, and he asked me to bring them back before he died." ”

Sister-in-law Tang took Meiyu, leaned against her face, and cried again, the two children hugged their mother, and the three of them cried together.

The two soldiers blocked the courtyard gate, Guo Song squatted down and said in a low voice: "The box in the house is a bereavement of five hundred taels of silver, you put it away, try not to let outsiders know, and these two pieces of beautiful jade are worth more than three hundred yuan, you can really go to the capital Duobao Pavilion to sell it, but it is better to keep it as a souvenir." ”

Hearing that there was a bereavement pension of five hundred taels of silver, and two pieces of very valuable jade, the fear in Sister-in-law Tang's heart eased slightly, and she wiped away her tears to her children, "Quickly kowtow to this uncle, and thank him for burying your father." ”

The two children knelt down and kowtowed to Guo Song, Guo Song hurriedly supported them, "You must honor your mother when you grow up, if you have any difficulties, you can go to the capital to find me, I left the address in the letter, understand?" ”

"We remember!"

Guo Song stood up and said: "Don't move for the time being, there may be some bereavement benefits in the imperial court when you go back, maybe you will give Da Lang a name, although Da Lang is dead, we must live well, so that Da Lang can also be blind under Jiuquan." ”

"Thank you to the general for coming to visit us, and Xiaolang will definitely repay the general's kindness to his father when he grows up in the future!"

Of course, Sister-in-law Tang also knew that the pension for the fallen soldiers was just a few pieces of cloth, how could there be five hundred taels of silver, needless to say, it must have something to do with the young general in front of her.

Guo Song hung up a roll of elegiac words from the soldiers, wrapped a white banner around the door, and then handed a letter to Tang's sister-in-law and said: "This letter has my address in the capital, if you have any difficulties, just go to the capital to find me, we will leave first." ”

Sister-in-law Tang took a pair of children to send Guo Song and his party out of the yard, and looked at them with great gratitude, they looked back at the white flags wrapped around the door, and couldn't help but feel sad.