Chapter 885
The sky has changed
The atmosphere in the capital was different from that of the army.
The entire city was draped in white mourning clothes, and everyone's face was filled with sorrow and solemnity.
The returning army immediately suppressed their relief and joy, their excitement fading as they recalled the devastating losses of the campaign.
Thinking of their comrades who were forever left outside the Great Wall, the group fell silent.
If soldiers who had to experience the battlefield were like this, one can only imagine how it was for civil officials.
Among the ranks, some civil officials, remembering their colleagues, couldn't help but lower their heads and wipe away tears. Then, one person told another, and everyone became more and more grief-stricken, eventually bursting into tears.
When the emperor personally led an expedition, he would bring along a small court, with the majority of the officials being lower-ranking officials from the six ministries who were responsible for the main tasks.
Their losses were also the most severe.
These people had no soldiers protecting them, since all the capable ones had rushed off to protect the emperor.
Civil officials, those without combat ability, ran away; the lucky ones escaped, the unlucky ones were hacked to death.
Those who were capable of fighting picked up swords and counterattacked, and almost all of them died, and all of them died horribly.
When Chen Huai went to the emperor, he collected their corpses. Some of them couldn't even be pieced together completely, so he could only judge their official rank and status by some fragmented clothes stuck to their limbs.
It's unlikely that two people's hands and feet would appear on the same corpse.
Zhu Qiyu led his ministers and a portion of the imperial guards into the imperial city, while the rest remained in the outer city. Some soldiers were also left outside the city, and they were to return to their respective camps and locations afterward.
Among the people lining the road to welcome them, Pan Yue helped Pan Hong up and tried to stand on tiptoe to see. When he saw the camp banner that Pan Yu had set off for the expedition, he immediately widened his eyes to look for it. Only after the last person had passed by did his face turn deathly pale.
He couldn't find Pan Yu.
Pan Hong's eyesight wasn't very good, so he could only rely on Pan Yue to search. He noticed that Pan Yue's fingers were slightly clenched, and without Pan Yue saying anything, he already knew the result.
Pan Hong's face was also pale, but he remained calm and said, "The battlefield is ever-changing. You may be transferred to another battalion or another army. Don't worry, don't worry. After the troops have left, you can come with me to the Five Armies Commandery."
Before Pan Yue could speak, he shook his head again: "No, the Five Armies Commandery is too slow. Did you see anyone familiar just now? Let's go directly to the inner city gate and wait. After they disperse, just ask the comrades who are familiar with the Second Brother. They will definitely know."
Pan Yue nodded repeatedly, his mind elsewhere.
Pan Hong patted him on the shoulder: "What are you thinking about?"
Pan Yue said uncertainly, "I couldn't find my second brother, but when the group entered the city, I vaguely saw Tao Yanbai in the carriage behind the Prince of Cheng. The curtain was lifted a crack, and I think I saw my younger sister."
Pan Hong stared wide-eyed: "How come she's in the group?"
Pan Yue shook his head: "I don't know."
Pan Hong: "Perhaps you've misunderstood..."
Pan Yue initially thought he had misread the situation, so he kept a close eye on Pan Yu.
But Pan Yu couldn't be found; the fleeting glimpse she had shown earlier was particularly noticeable.
Pan Yue said anxiously, "Father, if it's my little sister... my second brother might really be in trouble. You should go home first, maybe my little sister will come home. I'll go to the inner city gate to look for her."
Pan Hong nodded haphazardly and walked back with a hunched back.
Pan Yu is not in the team because he is injured.
With over 100,000 troops returning to the capital, it was impossible for them all to crowd into the city. Those who could follow Zhu Qiyu into the city and receive the attention of the people were selected from various military units and camps.
Battle merits and rank...
Pan Yu was good enough, but he got injured and was eliminated.
Although they suffered heavy losses, they at least defeated the Oirat and protected their homeland.
When the emperor dies, it is a time when the people are in low spirits. At this time, they should show their positive, high-spirited and excited side. Therefore, those who are tall, have long legs, and are good-looking are the first to be selected.
Even the civil officials who were required to enter the city were rejected; several were injured or had difficulty moving.
Pan Yue searched inside, but of course he couldn't find it.
Learning from the emperor's experience, they were strictly managed on their way back to the capital. Even after returning to the capital, the soldiers could not disperse at will. Each army returned to its own army, each battalion returned to its own battalion, and the local reserve forces were distributed among the various armies to support each other and await orders to leave the capital.
During this period, the management was extremely strict, and soldiers were not allowed to leave without orders. Therefore, when Pan Yue arrived at the inner city gate, he was stopped immediately, and the curfew at the inner city gate was only lifted after the imperial guards left in an orderly manner.
Looking at the empty streets, Pan Yue finally sensed something was different.
"So orderly..."
It was completely different from the chaotic scene when the army left the capital.
Pan Yue rushed home, but there was no news of Pan Yu, nor had his younger sister come looking for him. With a grim face, he said to Pan Hong, "Father, the world is about to change."
Pan Hong: "The world has changed long ago, and even the emperor is about to be replaced."
"No, I mean, the atmosphere has changed too."
A change of emperor is a change, but if the emperor who ascends the throne does not change the old ways, it is only a temporary change of weather. Only when the atmosphere changes will there be a complete change of the world.
After a moment of silence, Pan Hong said, "The commander this time is the newly appointed Minister of War, Yu Qian. He is a man who is decisive, honest, and farsighted. He is even more powerful than the Three Yangs, and he might actually be able to help the new emperor create a prosperous era."
The key point is that the new emperor must heed advice.
Pan Yue felt something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Feeling uneasy, he said, "I can't find anyone to ask today, but I'll go to the Yu family tomorrow. Yu Rui is also on this trip, so they might have some connections to find out the news."
Pan Yu is taking care of Yu Rui.
Although he was slashed in the back and his arm was in a sling, his injuries were not very serious.
Yu Rui was heavier; he was placed in the wounded soldiers' camp and was carried back all the way.
Normally, soldiers wounded like this, unless they were rankless, would be temporarily placed on the frontier until the Ministry of War compiled a list, at which point they would either be discharged and sent home, or be given other arrangements.
but……
Those are all excuses.
Everyone knows that if these wounded soldiers are left behind, their return will be indefinitely postponed.
They will be abandoned.
Fortunately, both Yu Qian and Pan Yun insisted on bringing the wounded soldiers back.
Yu Qian said, "They are all serving the country. If we abandon them, wouldn't that discourage the soldiers of the whole country?"
Many ministers argued, "Who said we abandoned them? They were injured, and traveling would have killed them. Leaving them behind would allow them to recover better. Once the new emperor ascends the throne, the Ministry of Revenue will provide the funds, and the Ministry of War will naturally make arrangements for their care and compensation."
Yu Qian said in a deep voice, "I am the Minister of War, how could I not know? If we leave them here and make arrangements, it will probably be two or three years later. Medicinal herbs are scarce and precious on the border, and there will be a shortage of doctors and medicines for two or three years. It would be better to take a gamble and return to the capital with us!"
The ministers looked grim. How could Yu Qian be so blunt and open about the internal issues?
However, since he was the Minister of War, this matter had to be arranged by them, and they couldn't even try to argue their way out of it, because given Yu Qian's temperament, he would definitely be able to throw out a whole bunch of data to refute it.
Leaving aside distant examples, consider the arrangements for the wounded soldiers from the Battle of Luchuan...
In front of Zhu Qiyu, they did not want to be seen as inconsiderate of wounded soldiers.
Bringing wounded soldiers would indeed slow down the journey.
Finally, Pan Yun said, "Your Highness, this personal campaign has broken the hearts of our subjects and soldiers. Abandoning them would only further alienate us from their support. We have already lost half the battle before our border strategy has even been established. This vast empire is protected by these soldiers. And he who wins the hearts of the people wins the empire!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyu immediately decided to bring all the wounded soldiers who had departed from Beijing back to the capital, and even selected many wounded soldiers and veterans from the border troops who should have retired and returned to their hometowns to take with them.
Their army returning to Beijing was enormous, with four men supporting one, and they had more than enough to take care of each other.
Therefore, although taking the wounded soldiers delayed their journey by three days, they still returned to Beijing smoothly.
Moreover, thanks to Pan Yun's calculations of the weather, the meticulous calculations of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works, and Yu Qian's coordination, their return to the capital was orderly. Despite the large number of wounded soldiers, they managed to ensure that everyone had access to medicine and winter supplies to the minimum extent possible.
The losses were less than when they left Beijing.
Pan Yu and Yu Rui were witnesses to this, and they also felt that the world was about to change, and change completely.
Lying on the bed, Yu Rui asked in a low voice, "Tell me, is this because of Lord Yu, or because of your sister?" (End of Chapter)