Yu Minren was the name of this old man, and Snow Sea Pass held a grand funeral for him.
Actually, from Zheng Fan's perspective, when he issued this "honorable burial" command, he was partly moved by the old man's spirit and temperament, and partly for the sake of giving face to the Sword Saint.
The Sword Saint is several levels above Mr. Chen, but the two have many similarities. From the perspective of "being good to honest people," there is essentially no difference between the Sword Saint and Mr. Chen.
Before Dujuan's death, she dared to entrust her child to the Sword Saint, who took the enemy's son to break through enemy lines; his character is truly beyond reproach.
So, for someone like this, if you give him a few bowls of water, one day he will surely return it with a waterfall; it's truly a foolproof investment.
But after the task was handed over to the blind man,
things quickly went beyond Zheng Fan's original intention.
This was not merely an honorable burial,
but truly a ceremonious grand funeral!
Throughout Snow Sea Pass, all soldiers of Jin land origin tied white cloths on their weapons, and two thousand cavalry led the way, escorting the coffin for burial.
For this, they even halted some urgently needed projects, allowing citizens to gather and witness the ceremony.
Every aspect of the funeral followed the customs of Jin land, and in detail, the blind man personally consulted with the elders among the citizens to ensure everything was done meticulously.
Thus,
standing on the city wall after observing the ceremony,
the Sword Saint let go of his cane and bowed to Zheng Fan.
He bowed to Zheng Fan for his courtesy to that clan chief, and also for his great kindness to Yu Huaping.
Lord Zheng didn't put on any pretense,
he simply said calmly:
"This is what I should do."
After the Sword Saint left, Zheng Fan stood alone on the city wall, running his hand over the crenels, feeling the temperature of the wall, and couldn't help but reflect,
the Sword Saint truly doesn't understand politics.
After a while,
the blind man, who had been busy all day, ascended this section of the wall, coming up behind Zheng Fan.
Without turning around, he knew from the footsteps who it was.
Siniang would first bring a fragrant breeze before arriving,
Liang Cheng walked with upright steps, Fanli walked heavily, Xue Three walked lightly, A Ming's boots made a clear sound,
only the blind man,
walked with such a carefree and easygoing manner.
"Things were handled well." Zheng Fan said.
Although he was a bit slow to realize, Zheng Fan eventually understood the blind man's intention in organizing such a grand ceremony.
The one being buried was the clan chief of the Yu family,
the old man pointed out two Silver Armored Guards from Qian State,
then calmly requested a swift death.
The entire event took place in full view of the public.
Even though their heads were personally chopped off by Lord Zheng, it was to fulfill the old man's wish;
the old man's actions were undoubtedly positive, as he affirmed Lord Pingye's contributions during the battle of Snow Sea Pass, which was equivalent to affirming the contributions of those surrendered Jin soldiers who had stood by Lord Zheng to defend Snow Sea Pass.
This was a positive acknowledgment;
simultaneously, the funeral was held for a Jin person, and the old man had noble blood. Regardless of how the Yu royal family had declined over the years, in name, they were indeed one of the most prestigious identities in the Three Jin lands.
Holding a funeral for a Jin person, allowing soldiers of Jin land origin to pay respects, attracting the surrounding primarily Jin populace to observe;
this was a massive political showcase, capable of consolidating military morale, and furthermore, could win hearts in abundance.
After all, no matter how high the praise, Zheng Fan was still of Yan origin, a general of Yan people, appointed by the Yan Emperor personally as Lord Pingye, and as an invader and outsider, the fundamental standpoint and class opposition during peace times were hard to erase completely.
Since it couldn't be completely erased, the goal was to dilute it.
A warlord's fundamental base never comes from the favor and recognition of the court. Any central authority with a normal mindset is extremely resistant and opposed to warlord fiefdoms.
The central authority's pursuit of centralization is an instinct, and a fiefdom's pursuit of autonomy is also an instinct. Between instincts, there might be temporary mutual understanding due to mutual needs, but ultimately it is an irreconcilable contradiction.
Therefore, from Zheng Fan's standpoint, seizing the opportunity to win over people's hearts is of utmost importance.
The best outcome is to be a Yan official yet be viewed as one of their own by the Jin people.
The blind man understood this point and achieved it.
"My lord, in any matter, to satisfy the necessary people and also ourselves is truly mutual benefit."
Zheng Fan shook his head and said:
"I'm not so pretentious; what you did was right."
Mixing political effects into the funeral, using everything to its fullest extent, is indeed using the deceased, which can be seen as a desecration, but at least the living are all satisfied.
Lord Zheng wasn't someone with moral scruples, nor was he unappreciative.
The blind man came to Zheng Fan's side and said, "My lord, I calculated together with Siniang, and while our finances are sufficient, pay for the troops isn't a major issue, but supply of provisions and other materials, even with the shipments from Ying Capital City and the Ministry of Revenue, means we'll have a tight winter."
Tight circumstances are indeed the norm, especially after large battles, where all regions inevitably live frugally.
Preventing people from starving is already proof of governance proficiency.
But Snow Sea Pass sets its sights higher, and striving only for survival would be lacking ambition.
"Moreover, from before winter until well into it, we expect a steady stream of refugees coming to seek survival. Naturally, we must accept them, but this adds more burden to our provisions reserves.
Reviews
All reviews (0)