Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 250 Loyal Bones Buried Under the Loess Earth

The moment this question popped into Lin Zhiqing's mind, Aunt Mu asked the same question.

Lin Zhiqing took a slight breath: "Anything is possible. I will keep this in mind."

"Aunt Mu, don't worry, after I've dealt with the current affairs of the Lin family, I will begin to investigate my father's matter."

This was Lin Zhiqing's original idea.

It's just that the matter of the imperial gifts is more urgent now, which is why she has shifted her focus to them.

Aunt Mu understood what she meant and didn't say anything more.

A series of unexpected events left her feeling somewhat down.

Lin Zhiqing didn't have time to think too much. After resting for a night, she and Lin Yangyang went to find the wounded soldiers and veterans that Lin Congyan had been supporting.

Since those who bought and sold the imperial gifts were unwilling to return them, Lin Zhiqing planned to collect as many items as possible that would benefit the Lin family before making further plans.

Moreover, the soldiers who received aid were actually paid by the imperial court, and the Lin family's aid to them was also a way of sharing the burden of the imperial court.

Collecting these people's testimonies could, at least if necessary, reverse the Lin family's reputation and thus mitigate the impact of the imperial gifts on the Lin family.

At the same time, Lin Zhiqing did not know much about his father, Lin Congrong.

This is also an opportunity to learn about Lin Congrong.

There were many wounded and disabled soldiers in the entire Dasheng, and the Lin family provided assistance to those who had previously served under Lin Qingshan and Lin Congrong.

Decades earlier, the number could reach thousands.

But now, most of them have turned to dust.

The list of those receiving aid mostly consisted of soldiers' family members.

There are only about fifty wounded veterans left.

Of these fifty-odd people, only eighteen were from Shengjing City or its vicinity.

Lin Zhiqing's target was these eighteen people.

With all sorts of thoughts in mind, early in the morning, Lin Zhiqing went to the West Market and knocked on the door of the first house.

However, they have yet to receive a response.

After waiting for a long time, a woman from the next house poked her head out impatiently: "What are you knocking for? It's so early in the morning, can't a person get any sleep?"

Lin Zhiqing quickly handed over a small piece of silver and inquired about the whereabouts of the first household.

Upon seeing the silver, the woman's attitude underwent a complete 180-degree change:
"Tsk tsk, you're too late. The man in this family drank himself to death a few years ago, leaving only his deaf mother, who also died recently."

This is not good news.

Lin Zhiqing crossed that person's name off the list.

Then, without stopping, he went to a farmhouse on the outskirts of the city to find a second wounded soldier who had gone blind.

This time, they turned back before even entering the small village.

Because the address written on the list had been burned to ashes, the people inside naturally burned to death as well.

According to those around, the fire started because the blind man couldn't see a spark fall into a corner of the woodshed.

After that, Lin Zhiqing went to the second and third households, but even after visiting dozens of households, she never met any of the wounded soldiers.

Exhausted, Lin Yangyang collapsed in the carriage: "Sister Qing, these people are truly pitiful."

"What good is winning a battle? Some of them lost their eyes, some lost their arms, and they can't even maintain a basic standard of living. With such treatment, who would dare to go to the army in the future?"

Lin Yangyang had never experienced the suffering of ordinary people before, and now she felt both angry and powerless.

Lin Zhiqing flipped through the booklet in her hand, feeling equally distressed.

She discovered a problem.

As time went by, soldiers died or their families moved away one after another in recent years.

Relocation is one thing, but the reasons for death are bizarre and varied.

He drank too much and fell into a water vat. He went blind and was burned to death.

He fell into the river because of his leg injury.

……

It seems that very few people die peacefully in their sleep.

"Cousin, their deaths were so tragic. Didn't the imperial court arrange their funerals?" Lin Zhiqing rubbed her chin.

Lin Yangyang sighed: "The lowest-ranking soldiers don't get this kind of treatment. They have to be at least a centurion before the court will send someone to handle their funeral."

"At least these people can return to their hometowns in spirit, but the soldiers who died on the battlefield can't even have their bodies found."

Lin Yangyang straightened up, seemingly quite indignant:

"To be honest, there are a few people on this list that I still remember."

"My third uncle knows I like fighting and killing, so when I occasionally go back to the Lin family, he asks them to give me some pointers."

"After I got to know them, I realized that the military camp was not an easy place to stay at all."

Lin Yangyang picked up a piece of pastry: "They regard this as a treasure. When they are on the march, they can only eat wild vegetables to fill their stomachs."

"The Ministry of Revenue is short of grain supplies, and it is the lower-level officials who are suffering the most."

Hearing this, Lin Zhiqing was slightly surprised.

Although Lin Yangyang usually appears carefree and easygoing, she seems to be quite insightful.

"How do you know all this?" Lin Zhiqing couldn't help but ask curiously.

"My grandfather and third uncle both told me that they taught me all my martial arts skills," Lin Yangyang said with great pride.

“My father always opposed my learning martial arts, so I would sneak into my grandfather’s courtyard and listen to him and my third uncle discuss military strategy, which was quite interesting.”

The third uncle she mentioned was Lin Zhiqing's father, Lin Congrong.

No wonder Lin Yangyang and Lin Qingshan were so familiar with each other when they went to Bianliang.

Moreover, according to Lin Congyan's previous statement, the Lin family will select suitable martial arts practitioners from the next generation and allocate resources to their training.

She hadn't noticed it before, but now that she looked at it, Lin Yangyang was indeed more outstanding than most men.

It's worth noting that even when Jiang Liuyun wanted to take action against Lin Zhiqing, he chose to send Lin Yangyang away beforehand rather than confront her directly.

Without guidance from someone, it would be extremely difficult to master such martial arts.

At least in the past, Lin Qingshan must have had high hopes for Lin Yangyang.

Lin Yangyang was unaware of Lin Zhiqing's thoughts, and her mood was somewhat heavy:
"Qing-meimei, do you think those who died would have fared better if they hadn't gone to the battlefield?"

of course.

Every soldier goes to the battlefield for the sake of his family and his unwavering loyalty to the Great Sheng.

Ultimately, they were all fighting to defend their homeland.

However, the great victory they fought for ultimately disappointed many people.

Lin Zhiqing squeezed the booklet in her hand. If these people really died in an accident, then it was too tragic.

At least Lin Zhiqing sensed something unusual about it.

People with physical disabilities are often more perceptive in other ways.

For example, a person who is blind may have a more outstanding sense of smell or hearing.

If there is a fire, you may not hear any sound, but you should be able to smell the smoke.

Wounded soldiers and disabled veterans are just the titles given to them by outsiders.

They are often more resilient and perceptive than ordinary people.

These people's lives are not so fragile.

One or two would be fine, but so many people dying one after another for various reasons is truly unusual.