After all, we didn't get to see each other for the last time.

After arriving at the Army General Hospital, before he had time to go upstairs, Emperor Zhu learned from the doctor that the Left Prime Minister had passed away.

Standing in front of the elevator and looking at the elevator door, Emperor Zhu did not take that step. At this moment, he seemed to be in a heavy mood.

The left prime minister left.

For dozens of seconds, Fang Zhanbo could see that His Majesty's expression became a little dazed.

"His Majesty……"

Fang Zhanbo called out to the Prime Minister softly.

But Emperor Zhu, who was immersed in his memories, did not hear his voice. He just recalled the past in a trance.

More than ten years ago, after the Left Prime Minister voluntarily retired and set his term as the Prime Minister of the Empire, Emperor Zhu had originally planned to re-employ him, but ultimately he never did. Zuo Zongtang took it calmly, and when the two were together, they would go fishing, play chess, or talk about various things.

After the outbreak of this war, the Left Prime Minister, who was the first Prime Minister of the empire, ignored his aging body and traveled by train across the country. He gave speeches in city halls, held memorial ceremonies for the fallen soldiers, and consoled the families of the soldiers and the wounded. He did everything he could to support himself with his actions.

As a retired minister, Zuo Zongtang did something that many people had never done.

Zuo Qing has never betrayed the country, nor has he betrayed me. What about me?

Emperor Zhu sighed deeply, looking disappointed.

A few minutes later, Emperor Zhu came to the front of the ward. When Zuo Xiaoxun and others stood up and saluted, he said.

"Xiao Wei hasn't come back yet?"

Zuo Xiaowei is Zuo Zongtang's eldest son and also the Minister of the Imperial Ministry of the Interior. Recently, he has been on a business trip in Peru. After all, as a newly annexed territory, Peru always needs people to be stationed there to suppress the situation, and the Ministry of the Interior is the only powerful department among the various ministries of the Executive Yuan.

"Your Majesty, my brother is coming back from Peru."

Nodding, Emperor Zhu spoke to the chief attendant.

"Call the Navy Department and ask Xiaotong to come back,"

Xiaotong is the fourth child of the Zuo family and is currently serving in the army. Because it is wartime, all soldiers have their leave cancelled, even if their parents have passed away. But as the emperor, Zhu Da could naturally open a back door.

"Your Majesty, my father had instructed before his death that Xiao Kuan and Xiao Tong are both serving in the army. During this war, they should put national affairs first."

Listening to Zuo Xiaoxun's words, Emperor Zhu couldn't help but sigh, then nodded.

"Then follow the left ..."

After a pause, Emperor Zhu said.

"Let's follow Zuo Wenzheng's last words!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zuo Xiaoxun excitedly bowed to the company commander to express his gratitude.

The posthumous title of Zuo Zongtang was determined by the phrase "Zuo Wenzheng". Since the Tang Dynasty, scholars who became officials have always dreamed of getting a posthumous title, which is Wenzheng. However, as the supreme ruler, the emperor would not easily give this posthumous title to anyone. In history, most people who were able to get the posthumous title of Wenzheng were the objects of admiration of scholars at that time, such as Fan Zhongyan, Fang Xiaoru, Li Dongyang and others.

During the Ming Dynasty, only five people were given this posthumous title, and during the more than two hundred years of the Qing Dynasty, only five people were given this posthumous title. As for the Ming Dynasty... Zuo Zongtang was the first person.

Just looking at this posthumous title is enough to prove how much the emperor values ​​Zuo Zongtang. How can the Zuo family not be excited? This is the highest honor for a civil servant.

Not only that, after returning to the palace, Emperor Zhu Da, when issuing an edict to bestow a posthumous title on him, also allowed him to be given a state funeral as a sign of the emperor's grace.

Such posthumous honor and imperial grace are extremely rare in history.

On July 21, the sky was overcast and the air was slightly cool, with a refreshing breeze blowing. At the Zuo family's old house in the southern suburbs of Yingtian, white wreaths for memorial services lined the streets. Two rows of military honor guards, wearing shiny helmets and holding rifles, stood solemnly outside the gate on the left and right.

Traffic on the street has been cut off, and occasionally one or two black official cars slowly drive in. Today is the state funeral day of the late Zuo Wen Zheng Gong.

At around nine o'clock in the morning, funeral music was playing in the mourning hall. It was time to open the coffin. The crowd at the door of the funeral home parted on both sides. The army guard of honor raised their swords and guns. The coffin of Zuo Wenzhenggong was carried out of the mourning hall by eight officers of the guard of honor. The coffin was covered with a Ming Dynasty sun and moon flag.

A ceremonial guard car drove out long ago and stopped at the gate of the funeral home. A flag-bearing soldier stood on it, leading the team with a national flag in his hand, followed by six war horses pulling the artillery carriage.

When the ceremonial guards carried the coffin out, Crown Prince Zhu Youlin stood aside and looked at the ceremonial guards. He came on behalf of his father, and beside him stood a group of officials who came to send off the funeral.

As soon as the coffin was placed on the gun carriage, the person in charge walked up to the Crown Prince and said.

"Your Highness, you may get in the car now."

With a slight nod, after Zhu Youlin got into the car, the officials who came to attend the funeral also stepped into their respective cars. A long dragon of black government cars was lined up in the street.

The police and gendarmes who maintained traffic were at the street corners blowing whistles to direct vehicles and guests from all walks of life who came to see them off.

A few minutes later, the hearse started. The horse-drawn hearse was not very fast. When the funeral procession turned to Suhang Road, there was a tall archway made of pine branches at the intersection, with the characters "Funeral of Zuo Wenzhenggong" written horizontally with white chrysanthemums. When the hearse passed through the archway, there was a troop on the side of the road. They might be heading to the docks, preparing to go to the European front. Hundreds of cars were parked on the side of the road, and thousands of officers and soldiers stood in front of the cars. When the troop leader saw the hearse passing by, he immediately gave a command.

"salute!"

The soldiers of the entire army suddenly turned their heads and saluted the hearse, and their gazes slowly shifted as the horses' hooves sounded.

The soldiers continued their journey only after the convoy left.

After the slowly moving motorcade drove into Zhuque Avenue, the street was already crowded with citizens who came to the funeral. When the hearse came, a row of old men squeezed out of the crowd and knelt down in front of the hearse. Most of those old men were wearing black mourning clothes. The leader was the assistant minister of the cabinet, Cheng Dingkang, who was born in the Zuo Zongtang shogunate. The old men behind him were some who were born in the shogunate like him, and some were veterans of the Chu army who came to Nanhua with Zuo Xiang. Their identities were different, but among the immigrants, they all had a very special identity "Zuo Shuai's old subordinates". Because of this, they supported and helped each other for many years. Now they all knelt there just to send Zuo Shuai on his last journey.

The convoy drove slowly and finally drove into the Imperial Martyrs' Shrine located at the southern end of Suzaku Avenue. There were many Martyrs' Shrines in the Ming Empire, and there was a Martyrs' Shrine in every province, but only the Martyrs' Shrine in Yingtian was named "Imperial".

This is the highest level of the imperial martyrs' shrine, and it is considered an honor to rest here. Soldiers who died in the military or those who died in important national administrative positions can be buried here.

Amid the low lights, Zuo Wen Zheng Gong was buried in the Martyrs' Shrine. He was surrounded by white tombstones as white as jade. Among them were ordinary soldiers as well as generals and officers. It was absolutely fair here and people were not divided into different classes based on their ranks in life. After all, loyal souls were equal.

At the last moment of the state funeral, as if heaven and earth were in sync, a heavy rain fell from the sky, as if the sky was also crying...