The triumphant ceremony began when it was close to noon. Song Yingchang and Xiao Ruxun led the army forward slowly, and stopped at a place ten li away from Beijing. Here, the venue for the triumphant ceremony was prepared by the Emperor and the officials. The army stopped at the periphery, and the commander-in-chief and the main generals went up together to have an audience with the Emperor.
When he saw Zhu Yijun again after several months, Xiao Ruxun suddenly realized that Zhu Yijun seemed to have aged a lot. Not only did he not look very energetic, but he also seemed to have lost the sharpness that he had when they had met in secret that night. The sharpness that belonged to a young Emperor could not be found in Zhu Yijun. Xiao Ruxun knew that this was probably the blow that the three princes had given him. But if it was just this, it should not have made him so depressed.
The Zhu Yijun in his memory should not be someone who would admit defeat so easily.
The palace coup that did not happen was stopped by Empress Dowager Li and then suppressed. This secret would never be known, so Xiao Ruxun did not know that he was originally only one step away from success and death, and that Daming was only one step away from war and disintegration.
Even so, the necessary etiquette still had to be followed. The officials of the Ministry of Rites loudly announced the ceremony. Song Yingchang, Xiao Ruxun, and the other generals saluted the Emperor according to the traditional etiquette. They handed over the report of victory, the seal of the commander-in-chief and the general, and the power to command the troops. They returned this power to the Emperor. Thus, their mission came to an end, and their glory ended.
Zhu Yijun looked at the high-spirited Xiao Ruxun and did not know what to feel. He wanted to tell Xiao Ruxun about his previous plan and even wanted to pull Xiao Ruxun into another palace coup. But he knew very well that Wang Xijue, who was standing next to him, would not give him this chance.
He, the Emperor, was only one step away from being the Emperor in name.
The ceremony of returning the report was the first ceremony. After that, it was the second step, the sacrifice of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the prisoners of war were presented to the Emperor, and the Emperor would announce the life and death of these prisoners.
If they were ordinary prisoners of war, the Emperor of the Central Plains would pardon them out of political considerations, reward them with gifts, and then put them under house arrest. But for these Japanese prisoners of war, because the memory of Daming decades ago was too deep, it was impossible to pardon them. Only death awaited them.
"The army presents the prisoners of war!"
The officials of the Ministry of Rites announced loudly. Zhu Yijun sat on the throne and put on a dignified look. Looking at the 16 high-level prisoners of war and the 38 low-level prisoners of war, he felt a little relieved. Although he did not look dignified in front of these civil officials, in the eyes of these Japanese pirates who were defeated by the army, he was still the supreme Emperor of Daming. It was only at this time that Zhu Yijun could feel the majesty of the Emperor.
The head of Toyotomi Hideyoshi had long been sent to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. As the "Regent" of Nihon, who initiated the war, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's status was needless to say. It was also because of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death that Nihon was in internal strife and divided into east and west. As for the achievement of this strategic goal, Zhu Yijun was very surprised by Xiao Ruxun's strategic vision and practical ability. To be able to trap Nihon to this extent was not something an ordinary person could do.
There were more than 50 Nihon prisoners of war. Zhu Yijun also knew their status in Nihon. The situation in Nihon was also clear to Zhu Yijun through Xiao Ruxun's memorials. He knew that Nihon currently had a feudal system similar to the Western Zhou Dynasty rather than a prefectural system. The so-called daimyo were like the feudal princes of small countries in the period of porridge. The emperor of Nihon was equivalent to the emperor of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and his situation was even worse. He was equivalent to the emperor of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, while Toyotomi Hideyoshi was the overlord.
These captives were the generals of tens of thousands of troops on the battlefield. From an administrative point of view, they were also the owners of a large piece of land. They also held military and administrative positions, so their status was very high. At least, their status was much higher than that of the Daming soldiers. Therefore, this group of people was definitely the elite of the elites in Nihon.
Therefore, such a capture was very meaningful.
Looking at the captives in white with disheveled hair kneeling on the ground and kowtowing obediently, Zhu Yijun stood up very proudly.
"You island barbarians, people outside of civilization, a small country, actually have the ambition to offend the Heavenly Empire. It is very hateful. Since the Daming Heavenly Army has arrived, you should surrender without a fight. In just three months, 100,000 troops have been wiped out. How dare you invade the Daming Empire? Aren't you the frogs at the bottom of the well acting arrogantly? Ridiculous! How sad!
The Daming Heavenly Empire is a country of etiquette. It rules the world with benevolence and filial piety. It should have pardoned you sinners. However, 30 years ago, several provinces in the southeast of the Daming Empire were destroyed by you. It was a tragic sight. If I pardoned you, how would I face the hundreds of thousands of people who have died? We cannot ignore those who have already died. Thus, we behead all of you dogs and spread the word to the world. We will issue an edict to pacify the Wokou pirates to announce to the world that the Wokou rebellion has been pacified! "
Zhu Yijun's words were spoken in a dignified tone. If one didn't know better, they would have thought that he was an emperor on horseback.
Of course, even if they knew that he wasn't, it didn't stop the officials from giving Zhu Yijun face and flattering him. All the officials and generals knelt down and shouted, "My Emperor is mighty and mighty."
Zhu Yijun's vanity was greatly satisfied. He laughed out loud and waved his hand. The executioners who had been waiting for a long time dragged these people away. They were beheaded at a place where the officials couldn't see them. The heads were then brought back for everyone to show off. After that, they were to be preserved with lime and sent to the world. This was to announce to the people of the Daming Empire that the pirates who had plagued the Daming Empire for decades had been suppressed.
After Zhu Yijun had satisfied his desire to act tough, it was time for the generals to receive their rewards. The rewards that everyone had been waiting for were about to be given out.
Were they going to be promoted or conferred titles? Who knew?
An official from the Ministry of Rites picked up an edict. All the generals stared at the edict. They knew that their rewards were written on the edict. As for what they would receive, it all depended on this edict.
According to the ranking, the first to be rewarded would definitely be Song Yingchang.
The official from the Ministry of Rites read the edict out loud. After a long speech about the peace and prosperity of the country, it was finally time to see the results.
"The Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, Commander of the Pirates Army, Song Yingchang, has led his troops well and is well-trained. His army is well-equipped and well-equipped. His merits are unparalleled. I hereby announce that he will be promoted to the Minister of Justice. He will be rewarded with five thousand taels of gold, thirty thousand taels of silver, three thousand mu of farmland, and several silks of silk."
Song Yingchang's heart leaped with joy. He knew that his plan had worked. He glanced at Xiao Ruxun, who nodded his head to indicate that he understood.
"Your subject Song Yingchang thanks the Emperor for his kindness!"
Song Yingchang accepted the edict and expressed his gratitude.
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