Xiao Ruxun's achievements were listed in the imperial court's imperial edict. The first was a hereditary family of generals who guarded the country's borders. They had four sons, all of whom were loyal and good. After that, they defended the city of Pinglu to the death and persevered in moral integrity. They plotted to kill Bo Bai's adopted son, Bo Yun, and the Hetao chieftain, Mighty Rabbit. They killed three thousand Hetao captives and raised the prestige of the country. They had made a great contribution that had never been seen since Jiajing.
Next, he proposed a plan to break through the city and pacify Bo Bai's rebellion. He made a great contribution to the army in two months.
Next, he personally killed the leader of the bandits, Bo Bai, and destroyed the enemy's heart.
Finally, he bravely saved the only son of the Prince of Qing, so that he would not be without heirs. He was indebted to the royal family.
All of these contributions could not be rewarded without a title of nobility. Thus, he was conferred the title of Count of Pinglu, a thousand households of land, and was bestowed with a title of nobility. He summoned Xiao Ruxun to the court to have an audience with the emperor as a full title of nobility. He also summoned the generals who put down the rebellion, Ma Gui, Li Zhi, and Dong Yikui, to the capital to receive their rewards.
The rest of the honors, military ranks, and monetary rewards were not important. The title of Count of Pinglu could be bestowed with a title of nobility. This was enough to make all the generals jealous.
But they had nothing to object to. Xiao Ruxun's prestige was already very high. He did indeed have a solid military record. The main credit belonged to him. He was fully deserving of the first merit. What else could they say?
Ma Gui, Li Zhi, Dong Yikui, and the other generals were green with envy. Xiao Ruhui smiled as her eyes turned green. Her younger brother had left too quickly …
In addition to Xiao Ruxun, many other generals also received rewards. For example, Ma Gui was conferred the title of Commander of Datong, which could be considered as restoring his position. Li Zhi was conferred the title of Commander of Guyuan, and Dong Yikui was conferred the title of Deputy Commander of Ningxia. They all received honors, monetary rewards, and land. But whether in terms of glory or practical benefits, they were not as good as Xiao Ruxun.
Not only was Xiao Ruxun himself conferred a title of nobility so that he could support his son, but his wife, Madam Yang, was also conferred the title of Lady of the Imperial Court for her heroic deed of accompanying her husband in defending Pinglu City.
This family became the most glorious family in Ning Xia Town in a single leap. Xiao Ruxun had also officially surpassed his own family and obtained enough merits to establish another branch of the Xiao Clan.
For a moment, both the civil and military officials came to report the good news to Xiao Ruxun. Ye Mengxiong even suggested that everyone hold a celebration banquet tonight to congratulate Xiao Ruxun and everyone else.
The rewards for the military officials were easy to give, but it was different for the civil officials. The rewards for the civil officials had to wait until they returned to the court before the celebration banquet. Neither Mei Guozhen nor Ye Mengxiong knew what kind of rewards they would be given, but they seemed to be worried. The celebration banquet was naturally filled with drinking. But after the banquet, when all the generals left drunkenly, the sober Ye Mengxiong and Mei Guozhen called Xiao Ruxun, who was anxious to go home to accompany his wife, to the main tent.
"Sometimes, I really envy those military generals. After obtaining meritorious service, it's easy for them to be promoted and rewarded. They can continue to do what they should be doing without worrying about being involved in any kind of storm. They can easily fight for a title. As an official, all we want is to have a title for our wife and children. The number of military generals of the Great Ming Dynasty who have achieved this is far more than the number of civil officials."
In the main tent, Ye Mengxiong personally poured wine for Mei Guozhen and Xiao Ruxun. While pouring wine, he said these words. Then, he sat down and picked up his wine cup. Before Xiao Ruxun and Mei Guozhen raised their cups, he drank first, causing Xiao Ruxun to be stunned. Then, he saw Mei Guozhen also raised his head and drank the wine in his cup. Looking at the worried expressions of the two, Xiao Ruxun already understood why they called him over.
"That's what Zhitai said. I is also a general, and he also obtained the merit of having a title for his wife and children. I shouldn't be talking about those generals, I should be talking about you generals."
Xiao Ruxun also smiled and drank a cup of wine.
"You are destined to not be an ordinary general."
Ye Mengxiong suddenly put down his wine cup and looked at Xiao Ruxun sternly. "Destined, it's already destined. Being conferred the title of count in this battle is enough to show that you're no longer an ordinary general. According to the ancestral rules, you already possess the talent to lead an army into battle.
Also, if you lead an army into battle alone, no one can say anything. But now, this is the responsibility of scholars. You have come this far as a general and obtained a title. This is certainly not what the civil officials want. This can only be His Majesty's idea. It is very likely that His Majesty forced the cabinet to approve it. "
Xiao Ruxun came to a realization and narrowed her eyes.
"But Zhitai and Supervisor Mei are also civil officials, aren't they?"
Mei Guozhen laughed and said, "Ever since I threw away my pen and joined the army, I can no longer be considered one of those civil officials' people. But at the same time, I am not one of those people in the eyes of the generals either. I can't get along well with both sides. My situation is much worse than that of pure civil officials and generals.
In particular, civil officials who lead troops to victory are even more of a taboo among the court officials. The new Marquis Wang Yangming Gong is my example. Even though he has made great contributions, he has been suppressed in the local area for the rest of his life and cannot enter the central government. He has been depressed and unable to achieve his ambitions. "
Ye Mengxiong took a deep breath and slowly said, "Since the start of this war, it is fated that we who lead troops and the civil officials of the court will look at the war from a different angle. If we win this war, we will gain great fame and become a taboo for the civil officials in the court. Ji Xin, you are a general and not an official in the court. Naturally, you do not know how fierce the internal strife of the civil officials in the court is.
Ke Sheng and I do not belong to the group of civil officials. That is why we seek to find another way out. It would be better if we don't fight. But once the war starts, once we win, we will accumulate merits and be transferred to the court. We will cause chaos in the court and will not be liked by others. If we do not retreat in time, I am afraid that disaster will not be far away. "
Mei Guozhen continued, "That may not be the case for me. I am the Imperial Censor. Although I have military merits, they are only unimportant merits. I will not be promoted to a high position. But Lord Ye is in a difficult situation. As the commander-in-chief, he has made great contributions. The position of Minister of War is the best reward. But Lord Ye has been leading troops all year round and is incompatible with the civil officials. He is also not accepted by the military officials. In the future, other than submitting petitions to beg for his bones and staying at home to play with his grandchildren, it will be difficult for him to have a good ending."
The words spoken by these two people were all shocking dark secrets of the imperial court.
"I am afraid that the road to the capital will not be easy for I to travel! Count of Peace, this title of nobility, is really good. "
As soon as Xiao Ruxun said this, Mei Guozhen and Ye Mengxiong, who were in the suburbs, were a little surprised.
"Ji Xin already knows?"
Ye Mengxiong asked doubtfully.
"This is Jiang Bin's title of nobility!"
Xiao Ruxun tilted his head back and drank a cup of wine. "Are they praising me or scolding me?"
Jiang Bin! Wu Zong was the leader of the traitors who caused chaos in the court. He was hated by the literati. Because he was favored by Wu Zong, he was granted the title of Count of Peace. Later on, he was killed. Now, this title had fallen into his hands. What did these civil officials mean? If Xiao Ruxun still did not understand, he would really be an idiot.
"Hehehe, it is rare for Ji Xin to be so clear-headed. If it was any other military official, they would be overjoyed. But Ji Xin can smell the mystery. If Ji Xin is a civil official, she must be an expert!"
Mei Guozhen laughed.
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