"By the grace of Heaven and the Emperor, an imperial decree: Now that the imperial army has quelled the rebellion of Liu Wang with merit, protecting the nation's safety in its time of crisis, I am greatly pleased. I hereby order all civil and military officials and members of the royal family to convey my regards to the imperial army on my behalf. May you all remember your original intentions and strive for greater achievements!"
"Furthermore, I bestow upon all officers and soldiers of the imperial army a reward of three taels of silver per person, as a token of my appreciation!"
"By Imperial Command!"
"Long live! Long live! Ten thousand years!"
The soldiers never expected that before the perfunctory military review even began, they would receive a reward of three taels of silver, which had nothing to do with military merits.
In other words, this was equivalent to receiving two sets of rewards! Three taels of silver! The monthly salary of ordinary soldiers like them was only one tael and five mace, so this was like receiving two months' salary at once!
The soldiers, filled with excitement, shouted their gratitude to His Majesty, and even the generals were no exception.
Three taels were not much to them, better than nothing, but the honor it represented was beyond what three taels of silver could compare to.
"I, Li Baihua, the Eldest Princess of the Yunyue Kingdom, represent His Majesty and the common people of the Yunyue Kingdom, and I am here to welcome the victorious return of the imperial army."
"May peace and prosperity reign in Chang'an for a long time, and may war never return!"
Princess Baihua congratulated them with a gentle and graceful smile, standing tall and elegant.
"May peace and prosperity reign in Chang'an for a long time, and may war never return!"
"May peace and prosperity reign in Chang'an for a long time, and may war never return!"
The soldiers looked at Princess Baihua before them, excitedly echoing the cheers, and even the onlookers from the populace joined in the shouting.
When the cheers subsided, Princess Baihua smiled and said, "Heroes, please enter the city and accept the congratulations of the people!"
"Your humble servant Chu Chen, thanks His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Eldest Princess immensely!"
Chu Chen dismounted, bowed his hands in thanks.
Then he remounted his horse and slowly led the army into the city.
Princess Baihua stood to the side, her exquisite face maintaining a gentle and graceful smile, looking with a smile at every soldier entering the city.
"Tch, mother is really putting on a grand show."
After entering the city, Princess Xinyue pouted and muttered softly.
The surrounding soldiers all had cultivation, so even though Princess Xinyue's voice was low, they could hear her clearly.
Chu Chen looked at her with a wry smile, but said nothing, and led the soldiers along the designated route with a smile.
It took a full hour to circle the entire Shuangyue City before finally entering the military camp within the city, marking the end.
"It's finally over, this princess is exhausted. If I had known it would be so tiring, I wouldn't have participated at all. Anyway, it doesn't matter if I, as the supervisor, participate or not."
In the command tent of the military camp, Princess Xinyue complained tiredly.
"Haha~ There's also a state banquet tomorrow night."
Chu Chen laughed heartily.
"Ah? There's a state banquet? I'm out, I'm out. This princess is going back to the palace first. Chu Chen, you can enjoy it by yourself!"
Princess Xinyue was scared and got up, leaving with her personal guards.
"Commander Chu, His Highness the Fifth Princess... is it alright like this?"
Wei Lixuan asked, dumbfounded.
"It should be alright, right? As His Highness said, she is just a supervisor, and strictly speaking, not a member of the army."
Chu Chen rubbed his chin and replied uncertainly.
But he thought that the Empress would not pursue such a trivial matter, as she doted on that girl Xinyue.
The next day, at the morning court.
After a series of bows, the Empress smiled and said, "Chu Chen!"
"Your humble servant is here!" Chu Chen quickly stepped forward.
"You have rendered meritorious service in quelling the rebellion this time. I will not treat those with merit unfairly. You are hereby enfeoffed as a Viscount of the fourth rank in the Yunyue Kingdom, with a fief of twenty-five households! Furthermore, you are granted a thousand mu of fertile land, one hundred bolts of imperial silk, twenty beautiful women, and one hundred thousand taels of silver! Are you satisfied?"
"Your humble servant is satisfied with all that Your Majesty has bestowed!"
Chu Chen replied respectfully.
"Very good!" The Empress nodded with great satisfaction, a sigh of relief in her heart.
It was good that there were no objections, otherwise it would have been difficult to bestow rewards.
Then the Empress nodded to the eunuch beside her. Eunuch Wang immediately took out an imperial edict from his sleeve and shouted in a high-pitched voice, "All generals who quelled the rebellion of Liu Wang, step forward to receive your appointments!"
"Your humble servants are here!"
With a rustling sound, the generals, who had been specifically instructed to wear armor to court, excitedly stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
"By the grace of Heaven and the Emperor, an imperial decree: Liu Wang, in his treachery, was disloyal and unfilial, inciting rebellion and causing harm to the land, disrupting the nation! Fortunately, I have loyal and righteous soldiers who bravely fought for the country, protecting peace and prosperity, with immeasurable merit. Now, rewards are bestowed upon the soldiers to display the nation's grace."
"An Xian, former Director of the Beast Extermination Department, Deputy Reform Commissioner, and Assistant Minister of Agriculture, fought bravely and commanded effectively, leading the heavenly soldiers to defeat the enemy with great merit and conquering all directions! You are hereby appointed as General of Conquest of the East, a second-rank official, and a Baron of the fifth rank, with a hundred servants, three beautiful women, ten thousand taels of silver, and ten bolts of imperial silk!"
"Wei Lixuan, former General of Martial Loyalty, a fourth-rank official, is promoted to General of Zhen Dong, a third-rank official, with a hundred servants, two beautiful women, three thousand taels of silver, and five bolts of imperial silk!"
"An Yong, former Zhonglang General of Martial Loyalty, a fourth-rank official, is promoted to General of Xuan Wei, a third-rank official, with a hundred servants, one beautiful woman, one thousand taels of silver, and five bolts of imperial silk!"
"And so on..."
A series of rewards made the generals kneeling in the hall overjoyed and excited.
This rebellion-suppression war, which they had barely participated in, resulted in a promotion and numerous rewards, making them incredibly happy.
They had hardly contributed to this war; these rewards were almost entirely thanks to Chu Chen.
"All soldiers, in addition to the rewards for killing the enemy, are individually rewarded with five taels of silver as encouragement! By Imperial Command!"
"Long live, long live, ten thousand years!"
Chu Chen and all the generals shouted in unison.
Seeing these warriors receive their rewards, the civil officials all felt envious. This war, which was almost a victory by default, made them regret not having gone along.
Moreover, Chu Chen had become even more formidable through this. He was a rare talent in the Yunyue Kingdom, skilled in both civil and military affairs, with achievements in both governance and warfare. This was truly remarkable and would undoubtedly leave a significant mark in the history of the Yunyue Kingdom. Such talent and accomplishments might even be mentioned in the historical records of neighboring countries.
It was truly a cause for envy and jealousy!
After the bestowal of rewards, the court also discussed the distribution of spoils of war, mainly concerning the captured soldiers of the rebel army.
Without exception, their female family members were sold to fund the military or entered the national treasury, their property was confiscated and turned over to the Ministry of Revenue, and they themselves were sentenced to hard labor in the mines for at least ten years without special amnesty or commutation.
All their immovable property, except for the land which belonged to the court, was handed over to the local government for post-war reconstruction.
After a fierce discussion on the distribution of war spoils, the court arranged for special envoys to transport large quantities of supplies to the military camp, including wine, meat, and vegetables, for the soldiers' celebration.
For an entire day, tens of thousands of soldiers could eat and drink to their fill.