readsfreenovel Chapter 328 Reward
Chapter 328 Reward
The rewards written by Song Youji in the imperial edict were completely within Song Yuan's expectations.
More importantly, not only Song Yuan and Situ Jing were rewarded, but Song Yuan's subordinates were also on the reward list.
However, the content of the reward is probably slightly inferior to that of ordinary people.
After all, Song Yuan has already reached the highest position in the country. Even if there is a reward, the throne will not be given to him, right?
As for Song Yuan's subordinates, they all belong to Song Yuan after all. Promotion is fine, but if everyone becomes a general, I am afraid that the entire border will become Song Yuan's land.
Even if Song Youji trusted Song Yuan, even if he dared to do so, other ministers might not agree.
After all, no one wants to see a monopoly!
If he is a prince, any one of his subordinates can be a general leading thousands of troops.
When the time comes, just make a call from a high position and the throne will be within reach.
Naturally, it will arouse the fear of many people!
Therefore, the rewards this time are still mainly for Prince Song Yuan. In addition, the rewards received by those who are not fed by Song Yuan personally will also be increased accordingly.
The biggest change was in Song Yuan's official position, which jumped two levels and became the third-rank General Pingbei!
As for gold, silver and treasures, they are countless.
As for Song Yuan's subordinates, their positions were slightly promoted, but the most valuable thing among them was the golden armor that each of them had!
As the princess, Situ Jing's reward was even simpler, just a fur coat given by the emperor.
It is not difficult to see the hidden meaning of Song Youji from this content.
Judging from their merits, each of Song Yuan's subordinates has the potential to become a general!
But because of his affiliation with Song Yuan, his path to upgrading was blocked.
In the end, they could only be rewarded with armor as a symbol of their status!
It is equivalent to disguised recognition, which is also a kind of comfort to Song Yuan.
As for the other gold and silver, how to reward them is entirely up to Song Yuan.
His Majesty transferred all the gold and silver to him alone, and Song Yuan would distribute it himself when the time came.
This will also prevent Your Majesty from ending up buying people's hearts!
Among all these rewards, the one that surprised Song Yuan the most was the reward for Fatty Zhao.
This idle person who originally did not belong to the court at all has now transformed himself and directly become a sixth-rank official in the court!
It's just an empty title, but no corresponding position.
But even so, it is still worthy of the fat man’s previous efforts!
Song Yuan sent his men to count the gifts, and found a lot of things among them that were not rewards!
There was a lot of tea, as well as rare items offered by various countries.
These small gifts represent a token of your thoughtfulness.
It can be considered as a gift from the father to Song Yuan for the upcoming New Year!
"My father is really thoughtful. I am very satisfied with this gift!" Song Yuan exclaimed as he picked up a brick of tea.
Then he immediately waved his hand and ordered his subordinates to call all those who had been rewarded, so that he could inform everyone of the good news as soon as possible.
At one point, more than a dozen people gathered in Song Yuan’s military camp.
Everyone had an excited look on their face, especially Fatty Zhao, who, upon learning the content of his reward, shouted loudly without caring about the occasion.
"Fatty, I've made it big. I've become a sixth-rank official in the imperial court. When I get back, I wonder if the old man at home dares to yell at me again!"
"If you teach me a lesson again, will it be considered assaulting an official?"
Fatty Zhao was so excited that he even looked at Song Yuan and bowed repeatedly in gratitude, saying, "Your Highness, thank you so much this time. I can achieve such great achievements today thanks to your support!"
"I, Fatty Zhao, am a worthless person who is hated by everyone in the capital. I am here today thanks to Your Majesty. I promise that in the future..."
"Okay, okay, today is the end of the year, so stop saying those sour words!"
Song Yuan waved his hand, rejecting Fatty Zhao's gratitude, and at the same time explained the reason with a smile.
"Remember when we used the barbarians' corpses to exchange for their war horses? I'm giving you the credit for this!"
"Ah?" Upon hearing the truth, the fat man trembled, and a glimmer of light flashed in his pupils.
Under the impulse, a desire to hug Song Yuan tightly arose in his mind.
At the critical moment, Song Yuan noticed the fat man's thoughts and glared at him fiercely: "Don't play this trick in front of me, man, don't be so shy, I have no interest in men!"
"Don't think too much, Wang. I'm not interested in it either!" Upon hearing Song Yuan's comment, the fat man shuddered, and a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.
Finally, he stood up and bowed respectfully to Song Yuan: "Your Majesty, your kindness to me is as great as a mountain. Without you, I would not be who I am today. I promise that from now on, if Your Majesty points east, I will never go west, and if Your Majesty points south, I will never go north!"
"Alright, stop talking now. Just follow me. I can't promise you too many things, but I can guarantee that one day, as long as it's your contribution, I will definitely compensate you in another way!"
Song Yuan took this opportunity to raise his voice, seemingly talking to the fat man, but in fact he was affirming everyone's contribution!
For a moment, many generals present had tears in their eyes.
The fat man clenched his fists and spoke in a choked voice, "Your Highness, you're worrying too much. I can have this status now because of Your Highness. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would still be that useless person that everyone in the capital hates! It was Your Highness who gave me a new life and gave me this opportunity to make great achievements!"
"Now that I'm back in the capital, I can be considered proud. I'm afraid not only the old man, but also the other people in the family will look at me with new eyes. I have finally proved myself!"
The fat man knew in his heart that it would be a joke for him to serve as an official in the court.
With his laid-back personality, he's likely to get into trouble sooner or later.
But now Song Yuan has used this method to gain fame for himself and prove his ability. For the fat man, this is the best ending!
As for wealth and glory, and a prominent official career, the fat man doesn't care at all!
"Okay, shut up!" Seeing the fat man so emotional, Bai Ling on the side couldn't help but curl her lips at the fat man.
"You're a grown man, but you pee every time you say a few words. Don't let me look down on you!"
"What do you know? I'm touched! I was originally just a lazy scoundrel. If no one had cultivated me, I'd probably be dead in some woman's belly by now!"
The fat man was so excited that he spoke out his heartfelt words, but when he thought of Bai Ling's identity, his brows suddenly frowned and he immediately realized that something was wrong!
"Ahem, where was I just now? There are some gossips that you women should just listen to. Don't think too much about it!"
Bai Ling's face darkened, with anger evident in her pupils. She put her hands on her chest and turned her head away.
The fat man immediately nodded and bowed, and came forward to comfort the young lady.
The interaction between the two made everyone present laugh and cry.
The originally heavy mood was thus diluted a lot, and there was a bit more laughter in the tent.
"Everyone, listen carefully. His Majesty was supposed to give you some gold and silver in his reward, but to avoid any trouble, he simply put it all on me!"
Song Yuan coughed lightly to attract everyone's attention and took the opportunity to explain.
"It's just that now is a critical juncture, and the barbarians are watching us covetously. Once this period is over, I will make another count and guarantee that everything that belongs to everyone will be returned!"
"Your Highness, what are you talking about? If it weren't for you, how could we have so many people? Besides, the expenses of the military camp are probably quite high. You should keep the gold and silver. If there is any trouble, you will be the one to take the blame!"
When they heard the words "gold and silver", everyone waved their hands. After all, they had already obtained all the honors they deserved.
If you still care about those yellow and white things, wouldn’t it seem too greedy?
Everyone can clearly remember what Song Yuan did recently. Just to win over the soldiers' morale, he spent a lot of money to improve everyone's food. Everyone remembers these details and naturally appreciates the effort!
A general spoke first, and the others nodded in agreement.
"That's right, Your Highness. Everyday we have to spend money on food and drink in the barracks. Your Highness takes such good care of us, how can we still think about the gold and silver?"
"Your Highness, just keep these things. We will follow you sooner or later. Think of them as our retirement money!"
"That's right, Your Highness. You were the only one who worked so hard from beginning to end. We are already ashamed to receive these rewards. If you continue to take things that don't belong to us, how can we face others?"
Hearing what everyone was thinking, Song Yuan's face became more solemn, and he nodded with a touch of emotion.
He finally accepted everyone's kindness silently, while still reminding them.
"Let's not discuss this for now. When you all return, please instruct your subordinates. Although it's the end of the year, the barbarians are watching closely, so none of us dare to let our guard down! The previous rules remain unchanged!"
"My father has gifted me a lot of tea. I'll distribute it when the time comes. Let's celebrate this festive occasion with tea instead of wine!"
"When we conquer the barbarians and become the true victors, I promise to throw a celebration banquet and make up for all the wine I owe you today!"
Song Yuan's words immediately aroused the enthusiasm of the crowd. For a moment, everyone raised their arms and cheered.
"Your Majesty is mighty, Your Majesty is mighty!"
In such a lively atmosphere, Ye Xuan, who had left earlier, reappeared and began to greet everyone and cook dumplings together.
There weren't many dumplings, so each person only got a few.
But because of such a special occasion and special atmosphere, eating a few dumplings in their hands, everyone felt that this New Year had a different meaning!
While everyone was celebrating, Fatty Zhao asked with an innocent look on his face.
"By the way, Your Highness, you have now transformed into a third-rank General Pingnan. Now, can you lead a much larger force than before?"
Situ Jing, who was standing by, was particularly familiar with military positions and immediately responded, "According to court rules, officials of the third rank and above can command two brigades, or 18,000 men."
"These are just the elite troops. If we take into account the logistics, we should be able to gather 30,000 to 40,000 people!"
Hearing such a big secret, the fat man had a bit of disdain on his face, curled his lips, and without any hesitation, he directly started to comment.
"Then I think this reward is a bit unworthy. I originally thought that with the title of General Pingnan, I would be able to lead at least 50,000 troops, but in the end, I only have such a small number of people under my command. Your Majesty is too stingy!"
"What else? What else do you want?" Hearing the fat man's comments, Situ Jing frowned and said, "Even my father was only a third-rank official when he was alive, but even so, he was still considered a loyal minister of the empire!"
"It would probably take an ordinary general their entire life to reach the third rank, but Song Yuan has already reached such a realm at such a young age. Isn't he satisfied?"
"I feel like it's all nonsense for us to discuss this now!"
Song Yuan stepped forward and stopped the two from continuing the discussion, speaking with a somewhat feminine look on his face.
"If you ask me, once this battle is over, there won't be much time left until we have a showdown with General Wei!"
"What official position you hold, how many soldiers you command, won't mean anything when the time comes. Why bother caring about it?"
Song Yuan doesn't care about these false reputations at all. What he really cares about is the entire Zhenbei Army!
In Song Yuan’s plan, after the war with the barbarians is over, he must take over the entire Zhenbei Army!
At the moment, we can only hope that this war will not be too cruel, otherwise, too many of the people who are about to join us will be killed or injured.
Even if Song Yuan transformed himself and became the leader of the entire Zhenbei Army, he might not be able to smoothly launch the next plan to seize power...