Chapter 960: Rewarding Merit

Time entered the sixth month. In the northern suburbs of Kaifeng, the Great Han court held an unprecedented public memorial ceremony. The Son of Heaven, Liu Chengyou, fulfilled his promise, leading the imperial clan, nobles, ministers, officials, and the army in worship, while over a hundred thousand commoners from the Eastern Capital and its surroundings also took part.

Afterwards, Liu Chengyou issued another edict, ordering the construction of a new Zhaolie Shrine beside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, with a stele inscribed to commemorate the soldiers who died fighting for the Great Han and to extol their spirit of sacrifice.

Moreover, Liu Chengyou ordered that, from the start of the Hedong uprising, in the Great Han's founding, unification, and foreign wars, all officers and soldiers who died in battle—regardless of rank or station—should have their names engraved there, to be remembered forever, and that this practice should continue for all future cases.

This was no small undertaking. In the more than ten years since the Great Han's founding, battles great and small numbered in the hundreds, and the soldiers who died for the state exceeded two hundred thousand. The most troublesome part was the verification of personnel; even with records to follow, compiling a complete list of names was no easy task. And given the solemnity of the matter, no negligence or carelessness could be permitted.

Still, difficulties existed, but once the intent of this edict was proclaimed, morale among the army and goodwill among the people soared. Imperceptibly, Liu Chengyou was putting ever more effort and investment into uniting hearts and minds.

The setting sun slowly descended, dusk approaching. The sweltering heat of high summer had only slightly abated. Before the imperial city, a great mass of carriages and mounts gathered—truly a congregation of dignitaries. One by one, they passed through the palace gates, underwent inspection, and arrived at Chongyuan Hall.

After a full month of delay, with all preparations complete and the promotion and reward lists drawn up, the court formally held the victory banquet. The Great Han generals and ministers who had returned to the Eastern Capital had long been waiting with eager eyes.

Those permitted to attend the imperial banquet at Chongyuan were all commanders of the Northern Expedition army at the rank of Colonel and above, plus some lower-ranking officers who had performed with particular distinction, as well as important court ministers. Of course, rewards of money, cloth, grain, and salary for officers and men inside and outside the capital had already begun; those meritorious soldiers still stationed in the north were also specially given an extra share as compensation.

As one of only two surviving Princes of a different surname, Zhao Kuangzan naturally qualified to attend the banquet. During his time in the Eastern Capital, the Emperor's favor toward him surpassed that shown to all other ministers; the generosity of his treatment was the envy of all.

Holding his young son's hand, he walked at an easy pace toward the imperial palace. If Zhao Kuangzan had any regret, it was that his progeny were few—he had only obtained a son in middle age. Now he had but one five-year-old son, his only heir, deeply cherished. For this imperial banquet, generals and ministers were permitted to bring their sons, so he naturally brought his beloved child along.

Before the palace gate, Zhao Kuangzan spotted two figures ahead and hurried forward, greeting them: "General Yang!"

The one walking in front was indeed Yang Ye. He turned around, and upon seeing Zhao Kuangzan, immediately saluted: "This humble officer pays respects to Your Highness!"

"General, no need for such formality. You are a meritorious minister of the Great Han; I cannot bear such courtesy!" Zhao Kuangzan laughed heartily.

Hearing this, Yang Ye shook his head and said solemnly: "If we speak of merit, is there any greater than Your Highness's holding of Youzhou and safeguarding the peace of the Great Han's northern border?"

Yang Ye's words put Zhao Kuangzan in a cheerful mood. Seeing his humility without the slightest trace of arrogance, he regarded this trusted favorite general of the Son of Heaven with even higher esteem, feeling that the man might as well have the words "boundless prospects" written on his forehead. His attitude grew even more cordial.

Noticing a general beside Yang Ye, he asked: "And this is?"

Yang Ye introduced him: "This is Wang Shenqi, former Army Commander of the Feihu Army!"

"I have long heard of General Wang's reputation—truly a fine general of the state!" Zhao Kuangzan said immediately. His words were not entirely flattery; although he had never met some of the border generals previously deployed in the north, he knew something of them, or at least had heard their names.

Wang Shenqi also clasped his hands and smiled: "Your Highness overpraises me; this humble officer does not deserve it!"

In this reorganization of the army, Wang Shenqi's Feihu Army was also within the scope of adjustment—garrison relocated, troop numbers reduced—while Wang Shenqi himself was transferred back to the Eastern Capital. Although no specific appointment had yet been announced, it was essentially certain that he would serve in one of the Three Bureaus of the imperial army.

Of course, Wang Shenqi was not an isolated case. Those generals who had long garrisoned the frontiers were mostly given other assignments, and some even transferred from military to civil posts—for example, the Duke of Dai, Zhe Deyi, the Emperor's father-in-law.

And because of his early years working alongside Yang Ye, that bond of old comradeship had persisted to this day. After arriving in the capital, the two friends naturally exchanged visits and conversation. To be sure, in this life, Wang Shenqi's early military career owed much to Yang Ye's recommendation and promotion.

"This must be Yang Dalang!" Zhao Kuangzan then turned his attention to Yang Yanzhao, whose hand Yang Ye was holding.

"Indeed, my worthless son!" Yang Ye said, then instructed Yang Yanzhao: "Dalang, why not pay respects to the Prince of Yan!"

Yang Yanzhao showed not a trace of shyness, bowing deeply with clasped hands. Looking at Yang Yanzhao—young in years but brimming with heroic spirit—Zhao Kuangzan could not help but sigh: "Observing his bearing, he is indeed gifted beyond the ordinary. Worthy of His Majesty's praise—truly a qilin child!"

Earlier, when he had found leisure, Liu Chengyou had specially asked Yang Ye to bring Yang Yanzhao for him to see. Delighted with the boy, he had praised him as a "qilin child," and the reputation had spread. He had even hinted that when the boy grew up, he might be summoned as an Imperial Son-in-law.

This made many people envious, jealous, and resentful. That you, Yang Ye, enjoyed the Emperor's trust and favor was one thing, but even your offspring won his affection—as long as no major problems arose, the Yang family's prominence was practically guaranteed.

The Eastern Capital was by and large the place in the realm with the most gossip and trouble. Thus, those who trimmed their sails to the wind and curried favor with Yang Ye increased, but so did the criticism against him. After returning to the capital, Yang Ye had heard those rumors and discussions and felt quite uncomfortable, so he conducted himself with even greater low-key modesty in his dealings.

The three entered the palace together, heading straight for Chongyuan Hall. The Great Han was quite experienced in court banquets; as for victory banquets, more than a dozen had been held over the years, and holding one at Chongyuan Hall already highlighted its elevated status.

Within the Han palace, only Chongyuan Hall had truly undergone expansion, standing alone among the many halls. In fact, the current Han palace had come to seem rather cramped and modest; especially after the Eastern Capital's expansion and major renovation, the old buildings and cramped layout were greatly mismatched with the rest of the capital city. Already many ministers had submitted memorials saying that the current imperial city lacked the aura of a great state and hardly suited its exalted position, hoping it could be rebuilt to display authority—but Liu Chengyou had refused them all. His mind was not on such matters.

As dusk deepened, Chongyuan Hall was brightly lit with lamps, bustling with noise—a scene of lively festivity. The palace attendants had long since prepared the banquet. With the Emperor and Empress arriving together, the victory banquet was declared officially begun.

As a victory banquet, the main course was naturally rewarding merit. Liu Chengyou understood what everyone was thinking, and before the feast began, he directly ordered the reading of the rewards and promotions for the civil and military personnel who had rendered service in the Northern Expedition. Eight lists had been prepared in total, read out in turn by several close attendants.

All rewards and promotions for every civil and military official at the banquet were listed therein; merely reading them took nearly half a shichen. Yet no one felt impatient.

Among the heroes of the Northern Expedition, first place in military merit fell to Murong Yanzhao. Below him came An Shenqi, Fu Yanqing, Ma Quanyi, Gao Huaide, Zhao Kuangyin, Guo Rong, Li Chuyun, Guo Chongwei, and Shi Shouxin, with Yang Ye ranked eleventh.

The rewards of money and grain need not be detailed. In terms of noble titles, a large number of people were elevated, mainly targeting the middle and lower ranks of the nobility. Above the rank of Duke, few were promoted—only some adjustments were made.

Murong Yanzhao was re-enfeoffed as Duke of Wei, An Shenqi was enfeoffed as Prince of Jing, Fu Yanqing was re-enfeoffed as Prince of Ji, and Zhao Kuangzan was re-enfeoffed as Prince of Chen. The other generals and marshals at Duke rank and above mostly saw no changes, but were granted generous money and grain. Shi Shouxin was enfeoffed as County Duke of Xinxiang, Yang Ye was promoted to County Duke of Wutai...

Other meritorious civil and military officials were given various rewards, including civil ministers such as Fan Zhi and Xue Juzheng. Though they had complained bitterly at court deliberations about how straitened the treasury was, faced with the Emperor's rewards, they were all smiles.

In terms of postings, the main changes lay in the military appointments of the imperial army. In the Palace Command, Gao Huaide became Chief Commander; the Imperial Guard Command remained under Xiang Xun; and Han Tong was sent to manage the Patrol Inspectorate. Yang Ye and Shi Shouxin became Chief Inspectors of the Palace Command and Imperial Guard Command respectively.

Among other important changes, Li Chuyun, having managed the army's logistics with supplies never lacking, was directly promoted to Commissioner of Military Affairs; Zhao Kuangyin entered the Bureau of Military Affairs as Vice Commissioner; and Han Hui, who had performed outstandingly in the battle of Nankou, became Director of the Bureau of Military Affairs.

That's right—on this return to court, the first minister to be relieved of his post was Guo Rong. He had been in the Bureau of Military Affairs for too long; Liu Chengyou intended to lighten his burden.

The remaining rewards, promotions, and transfers need not be detailed one by one.