Chapter 961: Triumph and Disappointment

Most people were satisfied with the court's rewards for merit, after all, Liu Chengyou and the relevant officials had spent such a long time preparing, taking everything into comprehensive consideration, basically covering all aspects.

Take Guo Rong and Zhao Kuangyin for example. Throughout the northern expedition, they had always accompanied the imperial carriage as staff officers and commanders making decisions. Although their direct military achievements were fewer compared to others, their contributions could not be erased. As for their noble ranks, they were not further promoted or changed — on the one hand, this was due to Liu Chengyou's intention to suppress them, and on the other hand, it was indeed not convenient to grant them lightly.

By now, although the noble ranks of the Great Han had become greater in name than in substance, the treatment, status, and honor were still there, and Liu Chengyou had been deliberately controlling the issuance of noble titles. Over the past decade or so, he had also taken back many noble titles that had previously seemed excessive. His thinking was also simple — he could not let the noble titles of the Great Han appear too cheap. Therefore, the higher the noble rank, the more difficult the promotion.

Take Zhao Kuangyin — when he returned from the conquest of Shu back then, he was directly granted the title of Duke of Bo, which already carried the suspicion of being rewarded too heavily. He had risen too quickly, not like Xiang Xun, whose résumé was solid.

As for Guo Rong, being relieved of his post as Commissioner of Military Affairs seemed somewhat shabby, but Liu Chengyou had communicated with him beforehand. First, when he returned to the capital, his health was failing. He was nearly forty, and after years of heavy burdens, his body inevitably had deficits. After the northern expedition, his health had now developed problems. Mindful of his "early death in his prime," Liu Chengyou wanted him to rest for a period of time, and once he recovered his health, he could make a comeback.

Second, Guo Rong had been in charge of the nation's military affairs in the Bureau of Military Affairs for too long. Counting the period when Guo Wei was in power, it could basically be said that the Bureau of Military Affairs had always been under the control of the "Guo faction." If this continued, it would not be a good thing for the state, for Liu Chengyou, or for Guo Rong. Taking a step back would open up a vast horizon.

Therefore, when Liu Chengyou gave Guo Rong a simple hint, he accepted gladly. Thus, Liu Chengyou's rewards to Guo Rong were exceptionally generous — thirty thousand strings of cash, one thousand bolts of silk, and five thousand shi of grain. At the same time, Liu Chengyou also intended to enfeoff Guo Wei as a prince. In these past few years, Liu Chengyou's sense of guilt toward Guo Wei had actually deepened.

As for the three princes of different surnames, Zhao Kuangzan's title was changed to continue the process of de-Youyan-ization — changing from Yan to Chen. Although the prestige level was lowered, Liu Chengyou was still generous enough to give him substantial rewards. Fu Yanqing and An Shenqi, after the northern expedition, would both be in a state of semi-retirement; enjoying their remaining years in leisure was their proper end.

The others, such as Gao Huaide and Zhao Kuangyin, whose noble ranks remained unchanged, were all compensated through rewards of money, grain, and elevation of meritorious honors.

As for generals like Shi Shouxin and Yang Ye, who had outstanding military achievements, exceptional performance, and were highly valued by the Emperor, they could be said to have finally come out on top. But granting them ducal titles was still eye-catching. However, no one could raise any objection to this.

Yang Ye went without saying — he had been enfeoffed as a marquis eight years ago, but had been waiting until now. With a résumé of ten years guarding the frontier as a foundation, plus his brilliant achievements against the Liao over the past year, even though he was young, there was not much to criticize in terms of ability and merit.

As for Shi Shouxin, he had also been famous in the army from very early on. His promotions were also step by step, and in several major battles, he had demonstrated outstanding command abilities. His contributions were also presentable.

And these two still had plenty of room for further advancement.

Additionally, there were those former frontier army generals, such as Ma Quanyi, Luo Yangui, Han Lingkun, Wang Shenqi, Li Hanqiong, Dong Zunhui, and others — they all received at least a marquisate, along with military appointments. Among this, there was also compensation for their long years of garrisoning the border.

Those like Ma Quanyi and Luo Yangui were still in Youzhou managing military affairs and had not yet returned to the capital. There was a saying that the generals who remained behind to guard the north were all great commanders relied upon by the Son of Heaven as his right-hand men. Of course, this saying was somewhat biased.

Another aspect of this round of rewards was that Liu Chengyou issued an explicit written decree — all military merit noble titles would be hereditary for three generations, and after three generations, they would be progressively reduced. Civil official noble titles, including those of the founding founders, followed the same pattern. At the same time, it was established that imperial clan enfeoffments would follow the same precedent.

Although it could not be said to be sharing the fate of the state, this edict did genuinely reassure most people's hearts. Because previously, there had been some rumors regarding the hereditary succession of noble titles.

The most unexpected and seemingly abrupt promotion belonged to Li Chuyun's appointment as Commissioner of Military Affairs. Although he had no glorious military achievements, his contributions could not be ignored. This northern expedition mobilized a massive force — what it actually fought with was national strength, money, grain, and military equipment. Supplying hundreds of thousands of troops and civilians at the front without shortage, delay, or oversight — that was no easy task.

Therefore, although Li Chuyun's ranking in merit was not too high, in Liu Chengyou's mind, his contributions were exceptionally affirmed. The matter of the Commissionership of Military Affairs was, of course, also communicated with him in advance. At first, Li Chuyun had some concerns, but Liu Chengyou resolved them in a few words, letting him accept it calmly without psychological burden.

Li Chuyun was originally a man of great ambition and willingness to take responsibility. Beyond his surprise, he accepted solemnly. Liu Chengyou used Li Chuyun not only for his talents and this time's contributions, but also because he had held important positions in the Bureau of Military Affairs for many years, was familiar with its operations, and could seamlessly take over the burden after Guo Rong's departure. But no matter what, in the eyes of others, Li Chuyun's assumption of the Commissionership of Military Affairs was a leap — he directly became one of the most powerful ministers in the Great Han court.

With those who were pleased, there were naturally also those who were disappointed and dissatisfied, such as Zhe Deyi. As a relative of the imperial family, when merits were assessed for rewards, he could not even rank on the list — among the top ten meritorious officials, his name was not there. This inevitably created a sense of disparity in his heart. However, if he honestly laid out his contributions, he indeed could not compare with the commanders who ranked at the top.

For Zhe Deyi, an old face felt a sense of shame with nowhere to put itself. However, Liu Chengyou did not treat this father-in-law shabbily either. Apart from the fact that the title of Duke of Dai could not easily be changed, he also generously gave him rewards — a mansion, estates, land, money, and grain, all very substantial. At the same time, he kept him in the Eastern Capital to serve as Grand Stableman.

Then there were Li Chongjin, Han Lingkun, and others. Li Chongjin could be considered an unlucky fellow. During the northern expedition, the Han army fought so many battles — there were bitter and fierce engagements with heavy losses, but direct defeats numbered only those two, and they still cost the court its elite imperial cavalry. Even though Liu Chengyou also thought of his difficulties, and additionally wanted to save face for Guo Wei and Guo Rong, he could not give generous rewards. Therefore, although Li Chongjin was still appointed as Chief Commander of the Xingjie Army, his noble rank remained Marquis of Leling.

With his past seniority, his status in the army was not low, but the problem was that as early as seven or eight years ago, Li Chongjin had already been a Chief General of an army. This was equivalent to still standing still in place, which was very frustrating for Li Chongjin. It got to the point where Li Chongjin was already planning to find another way out — to become a local official somewhere.

As for Han Lingkun, he felt that the court's rewards did not match his contributions. His most outstanding performance was during the great battle at Nankou, where he was gravely wounded and near death. In his view, he had fought the Liao army with all his strength and nearly lost his life, yet in the final evaluation, he was still ranked below Yang Ye and Shi Shouxin — how could he be reconciled?