Chapter 308: Discussing Ennoblement

"Wuligai, are you here to watch a joke?"

While speaking, Bashar slowly stood up from the bushes.

Since he was exposed, continuing to hide had no meaning. Now he was meat on the chopping block, and could only expect the other party to show mercy.

"Bashar, you think too much."

"Falling into this situation, I can't even take care of myself, so I have no time to watch your joke!"

"Greed and underestimating the Great Dayu army are the biggest mistakes we made."

"Both the Hailaer tribe and the Bayartu tribe suffered heavy losses. Returning to the grassland in such a gray way, I'm afraid everyone's days won't be good."

"The best choice now is for us to merge into one and face the new situation on the grassland together."

Wuligai's words made Bashar's heart sink to the bottom. Merging into one was clearly wanting to annex the Bayartu tribe.

"What a big appetite!" 【308-1

The Bayartu tribe has a full fifty thousand armored troops.

Even if you lost a few thousand cavalry, you are still one of the few major tribes on the grasslands; don't you fear choking on your own words!"

Bashar questioned him sternly.

However, the posturing was too heavy-handed and failed to achieve any effect.

If they truly had fifty thousand armored cavalry, then the current hegemon of the grasslands would be the Bayartu tribe, not the newly risen Tatar clan.

There weren't that many armored cavalry, but there were still fifty thousand able-bodied men. Due to the necessities of life, these people were split into multiple tribes for grazing.

Losing several thousand cavalry might seem to have little impact on them, but in reality, it was a blow to their very foundations.

The entire Bayartu tribe's most capable cavalry had basically been buried on the battlefield; what remained was just a group of herdsmen.

The situation of the Hailar tribe was not much better.

It was just that Uligai had good luck, managing to rendezvous with his scattered men in time and taking the opportunity to annex the troops of some allies.

On the grasslands, the strong prey on the weak, and everyone is accustomed to clinging to the powerful; for the sake of survival, the small and medium tribes are all qualified fence-sitters.

"Bashar, why can't you see it clearly!

I am doing this entirely to make the Guifang clan great again.

The previous crushing defeat was caused by your stubbornness; do you still want to repeat the same mistake?"

Uligai said with feigned regret.

After suffering a defeat, someone always needs to take responsibility.

As a person in power, one must learn to shift the blame.

Although the previous division of troops for raiding was the result of everyone's deliberation, the plan had been proposed by Bashar.

Of course, the main point was that he had encountered the down-and-out Bashar.

If the other party had been stronger, with a thousand or two cavalry by his side, then nothing would have happened.

Unfortunately, reality is cruel; in order to flee as quickly as possible, Bashar and his party not only exhausted their warhorses to death but also discarded their armor.

Some soldiers didn't even have weapons.

Meeting under such circumstances, if one didn't do something, it would be a disservice to the opportunity bestowed by Heaven.

"Uligai, your words sound nice.

Don't forget that the current hegemon of the grasslands is the Tatars; they will not allow the Guifang to rise.

The Hailar tribe was already a thorn in their side.

Annexing the Bayartu tribe touches their bottom line.

Even with the combined strength of both tribes, we would not be the Tatars' match!"

Bashar attempted to intimidate him.

The Guifang clan has been divided for many years, and any tribe attempting to unify the Guifang will be met with a heavy blow.

In the past, it was the Great Great Dayu that maintained the balance of the grasslands.

With the gradual decline of the Great Great Dayu, the newly risen Tatar clan has continued the Great Great Dayu's strategy of balancing the grasslands.

On one hand, they suppress the strongest tribes; on the other, they incite hatred among the various tribes.

Major tribes like the Hailar and Bayartu are all targets of the Tatars.

The Guifang people, who possess a glorious history, are naturally unwilling to be suppressed forever, and their secret movements have never ceased.

In the past few years, the two sides have fought five major battles.

Because of internal problems, the various tribes could not coordinate closely, and each time it ended in their defeat.

"Since you choose to refuse, then you need not worry about these problems.

The great Guifang clan will eventually stand at the pinnacle of the grasslands once again!"

As the words fell, the various small tribes that had received a signal from Uligai's eyes swarmed toward Bashar and his party.

A bloody slaughter began; before he could say anything more, Bashar was shot into a hedgehog by a rain of arrows.

They had previously been attached to the Bayartu tribe; now that they had changed masters, they needed to present a new token of allegiance.

The slaughter before their eyes was merely a microcosm of the changing situation on the grasslands.

The failure on the battlefield broke the original balance and became the fuse for a major reshuffling of forces on the grasslands.

……

The Capital.

Following the conclusion of the Battle of Jinan, the detailed battle report was sent to the palace.

Looking at the data on the memorial, Emperor Emperor Yongning rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

The victory came too suddenly, completely exceeding his expectations.

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

"This battle was fought beautifully!"

Emperor Emperor Yongning couldn't help but praise.

With the previous Great Victory at Jinan as a foundation, he no longer doubted the Marquis Marquis Wuyang's achievement of another major victory.

There was no help for it; the previous battle reports had been too honest.

When the Ministry of War officials verified them, the number of heads reported actually matched perfectly.

If it was said to be true Tatars, then it was true Tatars, without a drop of water in the figures.

As for other data that could not be accurately verified, with his professional level, he couldn't find any problems either.

The previous battle report was like this, so this time, he thought it would be about the same.

Subconscious trust led Emperor Emperor Yongning to directly accept this report of victory.

"Your Majesty, the ministers are waiting outside."

Su Su Haoyu spoke up to remind him.

News of the Great Victory at Jinan had been circulating in the capital as early as two days ago.

However, at that time the great battle was still ongoing, and the intelligence sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard only mentioned a great victory for the imperial army, without specific achievements.

Knowing that the King-Protecting Army had won, the hundred officials were naturally paying attention to the front-line battle reports at all times.

Upon receiving the news that the report of victory had entered the capital, they all rushed to the imperial palace.

The Northern Barbarians' deep penetration and raiding had a huge political impact.

If they were not made to leave something behind and let the enemy know their strength, then such things would become the norm.

Whether for the sake of the court's face or out of strategic security considerations, the Great Great Dayu had to launch a counterattack.

During the enemy's retreat, the various King-Protecting Armies took turns performing.

Including the Liaodong Garrison, which had been slacking off, they also took the initiative to strike, successively eliminating several teams transporting spoils of war, cumulatively killing over a thousand true Tatars.

Unfortunately, on the whole, the Great Great Dayu dynasty still lost more than it won.

This was the fault of logistics.

Many King-Protecting Armies, because they arrived too hastily, did not carry enough supplies.

The local government offices that should have provided strategic supplies to the King-Protecting Armies performed very sluggishly due to the decay of the bureaucratic system.

So much so that many King-Protecting Armies, after arriving at the front line, lived a life of one hungry meal followed by a full one.

That there were no large-scale mutinies was a manifestation of loyalty and patriotism.

Going to the battlefield to kill the enemy on an empty stomach naturally yielded poor results.

Even with such a harsh environment, the various units still cumulatively killed several thousand Northern Barbarians.

It was just that such achievements clearly could not satisfy Emperor Emperor Yongning, nor could they satisfy the hundred officials.

Having only captured a few thousand heads of true Tatars, even without considering the quality, the data could not keep up with the first Great Victory at Jinan.

"Let them come in!"

Emperor Emperor Yongning said with a smile.

It could be seen that he was in a very good mood right now.

With continuous failures on the battlefield, the reports of victory from the front line became the best medicine.

Even if the battle reports showed that the King-Protecting Army had suffered greater casualties, he ignored them.

Infantry fighting cavalry—how could it be possible not to pay a price!

The Great Great Dayu dynasty was not lacking in people.

If the troops suffered heavy losses, they could just be replenished.

Having won a victory, not only was the Emperor happy, but the hundred officials were also happy.

Being able to achieve illustrious results proved that the Great Great Dayu dynasty was still capable, and there was no need to consider a change of dynasty for the time being.

As long as they continued to work hard and suppressed the White Lotus Sect rebellion, everything would return to the right track.

As vested interests, since the court could still be saved, no one wanted to tear it down and start over.

……

"The Northern Barbarians in the Shandong region have suffered heavy losses, and the remaining forces are busy fleeing north.

The Northern Barbarians in other regions are also in the process of withdrawing; does the Ministry of War have any further operational plans?"

Emperor Emperor Yongning asked with concern.

Even though the battlefield was a mess, he still placed high hopes on the Ministry of War.

It wasn't that he liked to rely heavily on civil officials, but purely out of a need for balance.

Since he had to rely on generals from the nobility faction, he had to arrange checks and balances.

Consolidating the status of the Ministry of War was a crucial link.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of War has already strictly ordered the troops in various places to intercept the enemy forces returning north.

Currently, the plan is being steadily pushed forward, and it will surely deal a heavy blow to the enemy forces.

The most thorny issue at the moment is money and grain; the amount of military pay owed by the court is truly too huge.

The officers and soldiers below are almost unable to survive.

If this problem is not solved, I fear it will lead to a major disaster.

Secondly, there is the rewarding of meritorious officials.

This mainly concerns the Marquis Marquis Wuyang's troops, who have successively achieved two great victories and dealt heavy blows to the enemy forces.

The illustriousness of these achievements is the first in the dynasty in a hundred years.

According to their merits, they should be granted titles."

Wan Wan Yuxuan replied immediately.

As the Minister of War, his perspective on considering problems was different from that of ordinary civil officials.

He didn't fear that the generals below could fight; he only feared that the people below couldn't fight.

Every illustrious achievement on the front line had a share of the Ministry of War's credit.

Conversely, every defeat on the front line also had a share of the Ministry of War's responsibility.

As for the problem of military generals becoming too powerful, that was a matter for the future.

Right now, he was considering how to suppress the rebellion as quickly as possible and return peace to the world.

If the front line suffered another defeat, he, as the Minister of War, would be unable to continue his job.

"Regarding the problem of money and grain, the Ministry of Revenue and the Cabinet should think of a solution together.

As for the matter of rewarding meritorious officials, let all you beloved ministers discuss it!"

Emperor Emperor Yongning nodded and said.

Regardless of the Minister of War's ability, at the very least, his handling of affairs was to his liking.

Right now the court was poor and had no way to produce money for rewards, so they could only provide care in terms of official titles and ranks.

If they couldn't give real positions, then they would give honorary ones.

In short, they must appease the morale of the army.

"Your Majesty, as the official with the primary merit, with the Marquis Marquis Wuyang's achievements, he should be granted a hereditary marquis title.

The official with secondary merit, the Guangdong-Among Guangxi Provincial Military Commander Li Mu, also has achievements sufficient for a marquis title.

However, considering his seniority and age, it would also be acceptable to press it down a bit.

Further down, Left Army Assistant Regional Commander Qin Qin Tianrui, Center Army Assistant Regional Commander Liu Yue Qifeng, and Right Army Assistant Regional Commander Ye Ye Hongchang have also barely reached the threshold for a title.

Among them, Assistant Regional Commander Qin comes from the lineage of the Duke of Xingguo, Assistant Regional Commander Liu from the lineage of the Marquis of Nanyang, and Assistant Regional Commander Ye from the lineage of the Marquis of Pingyuan.

Due to unexpected changes, the titles of these three families have yet to be settled.

Allowing them to inherit their ancestors' titles is also in accordance with the rules."

After speaking, Jing Jing Guoliang stepped aside to wait for the reaction of the hundred officials.

"Inappropriate!"

"Duke, there is no dispute about granting the Marquis Marquis Wuyang a hereditary marquis title.

Granting the Provincial Military Commander Li a marquis title, or a count title, is also acceptable, and there is nothing to dispute there.

Left Army Assistant Regional Commander Qin Qin Tianrui, Center Army Assistant Regional Commander Liu Yue Qifeng, and Right Army Assistant Regional Commander Ye Ye Hongchang have only been in the military for three years.

Although their performance in the army is not bad, it cannot be called stunning.

If titles are granted to these three, then there would be many generals in the Nine Borders who could be granted titles.

In granting titles for military merit, the court must be fair and impartial.

Allowing the three to inherit their family titles is also unacceptable.

Although they come from the same lineage, the blood relationship has long since exceeded the five degrees of mourning.

In terms of bloodline, there are still a bunch of people in the three families ahead of them; it does not conform to ritual."

The Minister of Rites immediately opposed it.

Maintaining the court's laws and rituals was his primary duty.

With someone taking the lead in opposition, it quickly gained the support of the civil officials.

Supporting the use of nobles as commanders-in-chief was a helpless choice under the worsening situation, but it did not mean he would allow the nobility group to grow unchecked.

Compared to other political groups, the biggest drawback of the nobility was that their circle was too small and their source of talent was scarce.

The Great Great Dayu dynasty had only about a hundred hereditary nobles in total, which inherently restricted the growth of this group.

Every increase in a noble was an injection of fresh blood.

Being in a hurry to push Qin Qin Tianrui, Liu Yue Qifeng, and Ye Ye Hongchang was because the civil officials had indefinitely shelved the issue of the inheritance of titles by the direct descendants of the nobility.

If asked, the answer was: there is a dispute.

Those familiar with politics all knew that such long-term shelving behavior generally meant they had no intention of handling it.

Standing from the court's perspective, reducing the number of nobles reduced the population supported by the treasury.

But for the nobility group, it was a disaster.

After the last great explosion in the capital, there were more than a dozen unlucky noble families whose titles remained vacant because their direct lines were wiped out.

If it remained unresolved for long, it would be equivalent to reducing the base of the nobility group by one-tenth.

Theoretically, in cases where there is a dispute over succession, the Emperor can designate the heir.

However, Emperor Emperor Yongning refused to express his stance, and the Ministry of Rites took the opportunity to indefinitely shelve the inheritance of titles for these families.

How long this cold treatment would last, no one could say for sure.

If they were lucky, perhaps one day the Emperor would be in a good mood and get the matter done.

If they were unlucky, it was not unheard of for the title problem to remain unresolved for several generations.

Generally speaking, the longer it dragged on, the lower the probability of keeping the title.

It was mainly a case of people leaving and the tea going cold.

The further back it went, the weaker the family's connections became; with no one mentioning it before the Emperor, being forgotten was a high-probability event.

That Qin Qin Tianrui, Liu Yue Qifeng, and Ye Ye Hongchang could obtain resource support was actually the three families' connections playing their final role.

After all, political resources are not infinite, and everyone has descendants who need to be cultivated.

……

(End of Chapter)