Chapter 221: Zhao Heng's Determination

"Dong, dong, dong..."

Accompanied by the tolling of the morning bell, Jinling City awoke in the early morning.

The city gates opened, and commoners carrying goods swarmed in.

At the same time, officials donned their official robes and headed toward the palace.

Since the Yuan Family rebellion, Emperor Zhao Heng seemed to have become much more diligent overnight, never missing a morning court session.

The commoners, accustomed to him not holding court, had to rise early once again in the cold winter wind.

All civil and military officials were present.

Zhao Heng arrived at the main hall accompanied by Liang Cheng.

After the officials shouted "Long live," he said, "There is a major matter to discuss at today's morning court."

Upon hearing this, Dou Wei exchanged glances with others, his mind already calculating.

Over these past few days, more news had been delivered.

Now, Yanzhou was basically pacified and entirely under the control of Yan Wang.

It only awaited the Imperial Court's decree on how to deal with Yuan Li and the rebellious Rich Clans of Yanzhou.

Aside from this, it was likely about the rewards for Yan Wang.

The Second Prince, the Third Prince, and the Crown Prince felt sour in their hearts.

According to news from the palace, their Imperial Father had been very happy these past few days, with Yan Wang constantly on his lips.

It was as if only Yan Wang was his biological son, while the other Imperial Princes were picked up from the street.

However, they knew their Imperial Father's character of loving grand achievements.

With Yan Wang having performed such a great service, it would be strange if he did not claim credit for it himself.

Even so, they were filled with jealousy.

Even the Crown Prince was unwilling to speak up for Yan Wang at this moment.

Zhao Heng's face had originally been full of smiles, but seeing the coldness of the officials in the court, he immediately felt displeased.

Clearly, they were unwilling to speak for Yan Wang.

"Could the major matter the Emperor wishes to speak of be the reward for Yan Wang?" Just then, Ma Yuan suddenly spoke up.

He had returned.

And he had already reported to Zhao Heng about his own affairs in Yanzhou.

Now, while the other officials did not want to pick up this topic, he insisted on doing so.

To him, Yan Wang's merit could not be erased by anyone.

"This time, Yan Wang defeated Yuan Li and held Yanguan; his merit is outstanding. Emperor, I believe he should be heavily rewarded," Yang Feng stepped out at this moment and said in a loud voice.

"This general seconds the motion," Mo Kuan also stepped out at this time.

Zhao Heng nodded with satisfaction; he had made a firm resolution over these past few days and, in truth, did not care about the thoughts of Dou Wei and these powerful ministers.

No matter what they thought, this time he would act according to his own ideas.

It was just that without anyone to support him, he always felt uncomfortable.

So he said, "Just as Censor Ma, the Duke of Yi, and General Mo have said, if not for Yan Wang, the Yuan Family would surely have colluded with outsiders to take Yanguan by now. I fear that by now, the land of Da Song would be covered in the flames of war. It is Yan Wang who spared the territory of Da Song from the suffering of war. Such merit is unprecedented. After thinking it over these past few days, I have decided that the remaining five commanderies of Yanzhou shall all be merged into Yan Wang's fief. From now on, Yan Wang shall assume the responsibility of guarding Yanzhou and Yanguan."

As soon as Zhao Heng said this, Dou Wei and the others all turned pale.

They had expected the reward for Yan Wang to be large, but they had not expected Zhao Heng to grant the entire Yanzhou to Yan Wang.

In this way, Yan Wang would truly become the King of Yanzhou.

"Emperor, although Yan Wang's merit is great this time, if not for the soldiers at Yanguan fighting with their lives, how could the Northern Di have been defeated? I believe this merit cannot be attributed solely to Yan Wang." At this moment, an official stepped out; this person was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Seeing an official step out, Dou Wei felt slightly smug.

This time, he and the Ministers of the Six Ministries would not argue directly with Zhao Heng, but would secretly incite other officials to speak first.

In this way, they only needed to fan the flames from the sidelines.

"What utter nonsense! No one is denying the merit of the soldiers at Yanguan, but the soldiers alone could not have held Yanguan without Yan Wang. Even the memorials from the generals at Yanguan state as much." An official exchanged a look with Ma Yuan and stepped forward to rebuke him.

Ma Yuan had been in the officialdom for many years and was naturally clear about the methods of Dou Wei and his ilk.

He had already prepared for this when attending court.

"Emperor, even so, Yanzhou cannot be handed over to Yan Wang. The example of the Yuan Family rebellion is right before our eyes. If Yan Wang rebels in the future, who can restrain him?" an official shouted loudly.

"Ridiculous, ridiculous! It wasn't long ago that someone said Yan Wang was colluding with General Mo and that the Yuan Family had been wronged. And what was the result? Those you defended became rebels, and the one you suspected saved Da Song. Now you actually dare to spout such nonsense!" an official sneered.

On the Dragon Throne, Zhao Heng sneered inwardly, thinking that even if Yan Wang were to rebel, it would still be a matter for his Imperial Clan, which was far better than letting the likes of them seize the empire.

But he could not say this, so he continued to watch the officials bicker.

At this moment, another official said, "Emperor, Yanguan indeed has outstanding merit, but granting the entirety of Yanzhou to Yan Wang is truly inappropriate. Granting him two commanderies is sufficient."

"Since the founding of Da Song, eight Imperial Princes have governed the land of a province. Those princes relied only on favor and had no merit to speak of. Now that Yan Wang has performed such a miraculous feat, is he instead not allowed to?" an official retorted.

With the officials exchanging words, the court soon descended into chaos.

At this moment, Zhao Heng snorted in anger and said, "Silence! My mind is made up. Yan Wang deserves this reward for his merit; say no more."

Upon hearing this, Dou Wei exchanged glances with Han Zheng and the others.

They knew that Zhao Heng's attitude this time was very firm.

But even so, they could not let Yanzhou have its way in everything.

So, advancing by retreating, he said, "Emperor, I believe Yan Wang is indeed worthy of this merit, but the human heart is unpredictable. We should take precautions early. After granting Yanzhou to Yan Wang, we must limit the number of troops under his command."

"Emperor, Dou Prime Minister is absolutely right. If Yan Wang has too many troops under his command, it is hard to guarantee he will not develop ambitions," Han Zheng said.

"I second the motion," Liang Kai stepped out. "I believe the troops under Yan Wang's command should not exceed 120,000."

"I second the motion," Wang Zi'an stepped out.

"I second the motion," Xie Duan said.

Zhao Heng frowned; if the maximum recruitment number were followed, Yan Wang could possess an army of two hundred and ten thousand.

Giving Yan Wang only one hundred and twenty thousand now is equivalent to the troops of four commanderies.

"What if I do not agree?" Zhao Heng's expression was gloomy.

"Your Majesty, we are also thinking of the safety of Great Song; if Your Majesty does not agree, we are willing to take off these official robes and resign to return to our hometowns," Dou Wei said.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Heng was instantly choked with anger.

Dou Wei saying this meant he intended to quit.

He was not afraid of Dou Wei resigning, but after resigning, if these people returned to their home provinces, it would be even harder for the Imperial Court to control them.

The Imperial Court giving them official positions is based on this principle.

Giving them official positions in exchange for their obedience to the Imperial Court.

It is just that this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to strengthen the Imperial Clan, and he absolutely did not want to compromise.

So, after thinking for a moment, he said: "One hundred and fifty thousand, say no more!"

Having said that, he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

Dou Wei did not expect Zhao Heng to be so resolute this time.

Talking about resigning was just to scare Zhao Heng.

After all, if they resigned, how could they still seek benefits for their home provinces in the Imperial Court?

However, although it was not ideal, they had ultimately achieved their goal.

One hundred and fifty thousand was still two commanderies' worth of troops less.

He looked at the others, and everyone nodded, meaning let it be so.

At noon.

A team of Imperial Palace guards set out from the Imperial Palace, and in the middle of the guards was none other than Liang Cheng.

Acting on Zhao Heng's orders, he personally headed to Yancheng to proclaim the imperial decree, so as to show imperial favor.

Seven days later, the group arrived at Yancheng.