Chapter 132: The Method of the Pig's Escape

Liu Zheng was dumbfounded.

He hurried to help Zheng Yuxing up, saying, "General, this must absolutely not happen!"

Zheng Yuxing had guarded the Beijing for decades and held immense prestige in the army; for him to kneel to Liu Zheng was surely a slight against him. In front of such an old general, Liu Zheng naturally could not act arrogant.

Zheng Yuxing stood up, his eyes already red: "The Young Master does not know, but after today's battle, the Xiongnu will not dare to invade the Zhongyuan for five years! How many of my brothers' lives has this saved!"

"My thanks to Young Master Liu!"

The hundred-thousand-strong army gave thanks once more.

The sound echoed across this Grassland, lingering for a long time.

Liu Zheng felt deeply moved in his heart; since ancient times, the Xiongnu incursions had been a great scourge upon the land of the Zhongyuan. It was a scourge that could not be thoroughly eradicated; even if a great victory was won this year, they would still return in a few years.

The root cause lay in the fact that the Xiongnu's Grassland had too little food, and in their social structure and level of civilization.

Of course, it was not truly impossible to remove—if one day the land of the Zhongyuan could conquer the Xiongnu Grassland, all of this would end.

It was just that for thousands of years, no one had been able to do it.

Liu Zheng sighed: "General Zheng is single-mindedly devoted to the country; Heaven and Earth are witnesses. I merely happened to be here at the right time; it is not worth mentioning!"

The hundred-thousand-plus army gave thanks again before they were called to rise by Zheng Yuxing.

For a time, Liu Zheng became a heroic figure in this Liangzhou Army.

Crown Prince Xie Fang watched from the side with a gloomy expression. And the Third Prince, Xie Ling, also wore a calm smile, though in reality, he was likely cursing up a storm in his heart.

Everyone was thinking of a Method to win the hearts of the people and the army.

But this time, no one had succeeded, and a Prefectural Assistant had reaped the benefits?

Xie Ling was, after all, a man of hidden depths, and he also offered his congratulations from the side. Crown Prince Xie Fang, however, could not hold back and sneered coldly: "This great victory at Rongshan Pass was achieved through the cooperative efforts of multiple units. When the day comes to discuss merits and bestow rewards, I, the Crown Prince, will request honors for you all!"

He laughed heartily.

Upon hearing this, the crowd was overjoyed and knelt to thank the Crown Prince.

Xie Fang was triumphant; he glanced at Liu Zheng and gave a faint huff. It seemed he had finally regained some face in the public eye.

Liu Zheng was left between laughter and tears.

The army set up camp there, and the logistics troops brought various wines and meats, leading to three consecutive days of revelry.

Liu Zheng sat in his own tent, watching his subordinates eat and drink to their hearts' content, and he felt very happy in his heart. It was normal not to drink during wartime. But after a victory, it was, of course, necessary to have wine.

For these days, the two-hundred-thousand-strong army did not leave and stayed at Ruogu Pass, which was closest to the Grassland, because everyone was waiting for the rewards.

The news of the great victory finally reached Jinghua three days later.

The soldier from the Post House responsible for communications in Jinghua rode at full speed, not drinking water for an entire day, but he could not care about that.

Clearly, despite the tight situation at the border, Jinghua remained as prosperous as ever, with merchants from all over coming and going, along with the commoners of Jinghua dressed in fine silks. Occasionally, in some teahouses and restaurants, storytellers were talking about this great battle against the Xiongnu.

In any case, they lost every year.

When they lost, the indemnities were extorted from the Feudatory Kings and commoners all over the country, so it did not have much impact on the people of Jinghua. They were also accustomed to defeat by the Xiongnu.

"Lost again this year?"

"Haha, I heard the Prince of Qin is already on his way to negotiate."

"Paying indemnities again?"

"Drink, drink!"

Who would have known that at this very moment, the Post House soldier came galloping on horseback.

"Won!"

"A great victory!"

"A great victory at Rongshan Pass!"

"The Xiongnu Army has suffered losses of one hundred thousand!"

He galloped all the way, shouting with a hoarse voice, his tone filled with unspeakable excitement.

"What?"

"What won?"

"The Xiongnu Army suffered losses of one hundred thousand?"

The people of Jinghua were all stunned. If this man were not wearing the official Post House uniform of the Longyan Dynasty and holding the unmistakable flag for delivering messages, they would have thought this was a joke or a dream!

"Won!"

"A great victory!"

"Longyan is mighty!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

Many people ran into the street, weeping with joy. After all, they were all Longyan; they were usually numb because they truly could not win, but in reality, who did not hope that the Longyan Dynasty could win, and who did not hope for the country to be strong?

Several old men were even more tearful, walking into the street and embracing each other while weeping.

Finally, they had won!

They had waited for decades!

The news reached the Imperial Palace.

Grand Eunuch Zhou trotted all the way to the soldier, his face solemn: "This matter must absolutely not be a joke!"

The soldier knelt: "Grand Eunuch Zhou, we really won! A great victory, a grand victory! The Xiongnu will be unable to fight again for at least five years!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou was astonished, then waved his hand to have a few young eunuchs escort the soldier to the Supervision Courtyard. He then rubbed his eyes vigorously, took the military report, and ran while tearing at his clothes, shouting in his shrill voice: "Emperor, Emperor, a report of victory!"

"The grace of the Dragon is vast, moving Heaven and Earth; the Longyan Dynasty is invincible!"

"Emperor, this old servant has come to bring you good news! The Emperor's heavenly might, Heaven protects Longyan, may you live ten thousand years!"

The old Emperor looked at Grand Eunuch Zhou, who was kneeling excitedly on the ground with tears streaming down his face, and looked at the military report; he finally could not help but laugh heartily: "Good, good, Heaven protects Longyan, Heaven protects Longyan indeed! Grand Eunuch Zhou, my heart is greatly comforted!"

"Summon the civil and military officials to meet me before the throne!"

"Yes!"

One hour later.

Inside the Golden Throne Hall.

The old Emperor was beaming with joy, his complexion ruddy.

The civil and military officials knelt in unison: "Heaven protects Longyan, the imperial grace is vast!"

"Long live our Emperor, long live, long live!"

The old Emperor laughed heartily: "All ministers, rise!"

"This time, the Xiongnu have suffered a loss of one hundred thousand, and should be unable to fight again for five years. The soldiers at the front have performed meritorious service; they must be rewarded!"

The crowd echoed in agreement.

"They must be rewarded!"

The old Emperor suddenly asked: "How shall we reward them?"

In the Golden Throne Hall, there was suddenly no sound, and it fell into a deathly silence.

Indeed.

How should they be rewarded?

After all, for so many years, in the wars against the Xiongnu, the Longyan Dynasty had never gained any advantage... yet this time, one hundred thousand enemy troops were lost... ah, this, there was absolutely no precedent for this. While happy, the civil and military officials also felt it was quite ironic that Longyan, which claimed to be the number one powerful nation, was actually so miserable.

It was no wonder that at this moment, the entire Jinghua, and even the entire dynasty, felt like they were dreaming when they heard the news, and were as happy as if it were the Lunar New Year.

A Grand Academician came out tremblingly: "Your Majesty, this great victory must be due to Heaven protecting Longyan, and the vast imperial grace. His Highness the Crown Prince directed the front lines with merit; this is a great achievement!"

The old Emperor heard this and gave a cold laugh, noncommittal.

A few days ago, the matter of Crown Prince Xie Fang losing eighty thousand soldiers was still rampant in public opinion, and now that a victory had occurred, it had become his merit again?

"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Third Prince has rendered great service; he must be rewarded!"

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Lu also..."

Everyone started talking at once, and it began.

Rewarding soldiers is a major event. Not only must one stabilize military morale and encourage soldiers to guard the borders and defend the country, but one must also manifest the demeanor of a great nation to suppress the petty. Since ancient times, great victories have had the ceremonial rites of great victories, and small victories have had the specifications of small victories; the ancients attached great importance to these rituals. Therefore, the Longyan imperial court, which had not had a great victory in thirty or forty years, was also excited at this time.

After all, this could be considered the first time in so many years, could it not?

Various officials began to make suggestions.

Someone said: "Your Majesty, for such a great victory, according to the ancestral laws of Longyan, for those who are generals, everyone shall be promoted one rank! For those who are soldiers, record their military merits, and they shall be rewarded with fertile land and cloth!"

Someone else said: "This is a great victory not seen in a hundred years for Longyan; how is one rank enough? At least two ranks!"

Opinions varied.

In any case, no matter what, the rewards and the compassionate payments for the fallen soldiers were definitely indispensable.

But the imperial court did not care; how much money could a great victory cost? If the Feudatory Kings of the whole country pooled their resources, everything would be covered.

The old Emperor was also very happy and nodded: "Rewards are certainly necessary, but rewarding based on merit is also important. I originally intended to go and bestow rewards in person, but my health is not well, so Grand Eunuch Zhou shall go on my behalf. The Ministry of Rites shall immediately prepare the ceremonial rites for the rewards. Minister of Rites Ning Shufeng, Minister of Personnel Cui Hong, and Minister of War Jiang Chao shall discuss the reward matters together!"

When the crowd heard this, they gasped.

The heads of three of the Six Ministries were actually all going!

Even Grand Eunuch Zhou, who generally did not leave the Imperial Palace, was going.

What kind of ceremonial guard was this, what kind of posture was this, and what kind of treatment was this?

Most officials had only seen this once in their lives.

"By your command!"

"Long live our Emperor, long live, long live!"

Soon, horse carriages were being prepared in Jinghua.

Several bigwigs gathered together to study for the night, all for the sake of coming up with a reward strategy.

Grand Eunuch Zhou had also been sitting securely in the Supervision Courtyard these days.

Because in the capital, too many people came to find him... sending all kinds of gifts, making all kinds of pleas, just wanting to secure a good future for their own family members who were currently far away in the Liangzhou Army. Who wouldn't want to seize such an opportunity?

At this moment.

Deep within the Imperial Palace.

Zheng Fu lay on her side in the Immortal Tent, looking at the letter in her hand, and smiled faintly: "The entire Longyan is jumping for joy, all is jubilant. It seems the front lines are also very lively... The Crown Prince rendered great service? Heh, if it weren't for this Yinzhou Army, he would be the greatest sinner of this battle!"

No one responded to her.

She gave a self-deprecating laugh: "But after all, the Yinzhou Army is also under the banner of Liangzhou. This old thief Chen Ping is making a big show of promoting his own ability to govern the army and his sharp eye for talent. He even went so far as to request merit for this Liu Zhoutong for the sake of the Crown Prince. You must know, just a few days ago, he and the father and son of the two families were still looking at each other with mutual disgust!"

Still, no one answered.

Zheng Fu was even angry, turned over and shouted: "Are you all a bunch of deaf people, or are you mutes!"

The palace maids were frightened and knelt down; how could they know about these schemes and mutual infighting?

A murderous intent flashed in Zheng Fu's eyes: "This Liu Zhoutong is truly a tough nut to crack! Zheng Yuxing wanted to promote him and keep him in the Liangzhou Army, but he actually refused! He doesn't even give face to my son Xie Ling! Could it be that he really wants to lean towards the Crown Prince's side?"

"Heh, since that's the case, then don't blame this Palace for being ruthless!"

"Call Grand Eunuch Zhou to me!"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Having rested for seven consecutive days.

Liu Zheng sat securely in his own tent; no matter who invited him to attend a banquet, he would not go.

First it was the Third Prince, then the Crown Prince, and then the Prince of Lu, Chen Ping, and Zheng Yuxing.

Zheng Yue Ru was also depressed: "Brother Liu, the Third Prince has already invited you three times. If you keep refusing like this, aren't you being too defiant to His Highness?"

Liu Zheng chuckled, took a brocade pouch from his pocket, and handed it to Zheng Yue Ru to see.

Zheng Yue Ru lowered her head to look, and was instantly stunned.

This brocade pouch was something Qingyang Shuo had instructed Liu Zheng to keep with him before he set out.

The words inside were very simple.

"If a great victory, rest and return home."

"Must not lightly go to Jinghua!"

Zheng Yue Ru took a deep breath: "Is the Military Advisor worried that..."

Liu Zheng smiled: "Seven days, that's about enough. We won't wait for the rewards; we'll set off for Yinzhou tomorrow! As for this matter of rewards, let them deal with it!"

It was not just Qingyang Shuo's reminder; in reality, he also understood.

Since ancient times, matters of rewards have been extremely complex, concerning the open strife and veiled struggles between various factions. At a time like this, Liu Zheng should not get involved at all. This time, his performance was too eye-catching; the Crown Prince and the Third Prince would inevitably force him to make a choice.

But no matter which side he leaned toward, what awaited him would be an abyss!

This was not what Liu Zheng desired.

Therefore, he intended to leave.

What he worried about most was that if, during this round of rewards, those in Jinghua wanted to summon him there, it would truly be beyond remedy. Empress Zheng Fu had lost face because of him last time; if an Imperial Edict were to keep him in Jinghua to hold office, wouldn't that cost Liu Zheng his life?

Zheng Yue Ru stared blankly at Liu Zheng.

Once again, she felt startled by Liu Zheng's calmness and foresight.

What kind of person was he, exactly?

Logically speaking, in this great victory at Rongshan Pass, the Yinzhou Army had the greatest merit, so naturally, the rewards would be the most generous. If it were an ordinary person, no matter how long it took, they would wait here for the rewards.

Yet Liu Zheng did not care...

This was not something an ordinary person's composure could achieve. People like Liu Zheng, who could be so free and easy in the face of such huge temptation, were truly too rare.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Liu Zheng hurried over to Zheng Yuxing, anxious, and said: "General Zheng, the Yinzhou Army must depart first today!"

Everyone was shocked and tried to dissuade him one after another.

The most critical rewards were coming immediately; everyone was dying to hear what kind of rewards they would receive, yet you want to leave first?

The Crown Prince Xie Fang and the Third Prince Xie Ling were both unable to understand.

Zheng Yuxing frowned: "Young Master, why are you so anxious?"

Liu Zheng wiped away a tear: "A letter came from Yinzhou yesterday; a sow at home is having a difficult labor. I have deep feelings for my livestock; if they don't see me, they won't give birth. Matters of agriculture and livestock are the great plans of the world; I, Liu Zheng, have no choice but to return!"

Everyone.

Was dumbfounded.

【Author's Note】

Thanks to the brothers who tipped these past few days... No matter the reason, please don't leave bad reviews; it really affects the rating, 55555.