Chapter 264: Special Pardon

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

To honor the worthy and reward the diligent is the established code of the court; to display authority and extol virtue is the true sentiment of the Son of Heaven. Behold, for those ministers of merit, there exist laws both stern and gracious; thus we bestow favor and honor, exceeding the ordinary measure.

Urmai, chieftain of the Doyan tribe, is the Regional Commander stationed by the court at Uriankhai. Strict with himself and exacting in his dealings with others, he bears great ambition upon the battlefield, harboring unwavering loyalty. He has trained his tribe well, and thus achieved the foremost merit in the victory at Taiyuan.

The decree states: Urmai's merits place him first among the commanders of the three armies. The court's favor and ritual honor shall be especially heavy upon his glory. He is hereby enfeoffed as Marquis Zhenbian, hereditary in perpetuity, and additionally appointed Right Commissioner-in-Chief of the Five Armies Chief Military Commission, adorned with the splendor of cap and robe, forever demonstrating the covenant of amity. Respect this."

"... Gao Jie, the Earl of Xingping, is the Regional Commander permanently stationed by the court at Xuanfu. Strict with himself, gentle and observant of propriety, he assisted the Supreme Commander in suppression campaigns, earning a fierce and valiant reputation, and enforcing strict military discipline. He is credited with the second-grade merit in the victory at Taiyuan.

He is hereby enfeoffed as Left Commissioner-in-Chief of the Five Armies Chief Military Commission, specially awarded the glorious honor of Martial Cavalry Commandant. All troops under his command are designated the Xuanfu Army, sharing in the glory of this achievement. Respect this."

"... Bai Guangen is the Regional Commander permanently stationed by the court at Datong. Over the years, he has never shied from daring battle, governing his troops with law and propriety, earning a reputation for valor and ferocity that strikes fear into the bandits' hearts. He is credited with the third-grade merit in the victory at Taiyuan.

He is hereby enfeoffed as Earl of Anbei, hereditary in perpetuity, promoted to Left Commissioner-in-Chief of the Five Armies Chief Military Commission, specially awarded the glorious honor of Martial Cavalry Commandant. All troops under his command are designated the Datong Army, fulfilling the heart of a brave general. Respect this."

"... Mou Wenshou is the Regional Commander stationed by the court to guard the Shandong region. In three years of campaigns and suppression, he has rendered distinguished service in numerous battles. His entire clan is bold in battle, achieving supplementary merit in the victory at Taiyuan. He is hereby promoted to Left Commissioner-in-Chief of the Five Armies Chief Military Commission and Grand Tutor to the Heir Apparent, specially awarded the glorious honor of Martial Cavalry Commandant. All troops under his command are designated the Shandong Army. Respect this."

"Your ministers receive the decree and thank Your Majesty for your grace. Long live the Emperor, ten thousand thousand years!" Urmai, Bai Guangen, Gao Jie and the others had been waiting precisely for this moment, and now naturally hurried forward with eager eyes to receive their own copies of the imperial decree, clutching them in their hands like treasures.

To be honest, although Urmai had held considerable expectations about what grade of merit he might be listed for, he had never imagined he would be ranked first.

In the eyes of the other Ming troops, the Doyan tribe had been bold and forward in this battle, every man fighting with extraordinary ferocity—truly a model for the entire army. This was merit that could not be taken away or erased, and no one felt any surprise at it.

Urmai, however, was not entirely of that mind. He had originally thought that because he was a Mongol of the Uriankhai branch, the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming would look down on him. But as it now appeared, he had been overthinking again.

To use the Han saying: he had measured a gentleman's heart with a petty man's measure.

Gao Jie was also quite satisfied with being listed for second-grade merit. After all, he had only charged in to pick up the scraps—the hard fighting had all been done by the Doyan tribe, and he understood this perfectly well himself.

As for the rest of the rewards and honors, he no longer cared overly much. Now that he had already attained the rank of earl, among all the military commanders under heaven, those who could reach such a station were likely all right before his eyes.

Apart from that, there was no one else—so what more was there to be unsatisfied about?

If there was one thing about this round of rewards that surprised Gao Jie, it was the thickness of Bai Guangen's rewards—so generous as to nearly match those of Marquis Zhenbian Urmai, who had been ranked first.

First, the Chongzhen Emperor had enfeoffed Bai Guangen as an earl, and hereditary in perpetuity at that—this was significant in meaning as well. Second, the title granted to Bai Guangen was none other than "Earl of Anbei," which sufficiently displayed the Chongzhen Emperor's high regard for him. Third, the imperial decree given to Bai Guangen actually said he "never shied from daring battle"—which in Gao Jie's eyes was an absolutely enormous joke.

Naturally, although Gao Jie was straightforward by nature, he was not so rash as to publicly disparage an imperial decree; he merely felt something unusual in his heart.

The three men withdrew, each with his own thoughts. The eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial who had come to deliver the decree was parched from speaking, yet he still drew another imperial decree from his sleeve and called out loudly to the side:

"Is there a general by the name of... yes, Lin Yangcheng?"

At these words, all the generals were stunned. Lin Yangcheng? Wasn't he the bandit commander of this battle, the one they had defeated? Could it be that the Emperor could not wait to use his head as an offering to the banners?

The generals whispered among themselves, but Chen Qiyu knew full well what was on the decree. He waved his hand, signaling the soldiers of the Northwest Grand Camp to bring in Lin Yangcheng, who had long been bound and held outside.

"Let go, let go!" As Lin Yangcheng entered, though he endured the jeers and mockery of all the court's military officers present, he still held his head high, struggling constantly, refusing to kneel.

After several soldiers forced him to his knees, he saw the solemn scene before him and felt some panic in his heart. He shouted: "What, is the court's emperor also learning from those Tartar barbarians, wanting to kill me, a surrendered general?"

The eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial frowned and glanced at Lin Yangcheng's appearance, thinking to himself: how could His Majesty have taken a liking to such a bandit?

No matter what he thought in his heart, the decree still had to be delivered. The eunuch coughed a few times and called out loudly:

"... Lin Yangcheng was the Left General of the false Shun regime. He defied the court and usurped authority in rebellion—his deeds merit execution. Yet I consider that he still possesses a heart of remorse, and unlike the other bandits, he has committed no acts of harassing or harming the people. I shall therefore spare his life. Though his death sentence is commuted, his living punishment cannot be escaped.

It is hereby ordered: Lin Yangcheng is stripped of all offices and salaries under the false Shun system, and reassigned as Assistant Regional Commander of Xifengkou, under the jurisdiction of the Ji Garrison. He shall atone for his crimes through merit—if he can offset his offenses with achievements, then what comes after remains unforeseeable! Respect this."

At these words, aside from Chen Qiyu who had already anticipated it, every military officer present was shocked.

"What? His Majesty has actually enfeoffed this bandit!"

"Why is this? Does this bandit not deserve death?"

"What is His Majesty thinking!"

Gao Jie's eyes widened, and he was about to step forward to say something. But he turned his head to glance at Bai Guangen, who had retreated a few steps, and then looked at Chen Qiyu, who wore a faint smile and remained unperturbed. In that moment, he seemed to suddenly understand something.

This time, Gao Jie did not step forward to be the first to stick his neck out as the other generals expected. Instead, he gave a cold snort and shook the steel saber at his waist—his meaning could not be more obvious.

Cowed by Gao Jie's authority, the Xuanfu officers fell silent one after another, not daring to say more. Combined with the forceful suppression by Bai Guangen, Mou Wenshou and others, the generals gradually quieted down before long.

"This... Assistant Regional Commander of Xifengkou?"

When Lin Yangcheng heard the earlier portion enumerating his crimes, his heart was like dead ashes—he felt certain he was done for. But unexpectedly, in the final few sentences, the tone suddenly shifted, and he was being allowed to atone through merit?

Lin Yangcheng, normally quick of speech, was stunned for a long moment before he reacted. For a time, he did not know how to respond. In truth, although he harbored some dissatisfaction with Li Zicheng, he still held lingering misgivings toward the Great Ming court.

After all, so many years of bad impressions could not be easily changed by the transformations of the past two years.

The eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial naturally did not know the concerns weighing on Lin Yangcheng's mind. He gave a "hey ya" and thought: fine, you bandit general—His Majesty, in his great magnanimity, spares your life and permits you to atone through merit, and instead of being grateful, you're playing coy with me?

"Assistant Regional Commander Lin, it's time to receive the decree and thank His Majesty!" The eunuch's arm was sore and aching from being raised so long, and his tone was gloomy and irritable, clearly showing his displeasure.

"I... this officer... your subject... this guilty officer receives the decree and thanks His Majesty."

Lin Yangcheng stammered as he spoke, completely lacking his usual brisk and fiery manner. After taking the decree from the eunuch's hands, he felt it smooth and heavy, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Come to think of it, this was the first time he had ever received an imperial decree from the Son of Heaven, and the taste of it was indeed different from receiving the Dashing King's orders...