On the first day of May in the second year of Guangwu, it was dawn, and a large number of soldiers had gathered in the Nanchao Campus in Yuanyang.
Now that the war is basically over, the soldiers are most concerned about rewards based on their merits, and Zhao Yanxun naturally has a plan in mind.
So starting from April, the matter of counting military merits has been put on the agenda.
To this end, he asked the Privy Council, the Ministry of War, and the Northwest Governor's Office to jointly determine the military merits of the Forbidden Army and the Guard Army.
After more than a month of busy work, the general military achievements of officers from one hundred households and above have been sorted out, but it will take several months to complete them all.
After clarifying the military merits, rewards will be awarded by the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War. In addition to gold, silver, grain and rice, the rewards will also be used as means of production.
Nowadays, a lot of land has been reclaimed in various places, so Zhao Yanxun can reward it generously.
As long as the soldiers who came to the northwest this time, even if they did not kill an enemy, they would be allocated at least ten acres of land.
Of course, the implementation of all rewards is a complicated matter, and I am afraid it will not be fully implemented until after the new year.
In order to let officers and soldiers feel the emperor's concern in advance, Zhao Yanxun ordered the Ministry of War and the Privy Council to select 500 "advanced" models among officers and soldiers at all levels for commendation.
Five hundred people were selected, and there were 250 people each for the imperial army and the garrison.
Among them, there are thirty people at the commander level, 70 people at the thousand household level, 150 people at the hundred household level, and the remaining 250 people, including general banners, small banners, and even ordinary soldiers.
It can be said that everyone who can come here to receive commendation has a legendary story worth spreading.
Although it was still half an hour before the commendation started, the school grounds had already been properly arranged, and those who were being commended couldn't sit still, so naturally they came here early.
They come from different health centers, and now they are gathering together with their fellow soldiers, thinking about a better life in the future.
In the palace on the other side, Zhao Yanxun had just gotten up and was washing and dressing under Zhang Fengxiu's attendance.
From November last year to now, Zhang Fengxiu has lived in the palace for half a year, but he only started sleeping in the palace last month.
This was a big loss for her, as five months of time were wasted.
What displeased her the most was that there were three other concubines involved in sleeping, so she didn't have much time to actually attend to her.
Fortunately, the emperor was so powerful that he could summon people to attend his bed every night, which made Zhang Fengxiu feel more at ease.
In fact, it was not just her. For the four concubines accompanying her, they had to seize this rare opportunity to get pregnant as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if you return to the capital, there will be a lot of competition, and it will be difficult to get pregnant.
"Your Majesty, you are ready!" Zhang Fengxiu said softly.
At this moment, Zhao Yanxun is wearing an ocher-yellow twelve-chapter dress, which is the emperor's second-most-worn dress after the crown dress, which shows that he attaches great importance to this commendation.
Holding the leather belt around his waist, Zhao Yanxun said calmly: "Let someone clean it up. You can have someone clean it up. We will leave for Beijing in a few days!"
Zhang Fengxiu felt a little uncomfortable when she heard this. Of course she didn't want to go back so soon.
But she still responded very obediently: "I obey your decree!"
To be honest, Zhang Fengxiu's acting skills are very good, so in Zhao Yanxun's eyes, she has always been a well-behaved and sensible image.
"Um!"
"Your Majesty, it's time for breakfast!" Zhang Fengxiu reminded.
"Pass it on!"
Soon, the eunuchs brought dishes into the Jinshen Hall dining room, and Zhang Fengxiu personally served Zhao Yanxun to eat.
"Your Majesty, I heard yesterday that something strange happened in Yuanyang Mansion..."
"What's up?"
"There is a village outside the city..."
Zhang Fengxiu's witty remarks made Zhao Yanxun laugh constantly, and he was in a happy mood after having breakfast.
Zhang Fengxiu has a good way of capturing men's hearts. She does not just rely on the Queen Mother to maintain her status.
Before breakfast was over, there were eunuchs reporting outside. Officials from the Privy Council and the Ministry of War were already waiting outside the main hall.
"Okay, it's time to get down to business!" Zhao Yanxun put down his chopsticks.
About half an hour later, Zhao Yanxun's chariot arrived at the Nancheng campus.
At this moment, the officers and soldiers who were being commended were all lined up neatly, with their heads held high, waiting for the emperor's arrival.
As the sedan entered the school grounds, Zhao Yanxun stopped the sedan, and he himself walked out of the sedan.
The emperor appeared, and all the officers and soldiers present to receive the commendation knelt on the ground in unison.
"Kowtow to the emperor, long live my emperor!"
Looking at the magnificent team in front of him, Zhao Yanxun had a smile on his face.
"No gift!"
The eunuch immediately conveyed the order, and after receiving the order, the soldiers on the scene stood up in unison.
Holding his hand on his leather belt, Zhao Yanxun walked on the school grounds. Behind him were more than twenty officials from the Privy Council's Military Department and the Northwest Governor's Office.
The officers and soldiers in the front row held their heads high and looked at the emperor walking in front of them, their eyes full of reverence and passion.
The army was in good spirits, which made Zhao Yanxun very satisfied.
When he reached the middle of the school ground, Zhao Yanxun finally followed the ceremony and walked to the general stand on the north side, where the throne had been set up.
After he sat down, under the loud shouts of the ceremony officer, the soldiers present bowed down.
"Kowtow to the emperor, long live my emperor!"
"Long live long live long live!"
"Long live long live long live!"
After three cheers and three bows, the commended soldiers stood up.
Zhao Yanxun sat calmly and said to Luo Lun beside him: "Announce the edict!"
"According to the order!"
The emperor personally participated in the commendation, and as the governor, Luo Lun naturally had to accompany him, and at this moment he acted as the errand to announce the decree.
"The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and the system is said to be..."
"The Western Barbarians invaded the territory and wanted to destroy our country Zuo, harm our Ziming, and destroy our culture..."
"During this great crisis, I led my troops to resist the enemy. Fortunately, God favored me, my ancestors protected me, and my soldiers sacrificed their lives, and we were able to defeat the barbarian army..."
"In this battle, the officers and men of the army have made outstanding achievements. Now that the enemy army has been eliminated, it is time to reward the officers and soldiers based on their merits..."
The content of the following imperial edict is very long, roughly talking about what kind of merits he has made and what kind of rewards he will receive.
To put it simply, these people were the first to receive awards, so they can be called typical.
After reciting the imperial edict, when the soldiers below shouted long live and kowtowed in thanks, Luo Lun's mouth was already dry.
After asking everyone to stand up again, Zhao Yanxun said: "The reward just now is only land and wealth!"
"Some of you have followed me since Prince Yong's Mansion, some performed outstandingly during the Jingnan War, some made great contributions in conquering the Western Barbarians, and some have done all three!"
"Such merit can be rewarded with more than just land and money. I have ordered the cabinet to negotiate with the Ministry of War and Rites to award honors and titles to those who have made outstanding contributions!"
Hearing this, the commanders of the Forbidden Army below were greatly excited. They had finally looked forward to this moment.
Although land and money are good, how can they compare with the fragrant title?
Since the Jing Dynasty, the nobles in the capital have suffered heavy losses, and they have been looking forward to those titles for a long time.
It is precisely because they have hope that they have high morale from beginning to end, and that is why they can achieve this great success.
After Zhao Yanxun finished his speech, people who thought they had a chance to be knighted began to shout "The Emperor's Holy Might".
Next, Zhao Yanxun left the school grounds amid cheers of long live.
After he left, the campus became more lively.
The basic soldiers and officers who received the reward are thinking about the good days ahead.
Meanwhile, a group of high-ranking officials at the command and envoy level were discussing what kind of titles they would be given back, and they were also complimenting their colleagues.
"I actually have a title. How dare I think of this a few years ago!" Xu Hong couldn't help but sigh.
Just five years ago, they were still a small family in the Forbidden Army, dragging their families with them to follow King Yong to join the vassal state.
Just five years later, they not only became Conglong siege city, but also had the opportunity to become princes.
Even though this matter has been confirmed, Xu Hong still finds it incredible when he thinks about it.
Duan Hong replied: "This is all a favor from the emperor. We should serve the country with all our loyalty in the future!"