The military parade was originally proposed by Chang Yu for three purposes.
The first is to invigorate the troops and stabilize the people's hearts. The second is to strengthen the influence of the imperial power. The third is to appreciate merits and achievements, which is also the most important part.
From the Battle of Taiyuan a few months ago to the subsequent Battle of Ningyuan to the Battle of King Qin of Baoding Prefecture, as well as the just-concluded Battle of the Tatars entering the Pass, the Ming army participated in the battle with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, traveling to many places and traveling thousands of miles. Throwing their heads and blood, countless soldiers sacrificed their lives, so that the five northern provinces were safe and the danger of the Ming Dynasty's collapse was avoided.
How many of these soldiers fought bloody battles, those who died in the battle must be punished, and those who survived must be rewarded!
The imperial court could not let them down, because the war in the south still required them to work hard, so Emperor Chongzhen decided to reward these meritorious soldiers generously.
The country is suffering from internal and external troubles, but fortunately you have sacrificed your lives to defend the country. I am very grateful and should reward you according to your merits... Emperor Chongzhen stood up and walked to Taipei Yuan, the commander-in-chief, and watched the generals in the audience give a brief but sincere speech. After Che's speech, he immediately ordered the eunuch Wang Chengen to read out the list of rewards.
There was silence in the audience. Everyone was listening attentively. The list of awards was from low to high. There were ordinary soldiers who fought bravely and were promoted to small flags, general flags, low-level military attachés such as generals, and some middle-level generals. Among them, Yang Zhenwei, the former Datong general general Jiang Yu, was the most important.
He supplemented the general army of Datong and was awarded General Zhenshuo (the official seal of Xuanfu). It can be said that he completely filled the gap of Jiang Yu! His net worth is now on par with Zhou Yuji and Huang Degong.
Yang Zhenwei was stunned by the sudden happiness. Obviously, he did not expect to upgrade so much at once, but then he thought about what the little eunuch had hinted to him, work hard, Jiang Yu's position was still vacant, and he felt extremely grateful. .
In fact, you have to know that he has really worked hard in the past few months. He followed Zhou Yuji from Datong to Taiyuan to Baoding Prefecture to the capital and chased the Qing army southward. He traveled thousands of miles and worked hard without complaint. The little eunuch did not break his promise and finally pushed him up. .
And He Chengxin, who worked just as hard as him, was originally a general, but now he has been promoted to deputy general, and awarded the title of general Xinwu, a dignified fourth-grade military general.
The remaining eight generals including Zhou Yuji's Qin Songwang and Gao Qi, and Huang Degong's subordinate Weng Zhiqi were all promoted. Almost everyone had a share and everyone had meat to eat.
Even Hao Yaoqi, the surrendered general who had been vacant, was awarded the title of General Mingwei, Captain of the Mounted Cavalry, and the title of Staff General by Li Yantong due to his outstanding military achievements.
Another surprise was that Liu Tichun, who was injured and captured in Taiyuan, had recovered from his injuries and was made a general. He also obeyed orders under Li Yan.
Every time Wang Chenen remembered someone, the general who received the reward would come to the stage to thank him, and there would be a eunuch in the audience to give him books, seals and other things.
But these are just appetizers. The real highlight is how to reward those military leaders, such as Wu Sangui, Zhou Yuji, and Huang Degong.
"Li Yan stepped forward to listen to the order." When Wang Chengen on the stage ordered the generals, he roared loudly. The civil and military officials on both sides of the stage immediately became unable to sit still and whispered, "Here we come, here we come, the main event is here."
Li Yan hurriedly came out of the queue, bowed in front of the stage and handed over his hands: "Your Majesty Wan'an, my minister, Li Yan takes the order."
"The emperor has a decree, Li Yan comes to the stage to receive the award." As soon as Wang Chengen finished speaking, Wen Wu on the stage exclaimed in a low voice. It seems that the reward is not small. During the discussion, Li Yan hurriedly came to the stage to express his gratitude and knelt down in front of Emperor Chongzhen's throne: "Your Majesty, Li Yan went to see the emperor."
Emperor Chongzhen stood up from his seat and came to his side to help him: "You are injured, please recover." Li Yan kowtowed and thanked him.
"Li Yan made great contributions in suppressing the bandits and quelling the chaos. He was awarded the seal of the general officer, made the crown prince and tutor, and entered the Fengzhu Kingdom..."
There was an uproar in the audience. At the beginning of the year, they heard that Emperor Chongzhen had praised the meritorious military generals and established the Eight-Pillar State for Military Affairs, alongside the civil officials.
In the past thousand years, Zhuguo had been the pinnacle of civil service, coveted by countless people, and there were also low-level civil servants with military positions. However, by the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the title had become empty and most of them were posthumous gifts.
The Wuzhu Kingdom was once brilliant in history. During the Western Wei Dynasty, there were eight great generals of the Zhu Kingdom who were astonishing in the world! It was known as the Eight Pillar Kingdom in history, and both Li Yuan's grandfather and maternal grandfather were among them.
Now, Emperor Chongzhen also wants to create a Ming Dynasty version of the Eight Pillar States generals!
But no one expected that the first one would be Li Yan, a young man who had surrendered to the imperial court only a few months ago. But it was this young man who, after surrendering, traveled thousands of miles from Taiyuan to help outside the customs. He also took command during the battle between King Qin of Baoding Prefecture and commanded the northern troops to fight with Li Zicheng, eventually defeating him and blocking the northward march of the army of thieves.
Later, he accompanied the young eunuch to pursue the Qing army southward, and almost the entire army was wiped out in the battle of Xianghe... He assisted the young eunuch along the way to plan strategies and was able to act independently. He was a rare handsome man. He also had clear rewards and punishments, and strict military discipline.
"Thank you, my lord." Li Yan was trembling with excitement. After receiving the book and the gold seal, he didn't know how to put it down. He was surrounded by his generals and cheered. Wu Sangui and other big bosses also came forward to congratulate him.
Then Zhou Yuji was named on stage to be conferred, and Wen Wu on stage held his breath again. Everyone knew that he had great military exploits. If he hadn't held on to Taiyuan with all his strength, the intruders would have led dozens of thieves to the city of Beijing by the west road. , and then he rushed eastwards to support Liu Fangliang and held back Liu Fangliang, and exerted great efforts in the battle between King Qin and King Qin of Baoding Prefecture. There were also the subsequent defense battles of the capital and the southward pursuit. He has always been the main general under Chang Yu.
"In the Jiazhu Kingdom, Xibo was granted the title of Emperor Xibo and granted the title of building a mansion, and the emperor granted him the title of building a military memorial arch."
Depend on! The audience immediately exploded again.
Although Zhuguo is said to be very powerful, it means that the military attaché rank is at the highest level, but being awarded a title is the most coveted, because it is a great joyous event that will shine on the family lintel and bring blessings to future generations, and will be remembered forever.
In the past dynasties, those who were awarded titles were either due to their meritorious service to the country or their great military exploits. In the case of the Ming Dynasty, most of the princes and princes in the fiefdom were generals when Taizu founded the country and Chengzu seized power. In the following generations, there were almost no such achievements. Most of the people who were awarded titles for military merit were the brother-in-law, brother-in-law, or father-in-law of a certain emperor. They were all of little value.
But now Zhou Yuji was knighted. Although he mentioned his great military exploits, no one expected that he would be knighted. There was a lot of envy in the audience, and some people were jealous even if they tried to hide it.
What you think is the only one is actually just the beginning.
Then came Huang Degong, Jiazhuguo, Crown Prince Taifu, Jingnanbo (at this time in history, Huang Degong was promoted to Jingnanbo)
Shit, is this guy worthy? During the commotion of martial arts on the stage, a few people could no longer control their envy, jealousy, and hatred, and were so jealous that they could spit fire. Wu Sangui was so scheming that he could still hold it back, while Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing were already shouting curses in low voices.
Of course Huang Degong deserves it!
When the rebel army went north, Emperor Chongzhen ordered all ministries to work hard for the king. Who came?
Except for the good boy Tang Tong, as for the arrival of Huang Degong, although he arrived late in history, this time he was just in the right place and became an effective general under Chang Yu. His ability cannot be said to be top-notch, but he dares to fight and fight hard because of this. Many big warlords have been left behind.
"Tang Tong, the commander-in-chief of Jizhen, listened to the title, added a pillar to the country, and made Xibo the title!"
The audience was very abnormal, and many civil and military officials were stunned.
Although it is unexpected that Zhou Yuji and Huang Degong were knighted, it is understandable. After all, the five northern provinces have been in constant war in the past few months. Thanks to the two men's efforts to turn the tide, Tang Tong... although he had military exploits, he was not Be knighted.
So many people were surprised, even Tang Tong himself was surprised! Xie En, who looked confused, glanced at the little eunuch next to him. When he saw Chang Yu smiled at him and nodded, he felt grateful in his heart, knowing that it was the little eunuch's strength.
He sealed three earls in one go, including Tang Tong, a general whose military exploits were not very significant, which surprised all the officials. The audience was already noisy, but Emperor Chongzhen sat firmly on the stage and smiled without saying a word. end.
In fact, in history, Emperor Chongzhen made several counts in one breath before destroying his country. Liu Zeqing, Wu Sangui, etc. were among them. The purpose was to let others save him.
It's a pity that at that time, it was useless even to be granted the title of Marquis, because it didn't contain enough gold.
But it's different now, it's pure gold.
As for the reason why Tang Tong was appointed Ding Xibo, although many civil and military officials could not figure it out, both Chang Yu and Emperor Chongzhen knew it very well, that is, he was obedient and obedient.
What Ming Dynasty needs most at this time is loyal and obedient people.
Therefore, the award of Tang Tong also means buying horse bones with a thousand gold coins.
Be obedient and you will have candy.
"Wu Sangui, come on stage to receive the award." During the commotion, Wang Chengen shouted, and there was a sudden silence in the audience. Everyone looked at Wu Sangui who was walking quickly on the stage.
This man is the most powerful warlord in the Ming Dynasty at present. The battle at Ningyuan a month ago broke the Ming Dynasty's predicament of inevitable defeat in border battles for several years. His influence and significance are extraordinary. Therefore, with this battle, the emperor If you want to win over him, I'm afraid the gift won't be small.
