The first person to speak was Tang Ping, who was beside Li Shimin. He first praised the bravery of the fleet officers, and then solemnly introduced Li Shimin.
"Today, His Majesty the Tang Dynasty will personally announce the rewards to everyone!"
Many of the soldiers below had never seen the emperor, and even from a distance they couldn't tell it was a dragon robe.
By the time Tang Ping finished speaking, many people were confused.
Are you meeting the emperor?
In ancient times, when monarchy was supreme, it was truly a great honor to meet the emperor, and many people would even record it in their family trees.
At first, I just heard that Duke Ping said there would be awards from the emperor, but I didn't expect that the emperor actually came to award everyone.
Li Shimin was naturally familiar with things like rewarding the armed forces, and he knew that for low-level soldiers like this, don't deal with the frivolous.
They didn't understand what he said in a polite way, so they started handing out rewards directly.
Reward the whole army and give each person a year's salary increase!
The soldiers who sacrificed their lives this time were given double pensions and were given the title of martyr posthumously. Their descendants were trained by the Tang government and received certain preferential treatment when they became adults, whether they were taking exams or joining the army.
??????????????????And then those who have achieved military merit will receive an additional 50% of the reward originally planned by Tang Ping!
Among them, those with outstanding merits were invited individually to the Taihao ship and were awarded medals by Li Shimin himself.
As commanders, Qian Laosan and Luo Siye also realized their wishes - to be knighted!
Qian Laosan was granted the title of Prince of Donghai County, and Fourth Master Luo was granted the title of Prince of Nanhai County. They both had food and residences in their ancestral homes, so they could be regarded as honorable ancestors.
After the war, Tang Ping said that although the two of them failed to open up territory for the Tang Dynasty this time, they still contributed a lot, and the court would probably knight them.
The two of them thought it would be great to have a baron, but they didn't expect that they were directly granted the title of viscount this time, and they were overjoyed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The two of them knelt down on one knee in front of Li Shimin at the same time: "The general will fight to the death for Your Majesty!"
"Okay, get up. When you return to the Tang Dynasty, a set of clerical robes and clothes will be sent to you two. If you want to thank Duke Ping, he recommended you two. "
"Xie Pingguo Duke!"
"You're welcome. In this battle in the South China Sea, you two have the greatest credit. I'm afraid the East China Sea Fleet will still be in your hands in the future. I hope that the two generals will work together to let the name of the Tang Dynasty dominate the world!"
"Yes, the East China Sea Fleet will surely let the name of the Tang Dynasty dominate the world!"
The two of them shouted loudly, and then the officers who had outstanding military merits and were awarded medals on the Taihao ship also shouted, and then the entire Eastern Navy at the dock began to shout.
The military spirit is so strong that it soars into the sky!
"Fire artillery!" Tang Ping ordered at the right time. Several other gunboats had already been prepared and fired volleys at the artillery on the other side of the sea. The sound of thunder was endless.
There are many overseas businessmen from other countries in Tamsui Port, and they are all trembling when they see such a scene.
On the other hand, the businessmen from the Tang Dynasty straightened their backs and looked proud.
When the sound of the cannons died down, Li Shimin stood on the high platform and said loudly: "I'm afraid many people didn't eat or drink well last night, but it doesn't matter. We have enough food and wine here today! Let's have a party!"
The leader of the Ryukyu Kingdom had made preparations early. Hearing Li Shimin's words and waving his hand, countless carts were pushed up.
It's all freshly prepared barbecue, fresh vegetables, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, jars of fine wine are also indispensable.
There are definitely no tables and chairs for so many soldiers, but soldiers are not that particular.
Many people haven't eaten fresh vegetables, fruits and meat for a long time, and they gnaw on them when they come.
Some soldiers who loved wine even asked directly, knowing that the bottle of wine was enough, as long as they didn't drink themselves to death, they just started drinking wine from the jar.
These drinks are basically rice wine and fruit wine produced in Ryukyu. The alcohol content is not high. Compared with drinking to death, you are more likely to be strangled to death.
It was naturally impossible for Li Shimin to go down and drink and eat meat with the other soldiers today. After all, there were still Ryukyu kings who wanted to see him.
Although the Ryukyu Kingdom was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, they also made great efforts in this Nanyang war. Of course, Li Shimin also had to give some sweet dates.
So a simple banquet was prepared directly on the deck of the Taihao ship.
"Thank you very much, Lord Ryukyu, for your help this time!"
"Don't dare, don't you dare. The Ryukyu Kingdom has benefited from Duke Taira's strong support and there is nothing in return. Moreover, the Ryukyu Kingdom did not send a single soldier in this battle. They were just doing some logistics and food supplies.? ??????????????? I dare not accept His Majesty’s praise like this.”
"Hahaha, Lord Shang, you don't need to be so humble. When we march and fight, we know that the carriages and horses have not moved, and the food and grass have gone first. Ryukyu can bear the supplies of the entire East China Sea Fleet on its own. I know your hard work." Li Shimin said. He said with a smile: "After returning to Chang'an, I will send someone to prepare a big gift. If the king of the country needs anything, he can also ask for it."
After hearing this, Shang Sixian hesitated for a moment, walked out of his seat, knelt in front and said, "I do have a merciless request."
Generally speaking, if someone asks you for a favor, it's probably not easy to meet the request.
However, Li Shimin was in a good mood today, and Ryukyu really cooperated well this time, so he still smiled and said, "Let's talk and listen first."
"Yes!" Shang Sixian clasped his fists, and then said solemnly: "Ever since Emperor Wu Taizu Zhongmou sent Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi to discover Ryukyu, our ancestors went to sea to avoid disaster during the Wuhu chaos in China and established the country in Ryukyu."
"But my Shang family has always wanted to return to the orthodoxy of the Central Plains. The Tang Dynasty conquered the world, came from all directions, and the national power was unprecedented."
"So Sang Sixian wants Ryukyu to return to his homeland!"
Tang Ping did not expect that Shang Sixian would pull this trick: "The king wants to..."
"That's right, all the successive kings of Ryukyu Kingdom hope to return to their homeland in the Central Plains. The current thirty-second generation king of Ryukyu Kingdom, Shang Sixian, formally requests His Majesty the Tang Dynasty to take over Ryukyu."
Of course there was a reason for Shang Sixian to do this, but Tang Ping felt that the bigger reason was that the Tang Dynasty was now stronger. Otherwise, Shang Sixian had also gone to Chang'an to pay tribute before, so why didn't he mention it?
But anyway, this is a good thing after all.
Li Shimin was also pleased with Long Yan. After all, there was still some gap between the territories of the subordinate countries and Datang's own.
To put it bluntly, although the subsidiary country Datang can station troops there and have an impact on its politics and economy, it still has great autonomy after all.
Just like although the Turks were a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, if the Turkic Khan wanted the domestic herdsmen to raise less sheep and more cattle, it would be difficult for the Tang Dynasty to intervene.
As for your own territory, once the imperial edict is issued, as long as the local leaders do not violate it, they will naturally handle it properly.
"Okay, I'm sure!" This is the best news that Li Shimin heard today. Which emperor doesn't want to expand his territory? Originally, when he attacked Nanyang this time, Li Shimin also thought about whether he could turn Wei's territory into a big one. An enclave of Tang.
Unexpectedly, Sri Lanka was behind and took advantage of this.
But who would have thought that what was lost was harvested in the east, and a celebration banquet was held in Ryukyu. Ryukyu actually asked to be merged into the Tang Dynasty.
Tang Ping probably introduced this place to him when he docked. Although it is now sparsely populated, the territory is not small.
What's more important is that this island is stuck at the throat between Datang and Nanyang.
Now that Ryukyu belongs to the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty can station its fleet here permanently. Moreover, the climate on the island is suitable for growing a variety of crops, and it can also provide the Tang Dynasty with a lot of supplies.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Since the Ryukyu Kingdom no longer exists, I would like to ask Your Majesty to give this island a name."
Shang Sixian took the initiative and said, after all, if this place was still called Ryukyu, there would be no doubt that some people would take the opportunity to cause trouble. But if the name is changed, Ryukyu will be slowly forgotten in a few decades.
"As for the name..." Li Shimin pondered for a moment and then heard Tang Ping blurt out:
"Let's call it Taiwan, the treasure island of Taiwan!"
"Taiwan?" Li Shimin was stunned: "What's the significance of this name?"
How does Tang Ping know what the importance is? In fact, even he himself didn't know why this place was called Taiwan, he just blurted it out.
"No...nothing particular about it, I just think the name sounds nice."
Although Tang Ping couldn't explain why, Li Shimin loved him so much. Tang Ping said it was called Taiwan, so let's call it Taiwan. Anyway, thinking about it, the name of Treasure Island Taiwan is not bad.
So he nodded and said: "Since Duke Ping has spoken, let's call it Treasure Island Taiwan!"
Of course, it was impossible for Li Shimin to kill the donkey. Shang Sixian had the knowledge and knowledge to hand over Ryukyu, so he naturally had to express his feelings.
"Female Shang Sixian as the Duke of the Yi Kingdom. It is hereditary and will not be replaced!"
Yi is because this place was called Yizhou from the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period, but this is not important.
The important thing is that the Duke of Yi named by Li Shimin is hereditary and irreplaceable!
In the Tang Dynasty, the inheritance of titles was basically downgraded by one level for each generation. I was the Duke of the country, my son could only be the Marquis, and my grandson was the uncle.
Hereditary succession means that the title of Lao Tzu can be passed on to his son without downgrading.
Not many princes can get hereditary replacement. Li Shimin is also setting an example. After all, they handed over the country, and the Tang Dynasty also expressed its position. Your family will be the princes of the Tang Dynasty for generations to come, and will be given to other countries. Make a sample.
In the future, there will be countries that want to merge with the Tang Dynasty. See how Shang Sixian is doing in the Tang Dynasty, and they can have a reference.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Shang Sixian was not dissatisfied. He had already worked hard to manage Ryukyu, so he didn't get much from it.
Didn't you realize that a servant named Dong Ye of the Eight-Rat Bubbles can dominate Tamsui Port, but the Ryukyu Kingdom doesn't even dare to let go of anything?
How great would it be to leave such a country to the Tang Dynasty and take the whole family to the Tang Dynasty to become a wealthy prince and enjoy the blessings?
Li Shimin didn't say who the governor of Taiwan would be in the future, and Shang Sixian didn't care. Even if Li Shimin asked him to sit in this position, he would definitely not take it.
Tang Ping was filled with emotion as he watched the two of them toasting and drinking together. They all said that this place was an inseparable part. He didn't expect that he would actually see the reunification of the Tang Dynasty today.
