Su Qi'an was a little surprised by Su Qian's straightforwardness, but after thinking about it, it was indeed in line with Sol Mu's true thoughts.
Whoever wants to make contributions and become a powerful person in his lifetime, Solmu regards Su Qi'an as an investment object.
At present, Su Qi'an does not have such long-term plans for the future, but leaving a hidden chess piece on the border of Darong is not a bad thing.
Who can say for sure in the future, there is no possibility of Su Qian's rise.
Under Su Qian's gaze, Solmu quickly disappeared into the yellow sand in the sky.
Su Qian is not worried about Solmu's safety. Most of those who witnessed Solmu's rebellion are dead. As for the missing Captain Xitu, there is nothing to worry about.
After all, compared to Solmu's true identity as city lord, it was clear who to believe in a wanted captain.
Su Qi'an withdrew his gaze and quickly caught up with the retreating team, and the group of people returned to Zhenjun City.
When they returned to Zhenjun City again, everyone had an indescribable feeling.
There is sadness, sadness, and sighs.
The Ningzhou War, which lasted for half a year, revolved around this central city. It was like losing and regaining, with countless casualties, just because of this city in front of you.
After waving his hands, Su Qi'an and other troops re-entered the city. Except for the main roads, the city was not damaged. Other shops and houses were in a mess.
Fortunately, before Zhenjun City was breached, the soldiers and civilians in the city were relocated early, so some unnecessary disasters were avoided.
Su Qi'an passed over the soldiers repairing the city and went straight to the lobby of the city tower.
On the city tower, Fan Wenzhong and Xie Cang were waiting early. As for Zheng Liang and other powerful princes, and the military supervisor Wang Xian, they left first on the second day when Kushu's army evacuated.
The Ningzhou war has ended, their mission has been completed, and there is no point in staying here.
They simply returned to Beijing. According to their estimation, by the time they returned to Beijing, their military exploits in the Ningzhou War would be almost the same, and they only needed to return to Beijing to receive rewards.
Without encountering these annoying guys, Su Qi'an had one less thing to do.
In the past few days, according to the instructions, I have led the troop deployment and defense, and the most important handover of troops and horses.
As a counselor, Su Qi'an went to the front line of Ningzhou, and eventually led his army on many expeditions to rescue Fan Wenzhong's military city from danger.
It can prove Su Qi'an's superb commanding ability, but after all, Su Qi'an is a counselor, a scholar, and has a great reputation.
Being able to lead troops on an expedition without being certified by the court is already crossing the line. If there is a war, this matter will be turned a blind eye and passed by.
But the war is over. If Su Qi'an still commands the troops, it is very likely that someone will catch him.
In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Fan Wenzhong asked Su Qi'an to hand over to other lieutenants as soon as possible.
Su Qi'an naturally understood Fan Wenzhong's kindness. When he returned to Zhenjun City today, he came back to resume his life.
After a fierce battle with Kushu's army, his new army and some remaining troops totaled only two thousand.
There are not many people, but they can survive many battles. It is no exaggeration to say that each of these people are real elites and will never lose to Fan Wenzhong's Tiger and Leopard Army.
It would be a lie to say that it would be a pity to hand over this army, but Su Qi'an believed that as his status becomes higher and higher in the future, he will definitely have such an iron-blooded army again.
Su Qi'an did not hesitate at all and handed the military card in his hand to Fan Wenzhong.
Fan Wenzhong reached out and took it, feeling a little sorry for Su Qi'an in his heart.
Not to mention that in this battle, Su Qi'an defeated many with less and saved them from being trapped in crisis many times.
The new army in his hands was also built by Su Qi'an, and its combat effectiveness is obvious to all.
Anyone who handed over such an army would regret it, but Su Qi'an didn't miss it at all.
This kind of character makes Fan Wenzhong feel a little ashamed.
His eyes flashed, as if he was planning to make some important decision, when suddenly, a subordinate came running over with a smile on his face.
Before Fan Wenzhong could reprimand him, his subordinate said quickly, "Coach, good news, good news, the rewards for this battle have been announced."
Hearing this, Fan Wenzhong's expression softened a lot, he took the scroll from his subordinate's hand and waved his hand to leave.
Fan Wenzhong opened the scroll, and Xie Cang also came up. The two of them glanced at each other, showing an inexplicable expression, which soon turned into a look of joy.
Su Qi'an didn't attach much importance to the blessings on the scroll, but it was funny to see the changing expressions of the two of them.
Fan Wenzhong handed the scroll to Su Qian, "Xiao Su, take a look."
Su Qian took the scroll and glanced at it.
First of all, the imperial court was quite satisfied with the outcome of the war and said a lot of praise.
At the middle position, rewards begin according to each person's merit.
"Coach Fan Wenzhong has been engaged in border wars for many years. His hard work has made him outstanding. He was promoted to the Duke of Fan. He was given a reward of 50,000 taels of gold and silver, and a thousand acres of fertile land."
Su Qi'an nodded. This Duke came a little late. With Fan Wenzhong's hard work at the border for so many years, he could have been granted the title of Duke a long time ago.
Although it's a little late, in any case, being awarded the title of Duke is well deserved.
"Xie Cang, Zheng Liang, Li Ze, Liu Tao and others were promoted to the rank of Marquis due to their merit, and were rewarded with thirty thousand taels of gold and silver."
The title of marquis is actually divided into three, six or nine levels. From high to low, they are state marquis, county marquis and county marquis.
No matter Xie Cang or Zheng Liang, these dignitaries are the third-class county princes.
This promotion due to military merit is also reasonable.
After them, Su Qi'an also saw the names of the powerful marquis who died in battle. Zhao Ang's name was prominently among them, and they were awarded the title of first-class state marquis, a reward of 50,000 silver, and many other rewards.
This is also the result of blocking some people's mouths and balancing each other. It is just the value between the dead first-class marquis and the living second-class marquis. Far more than grade can measure.
Looking at the end, Su Qi'an saw his name, "Su Qi'an, a member of Lingbei County, played an outstanding role in the Ningzhou war. He was granted the title of second-class earl, a reward of 10,000 silver, and 50 acres of fertile land."
Su Qi'an was still a little surprised that he could be granted the title of earl. It was not that he disliked the low title, but that he was still able to obtain the title of earl after offending Wang Xian, Zheng Liang and other powerful princes.
The second-class earl, that is, the country earl. Above the country earl, there is the first-level county earl. This is the two-level division of the earldom.
Seemingly sensing Su Qi'an's surprise, Fan Wenzhong said, "Wang Xian and the others are not so kind-hearted. When I reported the merits of the general, I heard that there was quite a controversy in the court because of your matter."
"Wang Xian, Zhao Guogong, Zhou Guogong and other dignitaries tried their best to prevent you from being granted the title of marquis or uncle. They only wanted to give you the lowest baronage."
"There are opponents, as well as supporters. The big shots headed by the Duke of Chu, thinking that you have made great contributions and that you are still a queen of the royal family, have proposed to make you a first-class uncle. If there is a war in the future, depending on your performance, you will be granted the title of Dingfeng." Hou."
Su Qi'an raised his eyebrows. He had never expected that there would be such a debate in the court because he was knighted.
If you were someone else, you might think it was an honor. After all, being able to be evaluated and argued about in the court meant that this person must be of value.
However, Su Qi'an didn't want this so-called glory at all. He knew that the more people paid attention to him, his stable life would be over.
Fortunately, in the end, he got a second-class uncle. Even if he had offended the powerful people in Lijing City, he at least had the ability to protect himself.
An earl, even a second-class earl, does not have the privileges of territory, taxation, or troops, but within a county, even the county magistrate has to be obedient.
In addition, Su Qi'an himself has the title of Juren, and with these dual identities, even the county guard has to give him some face.
With his status and influence reaching the level of counties, even if the wealthy and powerful people in Kyoto want to get rid of him, it will not be easy unless Su Qi'an lives in the capital.
Just wanting Su Qi'an to go to the capital is not that easy. Su Qi'an has already planned to return to Lingbei County as soon as possible, starting from Dongshan Village where he is, and gradually lay out his own sphere of influence...
"Mr. Su, Mr. Su, what's wrong with you?"
Xie Cang's voice echoed in his ears, and Su Qi'an came back to his senses. He was actually lost. It seemed that thinking too much sometimes was not a good thing.
Su Qian shook his head and said, "I'm fine, maybe I'm tired. By the way, the court is arguing about me, so how will it be resolved later?"
"In the end, His Majesty took the initiative in this matter. He only said, "This Su Qi'an should be made a second-class earl. "
Su Qi'an was stunned for a moment, then recovered quickly, with a wry smile on his face, "Your Majesty, you are really decisive, and you can make a decision with just one sentence."
"No, let me see, even if you, sir, can't become a marquis, you still have to be a first-class uncle no matter how you look for it. I still think this is unfair." Xie Cang curled his lips and asked Su Qian's second-class earldom And indignant.
Fan Wenzhong said, "Second-class uncle is suitable for Xiao Su. I thought that after Wang Xian and other princes made a fuss, Xiao Su might not even get the earl. Now it seems that I am worried. , finally landed."
There is a saying that the title of second-class uncle should be the most suitable for Su Qi'an.
First of all, it can silence Wang Xian and the Duke of Guo. They are making such a fierce fuss, and they also know that based on Su Qi'an's military exploits, it is impossible to make each one a baron. The ultimate goal is to not see Su Qi'an being made a marquis and having real power.
Secondly, being granted the title of earl can also stabilize and appease the border soldiers. At least they can set an example with Su Qi'an. As long as they serve the court, the court will not forget them and will not chill the border troops.
This seemingly casual sentence actually hides a lot of potential information.
"This emperor is not simple." Su Qian thought to himself.
"Sir, now that you have been granted the title of earl, there is no specific name written on it. The meaning above is that it should be up to you to make the decision. I wonder if you have made up your mind?"
In terms of titles and titles, generally speaking, they are conferred by the court in person, but there are exceptions, and there are also people who choose their own titles, but such people are recognized and favored by the court.
Gradually, as time went by, this became a default reward given by the imperial court to civil servants and military generals.
Su Qi'an listened to Xie Cang's question, looked thoughtful, and said after a while, "I was born in a small mountain village, and I should live here for a long time in the future, so I will be called Dongshan Bo."
