Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 113 Rewarding the Troops and Distributing the Money

After rewarding the troops in the city, Wei Wusheng, accompanied by Qin Kuo and Zhu Qing, walked towards the county government office, with Xin Yue following behind.

"Isn't it a bit... inappropriate that there are only our Imperial Guards from Sheng'an in this county government office?" Qin Kuo was still a little timid. "What about General Ran, or even a Marquis?"

Currently, the highest-ranking noble in the entire Shuofeng region is Ran Jin, a meritorious official.

Logically speaking, he was even more distinguished than Wei Wusheng.

After all, the emperor didn't give Xiao Wei any cassock.

This puts him in a very awkward position.

If it were the Prince of Zhongping who came, Xiao Qun would have to follow his advice and decisions.

Therefore, it would be too deliberate not to invite such a distinguished person.

"The whole army is celebrating, and the celebration is happening outside the county government as well." Wei Wusheng corrected him after hearing this, "We're not giving special treatment; it's just routine training within the Imperial Guards."

“Your Highness is absolutely right.” Zhu Qing nodded in agreement. “The Imperial Guards do indeed have their own rules, and they assemble at the drill ground every day.”

These two are clearly pretending to be confused.

How could Qin Kuo not understand?

After every victory, there was always a celebratory banquet to boost morale.

After the shifts were properly arranged, the soldiers drank freely, and the civilians joined in the merriment. Meanwhile, the senior officers and civil servants, as core members, attended a more upscale banquet in the main tent with the commander-in-chief, where there might even be beautiful women dancing.

When will it be possible to invite an entire army to drink together on its own?

It even extended to the soldiers.

However, there are no soldiers left in the Imperial Guard.

They all rose to the rank of mid- to low-level officers in the Langya region.

This is clearly an attempt to eliminate trusted confidants.

To be honest, Qin Kuo was a little uneasy.

But they still followed them into the county government office.

As soon as they entered, all the soldiers sitting on the ground turned around. They knelt on one knee before Wei Wusheng, clenched their fists, and said in unison, "Your Highness!"

Like more than two hundred wolves, their sharp edges and the ferocity in their eyes were further amplified in this war in which most of them were killed or wounded.

Everyone was loyal.

And the person who was loyal was not even the emperor.

"Please be seated, everyone."

Wei Wusheng looked at them, nodding as he walked, showing his respect and importance.

She walked straight to Song Shi'an's side.

Song Shi'an naturally stepped aside, giving the center position to Xiao Wei.

Although the Yixin Society was supposed to be united around him and Xiao Wei, Xiao Wei was, after all, His Highness, so he had to restrain himself a little.

Of course, one shouldn't restrain oneself too much.

We promised to share the glory together, so why should I retreat into the crowd?
Xiao Wei and I are both champions!

"Your Highness, including General Zhu and General Qin, the Imperial Guards have a total of 299 men remaining," Song Shi'an said.

After he finished speaking, San Gou whispered to Song Shi'an, "Master, it seems there are 298 people."

"What, can't I include it?"

Song Shi'an countered with a question.

"Oh!!!" As soon as these words were uttered, everyone in the audience clenched their fists, raised their arms, and cheered excitedly.

Even the most elite Imperial Guards were still soldiers, registered as military personnel.

Even though Qin Kuo and Zhu Qing held relatively high ranks, they were still counted in the military register.

To men, the army was sweaty and rude.

But Song Shi'an, a young master from a prominent family and a seventh-rank official, actually claimed to be a member of the Imperial Guard. How could people not like and respect him?

"Oh my... this is really good, this is absolutely amazing." San Gou quickly grinned and flattered, "It's an honor for our Imperial Guard."

"That's not two hundred and ninety-nine, is it?"

At this moment, Wei Wusheng asked.

This puzzled everyone: why were there discrepancies even with a given number?
Wei Wusheng clenched his fist and pounded it on his chest, saying, "Here, there are three hundred of our Imperial Guards!"

These words sent everyone's emotions into another frenzy.

The soldiers raised their arms and shouted "Second cycle!"

And it continued for a long time.

Some soldiers were even moved to tears.

If you come in the depths of winter, you will return to me a city blanketed in white snow!
If you want to be a soldier, you must be a soldier!

"In this great battle against Qi, the state troops, the county troops, and the border troops all fought bravely, but no one was as heroic as our Imperial Guard, with three out of ten surviving."

As Wei Wusheng spoke, he extended his hand.

Soon, someone placed a bowl in his hands.

Furthermore, others poured large jugs of wine into his bowl, causing it to overflow.

"Get the wine," Song Shi'an ordered.

Soon, the Imperial Guards brought out all the Xiliang Langjiu (a type of liquor), and each of them was given a bowl.

Song Shi'an is the same.

Thinking of this, he looked at Xinyue.

Xin Yue shook her head at Song Shi'an, showing no resentment.

As a bodyguard, one is never allowed to drink alcohol unless on leave.

How can a bodyguard get drunk with his employer?
She was not among the three hundred imperial guards, after all, there was no precedent for women to join the army or become officials in the Great Yu Dynasty.

But that doesn't mean he's unimportant. On the contrary, her presence allows Xiao Wei to maintain a sense of class while addressing them as brothers.

"The first bowl of wine is a toast to our fallen brothers!"

Wei Wusheng slowly poured the wine onto the ground.

The others followed suit, scattering their offerings on the earth to comfort the spirits of the fallen, and promised: "The families of every brother who died in battle will receive pensions, tax exemptions, and land rewards from the imperial court. And even more."

Only when death is acknowledged and respected will people not fear it.

"The second bowl of wine is to honor the wounded brothers in this battle," Wei Wusheng said again.

Among the group, about a dozen people were crippled, missing limbs or even losing an eye, suffering severe disabilities. Although they came to celebrate together, their hearts were heavy with sorrow.

In ancient times, injuries and deaths occurred together.

In this battle, many of those who were seriously wounded died one after another because there was basically no medical care available.

Those who survived by chance could only return home with their broken bodies, living a meager existence as the lowest-class commoners.

Everyone's joys and sorrows are different.

Therefore, the hands of these people holding the bowls had little strength and became increasingly sore.

But he still followed suit and drank it all in one gulp.

At this moment, Song Shi'an took out a rope, tied four knots, walked in front of a one-armed middle-aged man, and asked, "Brother, how many knots are there?"

This question stunned everyone. The man was also bewildered, and after a long pause, he said, "Master... this should be four?"

"very good."

Song Shi'an smiled, exchanged a glance with Wei Wusheng, nodded in tacit agreement, and then said to everyone, "His Highness has promised that all the brothers who can be counted will be able to become civil officials in Shuo County after their military service."

"?!"

These words stunned everyone.

The disabled soldiers stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Even Zhu Qing and Qin Kuo were dumbfounded.

Become a civil servant directly...

No exam required?
Because the number of people is relatively small, and the officials in this area are a mixed bag, there are quite a few people who were promoted to semi-civilian and semi-military positions through military merit, and they are all people with connections.

Although this honor was originally reserved for the sons of officials, now we want to extend that glory to the entire county government.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

"I am deeply grateful and would be willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness for the rest of my life!"

"Even in death, I will become a vengeful ghost and bite those who oppose His Highness to death!"

The remnants of the army received such a weighty promise, and the gloom on their faces vanished, replaced by excitement and an unspeakable loyalty to His Highness.

If Your Highness wishes me to die now, it will only take me a second to go from the city wall to the ground.

"Thank you, Lord Song." Wei Wusheng extended his hand.

Everyone clasped their fists in thanks to Song Shi'an: "Thank you, Lord Song!"

“This is all well-deserved.” Song Shi’an smiled and raised his hand to press down, then suddenly became serious and said, “Of course, only those ‘scholars’ who can count can become civil officials. As for those brothers who can’t count, I can’t help them.”

These words immediately caused everyone to burst into laughter.

Lord Song, you're truly a master at enlivening the atmosphere.

Da Yu was a humorist.

"The last bowl of wine." After filling the bowl, Wei Wusheng held it up with both hands, facing everyone, "A toast to these three hundred warriors."

Three hundred people raised their bowls in unison.

“From that day in Langya, Lord Song promised that everyone would be promoted at least two ranks. His words represent my words.”

With piercing eyes, Wei Wusheng said earnestly, "This north wind was defended by us. No one can take away the credit of our brothers. In this battle, we should be given priority in promotions and rewards. Every drop of blood shed for me, for His Majesty of Great Yu, and for this world has not been shed in vain!"

What we need to do now is not to build a loyal army of three hundred men.

Instead, it consisted of three hundred absolutely loyal low-ranking officers in the army.

That's at least tens of thousands of people.

Everyone drank it all in one gulp.

After the three bowls of wine are offered, it's time for a free and joyous celebration.

However, before that, as Song Shi'an suggested, there was another gift for them.

The doors of the county government office opened.

A portion of the property belonging to Zhang Gong and more than ten other powerful families was transported here.

Outside the county government office, the remaining soldiers and civilians were also being rewarded.

But if there is no distinction, how can the gift of loyalty be highlighted?

"Take it, take it."

San Gou led his men and started moving the sacks.

Everyone had a gray burlap sack the size of a rice container, and their eyes gleamed as they looked at the dozens of boxes of money.

How much will each person receive?

In response, they looked at Song Shi'an, who was supposed to be in charge of distributing the money.

He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Go and divide it yourself, fill it to the brim."

"Thank you, Master!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

"So, I'm really going to stuff it full?"

"This Lord Zhang, this powerful clan, they really are rich!"

The tens of millions of Yu coins were happily divided up by the soldiers.

This scene brought a smile to Zhu Qing's face.

Qin Kuo's slightly conflicted heart calmed down.

Yes, why should we get a share of the pie just because others are more prestigious?
The soldiers of Langya were taken away by the Imperial Guards at the cost of their lives, and the Imperial Guards also suffered the most casualties in defending the city. We deserve to be rich and powerful!

Some split the money, others drank.

Everyone was extremely happy.

Wei Wusheng felt a sense of satisfaction, but still had some concerns: "Wouldn't this be going too far?"

Song Shi'an shook his head and said, "That's how it's always done."

An army without loyalty has no fighting power.

If a country is hesitant to reward its troops, it will fail to win the hearts of the people.

The snow had been falling for more than a day, and although it had stopped a while ago, it was still piled up everywhere. However, the county government office had already swept it away, and there were fires everywhere for warmth. So the two of them sat down on the ground, and Wei Wusheng even personally poured wine for Song Shi'an.

The two men each held a bowl of wine, gently clinked them together, and drank.

"Then, An, what reward do you desire?"

Although there will certainly be rewards from the imperial court, those are for the emperor.

Xiao Wei also wanted to make a statement.

In response, Song Shi'an slowly turned his head and looked at Xin Yue.

"!"

Rarely, Xin Yue was so nervous that she held her breath and her heart started racing.

Wei Wusheng noticed it too, but his expression remained calm, without any ripples.

Since he wants Xinyue, then give it to him...

Why are you blocking this way?

Song Shi'an did not understand.

"Tsk." Xin Yue glared at him and then stood aside.

Song Shi'an's gaze shifted to all the members of the Yixin Society.

Looking at the jubilant soldiers, Song Shi'an said, "I only want Your Highness to not abandon them."

Wei Wusheng's expression froze.

They also looked at them.

How can we avoid abandoning them?
At least, without a title, they cannot lead them.

(End of this chapter)