Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 208 The Generals Discuss Their Merits! The Overbearing Emperor Adds to My Court! (Two Chapters Combined)

February 17th, the first year of the Xifeng era.

Xining Prefecture, Central Military Tent.

Civil and military officials stood in ranks on the left and right.

Many people frequently looked up at the two people on the left and right.

Wang Shao!

Gu Tingye!
One of them took the initiative to guard the two prefectures of Hui and Sui, while the other guarded the rear area.

At this moment, they have all traveled long distances to gather here.

Could it be?

The civil and military officials exchanged glances, all with knowing expressions on their faces.

Reward those who have made contributions!

Only by rewarding merit and ranking the meritorious officials can the two key figures embark on a long journey together.

The main position.

After finishing a cup of honey water, Jiang Zhao picked up a piece of brocade and glanced at it.

"Since entering the border in September, it has been 150 days. The situation on the border is changing day by day."

Jiang Zhao looked down and slowly said, "In addition to the pacification of He, Lan and Le prefectures, and the expansion of Hui, Sui, Xining, Huang and Kuo prefectures, there were also the heroic deeds of beheading the king and capturing Dong Zhan alive, which were very gratifying. All of this is thanks to the hard work of everyone."

"To this day, Mu Zheng has retreated, and the Western Xia is in turmoil. The border is now as stable as Mount Tai."

"It just so happens that General Bo has entered the border region and can temporarily guard the frontier. It is also time to determine his merits."

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of people were startled, their faces showing relief and joy.

Why did they risk their lives to fight on the frontier?
The purpose is, of course, to achieve merit and be rewarded accordingly!
After about twenty breaths, the murmurs gradually subsided.

“Therefore, the merits will be officially determined,” Jiang Zhaoping said.

As he spoke, Jiang Zhao looked to the right and scanned the dozens of generals one by one, then asked, "In terms of battle merits alone, which of these generals has made the greatest contribution?"

As a rare scholar well-versed in military strategy, Jiang Zhao would formulate strategies and take overall control whenever he commanded troops.

This destined his achievements to be unparalleled, with no one able to rival him.

Even if someone were to kill the king or capture Dong Zhan alive, it would be difficult to shake him in the slightest.

However, aside from the head coach, there is considerable controversy regarding the ranking of achievements.

Scholars often belittle each other, and aren't military generals no different?
Moreover, when it comes to ranking merits, the difference in rewards for even one person can be enormous.

Some controversy is inevitable.

As the head coach, he has the right to act arbitrarily and unilaterally determine the ranking of merits.

But anyone who isn't a fool can't act arbitrarily.

The matter still needs to be discussed.

At the very least, the results should be announced in full view of everyone.

Who deserves the most credit for the military general?

The right row of military officers, numbering several dozen, all looked toward Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, and Yao Si.

All three of them achieved strategic feats.

Gu Tingye led 30,000 troops in a surprise attack on Xiliang City, cutting off the Xixia's grain supply route. He also joined forces with the main force of Xihe to encircle and attack Xixia, expanding the territory to Huizhou and Suizhou. He was the core figure in the expansion of the territory.

Wang Shao commanded 30,000 troops to guard the three prefectures of He, Lan, and Die. His military strategies spanned the three prefectures, and he managed to hold off Mu Zheng and Dong Zhan's 60,000 elite troops, killing more than 10,000 enemies.

In addition, he also had the merit of expanding the territory of Diezhou and capturing Dong Zhan alive.

Whether viewed from a macro perspective or focusing on specific achievements, his accomplishments are quite remarkable.

Yao Si commanded 5,000 troops to guard a region, laid out fire channels, and shot and killed the ruler of the Western Xia Kingdom with stray arrows.

The killing of Li Liangzuo in battle left the Western Xia preoccupied and internal strife erupted.

Without exception, all of them were achievements that helped advance the overall situation.

Which is better or worse?

After about three breaths, Wang Shao bowed and withdrew from the competition for the greatest merit: "My achievements are shallow, so I will not compete with Generals Gu and Yao."

Commanding 30,000 troops to guard the rear, he captured Dong Zhan alive, and his achievements were outstanding.

It could involve territorial expansion, but simply guarding the rear would certainly not be enough to be considered a major achievement and would be difficult to convince the public.

As for capturing Dong Zhan alive, that was merely an add-on.

Even if he voluntarily withdrew, he would still rank third among military generals, which is not bad!
Jiang Zhao nodded and looked at Gu Tingye and Yao Si.

Yao Si's expression was solemn, his brows furrowed, clearly indicating some hesitation.

To be honest, when he first went to guard the North Gate, he only wanted to risk his life to gain some merit. He never expected to be able to kill Li Liangzuo.

Having suddenly achieved a tremendous feat, Yao Si noticed the gazes of many people and was at a loss for what to do.

Should we fight for it, or not?
He deserves the highest honor, so I reckon he'll be granted a noble title.

To the right, Gu Tingye pondered for a moment, then bowed and was about to step back.

In terms of sheer influence, beheading a king in battle was indeed quite impressive.

If Li Liangzuo had not been killed in battle, expanding the territory would have been much more difficult.

In historical records, the feat of beheading a king in battle is often classified as a remarkable achievement, and many of these achievements are even designated as the greatest merit.

Making way for newcomers is not necessarily a bad thing.

However, just as he raised his hand, someone interrupted him in time: "General Gu!"

A gasp rang out, and dozens of people turned to look at Gu Tingye, then at the person who had called out.

Gu Tingye was startled and turned to look.

Liang Zhao, the eldest son of the Earl of Yongchang!
"Your collar is messed up," Liang Zhao reminded him.

Gu Tingye sighed inwardly, nodded, spread his hands in a gesture of respect, and straightened his battle robe.

Many military officers also looked at Gu Tingye.

Clearly, they preferred Gu Tingye to Yao Si.

Firstly, Yao Si could not win the hearts of the people.

To kill the king in battle is undoubtedly a first-rate achievement.

Ultimately, it was just a matter of stopping people at the North Gate and luckily killing Li Liangzuo.

If we really want to talk about it, it was Minister Jiang's decision to stop people at the North Gate, so shouldn't most of the credit go to the commander-in-chief?
The stray arrow struck Li Liangzuo; the crossbow that could break through was something that Shidao had offered.

If it weren't for the treacherous crossbow, Yao Si wouldn't have been able to kill Li Liangzuo from a distance of three or four hundred paces. Shouldn't some of the credit go to Zhong Shidao?
In other words, Yao Si was merely the executor of the assassination of Li Liangzuo, not the decision-maker.

Killing the king in battle is certainly a significant achievement, but it's not as impressive as one might imagine.

At least, that's how it is with Yao Si.

In essence, their role was no different from that of the soldiers who killed Xiang Yu.

If a mere executor is credited with the greatest achievement, how can that convince the masses?

In contrast, Gu Tingye played a core, even decisive, role in blocking food supplies and participating in the expansion of the two states.

If the supply lines are not cut off, Li Liangzuo will certainly not be driven to a desperate situation.

Secondly, if Gu Tingye were to receive the greatest credit, the reward he would receive would certainly be even greater.

Yao Si was the one who made the greatest contribution, and the reward he received was exactly what he deserved for being the one who made the greatest contribution, and it might even be significantly less than it should have been.

After all, how could an unknown person expect to receive such a huge reward all at once?

In the past, when Wang Shao expanded his territory to four prefectures, he was rewarded with the title of Earl of Taiyuan.

Yao Si deserves the most credit, but there's no one else in the court who can possibly surpass that level of achievement, right?

But Gu Tingye is different.

Gu Tingye was a core member of the Grand Secretary's team and a representative of military nobles.

Once Gu Tingye is rewarded, many military officers and nobles will surely advocate for a larger reward for him, and even civil officials will be more willing to help.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, he also needs to win over military generals and nobles, and Gu Tingye is one of the targets of this effort.

The new emperor will surely bestow even greater rewards.

Although both were credited with the greatest contribution, Gu Tingye's reward was far greater than Yao Si's.

In frontier warfare, the higher the maximum amount of merit a person can achieve, the greater the rewards their subordinates will receive.

Gu Tingye deserves the most credit, and everyone can benefit from it.

Yao Si deserves the most credit, but given the nature of civil officials, the reward will definitely be reduced, and everyone else will be implicated.

Given their compatibility, whether considering their own interests or simply to win over the masses, the generals all hoped that Gu Tingye would be credited with the greatest merit.

If Liang Zhao didn't call out to Gu Tingye, others would.

Rewarding based on merit is said to be based on merit, but in reality, it is obviously not enough to simply consider achievements.

Upon hearing the shout, Yao Si's expression turned solemn. He immediately understood the key point and quickly bowed, saying, "Lord Gu should be credited with the greatest merit."

Gu Tingye clasped his hands in a fist salute, then turned back to clasp his hands in a fist salute to the crowd, acknowledging the credit for the first achievement.

"it is good."

Jiang Zhao nodded calmly.

In fact, the generals were right.

If Gu Tingye had been credited the most, he would definitely have written a separate letter to the capital to speak well of Gu Tingye.

If Yao Si deserves the greatest credit, he should be rewarded accordingly.

There are distinctions between close and distant relationships, and no one can escape them.

"Marquis Ningyuan deserves the most credit, followed by Yao Si, and then Wang Shao."

"How should we assess the contributions of the others?" Jiang Zhao asked, looking at Bao Shun, Zhong E, Zhang Ding, Guo Kui, Zheng Xiao, and Yang Wenguang.

These six men were the main generals and the ones who would give him the opportunity to discuss his achievements.

All other subordinate generals and commanders, large and small, were reported in writing, and the main generals made the final decisions.

After all, apart from the main general, the remaining subordinate generals and commanders did not have particularly outstanding achievements. According to the court's style, even if they were a few ranks lower, their rewards would be roughly the same.

"It is up to the commander-in-chief to decide," Zhang Ding said, bowing respectfully.

Everyone knew the true extent of their achievements.

Instead of wasting time, let the head coach make the decision.

"If you have any questions about my ranking, please feel free to raise them on the spot." Jiang Zhao nodded, then looked at the six people.

All six people held up a salute.

“Offering sacrifices is the next best thing,” Jiang Zhao said.

Of the 100,000 troops stationed there, at least 80,000 to 90,000 were from the Yulongke tribe, which meant that Bao Shun's achievements were considerable.

As a surrendered Tibetan leader, Bao Shun's achievements were merely a shield, and he would hardly see any change in his official position.

This means that even if Bao Shun is ranked above the others, it will not affect the amount of rewards given to the others.

"Very good." The group nodded in unison.

“General Zhong is next,” Jiang Zhao continued.

Zhong E commanded 10,000 troops for a long time, expanding the territory to five states and participating in four of them, all of which were major forces.

"Very good." The group agreed.

"Zhang Ding is next."

Zhang Ding led 10,000 troops and decisively defeated Diezhou, capturing Dong Zhan alive.

The two main generals who decisively defeated Diezhou were Zhang Ding and Wang Shao. With fewer people sharing the credit, the significance of their achievement increased.

"Guo Kui is next."

Guo Kui charged into battle and captured Datong City, risking his life for this achievement.

Such achievements would normally qualify as top merit, but this time, the expansion of territory by five states stretched the battle lines too far.

Charging into battle and breaching city walls is a distinctive trait, but it's not mediocre.

"Very good." The group nodded.

"Zheng Xiao is next."

Jiang Zhao continued, "Yang Wenguang is next."

Of the remaining two, Zheng Xiao and Yang Wenguang, Zheng Xiao was the vanguard and deserves credit for his hard work and contributions.

Yang Wenguang participated in the expansion of four prefectures, but he had no "highlights" and was just a nobody. His achievements were destined to rank at the bottom of the list.

Of course, the so-called "last among the few" should actually be called "the ninth person with military achievements in expanding territory".

This campaign, which expanded territory to five states, resulted in the slaying of a ruler, and the capture of Dong Zhan, was no less significant than the Xihe border expansion during the Jiayou era.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that the Xihe border expansion was labeled as the "first expansion of territory," the significance of this campaign would have surpassed that of the Xihe border expansion.

They beheaded the king and captured Dong Zhan alive.

These two achievements will be extensively recorded in historical books.

The rewards will certainly be plentiful.

The order is fixed and there are no objections.

"Report the achievements of everyone else one by one." Jiang Zhao looked at the group and then at Zhang Heng on his left.

Zhang Heng was in charge of almost all the tasks, from territorial expansion to the transportation of provisions, making him undoubtedly the most meritorious civil official.

"promise!"

Civil and military officials alike bowed in unison.

Jiang Zhao continued, "Due to the border wars, the imperial examinations of the first year of the Xifeng reign have been postponed to March 11th. I, Jiang, will be the chief examiner. We will discuss the rewards today and set off for the capital tomorrow. As for the list of meritorious officials, it will be sent to the palace by express courier."

Last year, the new emperor ascended the throne and promised to be in charge of both imperial examinations.

That is, the spring imperial examinations of the fourth year of the Zhiping era and the first year of the Xifeng era.

Originally, this exam was scheduled to be held in early February.

At that time, Jiang Zhao was busy expanding the territory and naturally had no time to oversee scientific expeditions.

Logically speaking, the position of chief examiner should be changed.

Fortunately, the government is trustworthy.

The main force of the border troops in expanding the territory came from Shaanxi and Xihe.

The continuous fighting in Shaanxi and Xihe makes it difficult for candidates to travel, so postponing the exam is reasonable, right?
No problem!
In fact, postponing scientific expeditions is not particularly uncommon.

War and disasters can affect scientific expeditions and thus postpone their execution.

In particular, during the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Renzong of Song postponed the palace examination by twenty days because Su Zhe fell ill before the examination and considering the reputations of Su Shi and Su Zhe.

Extremely hasty!

Therefore, the imperial examination was postponed, and Jiang Zhao was still in charge of the examination in the first year of the Xifeng reign.

The difference is that the scientific expedition was not held in early February, but was postponed to March 11.

To address the financial concerns of some candidates, they were allowed to receive one string of cash outside the examination hall based on their academic achievement, which would serve as their living expenses from early February to March 11.

There's nothing we can do; the examiners are still expanding their territory!

If the expansion couldn't be completed by March 11th, Zhao Ceying felt he would at least have an explanation and avoid breaking his promise.

Of course, Jiang Zhaoshang's presence on the frontier was only one aspect of the consideration.

The main consideration is the travel arrangements for examinees from Xihe and Shaanxi Second Road.

The border regions are ravaged by war, making travel difficult.

It's mainly for the sake of the test takers.

Jiang Zhao remained calm.

Little did they know that these words would cause quite a stir among others.

Two consecutive imperial examinations conducted by the chief examiner?
And the spring imperial examinations will be postponed?

Even Gu Tingye and Wang Shao, who were familiar with Jiang Zhao, were taken aback.

Is this the favor bestowed upon the young Grand Secretary?
The officials on either side, both civil and military, were engaged in endless discussion.

He was a second-rank official, serving as Minister of Rites, Minister of War, and Duke of Lu. He was in charge of all military and political affairs in Xihe and Shaanxi provinces, and could be considered a half-step Grand Secretary.

Now, the emperor's favor is even greater, and the territory has been expanded to five states.

After arriving in Beijing, what might be the next step?
Hiss~!

Once the achievements were confirmed, they were urgently dispatched.

The following day, the meritorious officials from the frontier all entered the capital.

Bianjing, the Imperial Study.

The dragon smiled, and Zhao Ceying rested his hands on his knees, looking delighted.

Expand territory!
The king was beheaded in battle!

Capture Dong Zhan alive!

Three monumental achievements, enough to be recorded in history, were all suddenly enshrined in the old man's cabinet.

Crucially, he also played a significant role in achieving such monumental accomplishments.

[Externally, the court officials threatened him; internally, the empress remonstrated with him behind closed doors, yet the emperor's will remained steadfast, and he alone decided to expand the territory!]

If a historical record contains such a sentence, then the ruler is undoubtedly a "wise ruler," and the evaluation should be elevated.

For thousands of years to come, the name of a wise ruler will resound, and even monarchs will be excited by it.

"cough!"

With a tactical cough, Zhao Ceying's smile faded slightly as he picked up a memorial to the throne.

I am now among the ranks of wise rulers, so I must naturally display the demeanor of one, and not just grin foolishly!

He glanced at the memorial to retire a few times, and then...

Zhao Ceying realized something and suddenly looked up: "Three refusals and three offers, I remember it should take ten to fifteen days, right?"

"Your Majesty has a good memory," Li Xian quickly replied. "Yesterday, during the regular court session, Wang Yaochen already declined the offer."

"no!"

Zhao Ceying frowned, stood up and paced around in annoyance: "Jiang Qing will probably only be in the capital for six or seven days."

"Wang Yaochen's retirement is a matter of great importance, concerning his most important reward. Minister Jiang should be summoned as soon as he enters the capital. How could it be delayed by two or three days?"

"Then, should we let Wang Yaochen decline the offer twice?" Li Xian asked tentatively.

“No.” Zhao Ceying shook his head.

Doing this would offend too many people!
It might even cause a rift between Wang Yaochen and Jiang Qing.

That was a last resort.

He pondered for a moment.

"Have it!"

Zhao Ceying clapped his hands: "Recently, government affairs have been very busy. I hereby order an additional regular court session in two days for all officials to discuss government matters."

The officials suffer, and I will bear the blame!
Should we hold another court meeting?
Li Xian was shocked; this was a huge amount of face!
Is this what a favored minister is like?

"promise."

(End of this chapter)