At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 380: Parade of Praise and Fight for Son-in-law

When the news of victory in the Battle of Mobei reached Chang'an City, it caused great joy. The three dukes and nine ministers of the Han court, headed by Prime Minister Zhou Zhang, also breathed a sigh of relief. The war that had consumed so much energy was finally over, and the court could return to normal track.

Of course, victory does not mean the end of the Mobei War. There are still extremely complicated matters of rewards. Only when the rewards for the heroes are completed can the Mobei War be considered over.

But Zhou Zhang was faced with a huge problem. The rewards for nearly 70 meritorious officials of the Han Dynasty were not something the Han court could afford at the moment. According to the standards of previous years, even if the rewards for senior military officers were excluded (they had fiefdoms and rewards for fiefdoms), the Han court would still need a reward of gold.

Zhou Zhang sent Zhang Liang, the acting prime minister, Chen Lin, the imperial censor, Zhang Cang, the chief accountant, Wu Guang, the chief judge, Chen Chui, the deputy minister of the imperial court, Shusun Tong, the chief of the imperial clans, and other three dukes and nine ministers to listen to the emperor's decision on rewarding meritorious officials.

The emperor ordered that this year's meeting of princes be held in Pinglu Fort, and all princes in the Han territory must gather in Pinglu Fort.

On October 5, the eighth year of the Han Dynasty, Pinglu Fort was taken.

The fake Prime Minister Zhang Liang told Xu Fan about the current difficulties of the court and asked for the emperor's opinion.

Chen Sheng was unhappy and said, "A few years ago, the imperial court also recruited 60 troops to attack Qi. We were able to reward them at that time. Now the financial resources of our Han Dynasty are twice as much as before. Why is it not possible now?"

Zhang Cang said: "The court confiscated the wealth of the six kingdoms, but even with such a huge wealth, after rewarding 60 soldiers, there was not much left. The Xiongnu people are not as wealthy as the nobles of the six kingdoms. The spoils of war obtained by the court are far less than the military expenditures, not to mention that these spoils are the food that the Xiongnu people need to survive. The court wants to rule the desert, and these animals cannot be divided."

Then Zhang Cang looked at Xu Fan and advised: "Your Majesty, if you can avoid such a national war in the future, try your best not to fight it. It will cause too much harm to the court."

In Zhang Cang's opinion, such a war involving the entire nation would consume too much energy. Even the Han Dynasty's physique would find it difficult to withstand the backlash of such a war, especially since all the rich places in the world had already been occupied by the Han Dynasty. Seizing the rotten land in the corners of the world would only waste the Han Dynasty's wealth.

Xu Fan smiled and said, "Such a war will not happen again in the future, and the court no longer has any enemies that require the whole country to be mobilized."

Xu Fan looked at Zhang Liang and asked, "How much money can the court give?"

Zhang Liang said: "According to the financial surplus calculated by the Prime Minister, the court can take out 20 gold to reward meritorious officials."

Xu Fan nodded. The finances of the Han Dynasty were still very healthy. If it were the Song Dynasty, we would probably owe 20 or gold, let alone a surplus of gold.

Even Song Renzong, who didn't like to move, had to reform to raise money to fight a war against the Western Xia. This shows how tight the financial situation of the Song Dynasty was at that time.

Xu Fan said, "For this battle in Mobei, the court has stockpiled a large amount of supplies, including more than 20 horses, more than 5 baggage carts, hundreds of thousands of cotton-padded clothes, and millions of pieces of cloth of various colors. The soldiers can ask for their opinions on these goods, and the court will give them a % discount as a reward."

"Also, the rewards for soldiers can be distributed over five years. This will reduce the pressure on the court's finances. Of course, the court cannot let soldiers suffer losses. If they receive a year's reward later, they will be given 5% more reward. Let me give you an example. The court rewards a soldier 1 coins. If he receives it this year, he will only receive 12 coins. Next year, he will receive 000 coins. The year after, he will receive 14 coins. And so on. The later you receive the reward, the more money you can get."

Zhang Liang said happily, "I understand."

Xu Fan looked at Chen Lin and Wu Guang and said, "The army of the Northern Expedition will soon return. The merits and rewards of the soldiers must be fair, open, and just. We must not let the meritorious officials suffer injustice. If there is any mistake, I will find you."

Chen Lin and Wu Guang said: "We will be fair, open and just, and not leave out any meritorious official."

Chen Lin and Wu Guang had already prepared for this. This time they brought all the elite troops from the Palace of the Imperial Censorate and the Palace of the Supreme Court, more than a thousand people, just to calculate and account for the soldiers' merits after the battle.

Xu Fan said: "Although the battle in Mobei is over, our Great Han ruling the desert has just begun. The desert is so vast that it is difficult for the princes to suppress it alone. The court will help any barons, princes, and southern dukes in the Great Han who are willing to receive fiefdoms in the desert."

Wu Sheng had already discussed this matter with them. Although many people felt that the reward was too generous, Zhang Liang and his men could accept it if they only granted the desert as a fiefdom.

"promise!"

The Han Dynasty headed by Zhang Liang, the three dukes and nine ministers, were busy calculating the rewards for the meritorious officials. They also had to divide the entire desert into hundreds of vassal states, and they had to ensure that there could not be too much disparity between them.

This was a very puzzling problem. Zhang Liang and others found dozens of maps of the desert and consulted hundreds of elders from various ethnic groups in the desert. They made an extremely accurate sand table, which recorded the rivers, grasslands, mountains, Gobi and deserts of the desert.

With this sand table, Zhang Liang and others were finally able to divide the country into different vassal states.

As the Northern Expedition Army slowly returned, the princes who participated in the Princes' Conference and scholars from all over the country began to gather in Pinglu Fort.

Especially scholars from all over the country came here as if they were taking the imperial examinations.

After the Battle of Mobei, the emperor once again enfeoffed the princes on a large scale. It is said that the scale of the enfeoffment was no less than that when the Han Dynasty was founded.

This news has already caused a sensation among people all over the world. Ordinary people only envy those who are about to become nobles.

But for those well-informed scholars, this was a prosperous era equivalent to the founding of the Han Dynasty.

When the Han Dynasty was founded, more than 5 Han officials were recruited every year, and this large-scale recruitment lasted for years. It was truly a golden age for scholars. As long as you were familiar with any classic, you could become a Han official. The scholars of the Hundred Schools of Thought were the elites that the court was vying for.

As long as one could make contributions, one could be promoted immediately. In the Han Dynasty at that time, countless people rose from a minor official with a salary of 100 shi to a county governor with a salary of 2,000 shi in just five or six years.

In the morning, he was a farmer, and in the evening, he was an emperor's palace. Such things were common during that golden age.

Unlike today, when there are more and more scholars and the pressure of competition is getting greater and greater, the imperial examination is becoming more and more difficult to pass. Even if you pass, you can only become a minor official with a salary of 100 stones, and it is difficult to get promoted in the officialdom.

This series of drastic changes was completed in just five or six years. The Han Dynasty went from being short of talent to being full of talent. Many scholars looked at their predecessors, who were just luckier than themselves and joined the Han Dynasty two or three years later, but their status was very different.

They can only lament that they were born at the wrong time and their talents are not recognized.

This time, the emperor's enfeoffment finally gave them hope again. There will be hundreds of more vassal states in the world. Even if each vassal state only needs hundreds of officials to manage it, there will be tens of thousands of vacancies, not to mention the large number of earls, viscounts, and barons.

Those vassal states were all in their infancy, and they did not need to be ranked according to seniority. As long as they had talent, they could quickly stand out and become new ministers. And no scholar thought that he had no talent. They just thought that they were talented but not appreciated by wise rulers.

Now, there are hundreds of wise leaders in the world, and scholars who consider themselves to be good horses believe that the world finally has enough people who can appreciate them.

Therefore, at this time, tens of thousands of scholars poured into Pinglu Fort, and the number of scholars even exceeded that of Chang'an City.

October 15th, the eighth year of the Han Dynasty.

The main forces of the three Han armies finally took over Pinglu Fort.

Walking at the front of the team were the three Han commanders Ji Xin, Han Xin, and Lu Chen.

Behind them were rows of soldiers holding the heads of Maodun, the Hun leader, and the generals. The soldiers were lined up in four rows, holding a total of 4 heads.

Behind these soldiers were more than two thousand officers and soldiers who had made great contributions.

These heroes were of sturdy build, riding tall horses, wearing shining armor, with silk flowers hanging on their chests. Each of them was valiant and high-spirited, and one could tell at first glance that they were heroes.

When the team was about to enter Pinglu Fort, Han Xin and others saw that the three dukes and nine ministers of the Han Dynasty, headed by the fake prime minister Zhang Liang, and behind them were two thousand Han soldiers and officials, waiting outside the city gate.

Then, under the astonished gaze of Han Xin and his companions, Zhang Liang led Han Xin's horse, Chen Lin held Ji Xin's horse, Wu Guang led Lu Chen's horse, and the Han officials who joined the army also led the horses of their meritorious officials.

Zhang Liang said: "Generals, you have made great contributions to our Han Dynasty and deserve our help."

Actually, Xu Fan wanted to lead the horses himself, but Zhang Liang's people advised Xu Fan that he was the emperor and his status was not the same as before. Seeing that all the ministers were against it, Xu Fan had no choice but to give up and let Zhang Liang go to welcome these meritorious officials on his behalf.

Lu Chen smiled and said, "I have always been the one leading the horses for others, but I never thought that I would also sit on the horse."

Ji Xin was used to it. In the past, he led the horse for the heroes. Now he just changed his identity. This was also the tradition of the Han Dynasty.

On the contrary, Han Xin, who was treated like this for the first time, felt a little uneasy.

Wu Sheng, who was leading the horse behind, looked at Han Xin who was in a state of anxiety and said, "Just accept this honor calmly. This may be the last time in your life that you will be paraded through the streets boasting about your achievements. From now on, the Han Dynasty will have no strong enemies in the world."

"No enemies?"

Yes, the Xiongnu had been annihilated. Looking around, there was no other country in the world that the Han Dynasty could call an enemy. Han Xin felt sad.

In this way, when Zhang Liang and others led Han Xin and others into the city on horseback, the entire Pinglu Fort was in an uproar.

There were countless people on both sides of the street, and the small buildings on both sides of the street and even the roofs were crowded with people watching the excitement. Countless people stretched their necks to look at the heroic return of these big men.

When Han Xin and his party entered the city, the cheers on both sides of the street reached their peak. Countless people scattered the flowers they had prepared on Han Xin and others, and for a moment the street became a sea of ​​flowers.

"From now on, there will be no more enemies in the north of our Han Dynasty, and the era of peace and prosperity has arrived!" Han Xin shouted.

When the people present heard Han Xin's shout, they were stunned at first, and then they also cheered and said, "Peace in the world, peace in the world."

Among the cheering crowd, there were countless scholars who looked at these heroes riding tall horses and wearing shining armor, their eyes sparkling with gold, and they all looked for their own wise masters.

"The one that Prime Minister Zhang Liang is holding the horse is Han Xin, the governor of the southern desert. It is said that he defeated the main force of the Xiongnu and killed the Xiongnu Chanyu Maodun. He was the chief contributor to the battle of the northern desert. In the battle of Qi, Governor Han Xin was already a marquis, and he will definitely be a duke this time."

"General Han Xin is only thirty years old, but he has already become the top noble of the Han Dynasty. It won't be long before he becomes a prince. We are really living in the belly of a dog."

This passage quickly spread on the streets, and countless people looked at Han Xin with golden eyes.

"This time, Commander Han Xin will definitely become a Duke. As the emperor is generous, he will definitely grant him a large vassal state. At that time, the commander will definitely need a large number of talents. This is our wise leader."

A large number of scholars regarded Han Xin as their first target.

There are also many people who know about Han Xin and told his story, saying that he was a retainer of the Nanchang Pavilion Chief, but was driven away by the Nanchang Pavilion Chief, who mocked the Nanchang Pavilion Chief for being blind and unable to recognize a good horse.

Because he could not afford food, he became a beggar and was raised by the washerwoman for several months. Then he repaid her with a thousand gold coins.

The current emperor has a keen eye for talent. In just five or six years, Han Xin grew from a small soldier to become one of the most powerful princes in the world.

"A real man should be like this!" Those who heard this story, while envying Han Xin's achievements, secretly took Han Xin as an example and wanted to join the army, make great contributions, and become princes.

The class mobility in the Han Dynasty was the most unimpeded period in thousands of years. It was common for people to be farmers in the morning and enter the emperor's palace in the evening. Ying Bu and Ji Bu were their role models in the past, and Han Xin is their role model now.

It is precisely because of these role models of humble origins that they believe they can achieve the same.

Of course, there are also many pragmatic people who feel that the competition among the top nobles in the front is too fierce. They set their sights on the rear. It would be a good idea to have an earldom, viscountdom, or barondom. The competition for these people is relatively lower, and it is easier for them to succeed. They use these middle and low-level Han nobles as a springboard to obtain the status of ministers, and then find ways to develop to a higher level.

There are too many wise leaders in the middle of the street, and many scholars feel a little overwhelmed, but they are becoming more and more excited in their hearts. The more wise leaders there are, the more choices they naturally have, and the higher the chance of success.

But in addition to the scholars who were keeping an eye on these Han heroes, there was also a new class of the Han people who were keeping an eye on them, namely the workshop owners and merchants of the Han Dynasty.

Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, industry has been regarded as the foundation of the world, and these workshop owners have been supported. The prosperity of the Han Dynasty's industry has brought huge wealth to these people.

But they have always had a strong sense of crisis in their hearts. They know clearly that the Han Dynasty belongs to the Han officials and nobles. The more wealth they have, the more likely they are to be slaughtered like pigs. This kind of thing is too common, and only by combining officials and businessmen can they survive.

When many people accumulate wealth to a certain level, they will try to change careers. Historically, the choice of these people was to transfer their wealth to the land, resulting in a large number of refugees. However, in the Han Dynasty, there was no way to transfer their wealth to the land.

These people began to think of other ways out, but for the Han Dynasty, which was founded on military merit, there was no better choice than marrying into the Han nobles.

More importantly, these workshop owners felt that this was a win-win situation, and they were also aware that the emperor used the princes to suppress the desert.

To build a rich vassal state, the cost of wealth is extremely huge. In order to build his own vassal state, Duke Ji owed the emperor 100,000 gold. This shows the cost of building a vassal state.

Although these meritorious officials had their own states, they had no money, while they had money but no power. The cooperation between the two sides was a match made in heaven.

Therefore, many people looked at these heroes with the mentality of a father-in-law and praised them: "Good husbands, they are indeed heroes of the world."

"Butler, take action!"

An old man with a loud voice shouted, "I am Wang from Taiyuan, a noble family. We have a daughter, 28 years old, with a pretty face. Are there any heroes interested in her? I am willing to pay 10,000 gold and three workshops as a dowry."

As soon as these words were spoken, the busy streets were filled with people gasping for air. Just to marry off his daughter, he actually took out a fortune that could rival a country. Isn't this too much?

After the first person spoke, the others also said impatiently: "I am Linghu from Jinyang, a noble family. I have three daughters, all of whom are beautiful and charming. If any heroes are interested, I am willing to pay 2000 gold as a betrothal gift, plus 500 sheep and horses."

Linghu's words made many people secretly call him shameless. Others only wanted to capture a hero as a son-in-law, but he directly wanted to capture three, which was clearly breaking the rules.

Faced with such a price increase, an even crazier noble family emerged. Not only did they offer the same betrothal gift as the previous two families, they also promised to send their family members to help them establish a vassal state. In a word, they gave money and people.

For a while, the atmosphere of competing for the son-in-law was extremely intense, and many people even cursed and exposed each other's past. This wonderful drama made the spectators around very excited. They originally wanted to see some heroes, but they didn't expect to see such a drama.

Of course, these were the nobles of the old times. They also had their own pride and they only had their eyes on the top nobles of the Han Dynasty.

There are also some heroes and heroes in the rear who slipped through the net.

Some of the lesser merchant families rushed to the back, and the heads of these families shouted: "The little girl of a certain family is extremely beautiful~~~"

"A certain little girl is more beautiful than Xi Shi~"

To those heroes, she revealed her dowry, which could be tens of millions of dollars, thousands of cattle and sheep, or a workshop.

These merchants knew that this marriage might be their family's only chance to change their destiny. If successful, they would become the rulers of the country and get rid of their embarrassing identities as cattle and sheep.

If they fail, as their wealth grows, their family will become more and more dangerous until they are finally destroyed.

So no one wanted to miss this opportunity, even if it meant losing everything they had, they still wanted to complete this marriage.

The sudden appearance of the great father-in-law made the parade of boasting take a strange direction.

(End of this chapter)