Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2674 The southern part of the peninsula falls entirely into Jin's hands

After the military exercises concluded, Emperor Li Zifeng of Jin returned to the palace, but after only a short rest, he immediately went to the Linde Hall to receive the homage and congratulations of his ministers and the newly enthroned subjects of Southeast Asia.

Throughout this series of events, Empress Wei remained by Li Xiang's side, giving the impression that the emperor and empress shared supreme honor.

Inside the Linde Hall of the Great Jin Imperial Palace, ceremonial guards were arrayed in the courtyard, and civil and military officials, all dressed in crowns and court robes, stood in rows, creating a magnificent and orderly scene.

Wei Renpu, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, stood at the foot of the steps as the envoy of protocol and read out the congratulatory message.

The first Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies of the Great Jin Dynasty was Li Gang. Li Gang was demoted to a local post, but later returned to the central government and took up the post of Censor-in-Chief. The position of Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies changed hands several times over the years, and the current Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies is Wei Renpu, a former Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination).

This congratulatory message was personally written by Fang Xuanling, the Minister of Rites, and revised after suggestions from the scholars of the Hanlin Academy. It was also approved by Li Xiang.

The congratulatory letter, several thousand words long, was entirely a eulogy to Emperor Li Xiang, praising his virtues and achievements. Crucially, it contained almost no repetitive or redundant phrases, demonstrating the author's remarkable talent.

Wei Renpu spent a full quarter of an hour reading a congratulatory letter, ensuring his pronunciation was clear, his voice was loud, and his breathing was steady, without making the slightest mistake.

If you mispronounce even one word, you'll be lucky to avoid being relegated to the bottom, let alone striving for improvement.

Even someone as deep-thinking as Wei Renpu faces some psychological pressure.

However, Wei Renpu was indeed able to withstand the pressure of large occasions. With the emperor behind him and officials in front of him, he read out his congratulatory message smoothly and without any mistakes.

It was more like reciting aloud than reading from memory; he recited it with great expression and emotion, and had long since memorized the long text perfectly.

After uttering the last word and falling silent, Wei Renpu was not only parched, but his back was also soaked with sweat.

The Linde Hall, the highest of all the palaces in the Great Jin Imperial Palace, placed Li Xiang there, placing him completely above the officials below, creating a very obvious visual effect.

Sitting high on his throne, listening to the praises bestowed upon him, though they were rather lengthy, Li Xiang listened with great interest.

Who doesn't like to hear nice things?

Even the most enlightened emperor, upon hearing such exaggerated words, would feel a surge of pride, regardless of his outward appearance.

After Wei Renpu finished his congratulatory speech, it was Wang Meng's turn to speak. Wang Meng's congratulatory message was much more practical. He listed all of Li Xiang's civil and military achievements since the founding of the Jin Dynasty, letting the facts speak for themselves.

Since its founding, the Great Jin Dynasty has made great progress and development, and Emperor Li Xiang has indeed accomplished a great deal during this long period.

After Minister Wang Meng's explanation, looking back, everyone had a sudden realization: His Majesty's civil and military achievements had flourished to such an extent. It was almost a summary report of military and political work, a unique form of praise and commendation.

Following Wang Meng, the Six Ministries and Five Directorates, as well as other institutions of the court and officials of various prefectures, all sent their principal officials as representatives to report on the progress of their work and to present congratulatory messages.

After the officials finished their work summaries, the representatives of the various Southeast Asian nobles went up to the stage to present gifts to Emperor Li Xiang.

However, there was nothing special about them; they were all local specialties from Southeast Asia, which were no longer considered precious to Li Xiang. After all, apart from the area occupied by the Kushan Empire, the rest of Southeast Asia was under his control. Weren't those Southeast Asian specialties also specialties of their Great Jin Dynasty?

It already belongs to their Great Jin Dynasty, so what's so strange about it?

As dusk fell, the banquet began in the palace. As a grand national celebration, it required not only solemnity and grandeur but also fine wine and delicacies for the emperor and his subjects to celebrate together.

The royal family, nobles, civil and military officials, and those from Southeast Asia, totaling nearly four thousand people, made up the largest number of participants in nearly ten years since the three-year pandemic.

The celebration was not only for the ruling class of the Great Jin Dynasty, but also for all social classes in Luoyang. Since it was the National Day, it was not only the National Day of the court, but also the National Day of all the people, with the emperor and the people celebrating together.

In the streets and alleys of Luoyang, men and women, the people cheered and paraded through the city, their brilliance filling the city and lasting all night long.

Inside the Imperial Guard camp outside Luoyang, officers and soldiers celebrated together as usual, and the soldiers who remained received generous rewards and treats from the emperor.

Inside and outside the Linde Hall, colorful lanterns stretched like mountains and silk ribbons like forests. Almost half of the square in front of the hall was occupied by banquet tables. To serve this imperial banquet, almost all the eunuchs and palace maids in the Great Jin Imperial Palace were gathered to serve the banquet.

Since its founding, the Great Jin Dynasty has never been as extravagant as it is today, except for the time when it officially established its court.

In his opening remarks at the banquet, Li Xiang only announced one piece of good news: a month earlier, thanks to the valiant efforts of the soldiers at the front, the entire southern part of the Li Tang territory had been completely brought under Han Xin's control.

Furthermore, during the continuous harassment of the Li Tang navy along the river system after entering the Li Tang territory, Han Shizhong's navy once again fought against the Li Tang navy, killing more than a thousand enemy naval soldiers and sinking more than eleven enemy warships of various sizes.

The good news brought great joy to the entire court.

The Great Jin Dynasty, as the first generation of its founding dynasty, is at its most ambitious and powerful.

Similarly, as the first generation to establish the dynasty, they were all founding heroes and national nobles, and their interests were tied to the Great Jin.

The stronger the Great Jin Dynasty becomes, the more their interests can be guaranteed.

Now, the entire southern part of the Li Tang peninsula has fallen into the hands of the Great Jin, which means that from now on, the war potential of the Li Tang has been suppressed to the extreme.

This means that from this point on, the Li Tang dynasty was officially beginning its decline.

The food issue, regardless of the era, is a matter of paramount importance concerning people's livelihoods and military affairs.

Problems with food security are the most troublesome and biggest issue for any party.

Furthermore, the fact that the Li Tang navy, which had already suffered a devastating defeat last year, was defeated once again was an even greater good thing.

The more the Li Tang navy is weakened, the more freely the Jin navy can enter the enemy's river areas and disrupt production on both banks.