Water Margin people

Chapter 1652 Heavy Reward

"Your Majesty, today is a great day of triumph, we can deal with those guys later!"

Zhu Gui said quickly.

"Your Majesty, the New Year is only three days away. Please postpone it so that everyone can have a peaceful New Year!"

Xiao Jiasui also advised that those Confucianists should be dealt with, but it was not worth it to deal with them as soon as the emperor returned. This expedition of 100,000 miles and the destruction of countless countries was an unprecedented achievement and worthy of celebration by the whole country.

"Your Majesty, the triumphal celebration is ready!"

Wen Huanzhang also spoke.

"Then just wait!"

Sun Lei looked at everyone for a long time before he said that the most important thing after returning triumphantly was to announce it to the world and to mobilize a large army. It was really not worth it to compete with a group of corrupt scholars.

The fleet slowly approached Liangshan City. White smoke came out of the chimney of the ironclad ship, and could be seen by people in the city from a long distance.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

When the people on both sides of the river saw the huge dragon flag, they all shouted "Long live the dragon" in unison.

Sun Lei was standing at the bow, waving to the people on both sides of the river, and the soldiers on the side of the ship were also waving to the people. They were the heroes of the country and deserved these honors.

Many people saw their relatives on both sides of the river. They shouted their relatives' names and waved their hands vigorously.

Sun Lei ordered the fleet to move slowly, giving the soldiers enough time to enjoy the cheers of victory.

"Liangshan hasn't changed, and the world hasn't changed!"

Sun Lei said with a smile.

Xiao Jiasui, Wen Huanzhang and others bowed hurriedly. They understood what the emperor meant. The world will eventually belong to the victor. No matter how the Confucianists slandered the emperor and the State of Qi, saying that the emperor was tyrannical and murderous, it was useless. The victor was the truth.

The ship soon arrived at the dock near Liangshan Lake. The huge ship docked, the sampan was put on, and the soldiers carried down boxes of gold, silver and jewelry. These were to be put into the warehouse, but the dock near Liangshan was not allowed to be approached by ships unless it was an emergency, so these gold, silver and jewelry needed to be transported by small boats.

The box was opened, and Chai Jin smiled and brought the officials to count the amount.

The onlookers were all stunned. They could not imagine how much gold, silver and jewelry there were.

What was even more unimaginable to these people was that there was not just one shipload of gold, silver and jewelry, but all the ships were filled with gold, silver and jewelry.

The soldiers did not pay much attention to the gold, silver and jewelry, as they had already received quite generous rewards.

"We have everything. Soldiers have fought for the country and have made great contributions. From now on, you will be given a month's vacation. Your travel expenses to go home will be fully covered. Go and claim your rewards!"

Sun Lei didn't say much and directly gave orders to the soldiers lined up.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

The soldiers shouted excitedly in unison. The Chinese New Year was only three days away. All they had in their minds now was the thought of going home for the New Year. The previous thought of not wanting to come back had disappeared.

What's more, they are returning home in glory this time, with real promotions and wealth, so they have to show off in front of their relatives, friends, and fellow villagers.

"Chai Jin, give rewards to the soldiers first, they are still waiting to go home!"

Sun Lei looked at Chai Jin and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Chai Jin immediately took the list of rewards and called over dozens of accountants.

The soldiers were well-trained and immediately lined up.

"Zhang Dashi, originally a 50-year-old officer, is now a centurion, with a salary of 80 taels of silver, and a reward of 100 taels of gold for military merit!"

"Wu Zhongmu, formerly a sergeant, is now promoted to a captain, sixty taels of silver, and seventy taels of gold for military merit!"

"Liu Jin, a former soldier, is now promoted to fifty-year-old, with seventy taels of silver, and two hundred taels of gold as a reward for military merit!" ...

As the names were called out continuously, the people watching opened their mouths wide, especially when one soldier was promoted directly from an ordinary soldier to a captain fifty years old for his meritorious service, and the reward was as high as two taels of gold.

"What kind of reward is this? It's easily a hundred or ten taels of gold."

"We're rich, we're all rich!"

"After this trip, you will be rich again!"

The people began to talk about it, and after hearing a round of discussions, they learned that the minimum reward was thirty taels of gold, which was enough for an ordinary family to live on for a lifetime. Moreover, they could continue to receive silver as soldiers, and could get promotions and salary increases if they made meritorious contributions on the battlefield.

"Join the army! Join the army! I want to join the army too!"

Some young men were so jealous that they envied the soldiers in their mighty military uniforms. They also wanted to enjoy the glory and wealth.

"There are requirements for being a soldier. Your tiny body is definitely not suitable. Look at my burly figure!"

A tall and strong young man patted his chest proudly and said.

"Being a soldier is not just hard labor. You may not pass the exam even if you are so simple-minded!"

The slightly thinner young man said unconvinced.

Those who are older and unlikely to join the army all talked about their sons and nephews, saying that they were good candidates for joining the army.

A group of scholars in robes in the crowd had livid faces. They had originally wanted to find something to hold against the emperor, then make up stories and use rumors to put pressure on him.

What they wanted to see was a camp full of wounded soldiers. They had received news that half of the 30,000 troops brought back by the emperor were wounded. They were already thinking about those soldiers who were missing limbs, blind, and ears, and who were constantly wailing, being carried off the ship.

But everything before their eyes did not develop as they had expected. The soldiers were indeed injured, and some were missing limbs, but their number was very small, accounting for only a small number of the 30,000 people in the city, and most of them were slightly injured.

Those who were seriously injured could obtain enough farmland and rewards based on their military merits, so they could go home and lie down without worrying about food and drink for the rest of their lives. What's more, the emperor never treated old soldiers badly. The soldiers would visit them during the holidays and give them many daily necessities.

"Thirty thousand people, if we reward them like this, I'm afraid it will cost several million taels of gold! Is there really so much money overseas?"

"It's fake, it must be fake! This must be the money from the national treasury, the emperor is using it to deceive people!"

"Yes, overseas is a desolate and barren place, where can you find anything good?"

……

A group of literati began to speculate with evil and vicious ideas.

"One hundred thousand troops went out, and only thirty thousand came back. The rest are probably dead."

Someone else said the most vicious words.

"Okay, let's use these to spread rumors. I wonder how long the emperor can hold out!"

"Let's go."

……

The group of literati then left.

All this was seen by the people who were secretly monitoring them.

The people were still watching with relish as the soldiers received their rewards. Real gold and silver were distributed to every soldier, and a steady stream of gold, silver and jewelry were being carried down from the giant ships.

"Your Majesty, are there really so many gold, silver and jewels this time?"

Xiao Jiasui and Wen Huanzhang were also a little surprised. They didn't expect that the army could earn so much from a single trip.

"It's in all the ships. Words can't let you know how many places the army has conquered."

Sun Lei said with a smile.