My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 273 The Queen Mother’s Affirmation
To be honest, the Han people do have a kind of reward that is only given to the dead.

——A king with a different surname.

For example, the eldest brother of Emperor Taizu Liu Bang, even though he had died when Taizu was in his former residence in Fengpei, he was still posthumously named King Wudao.

Since Emperor Taizu made the White Horse Oath that no one other than the Liu family could be king - especially after the Changsha King Wu family's extinction, the only possibility for a king of a different surname to exist in the Han Dynasty was to posthumously confer a title on the deceased.

But apart from this, the Han Dynasty never had any conventions or unspoken rules in treating soldiers, such as "the merits are greater if they are dead, and smaller if they are alive", or "the dead are the greatest, and the past will not be blamed".

Even for those heroes and meritorious officials during the reign of Emperor Taizu Gao, those who lived to see the founding of the Han Dynasty always had a more prominent status than those generals who died on the eve of the founding of the country.

But Liu Rong is very clear: when it comes to things like this, people - especially politicians - tend to develop a kind of inertia in their thinking.

That is: the death of a general who died on the battlefield is itself a contribution.

Not only that, the general's heroic sacrifice will also become an important basis for court officials to judge whether he has fought with all his strength and contributed everything.

In short, it means: Everyone has died in the battle, what else do you want?

They have sacrificed their lives, and even if they have no credit, they have worked hard. Why don't you give them credit for that?
Even though Liu Rong had a slightly different opinion on this, he was still willing to accept it.

——As long as a general did not commit serious mistakes during his lifetime, which led to a turn in the course of the war that was obviously unfavorable to his side, Liu Rong would be happy to admit: a general who died for his country at least has a noble soul and has made contributions to the country.

A general who is willing to fight to the death is worthy of recognition, his achievements are worthy of acknowledgement, and he deserves the treatment of a martyr.

But on this basis, Liu Rong also had to guide the entire court - the entire Han political arena, to gradually accept another reality.

Being alive is not a sin.

As long as the generals do not flee from the battlefield or avoid fighting in fear of the enemy, then under the same objective conditions, the contribution of the generals who end the war alive is no less than that of those who die for the country.

Take Sun Mao, the commander of the Northern Frontier, who led his troops to fight to the death at Chaona Pass in the fourteenth year of Emperor Taizong's reign, and ultimately lost his entire army, buying the Han family time to react, and compare him with Cheng Buzhi in the past winter;
——Sun Mao did what he knew was impossible, and fought against the enemy even though he knew he was unbeatable. Liu Rong sincerely admired his fearless spirit!
And this past winter, Cheng Buzhi also defended Chaona Pass with a relatively inferior force. Even when his own total casualties exceeded 20% - especially when the Beidi Duwei's troops suffered more than 30% casualties, he still held Chaona Pass firmly!

If we say that what deserves recognition about the former Beidi Commander Sun Mao is that he did what he knew was impossible and risked his life to buy strategic response time for the country, then Cheng Buzhi's contribution in this battle is undoubtedly a professional achievement.

Hold on to Chaonasai!
Keep the Huns outside the border wall!
From the source, it prevented Emperor Taizong from experiencing a situation that almost led to the loss of the army and humiliation of the country during his fourteen years, from happening again!

Therefore, in Liu Rong's view, Sun Mao, the former commander of Beidi, is a role model figure similar to several heroes in later generations, such as Lei Yingxiong and Qiu Yingxiong;
His deeds are worth spreading and praising, and his spirit is worth carrying forward.

However, Cheng Buzhi has made significant contributions to the country from a strategic perspective and is a promising young general.

There is no need to say anything else;

In the fifty years since the founding of the Han Dynasty, was there any invasion by the Huns with a scale of more than 10,000 people that resulted in them returning empty-handed without even knocking on the Han country's door or setting foot on Han territory?
Let alone a large-scale invasion involving more than 10,000 people;

In Yanmen, north of Dai, and in Yunzhong, Shangdai and other counties, the Huns would gather a hundred or so cavalrymen and would at least burn, kill and loot several villages before they were willing to return with a full load of food and loot!
As for the large-scale invasions in groups, whether it was the Battle of Pingcheng during the reign of Emperor Taizu Gao, when Maodun Chanyu approached the capital of Dai, Jinyang, or during the reign of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, when the Xiongnu vanguard appeared near Chang'an;

——Every time, the Huns seemed to be strolling around the streets, easily and leisurely going deep into the heartland of the Han Dynasty.

This past winter was the first time since the founding of the Han Dynasty that the invasion intention of the Huns was completely thwarted in a border war, and the Huns did not steal even a grain of rice, a foot of cloth, or even a single young and strong Han man.

Perhaps the current Han court has not yet realized how horrible this reality is.

But that’s okay;

Liu Rong would tell the entire court bit by bit: This battle was a crucial turning point in the hundred-year conflict between the Han and the Huns.

Before that, the first thing Liu Rong had to do was to announce to the world through a title of Marquis Che with a fief of 1,200 households: In the winter of the first year of Emperor Rong Xinyuan's reign, the Han Dynasty won a great victory in the battle between the Han and the Xiongnu!

Even if someone would say something sarcastic like 'Cheng Buzhi suffered heavy casualties, showing his kingly spirit, while Youxian King was unscathed, yet still could not hide his declining trend', Liu Rong would still do it.

This move of Liu Rong, on the other hand, received the rare strong support of Empress Dowager Dou from the Eastern Palace.

"Emperor, you did a great job~"

Changle Palace, Changxin Palace.

After hearing Liu Rong's account of what happened in the northern suburbs that morning, a rare look of relief appeared on Empress Dowager Dou's aged face.

She nodded slowly, acknowledging Liu Rong's actions. The old empress dowager sighed leisurely and began to recall the past.

"I still remember clearly that year when Laoshang Chanyu led his army to attack the border - when the court in Chang'an got the news, the Xiongnu army had already reached Xiaoguan."

"The north and Longyou are isolated outside the Great Wall, with no news at all;"

"From the Wei River to the north of Guanzhong, people are all in a state of panic..."

"——In just a dozen days, rumors began to spread in Guanzhong that 'Han is about to fall, clothes and hats will fall off, the northern barbarians will take over, and the land will be full of barbarians'."

"When Emperor Taizong made up his mind and mobilized all the troops and generals to prepare for the Hu, news came that the Central Palace was set on fire by the Xiongnu vanguard."

"In fact, there is no need for any news to be sent back;"

"The flames and smoke rising into the sky can be seen from any rooftop in Chang'an..."

With a nostalgic tone, the old empress dowager once again let out a long sigh as she spoke of the events that happened in the fourteenth year of Emperor Taizong's reign.

After a long while, Fang came back to his senses from his thoughts and reached out his hand gropingly;
Although he held his daughter Liu Piao's hand, he praised Cheng Buzhi, who was sitting at the east seat in the hall and still looked a little confused.

"General Cheng is an old minister from the reign of Emperor Taizong."

"——If I remember correctly, General Cheng was in the battle that year, which started at Yanmen?"

"In the blink of an eye, twenty years have passed."

····
"The young Zhonglang of the past has become a veteran minister serving the country today;"

"The eldest grandson of the emperor is now the county magistrate of my Han family."

"But as an old woman, I don't even know what General Cheng of my Han family - or even the county magistrate of my Han family - looks like..."

As they were talking, two huge wooden boxes were seen being carried out by the palace servants.

The lid of the box was opened, revealing rows and rows of brilliant golden cakes.

"Officials and titles are given by the emperor;"

"I said long before the battle: for every Xiongnu head cut off, I, a blind old woman, will give a reward to the general." "-This thousand gold is a reward given to General Cheng by me on behalf of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen."

"The battle that year was a lifelong shame for Emperor Taizong;"

"Thanks to General Cheng's loyalty and bravery, this shame has finally been avenged with blood..."

Following the old lady's half-grateful, half-sighing voice, Cheng Buzhi finally came back to his senses from his confused and stunned state.

He looked somewhat dully into the hall at the thousand gold cakes displayed in the wooden box, and then he jumped up from his seat as if waking up from a dream!

He bowed solemnly to the old empress dowager and said anxiously, "The Empress Dowager has given me such a generous reward. I am deeply grateful!"

"However, the defeated ministers who are waiting for punishment have lost many soldiers and generals at the border, and even the generals in the army have no face to show up..."

"Before the expedition, the Empress Dowager had already given me a thousand gold coins;"

"I have failed to live up to the Empress Dowager's promise. I am too ashamed to return the reward she gave me..."

As he spoke, Cheng Buzhi lowered his head again, apparently he had not yet recovered from his past habitual thinking and his subjective judgment that "his faults outweigh his merits".

But the old empress dowager let out another long sigh with deep regret, and gently squeezed her daughter Liu Piao's hand, signaling her daughter to step forward and help up Cheng Buzhi who was kneeling on the ground.

After a while, the old queen mother said slowly: "In this matter, the emperor is right."

"If you take back the bodies of the fallen, you can get all their wealth and property. This is what Maodun, the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, did to deal with the Han Dynasty's system of beheading people to calculate merit."

"Over the years, countless Han soldiers have been harmed by the Xiongnu's system."

"——Those who have made contributions did not receive the military honors and honors they deserved, and those who died in battle did not receive the treatment and care they deserved."

"The emperor is willing to change this situation, which will be of great benefit to the ancestral temple and the country."

"As for the general, it was just a coincidence that he caught up with us;"

"There is no need to think that the emperor made a wrong decision in order to protect the general's future."

As she spoke, the old empress did not forget to turn sideways, reach out her hand symbolically, and gently pinch Liu Rong's ear.

She smiled and said, "If the emperor really dares to do something reckless, I, a blind old woman, will not let him do what he wants."

"Even if it's for General Cheng, I, a blind old woman, will still pull the emperor's ears, so as to teach Emperor Taizong and Emperor Xiaojing a lesson for their unfilial descendants..."

Following the old empress dowager's words, the originally heavy atmosphere in the hall began to lighten up.

Next to the old empress dowager, the young emperor, who had just come of age, sat with a smile on his face. The old empress dowager still moved her hand away from his ear, and then naturally held his hand again.

On the other side of the old queen mother, after the old queen mother's repeated admonitions during this period, Liu Piao had obviously accepted the reality - she was afraid that she could not become the mother-in-law of the emperor Rong;
Therefore, Liu Piao no longer looked as shifty as before, ready to make trouble at any opportunity. Instead, she smiled kindly and gently massaged the old queen mother's arms.

In the center of the hall, Cheng Buzhi, who had just been helped up by Liu Piao, lowered his head with a moved expression. After a long silence, he finally knelt down on the ground with a thump.

"I dare not refuse your grace!"

"Thank you, Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, for your kindness..."

Seeing Cheng Bushi's appearance, the 'two emperors' sitting together on the imperial couch - the old empress dowager and Liu Rong, smiled in a similar way at the same time.

Seeing the reactions of the grandfather and grandson, Liu Piao stood up with a smile at the right time, and without the old empress dowager's call, she consciously assumed her responsibilities as a tool.

While helping Cheng Buzhi up from the ground again, he smiled and said jokingly: "I wonder why the general is so honest?"

"——Thinking back then, when Emperor Taizong reviewed the troops at Xiliu, Zhou Yafu didn't even kneel, even if he wanted to bow, he would use the excuse of 'I'm wearing armor and can't perform the full ceremony' and just punched his chest with his fist."

"How come you are not happy even after receiving the reward here, General? You keep kneeling, kneeling again and again;"

"The general's body can withstand kneeling, but I am weak - I can't stand the general kneeling a few more times, or my mother asking me to hold her up a few more times..."

It was another round of good-natured teasing, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became a little more cheerful.

However, Cheng Buzhi still did not show the joyful smile of receiving the huge reward from the Empress Dowager and the title of Marquis from the Emperor.

Still with a blank expression, he bowed to Liu Piao and said in a serious manner: "I am fed by the emperor, so I should be loyal to him."

"We warriors are honored and supported by the Empress Dowager, the Queen Mother, and Your Majesty with high positions and generous salaries. We should fight to the death in front of the battlefield."

"These small contributions are the duty of warriors like me, and I dare not ask for titles or rewards."

"Thanks to the Empress Dowager, the Queen Mother, and Your Majesty for their kindness, I will tremble with fear and kowtow to thank you again and again for your great grace..."

As he said this, Cheng Buzhi was about to kneel again, but Liu Piao quickly reached out and stopped him.

After stopping Cheng Buzhi from kneeling, Liu Piao waved her hand angrily and started to act like a young girl, acting coquettishly with the old empress dowager on the imperial couch.

"Mother~"

"Look at this stupid head, how boring!"

"My daughter doesn't care. If you want to kneel, let this blockhead kneel!"

After saying this, Liu Piao angrily waved her sleeves, walked quickly back to the old queen's side, and lowered her head in grievance;

However, he did not forget to continue kneading the old queen's hand, which was covered with horizontal wrinkles.

The daughter's appearance made the old empress dowager laugh heartily, which was a rare occurrence. Even Liu Rong, who was standing beside her, smiled along despite his nausea.

After laughing, the old queen mother did not forget to take the opportunity to "teach" her daughter Liu Piao and said, "Don't make trouble."

"General Cheng, he is a great hero who cleared the grievances of Emperor Taizong and avenged the humiliation of the Han family!"

"It is your blessing to be able to help such a hero to rise up."

"If it weren't for the inconvenience of an old blind woman like me, it wouldn't be your turn to do such a good thing..."

(End of this chapter)