Thief Emperor

Chapter 1089: Sharing Fruit

When the soldiers returned from the northern expedition, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites jointly prepared a grand welcoming ceremony. On the day the soldiers arrived outside Luoyang, His Majesty the Emperor, along with the Crown Prince and the Grand Secretaries, went out of the city to greet them, giving the soldiers ample face.

At the ceremony welcoming the victorious soldiers, His Majesty the Emperor announced the rewards for these soldiers who had participated in the northern expedition. Those who had made meritorious contributions were generally promoted one rank.

As for the protagonist, Marquis Qingyang, Meng Qing, he was immediately bestowed the title of Grand General and Duke of Jin Xuan by His Majesty the Emperor.

At the same time, Zhao Cheng, the Minister of War, was also granted the title of Grand General.

His Majesty the Emperor announced that a victory banquet would be held outside the city for three days, with all the wine and meat provided by the court, and additional rewards would be distributed according to military merits.

After the imperial edict was read, His Majesty the Emperor instructed the Privy Councilor Su Sheng to remain outside the city and reward the army on behalf of the Emperor.

His Majesty the Emperor stayed outside the city for half a day. In the afternoon, he returned to Luoyang with the Crown Prince and a group of officials.

This grand reward ceremony lasted for three whole days. Meng Qing, as the commander-in-chief, also stayed outside the city for three days to help Su Sheng maintain order in the army. On the morning of the fourth day, Meng Qing led Gongsun He and several key generals into the palace and went to the Ganlu Hall to express their gratitude to the emperor.

Emperor Li raised his hand, signaling the officers to rise. He looked at the respectful Gongsun He and said with a smile, "I heard that your father has been outside the city these past few days, drinking with you all. He didn't drink too much, did he?"

Gongsun He quickly bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My father... my father really won't listen to advice. None of us can persuade him. He insists on drinking outside the city..."

"If General Su hadn't spoken up, he would probably still be drinking outside the city right now."

Emperor Li said with a sigh, "I'm happy for you. Now you can stand on your own."

Gongsun He lowered his head deeply and repeatedly said that he dared not.

Emperor Li looked at him and asked, "How old are you this year?"

Gongsun He quickly bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I am thirty-six years old this year."

"Oh."

Emperor Li sighed, "I remember when you first entered my camp, you were just a young man. Now you're middle-aged."

He thought for a moment and then said, "The war in the north has been quelled, and you have made great contributions. Do you plan to serve as an official in the capital or be sent to serve as an official in a remote area?"

Gongsun He quickly lowered his head: "Your Majesty, I will obey all your arrangements."

His Majesty the Emperor looked at him and said, "The position of General of Taiyuan is vacant. You will rest in Luoyang for a while, and then go to the Ministry of War to receive the necessary documents to serve as General of Taiyuan."

Li Yun didn't appoint many local garrison generals, including the Taiyuan General, Chengdu General, Chang'an General, Jinling General, Lingnan General, Qingzhou General, and so on.

These local generals commanded tens of thousands of troops, making them the most important force in suppressing rebellions in their respective regions, almost without exception.

This position was originally a third-rank official position for Li Yun, but it was changed to a second-rank official position a couple of years ago. In the military officer system, it is only below the Privy Councilor and the Deputy Privy Councilor.

It can be said that he was already a top-level military officer.

This position was one that Li Yun valued highly. Even Zhou Chang and Luo Zhen, who had followed him for a long time and were surrendered generals, were not trusted by Li Yun to serve as local garrison generals. The garrison generals in various places were all trusted confidants among his confidants, such as Chen Da, Yu Ye, and Deng Yang.

It could even be said that these garrison generals all came from the bandit-hunting teams.

Originally, Gongsun He didn't have the opportunity to become a garrison general, but his father, Gongsun Hao, had made great contributions and even lost an arm for the court, which Li Yun still remembers to this day.

Li Yun appointed him as the General of Taiyuan because of his father's position.

Gongsun He was very excited. He knelt on the ground, bowed his head and said, "Your subject... thanks Your Majesty."

Emperor Li reached out a hand to help him up and said with a smile, "There's no need to rush. Stay in Luoyang for a while and take good care of your father."

Gongsun He knelt and kowtowed: "Your subject obeys."

Emperor Li then looked at the other generals behind Meng Qing and assigned them duties one by one.

If the rewards given by the imperial court outside the city a few days ago were a nominal reward for these soldiers on the northern expedition, then today's meeting in the Ganlu Hall is His Majesty's "realization" of the merits of this northern expedition.

Every position was an important one, one that no one could obtain without being related to the emperor.

After promoting them, Li Yun looked at Meng Qing and said with a smile, "What about you? What official position do you want to be?"

Meng Qing knelt on the ground and bowed his head deeply: "Your Majesty, I will obey all your arrangements."

Emperor Li lowered his head silently and said, "There are not many foreign wars at the moment. You can stay in the capital for a few years. If there is a war, you can lead the Imperial Guards to fight at any time."

"You shall be appointed as the Deputy Privy Councilor."

Emperor Li looked at him, thought for a moment, and continued, "With my decree, you are permitted to inspect the Imperial Guards and supervise their training." The Imperial Guards were the emperor's personal troops, and originally had no direct leadership relationship with the Privy Council. Now, with Emperor Li's word, this Duke of Xuan had the privilege of inspecting the Imperial Guards. In other words, in a sense, Meng Qing had already taken over the power to train the Imperial Guards to a certain extent.

As for the power to mobilize troops, it was probably only in the hands of the emperor. Neither the Ministry of War nor the Privy Council had the authority to mobilize the Imperial Guards.

Meng Qing knelt on the ground and bowed deeply.

"Your subject is Li Qing."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The emperor raised his hand, signaling everyone to stand up. He then offered a few words of encouragement to the people, leaving only Meng Qing behind and dismissing the others.

After everyone had left, Emperor Li looked at Meng Qing and said with a smile, "I intend to appoint Luo Zhen as the General of Yuguan and concurrently the Defense Commissioner of Liaodong Circuit."

"what do you think?"

Meng Qing lowered his head and thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly and said, "Your Majesty, it's acceptable to appoint him as the Defense Commissioner of Liaodong Circuit, but the Commander-in-Chief of Yuguan..."

"I think we should choose someone from the anti-theft team."

Emperor Li looked at him and said speechlessly, "Although he comes from the Pinglu Army, he has followed the Zhou family to abandon darkness and embrace light for so many years. He shouldn't be colluding with the Khitans, right?"

"I know."

Meng Qing said quietly, "Originally, I shouldn't speak ill of people behind their backs, but since Your Majesty has asked, I must say something. General Luo is fine in battle, but his conduct in daily life..."

"This is a serious problem."

Li Yun frowned slightly and asked, "The old army's style?"

Meng Qing nodded and said, "It was probably formed during the Pinglu Army period, and it's very difficult to change now. Moreover, General Luo is getting old, and Yuguan is too important. I don't think he may be able to handle the job."

Li Yun thought for a moment and said quietly, "Alright, then let him be the candidate for Defense Commissioner of Liaodong Circuit and Commander-in-Chief of Yuguan. I'll think about it more carefully."

Meng Qing glanced at Li Yun, then lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, before I returned, the Khitan Khan Yelü Yi sent someone to see me. He wanted to come to Luoyang in person to pay homage to Your Majesty."

Emperor Li was somewhat surprised and said with a smile, "When did this happen? Why tell you but not the court?"

Meng Qing smiled and said, "Then they probably didn't have time to send an envoy to His Majesty."

"I have heard that Yelü Hong is now living a very good life in the court."

Emperor Li sat back down in his seat and smiled, "This Yelü Hong, after enjoying some good days, has indeed become very sensible. Not long ago, he reported to me the number of households in his tribe, the number of males, and the places where they reside. He is very honest."

Upon hearing this, Meng Qing shook his head slightly and said, "Even after becoming an official of our Han Dynasty, this person is still too eager to advance his career."

Emperor Li laughed heartily.

"It's good to want to improve; if you want to improve, things will be easier to manage."

The two talked in secret in the Ganlu Hall for most of the hour. When Meng Qing was about to take his leave, Li Yun stopped him and asked, "There is something I would like to ask you."

Meng Qing quickly lowered his head: "Your Majesty, please speak."

“My second son is very restless. Today he wants to go to Jiannan to fight the Tibetans, and tomorrow he wants to go to Longyou to destroy the Western Regions.”

"He's too fond of martial arts."

Li Yun looked at him and said, "It's perfect timing. You're back now and have stayed in Luoyang for a long time. In a few days, go find him. On the one hand, teach him a good lesson, and on the other hand, help me see where he'd be suitable to be enfeoffed."

Upon hearing this, Meng Qing first lowered his head in agreement. After thinking for a moment, he then said, "Your Majesty, I believe..."

"Your Highness should go to Chang'an to take up your fiefdom."

"Chang'an..."

Emperor Li looked at Meng Qing and slowly said, "The Prince of Qin?"

Meng Qing nodded.

"The King of Qin."

(End of this chapter)