"The Great Jing's great victory in this northern expedition has completely eliminated the Night Dan, a major threat, and restored peace to the Central Plains. This is an immense achievement, a monumental feat for all ages. This achievement is a testament to the virtue of the Great Jing Emperor in accordance with Heaven's will. This achievement is also a testament to the thunderous might of the Great Jing's generals!"

"Wang Ren, the General of the Great Jing Guard, is hereby appointed as the Grand General of the Great Jing!"

"Zhang Dalian, the deputy general of Wang Ren, is hereby appointed as the Great Jing Valiant General!"

"Wang Yuluan, son of Wang Ren, is hereby granted the title of Baron of Yi County, Dajing!"

"The vanguard of the Northern Expeditionary Army is appointed..."

Upon the emperor's arrival, the first part of the state banquet began: the conferment of titles and ranks upon generals. This was also the reason why the Northern Expeditionary Army had not been granted titles since Wang Ren's triumphant return. Yuan Xiu deliberately left this part for here, bestowing titles and ranks in front of the envoys of various countries. Each conferment was a reminder to the other countries that Great Jing had destroyed Ye Dan!

It wasn't a victory, it was annihilation!

You all need to watch out! Anyone who dares to be an enemy of my Great Jing should be prepared for the destruction of their country and the extermination of their race!

After rewarding the Northern Expeditionary Army, Yuan Xiu summoned Xiao Luofeng separately for a ceremony to confer titles upon him. In the Battle of Lingshan, Xiao Luofeng defeated two thousand men with only one hundred, demonstrating the might of the Great Jing Kingdom, and was thus appointed as a third-rank Dragon General.

However, when Zhou Jinghuan was bestowing honors upon Xiao Luofeng, his expression was extremely unpleasant.

Among the hundred people who received titles this time, the highest honors, besides Wang Ren, were bestowed upon Xiao Luofeng!

Among the civil and military officials and the common people who came to the banquet and ceremony, there was much discussion. It was said that the military generals of Dajing had successors. Wang Ren had succeeded Zhao Huan in stabilizing the north, and Xiao Luofeng would probably become the second champion king, guarding the south for Dajing.

The ministers, of course, understood Yuan Xiu's intentions, and they all clapped and cheered enthusiastically, leaving the delegations from various countries trembling with fear.

However, the ministers were all pondering the bestowal of titles and rewards upon Wang Ren and his son.

General.

He holds the highest official rank!

The foremost military commander!

Such an honor is already a mark of a high-ranking official.

During the reign of the late emperor, Zhao Huan held this position, which is why people often say that Zhao Huan was both a capable minister and a general. After Yuan Xiu succeeded to the throne, the Champion King also served as Grand General for a period of time. After the Champion King went south, the position became vacant, as neither of the two Northern Expeditionary Army commanders who were killed by Ye Dan held the title of Grand General.

Wang Ren was the second Grand General in Yuan Xiu's reign!

Logically speaking, such a reward was already an act of imperial grace, but it still fell short of the expectations of the officials and the common people. They felt that Wang Ren should have been granted a noble title.

Wang Ren was not granted a title, but his son was.

However, the title of Baron of Yi County, a mere fifth-rank baron of a county, is not hereditary.

This Sanxian baron is incomparable to Wenhu's Sanxian earl. Wenhu is a third-rank official, and the next step up would be a marquis. As long as he makes a great contribution, he has the opportunity to be ennobled as a marquis.

Wang Yuluan's job was purely symbolic; he just gave you a title.

When the emperor bestowed titles and honors upon his sons, the officials couldn't help but ponder, thinking that His Majesty was guarding against Wang Ren!

Being wary of Wang Ren is essentially being wary of... Wen Tai?

Zhao Cheng, sitting calmly in the first row of the Yan Chuan formation, secretly glanced at Wen Tai and saw that Wen Tai's expression was calm and composed, showing no emotion.

Zhao Cheng thought to himself that the emperor was indeed suspicious. He would start to be wary of his subjects as soon as they made great contributions. In this respect, he was somewhat similar to Yuan Shao in his previous life.

The officials shared the same thought as Zhao Cheng, and they all subconsciously glanced at Wen Tai.

Yuan Xiu took in all the glances from his ministers, but smiled without saying a word.

The generals, led by Wang Ren, expressed their gratitude. Although many people felt sorry for Wang Ren, he was very satisfied and even cast a grateful glance at Wen Tai's back as he left.

A few months ago, he was just a general who was retired and idle in the Eastern Capital. Now he has transformed into the top military general and made great contributions that will be remembered in history. He is already very content.

Zhang Dalian, who was standing next to him, was also very excited. He was promoted to the rank of valiant general for the first time, which was only one rank lower than Xiao Luofeng, who was also promoted for the first time. If it weren't for the glory of Wang Ren and Xiao Luofeng overshadowing him, he would have been promoted like a rocket!

Those with ulterior motives cast admiring and friendly glances at Zhang Dalian, thinking that he might become the backbone of the Great Jing Dynasty's military in the future, and that giving him a look wouldn't hurt.

The imperial edict bestowing the titles was from Lü Luxuan. After he stepped down, he signaled that the bestowal of titles was over.

Some people found it strange, and during the meal, many eyes kept glancing at Zhao Cheng.

The bestowal of rewards has already concluded, so why wasn't Zhao Cheng mentioned?

If Xiao Luofeng hadn't been given a ceremony to receive his title, people would have thought it was a special event for the Northern Expeditionary Army. But since Xiao Luofeng was involved, why was Zhao Cheng forgotten?

Although Zhao Cheng's destruction of the Southern Zhou intelligence network was not as sensational as the victory of the Northern Expedition and the great victory at Lingshan, it was comparable to the great victory at Lingshan in terms of merit and strategic importance to the Great Jing.

Sometimes, a victory in the intelligence network can even save the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers!

The Southern Zhou intelligence network, which had wiped out the entire city of Yanchuan last time, had already appointed the rank of Zhaoyong General, a sixth-grade official. Everyone was speculating whether he would be promoted directly to the fourth grade this time, but then the Emperor...

It seems like we forgot to mention him?

How could I possibly forget something like this?

If they forget, they won't call him by name.

It must have been the emperor's doing!

Everyone noticed that Zhao Cheng's expression was even more indifferent than Wen Tai's, as if he himself had forgotten about the matter.

In fact, Zhao Cheng had completely forgotten about this...

What? I'm getting a reward?

No, I don't want to.

Don't you dare give me an official title! And this General Zhaoyong, whoever wants him can take him!

Yuan Xiu patted the armrest of the dragon throne and said, "The soldiers of the Northern Expedition have all worked hard. Now that the investiture is complete, I have one more thing to announce."

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