Chapter 858 Victorious Return to the Capital, Rewards for Meritorious Service
The settlement of over 300,000 people is undeniably magnificent.
After winning the battle, everyone was overjoyed, and a lively and festive atmosphere spread throughout the garrison.
The kitchen staff were busy preparing a feast, with plenty of good fish, meat, wine, and dishes.
"Come, Mrs. Sui, let us roughnecks toast you!"
The General of the Cavalry and the General of the Cloud Banner, along with their trusted generals, toasted Cheng Wanwan.
They were all veterans who had fought bloody battles on the battlefield for many years, experiencing no fewer than a hundred wars, large and small. It could be said that this was the easiest war they had ever fought, achieving an unprecedented victory at the lowest possible cost.
Everyone knew very well that if it weren't for Lady Sui's invention of bombs and muskets, and if it weren't for Lady Sui's strategies, the Great Yu Kingdom would never have been able to reach the capital of the Western Rong Kingdom so quickly.
"Mrs. Sui, I'll drink this one in one go."
"Before meeting Madam Sui, I thought that women in this world were born to marry and have children and were of no use. Now, my thoughts have changed."
“I used to look down on women, thinking they were troublesome, stupid and a hindrance. Mrs. Sui changed my prejudice against women.”
"And Princess Taiping is also admirable."
"Enough of that, come on, everyone, let's have a drink!"
"..."
After the generals finished their toasts, Pang Jie and Li Jian also brought a group of students to offer their toasts.
"Sir, this glass of wine is for you!"
"I have learned a lot from my teacher during this time. Although I have not learned his wisdom and intelligence, I have learned courage."
"The courage you display will inspire us to continue learning and move forward fearlessly. Thank you, sir!"
"..."
Every student looked at him with admiration.
Back at Xiao Qin University in the capital, they were truly convinced of Lady Sui's worth. But after this great battle, that conviction fermented into a fierce wave, making them unable to resist the urge to follow her...
Cheng Wanwan took a sip of wine and said with a smile, "Some of you do have the potential to be strategists. Study hard, because the future of the Great Yu Kingdom still depends on young people like you."
The students of Xiao Qin University were immediately filled with ambition.
After the students dispersed, some soldiers who were familiar with Cheng Wanwan immediately took the opportunity to surround her.
These soldiers knew of the bravery of the Western Rong cavalry before going to the battlefield, and each of them was prepared to die on the battlefield. They even wrote their wills.
Unexpectedly, the war ended in just over half a month, and they won a great victory.
Although some of them sacrificed their lives, the death toll is much lower than before, and the vast majority of them are still alive...
To be alive and witness the surrender of the Western Rong Kingdom was the greatest fortune imaginable.
And this good fortune was thanks to Mrs. Sui!
Countless soldiers surrounded Cheng Wanwan, taking turns toasting her.
Cheng Wanwan only took a small sip each time, but there were just too many people, and even though she only took a sip, she still drank four or five cups.
"Alright, alright, you bunch of brats, are you ever going to stop?!" The King of Qin reached out and stopped a large group of soldiers. "It's cold, the food will get cold if you don't go eat soon, disperse, disperse, all of you disperse!"
Zhao Sanniu rolled up his sleeves: "You like drinking so much, huh? I'll drink with you. Come on, over there!"
A group of soldiers were driven away.
Cheng Wanwan finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down to eat several bites of food before slowly recovering.
At her table were villagers from Dahe Town, and each of them looked at her with a unique gaze.
They had long known that Da Shan Niang was extraordinary, but they never expected that she would be even more powerful than those generals.
Thinking back five or six years ago, Aunt Dashan was just a peasant woman. Because of her strong personality, she was not well-liked in the village...
Who could have imagined that five or six years later, Da Shan Niang would become a second-rank imperial concubine... Oh no, this time, Da Shan Niang made a great contribution to the victory in the war, and the emperor will surely promote her again.
Others can be promoted to the rank of first-grade official because their strength is at the first-grade level, but Da Shan Niang can become a first-grade official because the highest rank in the Dayu Dynasty is only the first-grade.
Zhao Youyin took a sip of his drink and asked, "When is your sister-in-law planning to go back to Dahe Town?"
Cheng Wanwan rested her chin on her hand and said, "The New Year is just a few days away. We'll celebrate it here, then return to the capital. After I report back to the Emperor, we'll set off for Dahe Town immediately."
Zhao Sidan did some quick calculations and figured that his mother should be going back by February of next year at the latest.
Although he was reluctant to be separated from his mother, he hoped even more that she would return to a safe place.
After the celebration banquet, there are still four or five days until the Chinese New Year.
In the span of four or five days, the nine cities that once belonged to the Great Yu Kingdom were quickly emptied, and the Great Yu Kingdom's garrison successfully moved into the cities and planted the Great Yu Kingdom's flags.
In addition, the Western Rong sent countless gold and silver, but it was still far from ten million taels of silver, so they used warhorses as payment.
The bodies of Princess Taiping and her two children were brought in a gilded and silver-inlaid coffin, which looked magnificent. However, everyone present knew that the princess's body had long been damaged and must have been a gruesome sight...
Soon, it was New Year's Eve.
The military camp moved into the city and celebrated the New Year once again.
Cheng Wanwan stood in the night wind, looking at the moonless and starless sky, her thoughts drifting far, far away.
That year, she turned thirty-nine and stepped into her forties.
Since I came into this era, six years have passed, and I have experienced many, many things each year, which feels like sixty years.
I'm actually a little tired.
After this is over, I really won't cause any more trouble. From now on, I'll just enjoy life.
On the third day of the Spring Festival, the soldiers of the Great Yu Kingdom returned to the capital.
It had been snowing in the northwest for three or four days before we finally reached the inland region where the weather was clear, and everyone's mood improved.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, apart from the 150,000 troops left to guard the northwest, the rest returned to the capital.
On the corner tower of the imperial city, the emperor and empress, along with civil and military officials and all the people of the capital, welcomed the triumphant soldiers back.
"You have returned in triumph! I will drink with you all to celebrate! Serve the wine!"
At the emperor's command, the palace servants immediately brought out trays of wine, and only when everyone had a cup in their hands did they raise their glasses in celebration.
The early spring breeze dispelled the winter chill, and joy filled everyone's faces.
"When the Western Rong invaded, the people of our Great Yu Kingdom displayed unprecedented courage. Now, we reward them for their merits!"
"All new recruits who participate in the war will be rewarded with ten taels of silver. Those who kill ten or more enemy soldiers will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver. Those who kill enemy soldiers with official rank will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver..."
"All the common people who donated military supplies and provisions free of charge are meritorious citizens of the Great Yu Kingdom. The imperial court has granted them special imperial examinations for three consecutive years..."
"General Yunhui, General Piaoji, General Chariot and Cavalry, General Zhaoyong... became exemplars of defending the country and protecting the land, making our Great Yu Kingdom renowned throughout the world... Their achievements will be passed down to future generations, glorifying their ancestral virtues..."
"Seventh-rank sergeant Zhao Jingyu has fought bravely against the enemy and made meritorious contributions. He is hereby specially promoted to fourth-rank Martial Guard General..."
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