Volume 1 Chapter 22 The Prince's Reward
Yang Wudi dispatched an express force of eight hundred miles, heading straight for the imperial capital of the Great Zhou.
Three days later.
The capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Taiji Hall.
The Emperor of the Great Zhou was holding a court meeting with his ministers, and Grand Tutor Pan was talking eloquently.
"Your Majesty, this marriage with the Xiongnu will surely ensure ten years of peace in the northwest. Your literary and military virtues will surely go down in history."
"Good job, Mr. Pan,"
The Emperor of the Great Zhou was very pleased; he loved hearing these words of praise the most.
The generals felt so disgusted that they wanted to vomit.
"Report——"
Outside the hall, the voice of a messenger was heard.
“Here it comes!”
Master Pan, the Emperor of the Great Zhou smiled. This must be the news coming from the Xiongnu. As long as the policy of marriage is implemented, they will surely gain both fame and fortune.
The Emperor of the Great Zhou was extremely happy with the deal of sacrificing a daughter in exchange for comfort and good reputation.
When he opened the report, he was stunned.
"A grain escort team of 100 people from the Great Zhou Dynasty was ambushed by 200 Xiongnu cavalrymen. We used infantry against cavalrymen and actually killed 51 of them, forcing them to flee in panic."
"We also captured the enemy cavalry leader."
"My Great Zhou actually has such a fierce warrior!"
The Emperor of the Great Zhou was obviously stunned by this battle report.
Even if he didn't know how to fight a war, he still knew basic common sense, which was an impossible feat.
The military generals around him were even more surprised than the Emperor of Zhou.
They are veterans of many battles and they understand better what such a record represents.
That is a typical case of the weak defeating the strong!
The generals came out one after another and said to the Great Zhou Emperor: "The Yang Family Army is indeed worthy of its reputation. A tiger father will have a dog son. Yang Tianbao has such a great military achievement, he deserves a reward!"
"Yang Tianbao strengthens the military power of the Great Zhou, please reward me handsomely, Your Majesty!"
For a time, everyone was jealous of Yang Wudi for giving birth to a good son.
The Great Zhou Emperor had a strange look on his face and shook his head, "Who said this was Yang Tianbao? The man who led my Great Zhou army to win this battle was called Bai Qi!"
"Most importantly, he is not the commander of the grain escort team, but only a sergeant in charge of food!"
At this time, not only the military generals but also the civil officials were stunned.
"Not Yang Tianbao?"
"Is he a corporal or a logistics soldier in charge of food?"
All the ministers had looks of surprise on their faces.
"It seems that our Great Zhou has produced another peerless general." The Grand Marshal exclaimed in admiration.
"yes!"
"Such military achievements will enhance our country's prestige! During the negotiations with the Xiongnu, they will surely be feared."
"Your Majesty, this man deserves a great reward!"
The prime minister even saw the diplomatic significance of this great victory.
The Huns' so-called invincibility was nothing more than that.
General Cao Qianqiu smiled and said, "If I remember correctly, Bai Qi has only been in the army for less than a month."
Everyone was shocked again.
Less than a month after joining the army, he killed 51 enemies in one battle, and they were cavalrymen.
No one has ever achieved such a record in the 852 years since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
It is unprecedented.
"General, Bai Qi is a member of the army and should be under your command. How should he be rewarded for his military exploits?"
The Emperor of Great Zhou asked with a smile.
General Cao Qianqiu stepped out and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, according to the laws of the Great Zhou, if you kill 51 enemies and capture the leader of a hundred cavalrymen, you will be promoted three levels and given the title of captain of 50 men!"
"No!" Master Pan immediately objected.
Bai Qi was his enemy and almost killed his son. How could he watch Bai Qi get promoted and become rich?
"Bai Qi was promoted from an ordinary soldier to a captain within a month of joining the army, jumping four levels in a row. This speed is simply unheard of."
"This kind of reward is too much."
The censors all spoke out in opposition.
As soon as this was said, the generals cursed, "Bai Qi was able to advance four levels in one month. That's his ability."
"If there is no reward for meritorious service, who would be willing to shed blood and kill enemies for the Great Zhou?"
"You like to talk so much, if you have the ability, go to the battlefield and kill the enemy yourself."
For a moment, the generals' saliva could even spray onto the censors' faces.
At this time, the prime minister coughed lightly, interrupting the argument. He said seriously: "Those who have made contributions should be rewarded. This is the foundation of the Great Zhou! How can we suppress them at will?"
The prime minister was the head of the civil servants. As soon as he opened his mouth, no one objected anymore.
"Okay, pass on my order."
"Sergeant Bai Qi, you killed 51 enemies and captured their commander. You have enhanced our country's prestige and deserve a generous reward!"
"Today, Bai Qi is appointed as a centurion!"
As soon as the Emperor of the Great Zhou finished speaking, the ministers were in an uproar, and they all looked at the person sitting on the dragon in disbelief.
Just now the general clearly said that Bai Qi would be rewarded as the captain of fifty men.
But now, His Majesty has directly promoted him to a higher level, becoming a centurion commanding a hundred men.
This official position was not valued by the dignitaries.
But the speed of his promotion made them jealous and crazy.
Especially for civil officials, it would take at least three years and at most five years to reach a higher rank.
But in just less than a month, Bai Qi was promoted five levels.
What speed is this?
"Your Majesty!" Even the Prime Minister couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up to remind him.
"Prime Minister, you don't need to say more. Bai Qi's great victory this time comes at a critical moment for us to make peace with the Xiongnu. Isn't the Prime Minister aware of how great the impact this will bring?"
"It can be said that with this great victory, we can negotiate with the Xiongnu on an equal footing."
The majestic words of the Emperor of the Great Zhou.
The prime minister sighed, knowing that the overall situation was more important.
The Emperor of the Great Zhou then continued to turn the bamboo slips to read the next military report. However, the next moment, his hand shook and the bamboo slips fell to the ground.
Then he suddenly picked up the teacup and smashed it on Master Pan's face, causing Master Pan's nose to bleed.
Master Pan was so frightened that he trembled and quickly knelt on the ground.
The prime minister, the Grand Marshal, and the general all changed their expressions and asked hurriedly, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
The Great Zhou Emperor then said angrily: "Bai Qi interrogated the cavalry captives and obtained shocking information:"
"The five great Hun Khans joined forces and sent out a million troops to attack the Great Zhou half a month ago."
"Three towns in the northwest of the Great Zhou were lost."
"Yang Wudi requested the imperial court to send troops for support."
boom--
There was a thunderclap in everyone's mind.
The Huns had millions of soldiers, and they were all cavalry!
This combat power is terrifying just to think about.
Normally, the Huns would send out 200,000 cavalry to harass the Zhou Dynasty, which would cause great headaches.
This time they came out in full force.
The country is destroyed!
This is the first thought of many ministers.
"Impossible! The Huns clearly want to make peace with us." Master Pan was shaking all over. If the Huns really attacked the Zhou Dynasty, he would be held accountable.
"Fuck you! The military report has arrived, could it be false?"
General Cao Qianqiu slapped Grand Tutor Pan in the face, and several generals took the opportunity to kick Grand Tutor Pan hard.
"What should we do now?" The Emperor of the Great Zhou was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
The civil officials and censors all kept their mouths shut at this moment, not daring to say a word.
Everyone turned their eyes to General Cao Qianqiu, who hesitated for a moment and said:
"First, order Yang Wudi to find out the Xiongnu's movements. We must know the Xiongnu's exact intelligence, even the direction and intention of their attack."
"Second, order the Grand Marshal Qin Zheng to lead his troops to immediately support Honghua City and replace Yang Wudi as the commander-in-chief of the three armies to lead the Qin people to defend the land and borders."
"Third, order Yue Shenqiang to guard the northeastern border and hold back the Northern Liang Kingdom. We cannot allow the Northern Liang Kingdom to form an alliance with the Xiongnu."
"Fourth, I ask Your Majesty to reward Bai Qi again!"
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