Chongzheng Hall.
"Hey~, have you heard? The great victory at Xiliang!"
"I've heard about it. Duan Jiming is indeed formidable; he truly deserves the title of a renowned general!"
All the officials had heard about yesterday's "great victory in Xiliang," so the palace was buzzing with discussion.
Almost every official wore an excited smile, but some looked less pleased, such as Dou Wu's son, Dou Ji, who had recently been enfeoffed as the Marquis of Weiyang, and Dou Wu's nephew, Dou Jing, who had been enfeoffed as the Marquis of Xixiang.
Dou Wu's ennoblement was understandable, since he had helped the emperor ascend the throne.
However, the ennoblement of the brothers Dou Ji and Dou Jing as marquises aroused great dissatisfaction throughout the court and the public.
The main point is that the two of them did not refuse and accepted the imperial edict from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor without hesitation. While the officials in the court were in an uproar, the eunuch group led by Wang Fu took the opportunity to launch an attack and spread rumors.
Some even bluntly stated that the Dou family had produced three marquises, and that they were trying to emulate the Liang family by causing chaos in the court!
Although Liu Hong suppressed all of this, the Dou brothers did not have an easy time.
Before, when we had no power, there was nothing to say. But now that we have power, do we still have to be humble and subservient? What's the point of having power then?
Therefore, the two brothers often secretly instructed the officials who had sided with Dou Wu to confront the eunuchs' subordinates, even resorting to despicable means such as framing and fabricating stories, which is why things are not peaceful in the church now.
Now that the two brothers have heard that Duan Jiong has defeated the Xianling Qiang tribes and made great contributions, both the emperor and the empress dowager will reward him.
Duan Jiong was already a Marquis of Dingbian with a fief of 5,000 households, the same as Dou Wu. If he were to be enfeoffed again, he would surpass his father and uncle, which the two of them would absolutely not allow.
So last night, the two brothers contacted many people who had pledged allegiance to Dou Wu, preparing to launch an attack today. They wanted to persuade the Empress Dowager to reward Duan Jiong with some money and get rid of him.
Before long, Liu Hong and Dou Miao arrived at the court.
After exchanging greetings, Liu Hong handed the battle report in his hand to Zhang Rang, who was standing to the side.
Zhang Rang took the battle report and began to read it aloud:
"Your subject, Duan Jiong, bows in respect."
The various tribes of the Western Qiang have always been under the protection of our great Han Dynasty, yet they not only fail to repay the kindness, but also dare to rebel and offend the face of our great Han Dynasty.
If they are not punished, they will surely be taken advantage of by villains. I have been ordered by Your Majesty to personally lead the Han army on a hundred-mile raid to fight a decisive battle with 30,000 troops from the Xianling Qiang tribes at Fengyi Mountain.
Fortunately, our Han soldiers were grateful for the Emperor's great kindness and fought bravely against the enemy. They eventually defeated the Xianling Qiang tribes, beheading nearly 10,000 and capturing more than 20,000, along with countless supplies and horses.
......”
It took Zhang Rang about fifteen minutes to finally finish reading the battle report.
Chen Fan was the first to step forward, saying, "This great victory has enhanced our national prestige and deterred the villains. I congratulate the Han Dynasty and Your Majesty."
"Congratulations to the Great Han Dynasty! Congratulations to His Majesty!"
Civil and military officials also joined Chen Fan in offering their congratulations.
"You gentlemen are indeed all loyal and patriotic people!"
Liu Hong smiled and nodded, then said loudly, "The soldiers at the front are fighting bravely to protect the borders of our Han Dynasty. They deserve to be rewarded. I wonder if any of you have any opinions?"
Grand Commandant Li Ying stepped forward and bowed to Liu Hong. "The soldiers fought valiantly and deserve rewards, but His Majesty has just bestowed the title of Marquis of Dingbian upon Duan Jiming. Perhaps... we should postpone it..."
"Your Majesty, the Grand Commandant is right!"
Before Li Ying could finish speaking, a Minister of the Imperial Secretariat stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty has already bestowed many favors upon the Marquis of Dingbian. If you were to add more rewards, it would inevitably make him arrogant. Therefore, I believe that it would be sufficient to reward him with more wealth.”
Li Ying immediately looked at the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat with some displeasure. "I haven't even finished speaking and you're already saying you're right? Do you know what I'm trying to say?"
"What does the General think?"
Liu Hong naturally recognized the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, as he was recommended by Dou Wu. So Liu Hong looked at Dou Wu and asked for his opinion.
Having been singled out by Liu Hong, Dou Wu had no choice but to speak up: "Your Majesty, I believe that Minister Li Xuan's words are reasonable."
"What do you all think?" Liu Hong then looked at the civil and military officials.
Yang Qiu stepped forward and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, since ancient times, only by clearly distinguishing between rewards and punishments can soldiers be motivated to fight to the death."
His Majesty's conferment of the title of Marquis of Dingbian is a reward for his past service in guarding the borders of the Han Dynasty.
Now that the Marquis of Dingbian has rendered new service, if we do not reward his new achievements because of past rewards, it would be difficult to win over the people and would also damage Your Majesty's prestige.
Yang Qiu's words were reasonable and well-founded, and for a moment no one dared to stand up and object.
"Yes, Yang Qing's words are very much in line with my thoughts."
Then Liu Hong looked at Dou Miao to the side: "What does Mother think?"
After all, with the Empress Dowager in power, any reward or honor bestowed upon a general of the border army would certainly require her approval.
"The emperor can make the decision himself."
Dou Miao smiled slightly, seemingly not intending to get involved in the matter.
Dou Wu, standing in front, paused for a moment. He had clearly expressed his opposition to bestowing honors upon Duan Jiong, and the Empress Dowager should have understood that. So why didn't she speak up for him?
Just as Dou Wu was puzzled, Liu Hong looked at the officials and said in a deep voice, "Minister Duan has rendered meritorious service in defeating the enemy and enhancing our national prestige. He is hereby awarded three million coins, two thousand bolts of silk, and his fiefdom as Marquis of Dingbian is increased..."
"Your Majesty... an urgent report from Fu Xie, the Prefect of Jincheng..."
Before Liu Hong could finish speaking, a member of the Imperial Guard rushed in.
"Quickly! Bring it here."
Liu Hong was alarmed. Fu Xie's appointment as the governor of Jincheng was an important part of his strategy to divide and gradually annex the Western Qiang. The sudden arrival of this urgent report made Liu Hong somewhat flustered.
Zhang Rang jogged over and took the urgent letter from the Imperial Guard.
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