Zhao Lin said, "Master Pi, there's no need to be so rude. The soldiers fought with their lives, so how can we let them down? Go ahead and distribute the rewards first."
As soon as Pi Pengxing went out and said this, cheers were heard outside.
Pi Pengxing took the opportunity to say, "General Zhao is so kind and righteous. We must not let him down. We must fight even more bravely in the future to repay the general's kindness."
"Fight bravely to repay the kindness!"
"Fight bravely to repay the kindness!"
Continuous roars resounded over the military camp.
Pi Pengxing nodded with satisfaction.
Zhao Lin can command the army on horseback and govern the people on foot. The people live and work in peace and contentment, and the soldiers are rewarded for their merits. Who could be better than him?
As for why he had never seen those Qingzhou troops who suddenly appeared, Pi Pengxing wisely chose to ignore them.
Who cares? As long as he can protect his home and the people, he is the best son of the people of Qingzhou.
He is also the best disciple in the world.
Listening to the cheers outside, Zhao Lin smiled slightly.
These people are actually very simple.
As long as you can keep them alive and well, they will trust you, obey you, and fight with you.
It's that simple.
But some people just don't let them live.
Then don't blame them for rebelling.
If Zhao Lin hadn't come, these young people who worked so hard to kill thieves last night would also be thieves tomorrow.
"Let's take this great victory in suppressing the bandits as a New Year's gift to Your Majesty."
Zhao Lin's victory report was sent to the capital through two channels.
One is to send it to the cabinet through the post station in an open and aboveboard manner, and then pass it on to Cheng** through the cabinet.
The other is Zhao Lin’s unique right to make secret reports that can reach the ears of the emperor.
Of course, a letter should also be sent to Li Xingye, Fu Chengwang and Zhu Zhongyan.
The letter to Li Xingye read: "Although I have successfully wiped out the three largest rebel groups in Qingzhou, I don't feel any sense of accomplishment, but rather frustration. These rebels were originally honest people who used to diligently pay taxes. It is they who shoulder the thirteen provinces of Daqi. I really don't want to use weapons against them. Dear teacher, what should I do?"
The letter to Fu Chengwang read: "The rebels in Qingzhou are gone, but there are still some in other provinces. There are rebels almost everywhere in the world. Even if I, Zhao Lin, have three heads and six arms, how can I destroy them all? It is better to eliminate the source of the rebellion. But everyone knows that the root cause of the rebellion is that the people cannot survive. To ensure the survival of the people, the court only needs to collect less taxes. But are the elders and important officials of the court willing to do so? My father-in-law, what should I do?"
The letter to Zhu Zhongyan was simple: "This great victory was achieved with your support and guidance. Lin dares not take credit for it and has already sent part of the harvest to the capital. Please accept it. If Your Majesty insists on rewarding Lin, please stop him. Your Majesty is so kind that Lin is only 17 years old and has already become a prefect and a Xuanwu general. This is already enviable. It would be difficult for Your Majesty to reward him further. It would be better for Your Majesty to grant marriages and betroth Fu's daughter Li Qing and Yun's daughter Zhi Yi to Lin. It would be even better if you could also give Zhi Yi's father Ping Fan the grievances he had suffered."
The three letters are different and have different effects.
Li Xingye slammed his hand on the table and began to praise loudly, "Zhao Lin is truly extraordinary. He has wiped out all the rebels in Qingzhou in one fell swoop. From now on, the people of Qingzhou will have nothing to worry about."
Then he sighed, "At such a young age, it's rare to be so compassionate."
Master Zou Yu asked, "What achievements has Lord Zhao made?"
Li Xingye threw the letter to Zou Yu and said, "Take a look."
Zou Yu read it over, his mind filled with complex emotions. He said, "Your Excellency has a keen eye for talent. Even when no one else was optimistic about Zhao Lin, you gave him your full support. It really paid off. Zhao Lin is so resourceful, it's truly rare."
"Yes, Zhao Lin can be said to be able to command the army on horseback and govern the people on foot. He is a man of both civil and military talents."
Li Xingye was generous in his praise for Zhao Lin.
Zou Yu followed up on Li Xingye's words and said, "What's particularly commendable is that Zhao Lin actually has a compassionate heart. He doesn't take pride in his military achievements, but instead sympathizes with those who were once good people but are now called rebels. This is truly rare."
Li Xingye said excitedly, "You're right. If we only talk about his achievements, we can only praise him as a rare good official and famous general. But he actually understands the difficulties of the common people and knows their importance, which is even more rare. Looking at the entire court, civil and military officials, how many are willing to lower their heads to look at the common people? They or their ancestors were once such common people, but now that they are in high positions, they have forgotten their roots. It's truly a pity and a shame."
Zou Yu said, "Master Zhao has made such remarkable achievements in both civil and military affairs. Your Excellency should take this opportunity to reward him and appoint him to a higher position so that he can do more."
"No, I can't."
Li Xingye immediately rejected the idea: "He's so young, yet he's already a prefect and a General Xuanwu. This is already quite enviable. If we ask for another reward, there's no guarantee that some people will be dissatisfied with him. We need to find a different reward that's both worthy of his contributions and doesn't make people jealous."
Zou Yu asked, "What would you like to ask for as a reward, sir?"
Li Xingye said, "Let me think about it."
…
Fu Mansion.
Fu Chengwang read the letter carefully several times and his expression changed.
There is happiness, relief, and sorrow, and it all eventually turns into a sigh.
"Why is Father sighing?"
The speaker was Fu Chengwang's eldest son, Fu Wenqi.
Fu Wenqi is 33 years old now. He serves as the Inspector Censor and the Inspector of Salt. Although his official position is not high, he has great power and is deeply trusted by the emperor.
At this time, he had been on patrol for more than two years and had just returned to have dinner with his father.
Before the meal was over, I saw all kinds of expressions on my old father's face after he read a letter. I was very curious.
Fu Chengwang asked, "Do you know about Qing'er?"
Fu Wenqi said, "I've heard about it occasionally, but I don't believe Qing'er could do such a thing. I was just about to ask my father."
"No need to ask, she ran away with someone else." Fu Chengwang said.
Fu Wenqi was shocked: "She actually did such a thing? Who is that person?"
"The youngest number one scholar in the world, the youngest prefect, and the youngest general of Xuanwu - Zhao Lin." Fu Chengwang said.
Fu Wenqi's eyes widened. "Father actually still has the energy to joke with me. It seems he's very pleased with Zhao Lin."
“I wasn’t satisfied before, but after visiting Qingzhou I was barely satisfied, and now I’m very satisfied.”
Fu Chengwang handed the letter to Fu Wenqi and said, "This is a letter from Zhao Lin. Take a look."
Fu Wenqi quickly read through it and exclaimed, "He actually has such vision and ambition? Rare! Really rare!"
"Yeah, who would have thought that these words were spoken by a mere seventeen-year-old boy? Wen Qi, what were you doing when you were this age?" Fu Chengwang asked.
Fu Wenqi thought for a moment and said, "My son is still studying at Chongwenguan, preparing for the exam."
"This is the gap." Fu Chengwang sighed.
Fu Wenqi said, "Zhao Lin has made such great contributions, he's afraid that others will be jealous and treat him badly."
Fu Chengwang snorted coldly: "Who dares to lay a hand on my son-in-law?"
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