Chapter 898: Promoted to Commander
Capital city, imperial palace.
In the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, the emperor was discussing with Yang Chenghua, Wu Jingyi and others the recent battle between the Yuezhou navy and the Japanese pirates. At this moment, Xiao Yeyang's memorial was delivered.
The emperor read the memorial in front of his court officials. When he learned that Xiao Yeyang had taken back Danhe, he stood up happily and said "good" three times in a row.
When Yang Chenghua, Wu Jingyi and others saw this, they were puzzled. What had happened to make the emperor so happy?
The emperor saw the curiosity on the faces of Yang Chenghua and the others, so he sat back on the dragon throne and said with a smile, "Yeyang has taken back the Dan River from the Western Liao people."
Upon hearing this, several loyal officials present in the court were shocked.
Wu Jingyi was the first to react, and he quickly complimented, "Your Majesty is wise, sending a commander as talented as Prince Xiao to Xiliang. Less than a year later, the Dan River, which had been seized by the Western Liao, has been reclaimed. This is truly cause for celebration."
Yang Chenghua and others echoed the sentiment, some saying that the emperor was wise, and some saying that the emperor had a keen eye for talent.
Although the emperor knew that these old foxes were flattering him, he was indeed very happy.
Ye Yang took the blame for him and was demoted to Xiliang. He always felt guilty about it. But now, he has made a great contribution by taking back Danhe, and he can legitimately compensate him.
"Ye Yang said in his memorial that next year he would build the largest military horse farm in Da Xia in Ganzhouwei to meet the imperial court's horse needs."
Yang Chenghua immediately said, "Your Majesty, this is a very good move by Prince Xiao. Every year, the imperial court spends a huge amount of money to purchase fine horses from the northern barbarians. If Prince Xiao can truly establish our own military horse farm, we can save this money. This will benefit both the country and the people."
The emperor nodded and said, "I think so too. Tell me, Ye Yang has taken back the Dan River and built a horse farm. How should I reward him?"
Wu Jingyi glanced at Yang Chenghua, then stepped forward and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, Prince Xiao was previously a third-rank Jinling Guard commander. Now that he has made contributions, he deserves a promotion and reward. Coincidentally, the position of Ganzhou Guard commander has been vacant, so why not promote Prince Xiao to commander?"
The Emperor hummed, then continued, "Yeyang's memorial also mentioned that the Western Liang border troops were passive in their defense, allowing the Western Liao people to boldly cross the border and massacre the city. What are your thoughts on this?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Chenghua and others looked solemn.
They knew that life was difficult in Xiliang, but they didn't expect it to be so serious that a city massacre would be necessary.
The emperor asked Eunuch An to bring a map and pointed at Ganzhouwei and said, "After Yeyang went to Ganzhouwei, he built three important military towns along the border between Ganzhouwei and Xiliang."
Wu Jingyi looked at the map and nodded. "This is a good idea. With three important military towns, we can reduce the pressure on border patrols and effectively snipe at Western Liao people crossing the border. If there is a war, we can provide timely support to each other."
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, other garrisons bordering Xiliang can act in the same way."
Yang Chenghua agreed, but added, "Building a strong military town is certainly a good idea, but it would be very expensive. Furthermore, once a town is established, the number of soldiers stationed there would likely increase, and the military pay would certainly increase the burden on the court."
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Wife Yeyang has brought a kind of grain called corn from the south. I heard it is suitable for cultivation in Xiliang and has a good yield. As long as it is promoted, the border troops and the guards can be self-sufficient in food and wages."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of Yang Chenghua and others changed.
Princess Xiao is really a lucky charm for her husband!
If the problem of food and clothing for the people of Xiliang could really be solved, Xiao Yeyang would definitely be able to gain a foothold in Xiliang even if he was ostracized by local officials and aristocrats.
I originally thought that when Xiao Yeyang went to Xiliang, he would at least struggle to move forward, if not to the point of having difficulty moving forward. I didn't expect that he would achieve great success in less than a year.
The emperor continued, "Border defense must not be neglected. I think the idea of ​​establishing a strong military town is feasible."
Yang Chenghua and the others knew that the emperor had made up his mind and did not say anything against it: "The emperor is wise."
At the morning court the next day, the emperor told Xiao Yeyang about his plan to take back the Dan River and build the Great Xia Military Horse Farm, and then announced that Xiao Yeyang would be promoted to the commander of Ganzhou Guard.
The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict rode out of the capital on horseback that same day. In addition to the imperial edict of appointment, there was also a military order for Xiao Yeyang to prepare to build a strong military town.
After the court session, all the officials congratulated Prince Ping, and even Yan Zhigao was surrounded by many officials to congratulate him.
Fang Mansion.
After Fang Shuo, who had secured a sinecure position of seventh rank in the Guanglu Temple, returned home from his job, he did not go to see his concubine Jie Yuhua for the first time in his life, but went directly to Yan Yile's yard.
Seeing Fang Shuo coming over, Yan Yile was stunned for a moment, then she stood up and greeted him, "Why are you here, my husband?"
A trace of awkwardness crossed Fang Shuo's face, but he quickly walked over calmly, took Yan Yile's hand, and sat down together. He smiled and said, "I was really busy the past few days, so I didn't come to see you. What, are you angry about this?"
Yan Yile snorted: "Yes, you are too busy, busy being affectionate with your Jieyuhua every day."
Hearing this, Fang Shuo felt a little annoyed.
If other ladies saw their husbands coming over to ease the situation, they would definitely go down the ladder immediately. But Yan Yile was different. She just had to bring up things that were not appropriate to her. She really had no sense at all.
Fang Shuo took a deep breath and thought of Xiao Yeyang, who was demoted to Xiliang but was promoted to the third-rank commander in just one year. Considering that he might still have to rely on the Yan family in the future, he could only smile and coax Yan Yile.
Fang Shuo was able to be humble and coax Yan Yile into smiling.
For the next few days, Fang Shuo stayed with Yan Yile to rest.
It was not until the day before his leave that Fang Shuo mentioned Xiao Yeyang's matter: "Brother-in-law has been promoted. We should go to the Yan family and congratulate our uncle and aunt."
"Besides, we haven't gotten together with my second brother and his wife for a long time. I have a day off tomorrow, so I'll go back to the Yan family with you."
The smile on Yan Yile's face suddenly froze, and she looked up at Fang Shuo who was looking at her with a smile.
She hadn't seen such a gentle smile in a long time.
Just looking at such a smile, she suddenly felt a little cold.
To recapture Danhe, Xiao Yeyang waited until the city wall was initially built before returning to Ganzhou City.
At this time, it was already December.
It just so happened that the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict arrived the day after Xiao Yeyang returned to the city.
Guard Command Headquarters.
Under the watchful eyes of all the officials of the garrison, Xiao Yeyang received the imperial edict promoting him to commander.
On the day he received the imperial edict, Xiao Yeyang sent people to deliver a message to all the officials of the thousand-household and hundred-household units under the jurisdiction of the garrison, asking them to report to Ganzhou City in three days.
Xia Jianren curled his lips and said, "This is the first three fires a new official has to start!"
Fan Tong retorted, "How can he be a new official? Didn't Lord Xiao take over the Ganzhou Guard as soon as he arrived?"
Xia Jianren snorted, "Before, everyone was concerned about his status as a prince's son and didn't bother with him. Now that the emperor has issued an imperial decree, he can finally take over the Ganzhou Guard with full justification."
Fan Tong shook his head. "Alright, I think Lord Xiao is great. He brought us high-yield grain and reclaimed the Dan River. I respect him as the commander. Stop your sour words."
Watching Fan Tong leave, Xia Jianren frowned. He wondered if Lord Wei knew about this. Forget it, it would be better to write a letter to Lord Wei to explain.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the largest meeting room of the garrison, Xiao Yeyang sat in the main seat, looking at the officials sitting below. Without saying any opening words, he directly ordered people to tie up Xia Jianren.
(End of this chapter)
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