That evening, Chen Huai'an held a grand victory banquet for the Xuanjia Army soldiers who had returned victorious from the western expedition at the Jinwang Palace in Longcheng.
Tens of thousands of soldiers gathered in the palace square, a sight that astonished the Tibetan envoy, Budegongjie, who had come to present his letter of surrender, and made him witness the unprecedented strength of Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin.
This reminded Budgonjee of the scene when Chen Qingzhi, the deputy marshal of the Longcheng army, led his large army to the gates of the Potala Palace.
At that time, everyone, including the Tibetan king Dama, was pessimistic and desperate, believing that Tibet would repeat the mistakes of the Turkic Khaganate and suffer the calamity of national destruction.
Unexpectedly, Chen Qingzhi, the deputy marshal of Longcheng, gave the Tubo Kingdom the opportunity to surrender to the King of Jin.
At first, Budegongjie naively believed that this action was due to the benevolence of the deputy commander Chen Qingzhi, which saved the Tubo Kingdom from destruction.
In retrospect, it was all because Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin gave the order that Deputy Commander Chen Qingzhi's Xuanjia Army halted its campaign in front of the Potala Palace.
And that is indeed the case.
Chen Qingzhi ordered the Xuanjia Army soldiers not to launch a direct attack on the Potala Palace because he received an order from Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin.
Otherwise, given Chen Qingzhi's ruthless and decisive personality, the Potala Palace would have already been stained with blood.
Could it be that they really think Chen Qingzhi is a soft-hearted, gentle general?
It was simply that Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, a time traveler, wanted to leave a sacred site for future generations to visit!
Let's get back to the main topic.
Inside the Taihe Hall of the Jin Prince's Palace, the former grand hall where civil and military officials of Longcheng, the fiefdom of the Jin Prince, once held meetings, has now become the reception room where Chen Huai'an hosts a grand banquet for the generals of the western expedition.
Those who were qualified to sit in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and drink celebratory wine were all generals who made outstanding contributions during the army's westward expedition against Tibet.
It is worth mentioning that Guo Dingfang, the former General of Anxi and General Zhenxi of the Great Xin Dynasty, and his deputy Zhang Yude were also in the Taihe Hall.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
Sitting on the dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, drinking and making merry with his generals, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin finally began to reward those who had contributed to the victory.
Chen Huai'an raised his wine cup and addressed the assembled generals in the hall, saying loudly, "Gentlemen, this cup of wine is to celebrate Vice Commander Chen's pacification of the Tibetan rebellion!"
"Drink this cup of wine, and I will reward you according to your merits!"
"Dry!"
"Dry!"
With Chen Huai'an taking the lead, all the generals in the Taihe Hall raised their wine cups and drank the wine in one gulp.
Then, with eager and excited eyes, he looked at His Highness Prince Jin on the dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Since the westward expedition, everyone has risked their lives in battle, all for this moment of rewarding merit and securing titles and honors for their wives and children.
Chen Huai'an took out the list of conferments that he had prepared beforehand and began to call out names one by one: "Vice General Zuo Liangcai!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Zuo Liangcai, the former garrison commander of Longcheng and commander of the Eighth Regiment of the Polu Army, was ranked first in the list of those who had made meritorious contributions and deserved this honor.
Whether it was the army rushing to the aid of Chang'an, or the recovery of Hexi and Longyou prefectures, or even the later army's expedition to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, reaching the foot of the Potala Palace;
In this series of operations, Zuo Liangcai, as the deputy general, always led his troops at the forefront, charging into battle against the enemy.
Therefore, Zuo Liangcai's name was also listed first in the reward system.
Chen Huai'an said sternly, "Since the Longcheng Army's westward expedition against Tibet, Deputy General Zuo Liangcai has led his troops to repeatedly achieve great feats. According to the Longcheng Army's reward system..."
"Deputy General Zuo Liangcai is hereby promoted to General of the Western Route Army of Longcheng and concurrently the Garrison Commander of Chang'an City, effective immediately. He shall lead his troops to garrison Chang'an City. This order shall take effect immediately!"
"This humble general thanks Your Highness Prince Jin for your great kindness!"
Unable to contain his excitement, Zuo Liangcai knelt down with tears in his eyes to accept the order and salute: "This humble general, Zuo Liangcai, will certainly not fail in his mission, and will be stationed in Chang'an to guard this region for His Highness Prince Jin!"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded and said, "Zuo Liangcai, you may leave and go drink!"
"Former Deputy General Ma Sandao!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
......
Based on the pre-prepared list, Chen Huai'an systematically bestowed titles and rewards upon the generals of the Longcheng Western Expeditionary Army who had distinguished themselves in battle.
Inside the vast Hall of Supreme Harmony, laughter and cheers filled the air as every general on the western expedition received a reward commensurate with his military achievements.
Of course, while some are happy, others are sad.
Meanwhile, Guo Dingfang, the former General of Anxi and General Zhenxi, and his deputy Zhang Yude, were overjoyed as their fellow generals at the table were receiving their rewards.
But he could only drink alone, forcing a smile.
This is because these two men not only failed to achieve any military merits during this western expedition, but also committed a series of mistakes.
Leaving aside the responsibility for losing Hexi and Longyou prefectures, Guo Dingfang, who accompanied the army on the expedition, also repeatedly raised objections when the army marched into the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Although the opinions he put forward were valuable experiences gained from the past battles between the Anxi border army and the Tibetan army, at the cost of the lives of countless border soldiers.
However, those outdated and rigid theories seem completely irrelevant to the situation of the Dragon City Black Armor Army.
For example, the problems that Guo Dingfang mentioned regarding high-altitude warfare, such as soldiers suffering from acclimatization issues and reduced combat effectiveness, simply did not exist in the Xuanjia Army.
Guo Dingfang had no idea that these Xuanjia soldiers were the private army of Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, and were super elite soldiers summoned by the [Born to be an Emperor] system;
Whether in terms of physical fitness or fighting willpower, they were unmatched by the Anxi Border Army under Guo Dingfang.
Therefore, strictly speaking, Guo Dingfang was not defeated by his past experience, but by the cheating private army of the system.
Thinking about it that way, it's not so shameful.
"General Guo Dingfang, the Great General Who Guards the West!"
"Your humble servant is here!"
Guo Dingfang was lost in thought when a thunderous voice suddenly rang in his ears, startling him so much that he reflexively stood up and answered, spilling a lot of wine from his cup.
Guo Dingfang came to his senses and looked at Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, who was sitting on the dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, with a hint of shame in his eyes.
Chen Huai'an laughed and said, "Guo Dingfang, do you feel a bit resentful seeing your fellow soldiers and subordinates at the same table receiving the rewards they deserve?"
Guo Dingfang stiffened his neck and replied defiantly, "Yes, Your Highness, this humble general dares not!"
"Bullshit!"
Chen Huai'an didn't hold back and directly exposed Guo Dingfang's lie, saying, "For a dignified General of Anxi and the Great General of Zhenxi to say that he doesn't feel jealous when he sees his subordinates being rewarded is utter nonsense!"
"but--"
Chen Huai'an changed the subject and continued, "Since its formation, the Dragon City Army has had a strict system of rewards and punishments, with clear distinctions between the two."
"As the General Commander of Anxi, Guo Dingfang, before the Longcheng army's westward expedition, you were blocked by the Tibetans all the way, and ultimately suffered heavy losses and fled to Chang'an City, causing tens of thousands of casualties among the Anxi border troops. This is your dereliction of duty!"
"I hereby formally announce that Guo Dingfang is stripped of his post as General of Anxi, but retains his position as General of Zhenxi."
"From this moment forward, all those who are to be incorporated into the Dragon City Southern Expeditionary Army under my command will march with me to Jinan Prefecture and strike directly at Nanjing City!"
"Guo Dingfang, are you willing to atone for your mistakes and accompany me on the southern expedition?"
"willing!!!"
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