The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 283
The palace lamps in the Qianqing Palace were dim, filled with a dignified and depressing atmosphere. The dark red lights were steady and low, swaying slowly in the lampshades.

Chongzhen sat behind the imperial case, frowning slightly, looking at the documents in his hands, and after pondering for a long time, he spoke.

"This great victory at Qingshan Pass, attacking the mountain with one's back, and beheading as many as a thousand people, is actually the greatest victory since Liao Zuo used his troops."

"Chen Wang was the first to contribute to the victory at Qingshan Pass, and also contributed to the four victories at Zhending, Jiazhuang, Jinan, and Wuqing. He was promoted to the commander-in-chief of Hanzhong Town, under the command of the governor, and was awarded the title of General of Hussars. Isn’t it a little low?”

Chongzhen frowned and thought for a long time, but still felt that such a reward was really inappropriate. Then Brick asked Yang Sichang, who was sitting next to him.

Chen Wang was originally the deputy commander-in-chief. This time he made such a great contribution, but he was only promoted to commander-in-chief and remained in Hanzhong Town.

Hanzhong Town was originally just because rogue bandits were roaming around at that time, and many of them fled to Hanzhong Prefecture.

Hanzhong Mansion was where his uncle, King Zhu Changhaorui, served as a vassal. King Rui's words were extremely sad at the time, and the original defense force of Hanzhong Mansion was indeed not enough to maintain the stability of Hanzhong Mansion, so he added Hanzhong Mansion. town.

The scale of Hanzhong Town is not large, because the newly built camp town has only a few thousand troops and only one guerrilla.

Later, as the war continued to expand, it gradually began to expand, but now it is still considered a small town with limited resources.

Chen Wang made great achievements, but he was only promoted to the commander-in-chief of such a small town. To be honest, Chongzhen felt that the reward was too light.

As for those who are promoted to the rank of Commander-in-Chief, it is the custom for them to be promoted to the rank of Commander-in-Chief. Generally speaking, the Commander-in-Chief of each town must be in the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army and hold the position of Commander-in-Chief. Strictly speaking, it is not a reward.

The power of the Governor's office of the Fifth Army has declined, and the steps of appointing officials from the Dusiwei Station and submitting them to the Governor's Palace of the Five Armies have been omitted, and they have no right to participate in and discuss government affairs.

The official positions in the Governor's Mansion are all in the nature of post-remuneration officers, and there is no need to actually serve in the Governor's Mansion.

The only person who can be said to be rewarded is the Cavalry General, a second-level casual rank.

"Reporting to your Majesty, after summarizing the merits of this series of battles, Chen Wang is indeed the leader in battle merits and should be heavily rewarded."

When Chongzhen asked such a question, Yang Sichang was not surprised. The Ministry of War had discussed this reward for many days, and he had also reviewed it for many days. It was already the most appropriate reward.

"In the battle of Qiutou Town in June of the eighth year, Chen Wang was first promoted to Chief Hundred Officer due to his military exploits, and he was promoted to General Officer and Chief Thousand Officer after accumulating merit."

"In the Chunhua War in August of the eighth year, he accumulated merit and was promoted to guerrilla. He was ordered to pursue the remnants of the rogue bandits. He defeated the rogue bandits in Pingliang and Gongchang."

"In the ninth year, he killed the black tigers in the Hanzhong battle formation, and was promoted to the Hanzhong military commander when he solved the siege of Hanzhong. In the tenth year, he killed Gao Yingxiang in the Heishuiyu formation and defeated the rogue bandits. He was promoted to the deputy commander-in-chief of Hanzhong Town and joined the Hanzhong Guards to command the same troops. Know."

"In a few years, I jumped several levels in a row. Although I was promoted through accumulation of merit, it was too fast after all. Such a speed of promotion has attracted the attention of others."

Among all the rewards, only Chen Wang's reward is the most difficult. Chen Wang's current reward is also the result of weighing many factors.

"Chen Wang is still young. He is only ninety-nine years old now. He has not even reached the age of thirty. It is the time to be brave and good at fighting."

Yang Sichang paused for a while, and the last words he added eliminated a lot of the hesitation in Chongzhen's heart.

The meaning of Yang Sichang's words is obvious. Chen Wang's promotion speed is too fast, which is disadvantageous.

The wood is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it; if the walking is higher than the human, the people will not.

The most important thing is that if the official position awarded this time is too high.

What if Chen Wang makes meritorious deeds again in the future?

Give rewards with the same specifications again?
In just a few battles, Chen Wang would reach a point where he would have no seals and no rewards.

With Chen Wang's martial prowess, this was almost a certainty.

Therefore, for the current plan, it is not appropriate to give too generous rewards based on official positions and titles.

Chongzhen looked hesitant. He felt that what Yang Sichang said was indeed reasonable, but he also felt that Chen Wang had made such a great contribution this time and his soldiers had suffered heavy casualties due to King Qin's incident. He was worried that the reward was too low, which might make Chen Wang dissatisfied and create a rift.

Yang Sichang observed what Chongzhen said and saw what Chongzhen was worried about from his expression, and smiled.

"If Mr. Chen knew that the emperor loved me so much, he would definitely feel grateful."

"I think that if the emperor is worried that the reward is too small, maybe he can start with Sanjie and other rewards."

"The Military Selection Department of the Disciplined War Department has previously agreed to grant the title of General of Hussars as a rule. With such great military exploits, Chief Chen's promotion to General Jinwu is not unreasonable."

In the Ming Dynasty, civil and military officials could be awarded casual ranks according to their corresponding grades. The casual rank of military attachés was similar to the military ranks of later generations. At the same time, the casual rank also had a salary, which was also an honor.

There are thirty levels of military attaches in total, and each level is divided into initial award, promotion award and additional award, which are awarded respectively by the Ceremony Certification Department of the Ministry of Personnel and the Martial Arts Selection Department of the Ministry of War.

Chen Wang now belongs to the post of Commander-in-Chief. The post of Commander-in-Chief in the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion is the second rank. According to the law, he is initially awarded the title of Hussar General, promoted to General Jinwu, and further awarded to General Longhu.

At the beginning, they are all first-time conferees. They take the first exam in three years and then take the exam in six years. If the assessment is normal, they will not be promoted or awarded casual officials. Only those who have excellent political performance or military exploits will be promoted or awarded.

However, apart from this general process, there is another one called "Special Advance".

Those who have outstanding merits and are specially appointed by the emperor to be promoted to a title are called "Special Advancement", and Special Advancement is naturally an honor among honours.

"Then let's make Chen Wang the general of Jinwu."

After Chongzhen pondered for a moment, he made a decision in his heart.

"In addition to the casual rank, his mother Chen was granted the title of second-grade concubine. At the same time, his father Chen Ping was given the posthumous title of Hussar General, and he was allowed to have one son to guard hundreds of households."

"I remember that Chen Wang is not married yet, right?"

"Your Majesty remembers it well. Chen Wang was originally a servant of General Cao. He followed General Cao to fight abroad all year round, so he never married."

Yang Sichang knew everything about Chen Wang.

Changes occur frequently in the south. Through the constant exchange of information, Yang Sichang has long known that the current chaos in the south has reached an uncontrollable point.

Yang Sichang had already made up his mind to quell the rogue rebellion in the south. He wanted to put an end to it himself and asked him to go south to supervise the division.

Nowadays, there are fierce discussions in the court, and there are many people who criticize him verbally and writing. Although the Holy Family is still there, it is not appropriate to confront the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty tit for tat.

Once the cover of the South is lifted, Xiong Wencan is the person he recommended after all. He will inevitably be involved in the failure of the recruitment, and the emperor's view of him will inevitably change.

Since seizing the situation, he has been serving as Minister of the Ministry of War.

In June of 11, he joined the cabinet as a bachelor at the same time as Cheng Guoxiang, Fang Fengnian, Cai Guoshi, and Fan Fucui, and still managed the affairs of the Ministry of War.

No matter what happened this time, he had to bear certain responsibilities.

Although there was a great victory at Qingshan Pass, the Jian slaves entered the pass and plundered many places and poisoned thousands of miles, leaving Beizhili in a state of ruin. He still had to bear this responsibility.

Xiong Wencan could no longer resolve the turmoil in the south, and Yang Sichang could not find anyone who could replace Xiong Wencan.

And because of Xiong Wencan's incident, Yang Sichang no longer felt confident sending people to take charge of counterinsurgency in the south.

Now that the border troubles are temporarily suspended, it is the best time to retreat in order to advance and temporarily leave the chaotic place of the capital.

Go south to supervise the division and resolve the rogue rebellion in the south before returning to the capital.

When the civil strife is eliminated, his weight in the emperor's heart will reach its highest level.If the problem of slavery is solved again, not only will his name go down in history, I'm afraid that future generations will compare him with Zhang Juzheng!
Precisely because he had already made plans, as early as the beginning, Yang Sichang had already begun to formulate the regulations for going south to fight the rebellion and select the generals who would go south to fight the rebellion.

Chen Wang had already been included in Yang Sichang's list of those heading south, and Yang Sichang naturally knew Chen Wang very well.

He had read all Chen Wang's experiences since joining the army, and even Yang Sichang, the Chen and Hu clans in Liaodong, knew something about it.

Now that Chongzhen asked questions about Chen Wang, Yang Sichang naturally answered fluently.

"Then wait until Chen Wang marries a wife, and then grant her the title of second-grade wife."

Yang Sichang bowed his head and said harmoniously.

"General Chen is loyal to the country and understands the general situation. The emperor specially promoted him as General Jinwu this time, and also granted him a title and allowed him to be his shadow. He will definitely understand the emperor's protective and protective heart."

It is the dream of countless military ministers to be granted the title of marquis by generals and the title of wife and son.

In the Ming Dynasty, it was already an extremely honorable thing for an official's wife to be granted the title of imperial wife, not to mention giving it to her parents as a posthumous gift.

Such a reward can no longer be regarded as a small reward.

"Let the reward be decided in this way."

Chongzhen clicked on the document placed on the imperial case, and then moved it to the right.

Wang Dehua, who was standing on the right, immediately understood and stepped forward to take away the document.

The following matters were handled by the Supervisor of Ceremonies. After discussing the final regulations with the Cabinet, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Personnel, it was time to draw up the edict.

"Emperor Shengming."

After the reward was finalized, Yang Sichang felt much more relaxed.

However, Chongzhen did not end the conversation, but continued.

"I have one more thing that I have some doubts about."

"Your Majesty, please ask me. I will tell you everything I know."

After hearing Chongzhen's question, Yang Sichang immediately sat upright again and listened attentively.

"I just heard you say that for ten years, Chen Wang was appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief of Hanzhong Town, and also as the commander-in-chief and commander-in-chief of Hanzhong Guard. I remember that Chen Wang, the commander-in-chief and commander-in-chief of Hanzhong Guard, seemed to be the actual professor. This seems a bit irregular."

As a battalion commander in charge of a town, generally speaking, the military position of the Guards is acting, but Chen Wang is the actual teaching, and he is still in the same place.

When Sun Chuanting first reported the matter, Chongzhen felt a little strange. However, when Sun Chuanting left the capital, he asked him for a certain degree of autonomy in order to solve the problem in Shaanxi.

Therefore, Chongzhen did not refuse Sun Chuanting's request at that time.

"I also know about this. It was an extraordinary time and I did something extraordinary."

Yang Sichang pondered for a moment and replied.

"Your Majesty should still remember that Chen Wangchu was famous for his ability in military training."

"I remember."

Chongzhen nodded. He still kept the memorial that Hong Chengchou handed over.

Hong Chengchou spoke highly of Chen Wang, saying that he led the troops to march and fight in formation, just like the Zhejiang soldiers in the past, and they achieved their true meaning.

It was from that time that he began to pay attention to Chen Wang.

When the world is in trouble, I think of loyal ministers, and when the country is in danger, I think of good generals.

If there was a good general in the court who was as good as Qi Jiguang, the Southern invaders and Northern invaders would not have grown so big.

But now it seems that Chen Wang is brave and good at fighting, and he seems to have a lot of Qi Jiguang's shadow in him.

In the battle of Heishui Valley, if Chen Wang hadn't noticed it in time and followed it, the outcome would have been unpredictable, and Gao Yingxiang might have been able to escape.

This time, Chen Wang also contributed a lot to the establishment of slaves and became the leader of the towns.

Maybe Chen Wang is really the Qinantang given to him by God!

"At that time, Gao Yingxiang was executed, but there were still hundreds of thousands of rogue bandits gathered in the north of Huguang and around Hanzhong Prefecture, and there were still many crises."

Yang Sichang pondered for a moment, seeming to be thinking about something, and then explained.

"Chen Wang was guarding Hanzhong Mansion at that time, but his troops only numbered seven or eight thousand. If the rogues attacked in large numbers, it would be difficult to block them."

"It happened that Lord Sun was reorganizing the guard station. Lord Sun heard that Chen Wang was good at training troops, so he requested that Chen Wang be given the same position as the commander of the Hanzhong Guard, specializing in training troops to prepare for rogue bandits."

Chongzhen nodded slightly, and he recalled it. He remembered that since Chen Wang guarded Hanzhong Mansion, the rogue bandits had indeed not threatened the hinterland of Hanzhong Mansion for a long time.

Subsequent Tang newspapers also mentioned the news that the Guardsmen had made a success in the garrison.

King Rui even sent people to express his gratitude several times, saying that he had never felt so at ease in many years, and even sent a lot of things as gifts.

Although Sun Chuanting's arrangement was somewhat unruly, as Yang Sichang said before, extraordinary things should be done in extraordinary times.

The situation in Hanzhong Mansion was indeed critical at that time, and Sun Chuanting's arrangement was very reasonable.

Although Sun Chuanting's arrangement was reasonable, Chongzhen still felt like there was a thorn in his throat, which was quite uncomfortable.

When Sun Chuanting was the governor of Shaanxi, he did many irregular things. There were many memorials to impeach Sun Chuanting, and they were all suppressed by Chongzhen.

Although the victory at Qingshan Pass was successful, Sun Chuanting had used Shangfang Sword without permission to kill Chen Guowei, the commander-in-chief, before the court could convict him. This incident was something that Chongzhen could not forget, and he still had a grudge after all.

Chongzhen calmed down his floating mood and no longer thought about Sun Chuanting's affairs. Now he needed to deal with the affairs in the south first.

"How long will it take for the rogue rebellion in the south to subside?"

Although most of the rogue bandits in the south have surrendered, there are still small groups of bandits running around.

Yang Sichang's heart sank slightly. Although there were some things he didn't want to face, he still needed to face them after all, so he answered immediately.

"Jiannu invaded the bandits, and soldiers from all over the country went north to serve the king. As a result, the rogue bandits got a breather, and their momentum revived a lot and became stronger again. I dare not say anything about the time limit for their quelling."

"However, I do have an idea in mind on how to resolve the rogue rebellion in the south."

Chongzhen's brows relaxed a little. Yang Sichang did not say the time limit conclusively, but he trusted Yang Sichang a lot more.

"Then follow your advice."

(End of this chapter)