bookbashuk Chapter 515
Chapter 515
Zhou Yuan had never expected the victory of this Eastern Expedition. He regarded the Portuguese cannon as his secret weapon. As long as he could lead Nurhaci to the range, he would win. That was why he burned the food and grass to force him to fight.
The fake surrender and bombardment were within the plan, but the subsequent guerrilla tactics were a temporary decision. He did not expect to achieve such a rich result.
In any case, the soldiers of the Five Army Camps will return. Shanhaiguan will still be guarded by the Jizhou Army and the Leiden Army. Zhou Yuan will not worry about the expansion of troops and the handover of work.
Because the people in Shenjing have been in panic for the past few months, the Jin Dynasty has suffered a series of defeats in the north and the south, the national prestige has been lost, and the dignity of the court has been damaged. Therefore, Zhou Yuan’s victory this time was not kept secret, but widely publicized.
The army had just set out, and the news that the Marquis of Zhongwu bombarded the enemy chief and annihilated 100,000 enemies had spread throughout Shenjing.
For a time, the legend of the Marquis of Zhongwu was everywhere, and countless people in teahouses and wine shops praised the Marquis of Zhongwu.
Zhou Yuan's prestige reached its peak. Some people put him on a par with Song Shan'ao and called him the pillar of the sky of the Jin Dynasty.
Zhao Jianjia and others also knew the news. After all, the Zhongwu Marquis's Mansion was blocked by the people, all of whom came to congratulate him.
But for the girls, the safe return of their husbands was the most important thing.
Shenjing City was bustling for ten days until the Five Army Camps finally returned to Beijing.
On this day, the empress went out in full dress and came to the East Gate with the civil and military officials. The altar had been built here, and the Desheng Gate had been built. The people's team stretched for more than ten miles just to welcome the hero's triumphant return.
Zhao Jianjia and others were also in the crowd, looking at the return of the king's army from afar.
"Excited?"
Li Yu'an said while eating fruit: "When the country was in danger, the former meritorious minister of the Jin Dynasty stepped forward and led the army. He not only defeated the enemy, but also killed the enemy chieftain, defended the country, and became a great meritorious minister."
"Countless people came to welcome you, and all the civil and military officials were waiting for you. Even the queen went out of the city in person to offer sacrifices to the heaven and ancestors, and waited for your return at the eastern gate."
"You, the contemporary Kong Ming, are about to see the most glorious scene in your life. Are you excited?"
Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "Very excited, but I don't think this is the most glorious scene in my life."
Li Yu'an wondered, "When can it be more glorious than this moment?"
Zhou Yuan said, "The moment I got you."
Li Yu'an was stunned.
Then she couldn't help laughing, clapping her hands and saying, "What a sweet love talk. I'm sure no woman can stand such a confession. Zhou Yuan, you are really good at deceiving women."
Zhou Yuan laughed and said, "Do you think this is deceiving?"
Li Yu'an shook her head and said, "I'm not so naive that I have to delve into whether such words are true. It's already very sweet to be able to say such words."
"Of course, for me, it's just sweet."
Zhou Yuan said, "Then I won't say it in the future."
Li Yu'an blinked and said softly, "Since it's sweet, why not say it? Of course I also like to hear these sweet love words."
"It's just that, my man, at this moment you don't belong to anyone, only to yourself."
"Get off the car and go to meet your glory."
Zhou Yuan got off the car obediently. He was already dressed and sat on the maroon horse.
In front, the city tower of Shenjing has come into view, and countless people around have begun to cheer.
They shouted, raised their hands high, or applauded, congratulating Zhou Yuan for his great achievements in various ways.
"The Fifth Army Camp is back!"
"Zhongwu Hou is back!"
"The Royal Army has returned triumphantly!"
Countless people shouted and reported, and the sound of gongs and drums rang out all around.
Flames were burning in the distance, and the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heaven had begun.
Empress Zhaojing suppressed her excitement and said in a deep voice: "My lords, follow me to welcome the Royal Army's triumphant return!"
She led the civil and military officials forward and finally stopped after walking a hundred steps.
Zhou Yuan got off his horse, half-knelt down, and said loudly: "Minister Zhou Yuan! I have fulfilled my mission and led the army to return triumphantly. Please review it, Your Majesty!"
There is no such sentence in the charter, but Empress Zhaojing undoubtedly likes this sentence, which highlights her important role and royal power.
"My dear, please stand up!"
She hurried forward, helped Zhou Yuan up, and said solemnly: "My dear, you are loyal and brave, wise and courageous. You bravely took on the responsibility in times of crisis, stepped forward, defeated the Eastern Tartar army, bombarded the Eastern Tartar enemy chieftain, and boosted the national prestige of our Great Jin. You are the first meritorious service."
"I ordered the Ministry of Works to repair Desheng Gate to welcome the royal army and reward the victorious army."
Zhou Yuan said loudly: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
These are just greetings. Next, there are sacrifices to heaven and ancestors.The process, the prepared document had to be read out, and Empress Zhaojing had to speak.
After a series of processes, it took a full hour to finally end.
Li He and others took the five military camps back to the camp, while Zhou Yuan followed Empress Zhaojing into the palace to report on his duties.
As for the morning court, it would probably be the day after tomorrow.
It was not until he arrived at Ziwei Palace that Zhou Yuan finally relaxed when he saw the sumptuous banquet.
He couldn't help but laugh, "After more than a month of simple meals, I can finally have a full meal today."
Empress Zhaojing couldn't hide her smile either. She whispered, "You've worked hard along the way, Junior Brother. Today, I won't handle government affairs. I'll have a drink with you."
She took Zhou Yuan's hand and sat down, excitedly saying, "You killed Nurhaci and killed more than 50,000 enemies. This is the first major victory of my Jin Dynasty against foreign enemies in many years. It is not only crucial, but also of far-reaching significance!"
"Turning the tide and supporting the building, Junior Brother, you are practicing your ideals and promises, and you are doing a good job."
Zhou Yuan couldn't help laughing, "Senior Sister, stop praising me. If you praise me again, I will be really proud. As a minister, you can't be proud, otherwise you will offend people and you will not be liked."
Empress Zhaojing raised her eyebrows and glared, "Who said you are not likable? Who dares not to like you? If anyone dares to say something inappropriate and sarcastic, I will kill him directly!"
Her face softened and she said softly, "Your elder sister is not a confused monarch who is obsessed with power politics and only likes servile and flattering ministers."
"Junior brother, you are doing the right things, which are truly beneficial to the Jin Dynasty and the people. This is the most important thing."
"The so-called lust, arrogance, domineering, greed for wine...all the bad habits are nothing in you."
"Who dares to make trouble for you because of these, elder sister will be the first to disagree."
"In this dynasty, there is no such thing as meritorious deeds surpassing the master!"
This last sentence is the core and key of this paragraph.
It must be said that this did make Zhou Yuan more relaxed, so he smiled and said, "Thank you for your understanding, senior sister. As a minister, I am lucky to meet such a wise monarch."
Empress Zhao Jing frowned, then smiled and said, "Don't always be a minister to the king. We are still senior sisters and brothers, and we will become relatives in the end."
She picked up the wine glass, her eyes shining, and said, "Come on, as a senior sister, I congratulate you in advance, little junior brother, you will become the youngest Duke of the Jin Dynasty."
"I have already discussed it with the cabinet, the third-class Duke of Weiguo, the governor of the Beijing Camp, and the supervisor of the Military Equipment Bureau."
Zhou Yuan was slightly stunned and asked in confusion, "Supervisor of the Military Equipment Bureau? What kind of official is this?"
Empress Zhao Jing said, "The six Portuguese cannons and a thousand flintlock muskets you made in the Jinling Military Equipment Bureau surprised me I was shocked. "
"Junior brother, I understand what you said to me. The world is changing. "
"So I separated the Military Equipment Bureau from the Ministry of Industry and made it a separate organization. I expanded the scale, supplemented the funds, set up a system, and assigned officials to research and produce artillery, guns and other weapons, so that my Great Jin could keep up with the trend of the master world and move forward in the mighty!"
"And you are the first chief after the reform of the Military Equipment Bureau."
At this point, she laughed and said softly: "Junior brother, firearms involve the safety of the country and the imperial power. I am not at ease to hand them over to others. I only trust you."
"And I believe you have the ability to make a good start and do all this well."
Zhou Yuan's heart was filled with huge waves.
It was not because of the trusting and testing words of the senior sister, but because... the woman in front of him actually had the awareness and determination to keep up with the trend of the world and take the initiative to change.
She is not only a qualified emperor with great political skills and deep scheming, but also a far-sighted strategist who stands at the forefront of the times and even surpasses the times.
It is incredible that a woman can do this.