Chapter 747: Is the Magistrate of Wanzhou Male or Female? (II)
Chapter 747: Is the Magistrate of Wanzhou Male or Female? (II)
After rewarding the top three officials who had made the greatest contributions, next up were the rewards given to those in the excellent category among the marquis and officials in the alliance army.
One shouldn’t belittle the alliance army, as there were men of great capabilities among the low-ranked.
Huang Song’s and An Cui’s performances were outstanding.
To Cheng Jing, Feng Jue, and the rest, who devised strategies, Huang Song’s performance had its strengths and weaknesses. Especially when others were slacking, the contrast between them was evident. The other person was An Cui. In comparison to Huang Song’s schemes and strategies, An Cui relied on military achievements and hard work.
Jiang Pengji had given him 10% of her manpower. The military service at Jiamen Gate had caused a loss of one-third of her men. It was considered the biggest loss among all the marquis. In other words, she had suffered a huge setback with regard to manpower. Under such circumstances, An Cui was not looked down upon by others. Instead, he was well-regarded by higher authorities.
Why?
Because his sworn brothers who had followed him out of the Red Lotus group were so exceptional, they had outdone one another in fighting the war bravely. They were unparalleled in their fighting abilities on the battlegrounds and were past caring about their lives. Thanks to the blessings brought about by his brothers, An Cui’s position in the alliance army was one of a mighty, unapproachable figure who fought valiantly on the frontiers.
Unfortunately, a forerunner like him was insignificant to the imperial court.
As one whose force stood out among the others’ in the alliance army, An Cui’s network and influence in the imperial court were too weak. His contributions were secretly slashed by close to half. As for Huang Song? His grandfather, Secretary Huang, would protect his interests. With the elder in charge, his hard work was recognized.
Even if one was zealous beyond measure, because An Cui was a noble scholar from Nansheng country, he was well aware of the politics in the imperial courts.
The circumstances held more weight than the person. Even if one was unwilling to accept such a grievance, he was forced to do so.
Therefore, An Cui’s reward was far less than Huang Song’s. It felt more like a consolation prize.
Before he had joined the alliance army to defend the emperor, Huang Song had already been promoted to county chief of Maode in Haozhou. At present, it would have been inappropriate to promote him any further. Thus, the imperial court had given him a high official post in title as a reward. Other than that, they had also compensated him with many servants and rations. Huang Song knew his place and refrained from demanding more.
The other great and lowly marquis were honored and rewarded. They didn’t step forward in vain to defend the emperor.
The other rewards were mostly universal. Only Jiang Pengji’s reward was the envy of many.
Magistrate of Wanzhou!
"With a single feat, she was awarded the position as magistrate of Wanzhou. Tsk, tsk. This is the first time that such an incident has happened." A man wearing official garments and holding his ceremonial tablet appeared to be intently focused, but actually, he was whispering to the official beside him. "I heard that this Liu Xi was only a lowly district magistrate of an undeveloped and desolate village, a governor of a small area of land. Since luck was on his side, his promotion was more prestigious than all the others. He was promoted immediately to magistrate of Wanzhou!"
"It’s indeed incredible. The youngsters these days are exceptional."
"Heh—instead of praising the youngsters for surpassing themselves, perhaps it’s more accurate to note that the youngster’s father is the best of the best."
With regard to the promotions others received, they were envious, but it was acceptable.