The Imperial Palace, the royal study.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the list on the table and felt a headache.
It had been several days since Zhu Rong's triumphant return from the Northern Expedition.
The Northern Expedition had won, and the Great Ming Dynasty had unified the world. This was a joyous occasion worthy of celebration, but what followed was the reward of the ministers, and everyone was eagerly waiting.
They had followed Zhu Yuanzhang to raise an army and fight for justice. Wasn't it all for today's glory?？
However, the reward was not random. If the reward was low, it would cause some people to be dissatisfied. If the reward was high, it would also cause some people to be arrogant and complacent. They would be proud of their favor and do some outrageous things.
proud soldiers and fierce generals.
They were naturally a sharp weapon in times of war!
But in peaceful times, it was a huge disaster!
He was ill-educated, ill-mannered, and rash. He did not care about his life in war, but in times of peace, his energy, which had nowhere to put it, would make them do some outrageous things.
Since ancient times, the founding generals had never had a good ending.
As the old saying goes, peace is decided by the general, and the general is not allowed to see peace!
However, Zhu Yuanzhang was still a person who cared more about old relationships. After the founding of the country, he did not wantonly kill the meritorious officials. He gave them all titles and let them enjoy glory and wealth. He did not want to touch these old brothers who had gone through life and death with him.
For example, Xu Da, Tang He, Deng Yu, Li Wenzhong, and the others all had good endings.
In the original historical spacetime.
Because the Crown Prince Zhu Biao had died suddenly, and his grandson Zhu Yunwen was still young, Zhu Yuanzhang was afraid that his master would be weak and his subjects would be strong, and the young grandson would not be able to control him. In order to stabilize the imperial power, he had no choice but to kill all these founding fathers, proud soldiers, and fierce generals, leaving only Geng Bingwen who was good at guarding the city.
This was also the reason why Zhu Di was able to seize the throne later.
Otherwise, if Lan Yu, Feng Sheng, Fu Youde, Cao Zhen, Lu Zhongheng, Fei Ju, and other fierce generals were here, Zhu Di would not have had a chance at all. He would probably be destroyed before he could even leave Beiping.
Now, Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't too worried about these proud soldiers.
This was because he had a son who was even more powerful and overbearing. Whether it was Xu Da, Tang He, Chang Yuchun, Deng Yu, Feng Sheng, or Fu Youde, none of them could be compared to his son.
As long as he was around, these proud soldiers and valiant generals would not be able to cause any waves.
Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't worried that these arrogant soldiers would pose a threat to the Ming royal family, but he was worried that they would pose a threat to the Ming people.
"Phew-"
After several days of thinking, Zhu Yuanzhang finally arranged the rewards that he was satisfied with.
"I hope you can all keep your hearts.”
"Otherwise, don't blame me for being heartless!”
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the name list on the table and muttered to himself, his eyes revealing a cold light.
If these arrogant soldiers were rewarded and enjoyed their wealth, Zhu Yuanzhang would naturally not touch them. However, if they bullied the people like the nobles of the Yuan Court, Zhu Yuanzhang would not be soft-hearted!
As a farmer, Zhu Yuanzhang hated nobles who bullied the common people the most.
You could say that Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was ruthless, but you could never say that he was bad to the people.
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born in poverty, could understand the pain of the people at the bottom the most. He had worked hard all his life for the lives of the people in the world, hoping that the people in the world could eat and no one would starve to death again.
However, in this ancient feudal society with a small-scale peasant economy, such a seemingly simple wish was a dream that could not be reached!
......
Three days later, in the morning.
The morning sun had just risen, illuminating the white clouds into rosy clouds. A group of civil and military officials had gathered in front of the Hall of Heaven's Tribute. Everyone's face was especially excited, and they gathered in twos and threes to discuss excitedly.
All the officials received the news that the court would be conferring titles to the officials and holding a ceremony.
Many ministers were so excited that they couldn't sleep the entire night.
On this day!
It could be said that this was the most glorious moment for everyone present!
"Dong dong dong-"
The dull sound of drums rang out, and everyone's discussion came to an abrupt end. They hurriedly tidied up their clothes and looked at the Hall of Heaven's Tribute. Their expressions were filled with anticipation, nervousness, and excitement!
Zhu Rong was the first to enter the Hall of Heaven's Tribute, followed by the rest of the civil and military officials.
After entering the Hall of Heaven's Tribute, the officials stood in their positions. They raised their heads and tiptoed, constantly looking at the door behind the dragon throne.
They felt that time had passed so slowly.
After a while.
However, to the officials, it felt as if a century had passed.
Zhu Yuanzhang strode over with his head held high, surrounded by palace maids and servants. He swung his dragon robe and sat down on the dragon throne.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Long live my emperor!!”
Today's voice was especially loud, almost flipping over the dome of the Hall of Heaven's Tribute!
"Hahaha, it seems that all the beloved ministers can't wait anymore!”
"Since that's the case, let's not talk nonsense.”
"Read out the list of names!"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the excited and nervous faces of the officials and couldn't help but laugh out loud. With a wave of his hand, he fulfilled their wishes.
All the ministers were overjoyed when they heard this. They looked at the imperial edict in the hands of the chamberlain beside Zhu Yuanzhang. Many of them gulped and clenched their fists.
The chamberlain walked up to the high platform with the imperial edict in his hand. He cleared his throat and read out loud,
"Liu Bowen is Earl of Sincerity. He is 1,700 dan old, has 300 hectares of fertile land, and has an Earl of Sincerity mansion!”
Whoosh--
When the officials heard the name and title of the first person to be conferred, they were immediately in an uproar and shocked.
This was…
It was really out of everyone's expectations. They never expected Liu Bowen to be just an uncle!
Liu Bowen was a strategist under Zhu Yuanzhang, whose status was second only to Li Shanchang. He was definitely a marquis, but in the end, he was only an uncle!
This caused the originally excited hearts of countless people to instantly become nervous.
Even someone like Liu Bowen could only be conferred the title of Earl, so why would they be conferred the title of Earl?
All the officials in the court were puzzled by Liu Bowen's title. Only Zhu Rong remained calm. He, who was familiar with history, had long known about Liu Bowen's title.
Zhu Yuanzhang was very unhappy with Liu Bowen's arrogance. He always felt that Liu Bowen had a contempt for him in his bones. It seemed that a farmer like him should not sit on the throne.
In addition, Liu Bowen was straightforward and did not know how to flatter. He did not know how to figure out Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts and often offended him with his words. This made Zhu Yuanzhang dislike him.
He only liked Liu Bowen's talent.
That was why he was given the title of Earl of Sincerity to suppress his arrogance.
"I thank Your Majesty for your kindness. Long live!”
Liu Bowen knelt down to thank Zhu Yuanzhang. At this time, not only did he not have any dissatisfaction, but he was also a little nervous. He secretly thought about what he had done wrong to anger Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Liu Bowen and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He thought to himself,'You're a Jinshi master. I have to suppress your arrogance today!'
You can be proud of anyone in the world, but not me, Zhu Yuanzhang!
"Wang Guangyang will be awarded the title of Zhongqin Earl. He is 1,300 dan old, has 300 hectares of fertile land, and has a Zhongqin Earl mansion!”
"Grant Sang Jinghui the title of First Earl. Age: 1,500 stones, 300 hectares of fertile land, and a mansion of First Earl Hui!”
"Granted to Sun Hu as Earl An Kang. Aged 1,000 dans, fertile land 250 hectares, an Earl An Kang mansion!”
......
After Liu Bowen, it was normal for the next few people to be conferred titles, which did not differ much from their achievements.
After the count was the marquis.
"Fu Youde shall be granted the title of Marquis of Yingchuan. He is 2,300 dan old, has 500 hectares of fertile land, and has a residence of Marquis Yingchuan!”
"Granting Lan Yu the title of Marquis Yong Chang, 3,200 dan of age, 500 hectares of fertile land, and a residence of Marquis Yong Chang!”
"Tang Shengzong, Marquis of Yan 'an."
"Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing."
"To Zhou Dexing and Jiang Xiahou."
“......”
The chamberlain read out the names of more than 20 marquises in a row, and the soldiers who heard their names on the list immediately beamed with joy. They knelt down and thanked him loudly.
After the marquises came the dukes. There were only a few of them, and everyone knew that.
"Grant Xu Da the title of Duke of Wei…"
"To Tang He, Duke Xin…"
"To Deng Yu, Duke of Wei..."
"Li Shanchang, Duke of Korea..."
"Grant Chang Yu the title of Duke of Chun'e..."
"Li Wenzhong, Duke Cao…"
The six dukes, twenty-eight marquises, and eleven uncles had been enfeoffed. Most people were very satisfied with their titles.
From today onwards, they would officially become the nobles of the Ming Empire, the people standing at the top of the pyramid!
At this moment.
Everyone's eyes turned to one person in unison. It was Zhu Rong, who had yet to be conferred a title.
Without a doubt, as the number one hero of the Ming Empire's unification of the world, he was the finale!
"Zhu Xi, the Third Prince, will be the King of Yan. He will be in charge of the military and political affairs of the sixteen provinces of Yanyun. He will be 10,000 dan old, 10,000 hectares of fertile land, and a mansion of the King of Yan!”
"Hiss!"
All the officials in the court gasped when they heard the reward. Although they had some guesses in their hearts, they were still shocked when they heard that Zhu He had been conferred the title of King!
Prince!
Furthermore, he was a prince with real power!
He was in charge of the sixteen states of Yanyun in the north and was in charge of the military and political affairs. What kind of status and power was this?
At the moment, even Crown Prince Zhu Biao was far inferior. He was merely the Crown Prince's heir apparent, learning from Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.
"Your son thanks Imperial Father for your kindness!"
"I will not let down Imperial Father's expectations and become the Great Wall of our Great Ming Empire's borders, so that the Mengyuan Hu Krupp will never dare to step into our Great Ming Empire!”
Zhu Rong was also excited about being conferred the title of king, but he was also slightly stunned.
King Yan was originally Zhu Di's title in history, but with his arrival, everything had quietly changed.
Not only did he seize Xu Miaoyun's throne, but he also seized the throne of King Yan and even the future throne!
He could be considered to have cut off this little brother cleanly!
"Greetings, King Yan!"
"Your Highness, thousands of years!!”
All the ministers knelt down, and the first prince of Great Ming was born!
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