Under the scorching gazes of Marquis Linhuai and Duke Wei, Chen Hong slowly turned his gaze towards the two of them.
It’s finally our turn!
When Marquis Linhuai and Duke Wei saw Chen Hong looking at them, their eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. They knew that it was finally their turn.
Yes, it was their turn. Chen Hong did not let them wait for long, nor did he let them down. He held the imperial edict and began to read it:
"Li Tingzhu, the commander of the Left Army Command of Yingtian, was a descendant of a founding hero. When the Japanese pirates from Shangyu approached Yingtian City, he was cautious and alert. He saw the big picture from the small details. After Zhu Ping'an, the assistant of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provincial Criminal Investigation Bureau, warned him, he analyzed the Japanese pirates' march and found that it was abnormal that the Japanese pirates from Shangyu had lost 24 people in the battle with the coalition forces of Miao Yin and Zeng Qianhu. He believed that the 24 people had sneaked into the city in advance and intended to cooperate with the Japanese pirates outside the city, so he Together with Xu Pengju, the garrison commander of Yingtian, they braved everyone's suspicion and insisted on identifying people near the city gate. They caught 24 Japanese pirates who had sneaked into the city in advance disguised as Japanese pirates and ruffians, as well as 123 people who were instigated by them to rebel, and crushed the Japanese pirates' plan of colluding with the outside. They are worthy of being the descendants of a general family and have lived up to their ancestors' style. At that time, the Japanese invasion was serious, and they were in need of talents. They promoted Li Tingzhu to be the deputy general of Jianghuai, stationed in Jinshanwei, and rectified the Jiangyang, the general control of Huaihai, and the admiral of coastal defense. "
Got promoted!
Promoted to deputy general!
Upon hearing this, Linhuai Hou excitedly swung his fat body, knelt down on the ground with a thud, and shouted loudly: "I accept your order and thank you. Long live the emperor. I will not let you down. I will continue to work hard and make new achievements."
Wait, Jianghuai Deputy General, Linhuai Hou suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but glance at Zhu Pingan.
At this moment, he was full of admiration and gratitude for his nephew Zhu Ping'an.
More than a month ago, my nephew gave me a suggestion, asking me to write a letter to the emperor, suggesting that the Japanese pirates be stationed in Baoshan at the mouth of the river, taking advantage of the sea and wreaking havoc in the southern Zhili area with the wind. Taicang, Yingzhou, Xuzhou, Suzhou, Songjiang, Huaiyang and other places have all been harmed by the Japanese pirates. Due to administrative boundary restrictions, the government troops in various places fight each other and it is difficult to coordinate to resist the Japanese pirates. As a result, they are taken advantage of by the Japanese pirates. When the situation is favorable, they burn, kill and loot. When the situation is unfavorable, they flee to another place to commit crimes and escape the pursuit of the government troops. Therefore, the Japanese pirates become more and more arrogant, and the losses in various places are becoming more and more serious. It is suggested that in the eighth and ninth years of Jiajing, a general officer be stationed in Zhenjiang or Jinshanwei to rectify the Jiangyang, control Huaihai, supervise the coastal defense, and govern the Su and Songzhou prefectures, and coordinate the government troops in various parts of Southern Zhili.
I followed my nephew's advice and wrote a letter to His Majesty.
At that time, my nephew said that it might be difficult to get the position of Jianghuai General, but it might be possible to get the position of Deputy General if you strive for it.
Unexpectedly, my nephew's words turned out to be prophetic and the emperor really appointed me as the deputy general of Jianghuai.
Although the emperor did not fully adopt the suggestion and set up the Jianghuai General to be stationed in Jinshanwei to regulate the Jiangyang, command the Huaihai, and supervise the coastal defense, he did not have jurisdiction over or coordinate the official troops in Su and Song prefectures.
But, it was also a prediction!
My dear nephew, you are indeed an extraordinary person. I admire you very much. After this incident, I will definitely listen to your suggestions in the future.
Haha, this is the Deputy General of Jianghuai. This is a special position. The emperor did not set up a General of Jianghuai. I am the Deputy General of Jianghuai, and I am actually the General. I hold the real power of the General. I am in charge of the navy and the navy in the Jianghuai area, and I have the final say in coastal defense... ...
After receiving the imperial edict and expressing his gratitude, Linhuai Hou looked around with his big belly sticking out, and a look of pride was written all over his fat face.
The people around were looking at Linhuai Hou with envy. If the occasion was not inappropriate, they would have come forward to congratulate him.
The Jianghuai deputy general is in charge of the coastal defense. Many of their people are secretly engaged in maritime trade and smuggling business. This is a lucrative business. Although the risk is high, the money earned is extraordinary.
In the future, they must have a good relationship with Linhuai Hou, otherwise, their Haimao smuggling business will be difficult.
Duke Wei, who was standing by, was so excited when he heard the reward his old friend had received.
My contribution is exactly the same as that of Linhuai Hou. The reward Linhuai Hou received is so generous, so I can't be left out.
Suddenly, I became even more impatient.
Chen Hong did not keep him waiting for long. After reading out the reward from Marquis Linhuai, he went on to read out the reward from Duke Wei.
"Yingtian garrison commander Xu Pengju..."
Duke Wei pricked up his ears and listened carefully. The content of the first half of the imperial edict was almost identical to that of Marquis Linhuai.
"... ... He is given the title of Zuofu, and is specially awarded an additional salary of 1,000 dan and a food salary of 6,000 dan, which shall be hereditary for his descendants..."
When the Duke of Wei heard the specific part of the reward, he couldn't help but breathe heavily. An additional thousand stones of salary.
At that time, his ancestor Xu Da was a founding hero and was granted the title of Duke of Wei, with an official salary of 5,000 dan, which was inherited by his descendants.
His generation is already the seventh generation.
His father, grandfather, great-grandfather, etc., were all unsuccessful. Only Xu Pengju carried forward the glory of his ancestors, increasing his salary by 1,000 shi, and it was inherited by his descendants. In the future, when his descendants offer sacrifices, they will have to thank him, Xu Pengju.
Now I’m awesome!
Let's see, who dares to call me Xu Pengju a fool again! Let's see, who dares to call me Xu Pengju incompetent again!
I'll poke out his dog eyes with an imperial decree!
All this is thanks to my nephew Zhu Ping'an.
Fatty Li is so lucky to have such an outstanding nephew-in-law. With such an outstanding nephew-in-law, people with the surname Li have plenty of opportunities to make achievements.
No, I have to think about whether there is a suitable niece born out of wedlock in the clan. It would be better to make our relationship closer. It would not be unfair for her to be my concubine. With this relationship, she will definitely have many opportunities to make contributions in the future.
Wait, let’s think about these when we get back, first accept the order...
"I accept your order and thank you. Long live the emperor. I will do my best to repay your majesty for his kindness until my death."
Duke Wei accepted the order and expressed his gratitude.
After receiving the order, the Duke of Wei raised his chin slightly and looked around with disdain. His expression of complacency was even more than that of the Marquis of Linhuai.
After hearing about the rewards Duke Wei had received, the surrounding officials all looked at him with envy and hatred.
The salary was actually increased by one thousand stones, and it was inherited by descendants!
This is really enviable.
One thousand dan is not a small amount. For the salary of Ming officials, this one thousand dan is the top salary. Now the monthly salary of a first-rank official is only 87 dan, and the annual salary is only 1,044 dan. For Duke Wei, it is equivalent to receiving an extra salary of a first-rank official!
This is hereditary!
It is equivalent to receiving an extra thousand shi of salary every year!
In terms of salary alone, the Duke of Wei's salary is enough to look down on and beat everyone present.
Not only everyone present, but almost all the officials in the entire Ming Dynasty, except for the royal family, had a salary higher than that of the Duke of Wei. Even the salary of Yan Song and other officials was not as high as that of the Duke of Wei.
How can one not be jealous