Chapter 266: Triumphal Return to the Capital, Promotion to First-Rank Official, and the Title of Loyal and Valor Count!
One night had passed.
As the sun rose, its rays beamed brightly, and the weather cleared up, just like everyone’s mood.
At this moment, Night Fragrance came running back and said, “I heard you won. Not only did you defeat the Great Xia army, but you also captured tens of thousands of surrendering soldiers, including that cuckolded prince, Xia Tianqiong!”
Lin Beifan nodded with a smile, “That’s right, we did win! With the right timing, location, and people, how could we not prevail?”
“Did you encounter the Great Xia’s Grandmaster? The old man in black who was chasing after me. He heard that Great Xia was defeated halfway and hurriedly ran back!” Night Fragrance asked with concern.
Shaking his head, Lin Beifan replied, “Not quite sure, but we didn’t encounter him! Anyway, just to be safe, I plan to set off today and escort Prince Xia Tianqiong back to the capital.”
“You must be cautious; he’s a Grandmaster with formidable strength!” Night Fragrance advised.
“No worries, even though a Grandmaster is keeping an eye on us, we still have a contingency plan!” Lin Beifan grinned.
“What contingency plan?” Night Fragrance asked curiously.
“Aren’t you our contingency plan?” Lin Beifan stood up with a smile, patting Night Fragrance’s shoulder, “When the time comes and the opponent shows up, you’ll take over!”
Night Fragrance was anxious, “Hey, hey, hey, I can’t handle that at all!”
“Even if you can’t handle it, you still have to. Who else can handle it if not you? It’s settled, and it’s going to be a jolly decision!” Lin Beifan left with a mischievous smile.
“Damn it!” Night Fragrance’s face turned green from fright!
Around noon, Lin Beifan escorted Xia Tianqiong and set off for the capital.
When they had come, they were swift and urgent, not wasting a single second.
However, on the return journey, Lin Beifan wasn’t in a hurry. He leisurely took a boat back, enjoying the scenic view along the way.
At this time, news about the defeat of the Great Xia army, the capture of Prince Xia Tianqiong, and the surrender of 600,000 Great Xia soldiers gradually spread throughout the world.
The world was shocked!
“In less than 10 days, the war between the two countries has ended!”
“Great Wu actually relied on just 300,000 men. In less than 10 days, they defeated the 800,000-strong Great Xia army!”
“Not only did they defeat Great Xia, but they also captured 600,000 enemy soldiers. They even captured the Great Xia prince who fought alongside them!”
“It’s said that Great Wu’s casualties were only around 20,000 or 30,000!”
“To win against a stronger force, and to do it so splendidly! How was this achieved?”
“This is impossible!!!”
…
Major aspirants were in disbelief, too frightened to believe it!
They sent people again to inquire, this time getting a more detailed battle report.
There were several reasons why Great Wu was victorious:
First, Lin Beifan became the commander of the army, setting out from the capital to rapidly reinforce Hulao Pass. They arrived in just three days, bringing 100,000 troops and plenty of supplies, bolstering the military strength of Hulao Pass.
Second, luck wasn’t on the side of the Great Xia army.
For the past few days, strong winds blew outside Hulao Pass, weakening the Great Xia army’s strength. On the last day, there was even heavy rain, further disadvantaging the Great Xia forces.
Third, the former notorious thief, Night Fragrance, performed extraordinarily well in the war between the two nations, shocking the world. He managed to eliminate all of Great Xia’s innate experts, burn all their provisions, and even draw away the Grandmaster guarding the prince during the final battle. This narrowed the strength gap between the two sides.
His achievements were remarkable, and his contributions were outstanding.
Fourth, during the final battle, Lin Beifan acted decisively, sending out a large army to intercept the Great Xia forces.
All these factors combined to achieve this brilliant victory!
Although Great Wu’s victory was somewhat fortuitous, a win was still a win. Their strength hadn’t been significantly weakened, and their morale had actually grown stronger, making them more powerful.
Therefore, these ambitious individuals had to temporarily retract their claws and await the next opportunity. The crisis of Great Wu had temporarily subsided.
About ten days later, Lin Beifan and his group returned to the capital smoothly.
On that day, the common people who received the news all rushed outside the city to welcome Lin Beifan’s triumphant return.
“We won this battle, and Lord Lin is back!”
“Riding for thousands of miles in just three days, defeating Great Xia in less than ten days, capturing 600,000 soldiers, even bringing back the Great Xia prince—Lord Lin is amazing!”
“We haven’t won so splendidly in a long time!”
“I don’t care about the battle; I only know that we have good days ahead. Haha!”
“Who says otherwise!”
…
Night Fragrance, once again hailed as a hero, was very pleased, waving his hand frequently and gaining a group of admirers.
Lin Beifan also waved his hand in response. He also didn’t forget to smile at Xia Tianqiong beside him, “Prince, welcome back to Great Wu’s capital as a guest!”
Xia Tianqiong snorted coldly, his expression very unsightly.
The first time he came, he was a distinguished guest; the second time, he was a prisoner. It would be strange if he were in a good mood!
The Empress also arrived, bringing the civil and military officials to welcome the victorious army.
Lin Beifan went to the Empress and loudly said, “Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, supported Hulao Pass from afar this time, defeating the Great Xia army, capturing 600,000 Great Xia soldiers, including the Great Xia prince, Xia Tianqiong. I have returned victorious. Please review this!”
The Empress was extremely excited, “Minister, you’ve done well, and you’ve worked hard! And to all my officials and soldiers, you’ve also worked hard! You’re all the fine sons of Great Wu. I will never forget you! Go back and rest first; I will definitely reward you generously!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” everyone said in unison.
Lin Beifan followed the Empress and others back to the palace. The real rewards were about to be discussed.
Lin Beifan included the army’s movements, achievements, losses, the merits and demerits of the generals, and so on, all in a memorial that he presented to the Empress.
Although the Empress already knew about this, she was still very excited and happy.
After all, initially, they in Great Wu had no idea about the perilous situation they faced. A slight mistake could have led to a complete collapse and the fall of the nation.
Lin Beifan, taking command in a crisis, achieved a comprehensive victory in such a short time and at such a low cost, alleviating Great Wu’s precarious situation. Her happiness was justified.
“Very well! The contributors listed in this memorial will all be generously rewarded!” The Empress was excited, “During the Hulao Pass battle, Fourth-rank Sword-Wielding Imperial Guard and Cat Night Fragrance killed 35 Great Xia innate experts, burned all of Great Xia’s provisions, and even lured away the Great Xia Grandmaster. He laid the foundation for our victory. His contributions are enormous!”
“So, I decree that Night Fragrance be promoted to Third-rank Sword-Wielding Imperial Guard and continue to serve in the Imperial Guard. He will be rewarded with ten thousand gold, a top-class mansion, a hundred acres of fertile land, and ten rolls of fine silk…”
A series of rewards followed.
It could be said that apart from power, everything was given. Night Fragrance was left a bit dazed and confused.
Although he didn’t care much about these things, receiving these rewards showed that the Empress and the court highly recognized him. Wasn’t this a tremendous honor?
Oh my god, he could show off again in front of the common people!
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Night Fragrance exclaimed with joy.
The Empress smiled, “Sir Night, no matter your past or what you’ve done before, from today onwards, you are a person of Great Wu. Great Wu will forever be your home!”
Night Fragrance nodded slightly, his nose feeling a bit sour. A sense of belonging surged in his heart.
Next, the Empress rewarded one person after another. Even the lowest-ranking soldiers were each rewarded with 20 taels of silver. It’s worth noting that there were 300,000 soldiers this time, and each being rewarded 20 taels of silver meant a total of 6 million taels. It can be said to be quite generous.
Finally, it was Lin Beifan’s turn.
“Great Xia dispatched 800,000 troops to invade our Great Wu! Various feudal lords were itching to move, intending to disrupt the court’s order! The neighboring countries were also not peaceful, attempting to divide the land of our Great Wu. The court was in grave danger!”
“At such a critical juncture, my minister took command in a crisis, supporting Hulao Pass from afar, and defeated the Great Xia army in a very short time, capturing 600,000 soldiers and the Great Xia prince!”
The Empress’s expression brimmed with contentment and admiration. She smiled and spoke, “Your deeds, my minister, are equivalent to saving Great Wu. Your contributions are immense. Hence, you shall be elevated to the rank of a Second-class court official, with subsequent promotion to First-class Official. You will persist in your role as the Prefect of Dedian Prefecture while concurrently holding the esteemed position of Principal at the Imperial Academy.”
The officials were all surprised and filled with envy. You see, Great Wu didn’t have a Prime Minister. The highest-ranking officials were the various ministers, all Second-class officials. Lin Beifan was now promoted to First-class Official, becoming the highest-ranking official in the court. He could sit on equal footing with the ministers, greatly extending his power outward.
However, considering the immense merits Lin Beifan had achieved, all of this was reasonable.
So, the officials in the court were only left with envy and jealousy.
The Empress continued, “Bestow a noble title, the title of Loyalty and Valor Count!”
The officials were once again unsettled!
This was a noble title!
Since the founding of Great Wu, only those who had accomplished monumental deeds, especially in military achievements, could receive a noble title!
At the beginning of the nation, there were quite a few people who received noble titles!
But as the country stabilized, fewer and fewer people could obtain noble titles!
Up until now, almost no one had received one!
Noble titles were linked to military achievements, and for civil officials to obtain a noble title was even more difficult!
Currently, among all the civil and military officials, only Lin Beifan had a noble title!
Although a noble title didn’t come with actual power, it was a tremendous honor, and the status was higher than others!
From now on, when seeing Lin Beifan, everyone had to respectfully call him “Loyalty and Valor Count”!
The officials were going crazy, filled with bitterness!
You see, Lin Beifan had just barely passed 20 years old. Yet he had already become a Second-class official of the court, in charge of the important Detian Prefecture. And now he had received a noble title, which put him above all the officials. He could be said to be the number one person in the court!
In just a year, this bastard had climbed to the top!
Before, they couldn’t even handle him. Now, wouldn’t he become even more arrogant and showy?
Lin Beifan had thought about his promotion.
But he had never imagined that the Empress would bestow a noble title upon him.
Though Loyalty and Valor Count was just a small noble title, it was still a noble title, a position slightly higher than the common officials!
Now, holding the Second-class official rank and having a noble title, he had every opportunity to lord it over the officials, even to the extent of relieving himself on their heads…
Thinking of that scene, Lin Beifan was a bit excited!
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Lin Beifan exclaimed loudly, then smirked at the officials.
The officials’ expressions were extremely unsightly.
