Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"Do grassland tribes raid caravans?" Zongwu asked curiously.

The tea merchant laughed and said, "With Protector-General Yue guarding Linhuang Prefecture, how dare the grassland tribes rob Ming merchants?"

"They're not tired of living!"

A salt merchant said, "Now it's the garrison system, and the grassland tribes have all been allocated pastures and no longer attack each other."

"When a caravan arrived, they were very hospitable and slaughtered sheep to treat us."

The so-called "garrison system" here is actually a combination of the Tang Dynasty's Protectorate system and the Qing Dynasty's League and Banner system.

The Protectorate General had directly administered territories, and the people living in these territories did not belong to any tribe; they were all registered as commoners by the Protectorate General.

The land is mainly cultivated, with a small number of people engaged in grazing.

The territory under the jurisdiction of the Protectorate General outside the directly administered areas was divided into several guards (leagues), and each guard was further divided into several posts (banners).

The commander of the guard was the chief commander, who was recommended by the Protectorate General from among the chiefs of various tribes and could assume the post after obtaining approval from the imperial court.

The commander of the unit is called the Commander, who is recommended by the Commander of the Guard and can assume the post after obtaining approval from the Protectorate General.

The tribal system still existed, but it gradually became divided into administrative regions called garrison posts.

No garrison may attack or rob each other.

If there are disputes between the garrisons, the commander of the garrison will mediate. If mediation fails, the matter can be taken to the Protectorate General.

If there are disputes between the guards, the Protectorate General will mediate; if mediation fails, then force will be used to intervene.

The Protectorate General's military intervention failed, and the central government will definitely have to take action.

In addition, the people in the areas directly under the jurisdiction of the Protectorate General, apart from the families of the garrison soldiers, were all from herdsmen and slaves of various tribes.

They belonged to the exploited class in their original tribes. When the Protectorate was first established, it ordered all tribes to send a sufficient number of people.

The chiefs then sent their herdsmen and slaves to the Protectorate, which effectively freed them and allocated them farmland or pasture.

Chapter 3854 Emancipation of the Slaves

Therefore, although the people in the areas directly under the jurisdiction of the Protectorate came from various tribes of the grasslands, they were extremely loyal to the imperial court.

In terms of later administrative names, they would be: Bairin Left Banner, Bairin Right Banner, Ongniud Banner, and the riverside area from Tongliao to Shuangliao.

When Zongwu entered Fengzhou (Wengniu Banner), he saw many farmlands along the river, and the people there dressed and styled themselves like Han Chinese.

If it weren't for the fact that the local farmers mostly spoke Khitan, Zongwu would have thought he had entered Han Chinese territory.

These Khitan-speaking farmers and herders were very hospitable to the Han Chinese.

Upon hearing from the merchants that Zongwu had been sent by the emperor, the farmers and herdsmen all knelt down.

The vast majority of them were formerly slaves, and a small number were lower-class shepherds.

Now that they have their own farmland and pastures, they are afraid of losing all of this.

They actively severed ties with the grassland tribes and even identified themselves as Han Chinese.

There was no need for the Protectorate to force them; they simply learned to dress and style their hair like the Han people, with only their language remaining a challenge to overcome.

"The barbarians have submitted, and the customs are the same across the land. This is truly a sign of a prosperous age!" Zongwu couldn't help but exclaim.

A prosperous era must be won through military force.

Moreover, thanks to the Liao-Jin War, the population of the grasslands was drastically reduced.

The remaining small population was then dragged into war by the Jin dynasty.

They went to fight in the northern deserts and also fought against the Ming Dynasty, causing the population of the grasslands to dwindle.

By the time Yue Fei was ordered to establish the Linhuang Protectorate, the grasslands were already sparsely populated, making it easy to designate directly administered areas.

Then, guard posts were established, grasslands were divided, and tribes were relocated.

From beginning to end, no tribe resisted because everyone was allocated enough pasture.

The real dilemma of governance will come decades or even centuries from now.

As the population of each tribe increases and grasslands become increasingly scarce, conflicts will inevitably be resolved through external wars.

The garrison commander of Fengzhou had already sent a messenger on horseback to report the news, and several days later...

When Zongwu arrived at Changtai Post Station, Yue Fei led a cavalry unit to greet him.

"Yue Fei, Protector-General of Linhuang, along with the civil and military officials of the Protectorate, pays respects to the Imperial Envoy!" Yue Fei dismounted and bowed.

Behind him were a group of generals and civil officials from the Protectorate General's Office, such as Chief Secretary Li Geng.

Perhaps due to his long service as an official on the grasslands, this chief clerk was also quite skilled at horsemanship and could even fight in armor when necessary.

Zongwu was led by Yue Fei to the city of Linhuang Protectorate. After a feast of wine and meat, only the two of them remained.

Yue Fei was initially promoted by Zong Ze, and Zong Wu was Zong Ze's grand-nephew.

The two were naturally close, and their friendship blossomed over just one meal.

After everyone left, Zongwu said to Yue Fei, "Pengju, your rank has not been promoted this time."

Yue Fei was taken aback, somewhat astonished.

Zongwu said, "That's why His Majesty sent me to bestow rewards. His Majesty also asked me to convey a message that he wants Pengju to lead troops for a few more years."

"Moreover, this situation is special. If Pengju is promoted to county duke, it may provoke dissatisfaction among many generals."

If someone else had delivered the imperial decree, Yue Fei would certainly have felt resentful, but Zongwu's status was different.

Yue Fei couldn't help but say, "I will naturally obey His Majesty, but what about my generals..."

Zongwu said, "The soldiers under Pengju's command will receive additional rewards from the imperial court."

"Even the civil and military officials stationed at the Linhuang Protectorate will be rewarded this time to reward them for their long service on the grasslands."

Chapter 3855 Yue Fei's Reward

"Then there's nothing more to say." Yue Fei actually still harbored some resentment.

However, when the rewards were distributed the next day, all of Yue Fei's resentment disappeared.

In front of all the generals and soldiers, Zongwu read out the imperial edict:

"...Yue Fei was promoted to the rank of Marquis of Xiang, with his fief increased by 3,000 households and his actual fief increased by 2,000 households. He was also promoted to the rank of General of the Vanguard."

"He is hereby bestowed with a flying fish robe, a set of precious armor, a horse spear, an imperial horse, and three thousand silver dollars. He is posthumously honored as the grandfather of Yue Fei..."

After the imperial edict was read, the generals were astonished.

First came anger, then doubt, and finally joy.

The title of Marquis remained the same, but the title was changed to Xiang Marquis, named after Yue Fei's hometown, Xiangzhou.

As for the flying fish robe, the Ming Dynasty designated it as a robe bestowed upon dukes, so giving it to Yue Fei now would be considered an extraordinary reward.

In the Song Dynasty, the title of Champion General was a third-rank military officer. In the Ming Dynasty, it became a third-rank military rank, with only the three generals above him being the General of the Cavalry, the General of the State, and the General of the State.

In terms of military rank, Yue Fei was promoted two ranks.

To outsiders, this thing may seem useless, but for generals, it is second only to titles and military ranks.

With the rank of Champion General, if he were to join forces with another general in the next military campaign...

Even if the other party's noble rank was higher than Yue Fei's, as long as their military ranks were equivalent,

Yue Fei could automatically become the commander-in-chief of the allied forces—provided that the imperial court did not appoint a commander-in-chief.

Moreover, after a military rank is promoted, promotion in military positions can be accelerated.

Moreover, the name "Champion General" itself carries special significance.

In addition, honorary official titles and imperial edicts were bestowed upon Yue Fei's grandparents, parents, and legal wife.

"Hahahaha!"

Upon hearing the horse's name, everyone burst into laughter.

Zongwu put away his smile and said to his generals, "His Majesty has only bestowed names on two warhorses: one is called Treasure Basin, and the other is Coal Ball."

Upon hearing this, the generals stopped laughing. They knew about the treasure basin, and when they looked at the coal ball again, their eyes instantly changed.

Zongwu added, "This lance is 16 feet (5 meters) long and took three years to complete. It was originally Your Majesty's personal weapon. The shaft is also engraved with Your Majesty's name."

Yue Fei brandished it for a moment and exclaimed, "What a fine spear! What a fine weapon!"

Zongwu then pointed to the armor and said, "This armor is called the Heavenly Roc Armor, which corresponds perfectly to the roc soaring through the sky."

"Leaving aside the cotton armor on the outside, the inner armor plates were all repeatedly cold-forged by skilled craftsmen."

"It is half the weight of ordinary armor, but its protective capabilities are comparable to heavy cotton armor."

After the introductions of the horse, armor, and spear were finished, the generals' eyes lit up.

……

"drive!"

More than 5,000 cavalry swept past, and Zongwu followed his generals and soldiers on horseback at breakneck speed.

He was escorted by Yue Fei's troops and toured the four directly administered areas of the Linhuang Protectorate, where he bestowed titles and rewards upon the civil and military officials and ordinary soldiers stationed there.

Although Yue Fei's rank was not promoted, his generals received generous rewards.

Xu Qing, Wang Gui, and other generals were promoted to earls for their outstanding military achievements last year and this year.

Six officers of the next rank were also granted the title of baron.

The fact that these people were granted titles on such a large scale perfectly demonstrates the significance of those two wars.

Even the civil and military officials and soldiers who remained on the Linhuang grasslands and did not go on the expedition received monetary rewards as a reward for their hard work.

Chapter 3856 Chief

The imperial edict stated that the rewards given to the generals were in silver dollars, but in reality, they were all in Ming Dynasty banknotes.

The imperial envoy was brought along for convenience, and the military officers were also brought back to their hometowns for convenience.

It's difficult to exchange for it on the grasslands, but it can be used to trade with Han Chinese merchants.

After the rewards were distributed, the soldiers were in high spirits.

Many caravans even traveled north from Dading Prefecture upon hearing the news, taking the opportunity to sell goods to the soldiers, especially wine, cloth, and ornaments.

Upon receiving their reward, the soldiers couldn't resist throwing money around when faced with numerous merchants.

Many of them brought their wives and children to settle down there, and were even allocated land.

He would naturally save some of the reward money, but he also used it to buy good fabric for his wife and children to make clothes, and even to buy his wife jewelry.

I'll also buy myself some spirits; these expenses are unavoidable.

It was autumn by then, and Yue Fei invited Zong Wu to go hunting, also inviting the tribal chiefs along.

Some tribes that went to war with the army also received rewards.

The chieftains arrived with their troops in high spirits, some bringing twenty or thirty men, others forty or fifty, all while trying to curry favor with the angels.

They hunted in Chifeng, a place with mountains, rivers, and grasslands.

However, the population is not large, making it an excellent hunting ground.

“Woooooooo~~~”

The bugle sounded, and shouts shook the heavens.

A young soldier galloped in to report: "Angel, Protector, a herd of deer has been spotted over there!"

Yue Fei smiled and said, "Please, Your Excellency."

"drive!"

Zongwu immediately spurred his horse and galloped off, followed by Yue Fei and his generals, and the tribal chiefs also followed.

Everyone was happy; it was a harmonious scene between Han and non-Han people.

Most of those chieftains were Khitans, and they had no psychological burden in pledging allegiance to the Ming Dynasty.