The battle was over, it was time to reward merits, take stock of resources, reorganize the troops, summarize lessons, and decide on the next countermeasures... Some things couldn't be rushed, while others couldn't be delayed.

Among these, the most obvious and pressing matters were rewards and reorganization.

Reorganization was a must. For example, the complete integration of the Tokyo Garrison Headquarters into the Imperial Guard system was imperative. In fact, since Zong Ze's death, this matter had become Zhao Jiu's top priority. He needed to handle it properly and respectfully. However, this would inevitably infringe upon the interests of a large number of people, making it the most substantial and serious issue at present.

As for rewards, they were a prerequisite for reorganization and even a series of subsequent events.

Although unlikely, Emperor Zhao absolutely did not want to end up like Zhong Shizhong... merely because there weren't enough silver bowls to use as rewards, the soldiers became 'all angry and scattered', and Zhong Shizhong immediately suffered defeat and death.

Therefore, as early as when the Song army besieged Luoyang, Zhao Jiu issued an imperial decree, requiring Xiangyang and Nanyang to provide all available wealth and a significant amount of stored grain from their treasuries for military use. Then, as soon as the war ended and news arrived from Hebei confirming that more than half of the Jin army had dispersed on the spot, with the remainder heading towards Yanjing, Zhao Jiu immediately gathered the army, assembled the officers, and prepared to reward merits.

These things were only natural, except that the location of Heyin was a bit inauspicious.

Heyin was located at the junction of Zhengzhou and Mengzhou, and was itself an important town on the south bank of the Yellow River during this period. Not only did it border both the Bian River and the Yellow River, but it was also situated at the central point of Han Shizhong's previous defense line along the Yellow River. This location was indeed convenient for the gathering of military officers, officials, and soldiers from Nanyang, Tokyo, and Xijing from a transportation standpoint.

However, while convenient, this place was famous throughout the world because of Erzhurong's 'Heyin Massacre'... More than two thousand Northern Wei princes, ministers, and officials were slaughtered, with the history books explicitly stating that, 'beneath Heyin, robes and hats were scattered across the ground'.

The ministers rushing here from Nanyang and Xiangyang were certainly not worried that Emperor Zhao was planning some kind of massacre, but they couldn't help but wonder if Emperor Zhao had ulterior motives or was sending a subtle message. Because by this time, the series of actions taken by Emperor Zhao after escaping from Nanyang were unmistakable. Whether it was deceiving the officials of Nanyang and Xiangyang on the day of the escape, or axing Du Chong to seize military power in Yanling, or personally leading the troops into battle, all of these made the ministers feel uneasy.

However, upon hearing that Emperor Zhao had returned to the old capital and gifted Commander Zong with that poem *Qing Yu An*, many of these people relaxed somewhat... because these two things were done in the manner of a wise ruler.

In fact, it's no wonder these people were so nervous and sensitive, because another undeniable fact was that as this battle ended in a way that completely exceeded everyone's expectations, and looking back at Emperor Zhao's achievements in the Battle of Yanling, these people, although apprehensive, had no intention or courage to resist from the beginning... In the words of Yan Xiaozhong when he bid farewell to the officials heading north, this time the officials' journey north seemed to evoke the image of 'Xiang Yu defeating the Qin army, summoning the generals, entering the gate, where all crawled forward on their knees, daring not to look up'.

Of course, these untimely words were severely criticized by the two Prime Ministers Lu, because the Emperor and everyone were one, while Xiang Yu and the generals were all harboring their own agendas, was that the same? How could the Nanyang Prefect utter such divisive words?

So Yan Xiaozhong shut up.

And regardless of how the people below speculated or schemed, in late February, as the troops and generals gradually gathered, and the various Prime Ministers and ministers from Nanyang and Xiangyang also arrived in the Zhengzhou area, Emperor Zhao did not hesitate to immediately depart from Tokyo, raising the dragon standard and heading towards Heyin.

Along the way, the troops arriving from the east gathered more and more, as did the accompanying military officers. The others from the west and south also hurried their pace, with the leading officials, ministers, and generals arriving in Heyin ahead of the Emperor.

On the twenty-third day of February, Zhao Jiu arrived in Heyin.

By this point, Heyin had gathered seventy to eighty thousand troops, dozens of commandants, and generals above the rank of commandant, including Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Zhang Jun, Wang Yan, Yue Fei, Wang De, and Lu Qiong.

In addition, the four Prime Ministers, Lu Haowen, Lu Yihao, Xu Jingheng, and Wang Boyan, as well as the Censor-in-Chief, the heads of the Six Ministries, and the Hanlin Academicians, along with officials from the Department of State Affairs, the Privy Council, the Censorate, and the Tokyo Garrison Headquarters, had all arrived.

Even the Inner Palace Directorate and the Imperial Guards, led by Yang Yizhong and Feng Yi, escorted Madam Wu to Heyin, and Madam Liang, Han Shizhong's wife, also arrived.

With civil and military officials gathered, and with a portion of them already heading towards the Emperor's direction, on this morning, the civil and military officials on the Heyin side, led by the four Prime Ministers, gathered together and went out of the city to welcome the Emperor along the Bian River... However, because the Emperor had given prior instructions, they only went two or three *li* outside the city and did not go far to welcome him.

Thanks to this, Han Shizhong even had time to erect a grass shed here and make some slight arrangements.

At noon, Liu Yan, the Deputy Commandant of the Imperial Guards, led the cavalry to arrive first, and then the dragon standard appeared in the distance. Immediately afterwards, Grand Attendant Lan Gui personally arrived ahead of the Emperor to convey an imperial edict, which roughly stated that today they would meet on the roadside, and all civil and military officials were exempt from ceremony, and that they would perform full honors at the banquet tomorrow, while the elderly, civil officials above the heads of the Six Ministries, and military generals above the rank of commandant could sit and wait quietly... And after everyone sat down according to their seniority, in just a moment, the slightly old dragon standard, escorted by the personal guards of Wang Yan and Zhang Jun, arrived in front of them.

With the dragon standard erected, Generals Zhang Jun and Wang Yan personally donned armor and held weapons, leading the officers of each unit to step forward on either side. Then, Emperor Zhao, wearing a set of bright yellow imperial review uniform (shabby old goods found in the Tokyo Imperial City, convenient for riding), with a cowhide belt around his waist, rode out on horseback, followed by the ministers who had previously accompanied him, as well as Quan Bangyan, the Deputy Garrison Commander of the Tokyo Garrison Headquarters, and a group of officials.

Seeing this situation, although they didn't need to perform full honors, the civil and military officials still instinctively stood up, wondering how to face this Emperor, so as to manipulate the upcoming main event, while preparing to pay their respects to the Emperor under the leadership of Prime Minister Lu.

Unexpectedly, Lu Haowen had just led the officials into formation, before he could even speak, Emperor Zhao, still sitting on his horse, suddenly straightened his expression and raised his voice to address them:

"No need for ceremony. I have several important matters to discuss with the Prime Ministers quickly..."

The surrounding people were caught off guard and flustered. Even Zhang Jun and others who had come with Emperor Zhao exchanged glances. The several Prime Ministers, although excellent at maintaining composure, were all stern upon hearing this, secretly crying out that something was wrong - because this was what the civil officials from the south were most worried about. They feared that the Emperor would rely on the power of the great victory to impose unnecessary burdens.

"The matter of Councilor Zhang was already discussed and posthumously honored in Nanyang, so I won't mention it again. However, Prime Minister Zong previously defended the capital alone and maintained it with all his strength. His merits are great. Now that he has died for his country, he can be called dedicated and selfless. I believe he should be given the posthumous title of Zhong Wu [Loyal and Martial] and posthumously enfeoffed as a Prince to show our sorrow and honor..." Zhao Jiu said slowly, his face serious. "What do the four Prime Ministers think?"

Lu Haowen and the other three exchanged glances, also helpless, and even some of the rebellious desires that had previously arisen instantly subsided... Could they refute this kind of thing? And why should they refute it? Refute Emperor Zhao's posthumous honor for a Grand Councilor? They were also Grand Councilors, weren't they?

Or rather, even if one of them felt that the posthumous title of Zhong Wu was too high and felt a little jealous, could they say no on this occasion? Even more insidiously, the two Vice Commissioners of the Privy Council were waiting for this matter to be quickly resolved so they could be promoted!

Jealousy was only for Li Gang, the Prime Minister far away in the southeast, who was still overwhelmed with problems. They didn't need it, and they didn't have time for it.

So, after the three behind him nodded roughly, Lu Haowen took the lead in cupping his hands and responding, "What Your Majesty says is very true. Prime Minister Zong's merit, virtue, and deeds are worthy of Zhong Wu, and he should also be posthumously enfeoffed as a Prince."

Zhao Jiu nodded slightly, looked at the dense crowd in front of him, and continued,

"I will trouble you Prime Ministers with this matter... There is also another matter. This battle involved a wide range of people. Whether it be civil or military officials, or generals, their merits should be calculated early, rewards distributed, and promotions made. I hope that the Department of State Affairs and the Privy Council will quickly calculate clearly, and try to settle things here, so as not to lose or forget."

This sentence was even more natural, and without even turning his head to look at the other three Prime Ministers behind him, Lu Haowen quickly bowed and expressed, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, your servants are here, and we are already calculating urgently..."

Zhao Jiu smiled in response and continued, "Speaking of calculating merits, the transfer and promotion of commandants and below is fine, but for those above the rank of commandant, the various commanders and Grand Prefecture governors, I should say a few words beforehand to avoid any disputes over merit in the future..."

Lu Haowen paused slightly and blurted out, "Your Majesty, please speak."

"It's actually simple." Zhao Jiu continued to smile and said loudly, "I believe that in this battle, if it wasn't for Han Shizhong holding Changshe and Chen Gui defending Nanyang, the situation would have been irreversible. Moreover, Han Shizhong had further coordinating merits after leaving Changshe... These two should be given first-class merit. Chen Gui should be Minister of War concurrently with Governor of Kaifeng Prefecture, and Han Shizhong should be Junior Protector and also be granted a military governorship! When you calculate the merits, do not let the rewards of these two fall below this level!"

Chen Gui and Han Shizhong, who were positioned behind the four Prime Ministers, both breathed heavily, then could not hide their joy. Chen Gui was not a proper *Jinshi* graduate, and Han Shizhong was even more of a rough man, how would they know how to conceal their emotions?

And although Lu Haowen and others were startled by the sudden discussion of such an important matter, unexpectedly, no one had any intention of refuting it.

Because from a public perspective, Chen Gui and Han Shizhong being the first in merit for civil and military affairs in this battle was not much to argue with. Before the war, they were already the highest-ranking civil official governor and military commander below the Grand Councilors... And from a private perspective, with Zong Ze's death and the vacancy of the Commissioner of the Privy Council, one of the two Vice Commissioners should have succeeded and continued to maintain the balance of the four Grand Councilors in the Eastern and Western Prefectures of the Imperial Court. Therefore, they were actually a little worried that Chen Gui would take advantage of this battle to forcibly enter the game.

Governor of Kaifeng Prefecture, of course, was a good assignment, a universally recognized good assignment, but it wasn't quite the same as being a Grand Councilor... This Chen Gui, from a humble background, didn't know he was being sold by the Emperor, did he?

And with this thought, the four Prime Ministers not only had no reason to object, but also felt that Emperor Zhao's arrangement was very much to their liking, even showing goodwill... However, everyone was familiar, and the Prime Ministers had a bit of insight into what kind of person Emperor Zhao was.

Therefore, after the Prime Ministers prepared to accept Emperor Zhao's goodwill, their vigilance increased even more, in order to prevent Emperor Zhao from taking advantage of this great victory to forcibly do some messy things.

However, just as Lu Haowen was about to respond, Emperor Zhao directly continued:

"Below Chen and Han, if Li Yanxian hadn't advanced into Hedong, cutting off the eastern and western battlefields, morale would have been depressed at that time; if Ma Kuo hadn't fought the Jin army bravely in Hebei, we would have been caught off guard at that time; if Zhang Jun hadn't approached Nanjing, holding Bozhou, the eastern front would have been completely destroyed; if Generals Yue Fei and Wang Yan hadn't risen up, helping me to execute Du Chong, start in Yanling, and attack Talan, this battle would never have been reversed... These five, those without a military governorship should be granted one, those with a military governorship should be granted the title of Junior Protector, to show my favor!"

The four Prime Ministers exchanged glances again, still without speaking, because this matter sounded more like forcibly setting the tone for several military generals.

If there was anything inappropriate to say, it was that Emperor Zhao seemed to want to forcibly promote that Yue Fei, who was only twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, and highlight the feeling of the Hebei righteous army, so as long as Zhang Jun and Li Yanxian didn't make trouble, and Wang De didn't disagree, then there shouldn't be any problems.

In fact, Li Yanxian, who was standing behind Han Shizhong, and Zhang Jun, who was riding a horse and standing beside Emperor Zhao, did not have any superfluous nonsense. Wang De didn't say a word in the distance... After seeing this scene, the four Prime Ministers almost all realized that today Emperor Zhao was indeed acting with authority, but it was not directed at them Prime Ministers. On the contrary, it was directed at these people, even selling out Chen Gui, wanting the four Prime Ministers to help him suppress these military generals with a lot of faults.

However, now it seems that Emperor Zhao's battle in Yanling was indeed powerful, and they Prime Ministers didn't even need to beat the drums.

"One last thing, after thinking it over again and again, since we have returned to the old capital, and Garrison Commander Zong has also passed away, then there is no need to specially establish the Tokyo Garrison Headquarters. The troops of the Tokyo Garrison Headquarters and the troops in Shanzhou and Xijing and other places should be unified and prepared, and placed under the command of the Imperial Guard."

Zhao Jiu withdrew his gaze from the military general in front of Han Shizhong and Yue Fei, felt slightly relieved, and continued to announce loudly. "The Tokyo Garrison Headquarters will roughly be reorganized into the Imperial Guard's Vanguard Army, with Yue Fei as the Commanding General, and the troops in Xijing and Shanzhou will roughly be placed under the command of the Imperial Guard's Central Army, with Li Yanxian as the Commanding General... Do any of you have anything to say?"

Most people remained silent, but Prime Minister Lu Haowen, after noticing that someone had tugged at his sleeve, immediately stepped forward and responded calmly:

"To let Your Majesty know, the Eastern and Western Prefectures both feel that this matter is very appropriate and have nothing to say!"

No one interrupted between the Emperor and the Prime Minister, so after a moment, after confirming that no one objected, Zhao Jiu smiled as before, and nodded without end: "Since that's the case, let's enter the city... Thank you for your hard work, Prime Ministers!"

ps: Thank you all for the rewards, but the previous chapter was not intended to solicit rewards, I meant to complain that there is only a request for rewards option in the feature of the easter egg chapter.

Good night.