Chapter 676: Playing the Long GameChapter 1612: The Backbone of the Great Qin

"Ladies and gentlemen."

Li Chen ignored Ning Wang's thoughts. He calmly began the opening remarks.

"The situation, as you all know, what happened at Yuèyá Guān today and what I experienced, need not be elaborated upon. I trust that on your journey here, you have already been informed."

"Your Highness," Wu Qingcang bowed respectfully and said in a soft voice, "War inevitably involves sacrifices. Please, Your Highness, take care of yourself during this time of mourning."

Li Chen raised his hand and said, "There are some things that this palace indeed failed to consider. But since things have already happened, dwelling on the past is futile, and it only drags us down with sentimentality. Therefore, this palace will say no more."

Before we begin, there are two things, Wu Qingsang and Wu Banshan, you two remember.

Wu Qingcang and Wu Banshan looked at each other, stiffened their bodies, and clasped their fists together, saying: "Please instruct, Your Highness."

“This Palace hereby decrees, the posthumous bestowal upon Wang Dajia of the rank of Second-Rank Cavalry General, with the honorary title of Dragon and Tiger General, the hereditary title of Marquis in the Great Qin Empire, and the bestowed honorific "Zhonghun Hou" (Loyal and Courageous Marquis). This title is heritable for three generations. The blessings extend to his parents and descendants. His eldest son from the primary wife shall inherit the title. If the eldest son of the primary wife has no heirs, one son may be adopted to inherit. The decision on adoption shall be made by the Wang family, and the Imperial Court acknowledges it.”

Since the reign of Emperor Tianyuan, the Qin court has been extremely stingy with bestowing titles. A title was only granted to those who had made significant contributions to stabilizing the nation, and even among those few, apart from the Su family, known as the war god lineage, none were granted hereditary privileges. Even the highest honors bestowed were limited to a single lifetime.

Today, Li Chen bestowed upon Wang Dazi the title of Second Rank Biaoqi General and promoted him to the highest rank within the Second Rank, Long Hu General. This is already an exceptional case, and further conferring upon him a hereditary Marquis title for three generations signifies that another illustrious military family has emerged in the Great Qin Dynasty.

This is a great blessing.

Wu Qingcang immediately said: "The last general is on behalf of Wang Dazhi, to thank Your Highness for your grace."

Nodding, Li Chen said: "As for General Wang's funeral, he dedicated his life to the country. After death, he should return to his roots. His body should be sent back home by a designated person, with a grand burial befitting a Marquis. The governors of the province where he is from, the magistrates of the state government offices, and the commanders must attend to pay their respects. This palace will instruct officials from the Ministry of Rites in the capital to supervise this matter."

"General Wang... he truly deserves this honor."

There were no objections from the audience.

Wang Da zhi's contributions are evident to all.

Without him, Li Chen wouldn't have been able to retreat from Yueya Pass so easily.

This is considered a meritorious act of saving the day.

Moreover, with death, even the greatest glory is of no avail. It only benefits one's descendants.

This is human nature, no one can oppose it.

"Taking a deep breath, Li Chen added: "Immediately order the craftsmen to begin forging a statue. The statue will be modeled after General Wang Da zhi's figure, but the facial features should not be carved, leaving it blank. It shall wear armor, and upon that armor, I want the names of all the soldiers who died in battle at Yueya Pass today to be engraved. From now on, no matter who ascends to the throne or becomes the commander of Yueya Pass, this statue must never be moved. The first thing every new commander does upon assuming office is to pay respects to the statue. The statue shall be called...the Backbone of Great Qin."

The command was given, and those present remained impassive.

This is Li Chen's decree. He will record today's events and the lives of those who fell in battle today in history forever with great honor.

Wu Qingscang and Wu Banshan trembled with excitement, knelt down, and loudly said: "Your Highness is righteous! We, the undersigned, on behalf of all the soldiers at Yueya Pass, express our deepest gratitude to Your Highness for your grace!"s is completely true. I wouldn't dare to deceive you with such a thing."Li Yinhu frowned. He felt that Xu Wei had no reason or guts to deceive him.His heart was in turmoil, but he decided to keep Xu W...