Celebration Assembly

Time flew by quickly, and three days passed. News of the commendation ceremony had already been spread. Victor had not only prepared rewards for military operations but also for everyone involved in the territory's development during the entire expansion period.

As a result, the entire territory was filled with joy these past few days. On October 9th, Victor directly requested that a grand banquet be held after the victory celebration. Preparations began early in the morning. The fleet had also delivered a large amount of food and wine, which were now piled up on one side of the military camp's training grounds. People were also busy slaughtering cattle and sheep to prepare the banquet food.

At 9 AM, the weather was excellent, with bright sunshine. However, the autumn breeze on the prairie kept it from feeling hot, making the temperature warm and comfortable.

Victor stood on the temporarily erected platform, looking at the troops already assembled and seated on the training grounds, as well as the staff from various departments of the territory, and representatives from engineering teams and projects. Over a thousand people looked very happy. After all, such events were rare in this world. Noble investiture ceremonies were usually solemn rather than grand, with at most some bread distributed freely in the territory to signify celebration.

Victor's own experiences, combined with the conclusions drawn by Number 1 using the calculation module, indicated that organizing such a universally beneficial group activity at this time would help boost the territory's morale and the army's cohesion, fostering a positive and progressive atmosphere for the territory's development.

Soon, Victor announced the official commencement of the commendation ceremony. He personally announced the list of honorees and their rewards, and arranged for several soldiers with loud voices to repeat his speech from below the platform.

The first group to receive rewards was the vanguard squad led by Jack. They were the first troops to arrive in the territory, suffered the most casualties, and participated in all battles. Victor directly conferred the title of "Honorary Unit" upon this squad, granting them the honorary title of "Vanguard of Two Rivers." All members of the squad, whether fallen in battle, disabled due to injury, or still serving, would receive a reward. This included land, offering the qualification to exchange for 10 mu of land in the Golden Sunflower Territory of Bole County or 30 mu in the Two Rivers Territory, along with 3 Silver Maples per person, and a Silver Golden Sunflower Second Class Medal.

Victor personally presented the medals to the representatives who came on stage to receive their awards, and handed out land exchange certificates and bonuses. The rest would be distributed by the unit commander, Jack. Victor announced that if any commander attempted to seize the soldiers' rewards, they should report it to him, and he would personally administer their punishment.

Following this, various rewards were presented in succession. The troops who participated in the two battles on both banks of the Great Fish River received half the land exchange qualification and 3 Silver Maples, but their medals were replaced with Bronze Golden Sunflower Third Class Medals.

Troops who only participated in the attack on the Green Grass Tribe on the north bank primarily received only 3 Silver Maples as a bonus and Bronze Golden Sunflower Third Class Medals.

A special case involved James's troops and the Edelweiss Territory cavalry. Since these troops were only temporarily affiliated with Victor and participated in combat, they were essentially still units from other territories. Therefore, awarding them land exchange qualifications under the same standard was not appropriate. After Victor discussed with James, the land exchange qualification was converted into land under James's name. The Edelweiss Territory troops had essentially only participated in the final battle, so they were only awarded bonuses and medals.

Subsequently, Victor also individually commended several army commanders and a few soldiers who performed exceptionally well during the war. They were granted land exchange qualifications ranging from 50 to 100 mu, along with at least 1 gold coin bonus per person, a Gold Golden Sunflower First Class Medal, and either the Excellent Commander Medal or the Two Rivers Battle Hero Medal.

Victor personally presented the awards to these recipients and arranged for them to ride horses around Wood Fort Town, allowing everyone to cheer for them.

Finally, rewards were presented to everyone who participated in the territory's construction. Victor announced that each person would receive 1 silver coin, including serfs and herdsman slaves. He also promised that as long as they performed their duties well, serfs could have their status lifted within three years, and herdsman slaves within five years. The territory would also grant each person 5 mu of land as a foundation for their livelihood.

Furthermore, Victor pledged that if a soldier's relative had a soldier who earned a Silver Golden Sunflower Second Class Medal once or three Bronze Golden Sunflower Third Class Medals, their five immediate family members could have their serf or herdsman slave status lifted.

For those with significant meritorious service, their serf status could be directly lifted, and they would receive rewards. For example, some representatives rewarded by Victor this time had played invaluable roles in work projects. For instance, a serf worker at the brick factory improved the brick-making machine, doubling its efficiency. This individual and his relatives had their serf status directly lifted and were granted 20 mu of land.

Victor also promised at the meeting that if anyone did not receive their money or corresponding rewards, they could report it directly to him. Victor would frequently patrol the territory, and everyone had seen him. He would impose the death penalty on any corrupt officials who violated the territory's regulations, as lords in this world possessed absolute jurisdiction over all inhabitants of their territory and could execute them without trial.

Victor did not forget all the civil officials who had participated in the territory's development during this period. They were all rewarded according to the plan, including land exchange qualifications, 3 Silver Maples per person, and Bronze Golden Sunflower Third Class Medals.

The ceremony lasted for over three hours, and it was past noon. Victor declared the commendation ceremony concluded and immediately commenced the banquet. Everyone would have plenty of food, but waste was not allowed. Each person could receive a mug of barley wine. Soldiers, except for those on essential duty, could drink freely within the camp.

After a simple meal, Victor, accompanied by his personal guard squad, took a batch of food and crossed the river to the north bank. He personally went to the north bank's sentry posts to offer his regards and personally presented rewards to the garrison troops, thanking them for their contributions.

Afterward, Victor toured the territory, visiting various projects to encourage the people. He promised to fulfill the agreed-upon rewards and urged everyone to work hard, stating that any problems could be reported directly to him, and he would provide solutions.

He rode his horse at full speed, and by around 6 PM, it was already dark. Victor arrived at Sea Song Town and personally presented rewards to the 50 garrison soldiers stationed there. The soldiers were overjoyed, never expecting their lord to have not forgotten them. All of them expressed their willingness to bring victory to Lord Victor.

Afterward, Victor met with Vincent. Due to the many affairs in Sea Song Town, Vincent was unable to attend the commendation ceremony himself and had only sent a representative. Victor personally presented him with his rewards and removed the "acting" title from his position as acting town head.

Vincent was deeply touched, but Victor quickly reassured him, encouraging him to continue his work and to report any issues directly to him.

That evening, Victor stayed at the temporary office in Sea Song Town, concluding a busy day.