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What rewards could Han rulers give for military service or good administration?

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Map showing the Han Empire's territory around 100 BCE, shaded in orange, covering much of eastern China and extending westward. The map also marks the boundary of modern China and highlights the Great Wall running along the northern frontier, built for protection against the Huns. Major rivers and the capital, Chang'an (Xi'an), are labeled. — Han dynasty Map showing the extent of the Han empire c. 100 bce.

To maintain order and encourage loyalty, the Han dynasty government utilized a system of rewards for military service and effective administration. These rewards were designed to confer both material benefits and elevated social standing.12

Common rewards included:

Material Bounties: Recipients were often granted gifts of gold, meat, spirits, or silk.12
Tax and Service Exemptions: Meritorious individuals could receive exemptions from certain taxes and state labor obligations.12
Orders of Honor: The state maintained a ranked scale of 20 degrees of honor. These could be bestowed individually or to groups, with higher orders often granted for specific acts of valor or good administration.12
Nobility: The highest order of honor was the rank of nobility, which provided significant social status and specific legal privileges, such as the ability to ransom oneself from certain punishments.12
Amnesties: The government occasionally issued amnesties for criminals as a form of reward.12
Enslaved Labor: In some instances, individuals who had been enslaved by the state following the confiscation of their family's goods were given as rewards to meritorious officials to perform menial or domestic tasks.12