After learning of the process of the disastrous defeat at Yanzhou, the Right Chieftain greatly valued the role of intelligence and scouts. He dispatched scouts to various regions to investigate, just in case, vowing never again to be toyed with by Liang Xiao.
A portion of the barbarian infantry and supply troops camped in the mountains, while the cavalry remained outside, ready to deploy at any moment.
In the military camp, the Right Chieftain looked at the rosy-cheeked Left Chieftain and asked, "Left Chieftain, to this day, do you still fear the Sky General?"
Upon hearing this, the Left Chieftain shivered. After a long pause, he sighed, "I should not fear the Sky General as if he were a tiger, but recalling the defeat at Yanzhou, the Sky General's appearance was merely the final blow to my hope. Whether he was there or not, I had already suffered a devastating defeat. The only difference was how gracefully I lost..."
The Right Chieftain breathed a sigh of relief and said, "According to the rumors from the Yanzhou area, the soldiers have repeatedly reminded each other not to rely on the Sky General and to adapt to warfare without his presence. This suggests that the Sky General is likely a celestial being descended, or perhaps another person entirely. Liang Xiao, this young man, is only nineteen. Perhaps it's due to the Sky General's divine intervention that he bears some resemblance?"
The Left Chieftain remained silent.
The Right Chieftain added, "Furthermore, fighting here, we can still rely on the Helan Mountains. If the Sky General dares to enter the Helan Mountains, he will face arrows, rolling stones, and traps. His warhorse cannot possibly fly, can it?"
Before the Left Chieftain could respond, the strategist beside him said with embarrassment, "Right Chieftain, I heard that in the battle of Yanzhou, the Sky General's warhorse did indeed fly..."
An unusual silence fell over the tent.
After a moment, the Right Chieftain glared at the man and said irritably, "Can that be compared? If you all had even a shred of courage, you wouldn't have fled in disarray and had 170,000 of your men beheaded by Liang Xiao!"
The Left Chieftain and the others were filled with shame and had no reply.
This battle had severely wounded the barbarians. In their fierce battles with the Tianri clan in previous years, they had lost no more than 20,000 in total, and had also killed 20,000 of the Tianri clan.
A difference of eightfold! They were utterly demoralized by this single battle!
The Great Qian Kingdom lost 100,000 elite troops, causing nationwide shock. How could the barbarians, with a population of less than thirty million, most of whom lived in barren lands, withstand this? This was the total population of the territories they had occupied after expanding their borders.
The Left Chieftain finally reflected, "I performed poorly in battle and will accept my punishment upon my return. But currently, morale is low, and we need all of us generals to unite. We cannot afford further internal strife, otherwise, before the Great Qian soldiers even attack the Helan Mountains, we will have already disbanded..."
The Right Chieftain found this reasonable. Seeing that the Left Chieftain had regained his composure, he said, "As for the military command..."
"You are the marshal now, and I will assist," the Left Chieftain said shamefully.
Considering that the Left Chieftain had suffered two major defeats in two years, the Right Chieftain no longer insisted. He held his command token and addressed the generals.
"All troops, heed my order! Stand ready, strike down the Great Qian dogs, and then counterattack the Great Qian! Capture the Great Qian's two-legged sheep and wash away our shame!!"
In the Jiangnan military camp, Shi Liuyun was bored, assisting Gongsun Ye with military affairs.
"I truly wish I could go to Helan Mountain to fight, Marshal..."
Gongsun Ye couldn't help but give Shi Liuyun a look and stopped writing, "It's too late for you to go now. You might as well prepare to lead troops to defend the Southwest and investigate the truth behind the destruction of your Xichuan Shi clan by the Huichun Sect. Deal with the Huichun Sect as well. Xichuan is of utmost importance, and its people are innocent. We absolutely cannot let them be harmed by warlords and the Huichun Sect!"
Upon hearing that there was an opportunity to fight, Shi Liuyun's spirits immediately lifted, and he chuckled, "I've said it before, Marshal, the Southwest region must be guarded. Perhaps the Sun Moon Army will leap out there. If they can't take Luzhou, they'll attack Xichuan!"
The next day, in the Shuofang military camp, on the review stand, Liang Xiao looked at the surging crowd below with a solemn expression.
These soldiers' faces were filled with fervent anticipation, as if they couldn't wait to fly to Helan Mountain for the decisive battle.
The rewards given to the Yanzhou soldiers had caused unprecedented envy among soldiers from all regions.
Shuofang's garrison consisted of only 40,000 elite troops, with the remaining 100,000 being regular troops and new recruits.
Lü Yi stood behind Liang Xiao, gazing at the soldiers below with great spirit.
Generals like Lü Changhe and Nan Jiyun were on the platform. However, on a five-zhang high platform erected on the stage, only Liang Xiao and Lü Yi stood.
The Grand Marshal and Deputy Marshal of the Great Qian Kingdom were gathered here, presenting a grand military spectacle!
"In the past, the High Ancestor of Great Qian personally led the army on campaign, with Marquis Dingguo as Marshal and Chancellor Zhuo Mingfeng as strategist. They shattered the barbarians north of Yanzhou. This was a war that established our nation!"
"And now, our army's edge is sharp, we have beheaded 170,000 barbarians, recovered the Helan Mountains, and even ventured deep into the desert to expel the barbarians, restoring our land and achieving great deeds. The time is ripe!!"
Lü Yi spoke briefly, specifically emphasizing the beheading of 170,000 men to boost morale.
The soldiers below raised their arms and shouted, "Recover the Helan Mountains!!"
Liang Xiao was quite pleased with Lü Yi's imposing demeanor.
As one of the Four Great Assistants and the maternal uncle who voluntarily accepted supervision from the Shadow Guard, Lü Yi was sufficiently trustworthy. Although his abilities were not as great as Wei Qing's, his breadth of mind was comparable to Wei Qing's, so he had no need to worry about them falling out.
Liang Xiao thought of Huo Qubing and Wei Qing.
Since Lü Yi possessed the demeanor of Wei Qing, he would shamelessly emulate Huo Qubing.
"Next, Deputy Marshal, Grand Tutor, General of Chariots and Cavalry, Liang Xiao, will read the imperial edict and instruct the three armies!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the previously excited soldiers quickly fell silent. All eyes focused on Liang Xiao, clad in white robes and armor, on the high platform.
Zhuo Ying looked at Liang Xiao with immense pride.
Following the great victory at Yanzhou, as a newly emerged military star of the northern frontier and the eldest grandson of Zhuo Zifang, he had already learned the truth about the Sky General.
It was actually his brother-in-law, Liang Xiao!!
Fortunately, the soldiers of the White Robe Army, with the exception of Lü Changhe, were all fierce and taciturn individuals. Their minds were filled only with training and charging into battle; few questioned this matter.
Those who privately inquired with him and Lü Changhe were reprimanded by the two of them with various excuses, and then "realized the truth": one must not blaspheme the Deputy Marshal, the Marquis of Anguo!
However, according to Liang Xiao's wishes, unless absolutely necessary, the Sky General should not engage in arbitrary attacks from now on, lest the soldiers of the Great Qian across the land believe that the Sky General would always appear to bless them in battle.
Lü Yi also refused to let Liang Xiao fight at Helan Mountain as the Sky General, deeming it too dangerous. If anything were to happen to him, Xiao Qing would likely be ruined as well.
However, Liang Xiao had his own plans. Whether to fight or not would depend on whether the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
Lü Yi stepped back behind Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao stepped forward a few paces, looked at the soldiers below, took the imperial edict from the table, and read it aloud in public.
But the content of the edict was all extremely formal official language, which was the most troublesome "classical Chinese." The soldiers listened as Liang Xiao read it once, completely bewildered.
"Damn it, I didn't read enough!" This was the thought in the minds of the vast majority of the soldiers.
The more awkward the situation, the greater the expectation the soldiers placed on Liang Xiao's bookshops!
People across the land knew that Liang Xiao intended to sell books at an unprecedentedly low price. The Ouyang family had obstructed him, so it was self-evident whom the common people favored or resented.
They were fighting a decisive battle against the barbarians to create a truly stable living environment for their families, hoping to provide for their wives and sons, and allow their children the opportunity to excel through education. Relying on a military career for advancement was unrealistic, as Great Qian could not be at war every year.
After putting away the imperial edict, Liang Xiao announced loudly, "This general will explain the content of this imperial edict in detail. It actually includes the specifics of rewards and punishments, and compensation. It is also unprecedented. The treatment of soldiers in this war will surpass all previous dynasties!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers, who had been feeling ashamed for their lack of education, all perked up.
What rewards would they receive after the war? What would happen to their families if they were killed in action?
These were the contents they most anticipated, their basic demands!