"An Guo! Your son is more than just promising!"
Lu Yi, atop his horse, couldn't help but let out a long cry to the sky.
The betrayal and death of his close friends and subordinates in the Helan Mountains, who had sacrificed themselves to cover his retreat, had always been a deep pain in Lu Yi's heart.
Now, Liang Xiao had not only avenged his father's generation but had also led him to recapture the Helan Mountains!
Lu Yi knew his own capabilities well. Even with the present Da Qian soldiers, without Liang Xiao, even if they could retake the Helan Mountains, the casualty rate would not have been so touching. After all, Liang Xiao's strategies and command had been instrumental.
To recapture the Helan Mountains was already more than he could have hoped for!
If it weren't for the concern of maintaining his image as Marshal, he would have been weeping tears of joy on his horse long ago!
"Quicken the advance and change course to meet at Yanzi Mountain!"
Lu Yi had no interest in staying in the Qilian Mountains to count spoils of war. He simply dispatched a contingent and personally led the main force to rendezvous with Liang Xiao at Yanzi Mountain.
He had already heard that Yanzi Mountain needed people for herding and management, and that roads needed to be built.
On the way to their rendezvous, a carrier pigeon released by Lu Yi's army safely returned to Shuofang, reporting victory ahead of time.
Wang Chunqiu, the commander of Shuofang, was stunned for a long moment before roaring, "Immediately send messages by pigeon to all locations, and add an urgent dispatch of eight hundred li, especially to the capital!!"
The people of Yanzhou and Yunzhou were the first to receive the news, and everyone was invigorated!
Liang Xiao's relatives were even more proud and overjoyed. His wives, in particular, strove to remain calm, fearing that emotional excitement might affect their pregnancies.
Liang Qing, Luo Changfeng, and Lu Xue, who had already arrived in Yanzhou, paid their respects to their ancestors and their families' children overnight.
"Xiao'er has not only recaptured the Helan Mountains but also led troops to capture the Hexi Corridor, the Qilian Mountains, and the Yanzi Mountains. Our Da Qian has gained a treasure land for herding, its national destiny is soaring, and the future is promising!!"
The people of Yanzhou prayed to their ancestors and offered blessings for the Da Qian soldiers.
The capital and other places also gradually received the news.
Xiao Qing was so happy she almost fainted. She then rushed to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay her respects, weeping as she spoke.
"Father Emperor, Mother Empress, Imperial Brother, you kept your word and found Shuang'er the best husband in the world..."
The Dugu family, Ouyang family, the He family in the capital... Upon hearing the news, everyone nearly fainted.
Even Yanzi Mountain and Qilian Mountain had fallen??
The "royal army" from the barbaric lands they had been fixated on, the barbarian cavalry who had helped them in their power struggles, the barbarians upon whom they relied to maintain their influence, were utterly defeated, with nearly 470,000 beheaded in total!!
"By the decree of the Emperor, who has received the Mandate of Heaven: Forty-seven thousand beheaded on the front lines, Helan Mountain recaptured, Qilian Mountain, Yanzi Mountain, and other places taken, controlling the Hexi Corridor, with spoils of war equivalent to tens of millions of taels of silver. My heart is greatly comforted, and the nation is jubilant! I shall await the triumphant return of the heroes from the front lines with the people before bestowing rewards! Marshal Lu Yi of the Northern Border and Deputy Marshal Liang Xiao are hereby permitted to handle the spoils of war as they see fit, slaughtering livestock to reward the army!"
An imperial decree, sent via urgent dispatch of eight hundred li from the capital, traveled all the way to the Helan Mountains!
Three days later, Lu Yi finally marched north and met Liang Xiao at Yanzi Mountain, where they embraced.
Lu Yi patted Liang Xiao's back, his voice trembling, "With you, Liang Xiao, Da Qian is fortunate!"
The soldiers, one after another, knelt in a half-bow to the two: "We thank Marshal and Deputy Marshal for leading us to achieve merit, honor our ancestors, and etch our names in history!!"
At this moment, everyone was filled with gratitude and couldn't contain themselves, holding back the tears of iron men.
This battle was destined to be recorded in history!
Even if they were just nameless soldiers, their descendants could stand tall and proudly tell the world.
My ancestors followed the two Marshals to recapture the Helan Mountains, seize the Qilian Mountains and the Hexi Corridor, and expand the territory for Da Qian!
This is eternal history, and even more so, eternal glory!
In mid-April, Liang Xiao and Lu Yi led the soldiers, read the imperial decree prepared by Xiao Qing for them, solemnly worshipped heaven, and officially comforted their ancestors and past emperors, vowing eternal loyalty to the people of Da Qian and the Son of Heaven.
After the ceremony, Lu Yi, standing on the high platform, couldn't help but look at Liang Xiao, who stood beside him.
"Nephew, we must erect grand monuments in the Three Mountains. If you don't write some inscriptions, everyone will be upset with you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the generals below chimed in.
Only Lu Yi and Liang Xiao were qualified to write on the monuments, but Lu Yi was a warrior and did not understand poetry or prose, and others were not qualified.
Liang Xiao pondered for a moment and readily agreed.
The finest writing tools were brought, and Liang Xiao inscribed the characters on the spot, reciting them aloud.
"All barbarians, domestic and foreign, who dare to take up arms shall be slain! Our righteous army advances with might; those who act as clowns, no matter how strong, shall be exterminated!"
"The Deputy Marshal means that any barbarians, both within and outside the country, who dare to rebel will be put to death! Our army, a righteous force, will advance with its might, and even the strongest clowns will be killed!"
As the meaning of these two lines spread, the entire army was invigorated!
No other words could better express the feelings of the soldiers at that moment!
Lu Yi looked at it with increasing delight and immediately decided, "We shall use this inscription as the main text and erect three identical stone tablets, to be placed in the Helan Mountains, Qilian Mountains, and Yanzi Mountain, respectively, to proclaim the might of our Da Qian!"
Craftsmen among the rear supply troops carefully took Liang Xiao's calligraphy and began to copy and engrave the steles.
"It still has to be the Deputy Marshal's brush. How could we rough men think of such things!" Lu Changhe and others chuckled foolishly.
"Nonsense! Besides him, who else possesses such grandeur and qualification!" Lu Yi couldn't help but cast a glance at his son, implicitly admitting that he himself couldn't do it.
The soldiers did not look down on Lu Yi because of this. Instead, they respected him even more.
The fact that the marshals were realistic, free from internal strife, and did not fight for power was the most important guarantee of an army.
It was rare for a marshal to so readily accept being overshadowed by the glory of his deputy!
"If the Marshal had not reorganized the northern border, we would not have lasted until this day of revenge!" Liang Xiao said with heartfelt emotion.
"Marshal's noble righteousness!" The soldiers echoed in unison.
Lu Yi also laughed heartily, "I can't compare to you, I can't compare! It's enough for this old man to be able to bring honor to my ancestors and have my name inscribed in history! But, Nephew, what do you plan to do next?"
With the great victory, Lu Yi also felt much more relaxed. He no longer adhered to formalities and addressed Liang Xiao by his usual title, unafraid of being impeached by the aristocratic families.
Under everyone's eager gaze, Liang Xiao looked to the north, his eyes blazing.
"Repair the northward roads as soon as possible to ensure the army's movements. Then, with sufficient provisions, Uncle, you will guard the Three Mountains, and I will personally lead the cavalry deep into the desert to water our horses at the Great Lake. This will be proclaimed to the world."
"If the enemy can go, so can I!"
After Liang Xiao finished speaking, he looked at Lu Yi, "What do you say?"
Lu Yi was instantly filled with heroic spirit and nodded gravely, "But you must ensure your safety no matter what. You should understand that this world can exist without Lu Yi, but it cannot exist without Liang Xiao..."
All the generals below were awestruck and reverent, shouting in unison, "If the enemy can go, so can we!"
"This subordinate is willing to follow Deputy Marshal into the desert to water our horses at the Great Lake!!"
For a time, the crowd was impassioned, and everyone requested to join the campaign!
"Deputy Marshal! We can also quickly familiarize ourselves with horse riding and mount the barbarian horses to follow as cavalry!"
Other infantry soldiers became anxious and spoke up, unwilling to be outdone.
Going deep into the desert was certainly dangerous, but as northern border soldiers, with their families secured and no worries, who wouldn't want to strive to create another glorious moment in their careers?