The citizens of the capital lined the streets, welcoming him with cheers for Liang Xiao's name and title.
"The Great Qian's Iron Wall! The Emperor's Army of the Nation!"
The generals and shadow guards behind Liang Xiao, receiving the formal welcome, felt immense pride listening to the people's praise and bowed in thanks.
These shadow guards, also dispatched by Ding Wuyi, had followed Liang Xiao into the desert to search for treasure, and even He Zizhang, who had temporarily retired from military service to follow Liang Xiao, was among them.
While the treasure had yet to be found, the merits they had earned with Liang Xiao were enough to boast about for a lifetime.
Among the crowd, members of the Returning Spring Sect—Duan Hong, Gong Xue, Gong Yu, and Gong Mingqing—watched Liang Xiao's carriage from afar, filled with anger.
It was he who brought unprecedented changes to the Great Qian, and the Returning Spring Sect lost all its fertile ground for cultivating believers!
Just moments ago, an imperial decree had been posted in the palace, announcing to the world that "Refuting the Returning Spring Sect" was also written by Liang Xiao!
And now, they could only change their identities, carefully lay their plans, and with one wrong step, face eternal damnation!
Yet, the white-robed figure in the carriage could bask in the admiration of the world under the morning sun, exuding majesty!
"I wonder what rewards Marquis An Guo will receive this time? His Majesty will surely satisfy everyone, won't he!"
"Of course! His Majesty and Marquis An Guo were sworn brothers once, and now Marquis An Guo is even His Majesty's brother-in-law, didn't you know?"
The crowd chattered excitedly, their faces beaming.
The story of Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing's sworn brotherhood had, of course, spread from the palace, earning the people even greater respect for the current Emperor's wisdom in discerning talent.
The citizens of the capital formed a line from the Marquis An Guo's mansion all the way to a mile outside the imperial palace. Only when Liang Xiao and the soldiers entered the palace did the crowd reluctantly disperse.
The civil and military officials followed Xiao Qing out of the main hall, watching as Xiao Qing took Liang Xiao's hands.
"My loyal minister Liang, the soldiers of the Great Qian, you have all worked hard! The merits of all the generals are enough to be recorded in history!"
Even though they had been reunited with Liang Xiao beforehand, Xiao Qing's face was still filled with joy and soaring spirits at this moment.
"We eat the ruler's grain and serve the ruler loyally. We swear to die for our Emperor and are willing to expand the territory of the Great Qian!"
Liang Xiao responded with fervor, as did the soldiers behind him, greatly pleasing Xiao Qing.
Dugu Qun and the others lowered their heads, daring not to look up.
"Follow me into the hall to receive your titles and rewards!"
Xiao Qing, holding Liang Xiao's hand, slowly walked towards the main hall, feeling an unprecedented sense of peace and joy.
The generals with military ranks of the fifth grade and above, as representatives of the hundred thousand soldiers, entered the hall.
The trembling voice of the Grand Eunuch echoed through the hall.
As Lu Yi had already received his rewards in advance, there were no additional bestowals this time, but the imperial decree was quite formal.
"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Our dynasty's sage, Grand Tutor, General of the Chariots and Cavalry, Minister of the Secretariat, Vice Minister of Works, Marquis An Guo, and son-in-law Liang Xiao, Liang, has taken control of Mount Helan, Qilian Mountain, and Yanzhi Mountain, leading one hundred thousand soldiers deep into the desert, sweeping through the wilderness, inscribing stone at Yanran, watering horses at the vast sea, and sealing the wolf's dwelling, reclaiming the Hetao region, and his fame resounds throughout the distant lands!!"
"I have learned of the preceding merits of the loyal minister Liang and his hundred thousand soldiers, and the northern frontier soldiers have also contributed to the conquest of the Three Mountains!"
"Two hundred and ten thousand soldiers of the Great Qian marched from Shuofang, conquering all the way and expanding the territory for our Great Qian. Their contributions are indelible. After discussion with all officials, I have decided to bestow generous rewards!"
"Hereby, I grant the loyal minister Liang the concurrent position of Grand Marshal of Cavalry, while the duties of Vice Minister of Works will be formally carried out by the Grand Master Zhang Yang! Liang is further enfeoffed with an additional thirty thousand households in Yanzhou, rewarded with one hundred thousand taels of gold, and granted the authority to lead the shadow guards!"
As the words fell, Dugu Qun and the others were terrified!
The authority to lead the shadow guards?
The right to execute court officials without prior reporting...
Besides Liang Xiao, only Xiao Qing, Wang Canghai, and Ning Xuejun remained unfazed. Even Lu Changhe and others were startled.
Xiao Qing had originally intended to increase Liang Xiao's fief to fifty thousand households and elevate the title of Marquis An Guo to Duke An Guo, but Liang Xiao had dissuaded her.
Since the founding of the Great Qian, only Duke Ding Guo, Gongsun Wuji, had an fief of thirty thousand households; no one else could be granted this.
Liang Xiao's current marquisate of thirty thousand households made him the second individual after Duke Ding Guo!
Ning Xuejun and Wang Canghai had already confirmed that Liang Xiao did not covet power, nor did he have any intention of usurping royal authority. He had simply stepped forward out of concern for Xiao Qing and the people of Great Qian.
If the Emperor were not his "Little Frosty," his "Shuang'er," even if forced into service, he would have withdrawn after achieving his goals and overthrown the aristocratic families.
As for Liang Xiao's descendants, Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing had already discussed it: even after their passing, Liang Xiao's descendants would not be allowed to monopolize power.
Currently, the nominal commanders of the Great Qian army were Lu Yi, Liang Xiao, and Gongsun Ye, but the military power remained firmly in the hands of the Emperor.
This was thanks to the efforts of the Great Qian's founding emperor, Xiao Ping'an, Prime Minister Zhuo Mingfeng, and Marshal Gongsun Wuji.
Even military pay had to be disbursed from the central government. Except for a few warlords in the southwest, all generals of the Great Qian army clearly informed their soldiers that they fought for the Emperor.
Lu Yi had only served as the Northern Frontier Marshal for four years.
This year, Lu Yi was preparing to return to the capital to report, after which further consideration would be given to the Western and Southwestern frontiers for continued border defense.
The Great Qian's greatest threat, the barbarians, had been resolved, but there were still the Guishuang Dynasty, the Peacock Dynasty, and lurking dangers in the northeast and east...
The Great Liang country to the south might not remain friendly forever!
This was also why Lu Yi had proactively avoided suspicion, setting an example for the Great Qian's generals and marshals, prohibiting commanders of armies exceeding fifty thousand to lead troops for extended periods without rotation, to prevent the situation of the tail wagging the dog, where soldiers became too familiar with their own marshals and the Emperor's orders would be disregarded.
Dugu Ling, who was killed by Liang Xiao, had operated in the East Sea for over a decade, and his position was entirely due to the Dugu family's strong protection.
As for the old Duke Ding Guo, Gongsun Ye, the Ding Guo's mansion had possessed privileges bestowed by the founding emperor since its inception. The successive Dukes of Ding Guo had pledged loyalty to the Xiao family of Great Qian and had performed their duties in avoiding suspicion excellently, similar to Lu Yi, voluntarily accepting supervision by the shadow guards appointed by the Emperor, leaving the aristocratic families with no room for complaint.
And now, Liang Xiao, as General of the Chariots and Cavalry, concurrently held the position of Grand Marshal!
The Grand Marshal's actual power was less than that of the Grand General, but his nominal status was still above that of the Grand General.
With this, the Great Qian had three marshal-level figures who could flexibly divide power, and the Dugu family had no significant objections.
For the aristocratic families, the more marshal-level figures there were, the better, as the army was finite, and the more marshal-level figures there were, the greater the possibility of factional struggles.
Before the imperial decree was even halfway read, from Xiao Qing to the civil and military officials, each harbored their own thoughts, some rejoicing, others distressed.
Dugu Qun and the others were originally indifferent to how Xiao Qing would enfeoff Liang Xiao, as Lu Yi was already a Grand General.
However, the authority to lead the shadow guards truly made them feel as if a thorn was in their side; from now on, they would have to be careful with their words when facing Liang Xiao!
Xiao Qing had instructed the Grand Eunuch in advance, so the Eunuch deliberately paused to allow Xiao Qing to observe the officials' reactions.
They were all well-behaved, no longer as overbearing as before!
Without Liang Xiao, these old scoundrels would sometimes disregard the reading of the imperial decree and directly object, which had caused her immense frustration!
Now, from Dugu Qun down to the fourth-rank officials of the three families, they all kept their heads down, not daring to speak, and even made an effort to maintain pleasant smiles.