A collective gasp echoed around them.
With this calculation, two legions of heavy cavalry and two legions of longbowmen would cost at least fourteen million taels!
As soldiers, they were actually somewhat afraid that the country would elevate the status of soldiers too much, leading to excessive military spending…
This could not be blamed on them. Ever since Liang Xiao established the Great Gan military spirit, the soldiers of Great Gan had undergone a complete transformation, all taking pride in serving the country and its people, and naturally did not wish for the nation to decline.
Prosperity and decline were shared; even if they were not well-read, they understood this simple truth.
Ding Wuyi, who always wore a stern face, finally chuckled, "There's no need to worry. The national treasury can afford this sum. After all, the Marquis of An Guo has secured the Three Mountains and the Hetao region for us. Those are natural pastures. This year, we've also acquired young horses captured from the barbarians that have matured. So, the cost of heavy warhorses can actually be reduced a bit further."
Only then did everyone relax, their faces filled with excitement.
They desired to achieve great deeds, but they did not wish to see themselves and their comrades fall on the battlefield.
This soon-to-be-formed powerful force would also indirectly reduce casualties among Great Gan soldiers, thus indirectly enhancing their safety as soldiers.
Whether it was the Great Gan Iron Guards, the White Robe Army, the Great Gan Garrison, or Liang Xiao's private army, the Qingtian Guard, all were provided with meat daily, yet no one complained.
This was because these units were always at the forefront, bearing the greatest pressure for their comrades, hence the astonishing casualty rate of dozens to one.
If these two cavalry legions were successfully formed, they too would be eligible to eat meat daily.
More than half a year had passed since the pacification of Xichuan, and the special permission for the northern soldiers to eat meat had long expired. They had returned to normal diets, only able to eat meat occasionally.
There were also many new recruits in the army who hoped to receive the treatment of eating meat every day.
There were only two ways to achieve this: either earn military merits, or become an elite!
Ding Wuyi and Lü Changhe merely smiled at the excited soldiers.
The treasure of gold, of course, could not be revealed casually.
According to Liang Xiao's reasoning, while forming this army was costly, it also provided a suitable use for the gold, and could "stimulate domestic demand" and "increase employment."
As martial men, they did not understand these terms, but they could roughly grasp that spending money in this manner did not equate to excessive military spending. If a nation could not defend itself from external threats, no matter how wealthy, it would only become a granary for its enemies.
However, the true reason that prompted Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing to form this army was the increasingly mature craftsmanship of plate armor.
The artisans discovered that as long as there was enough steel, the efficiency of forging plate armor was actually higher than that of lamellar armor…
Coupled with the mature technique for forging Damascus steel, the spearheads of the heavy cavalry legion possessed greater power and toughness, greatly enhancing their charging impact!
They had already tested it: under the full charge of man and horse, such a long spear was capable of piercing iron shields and iron armor, or directly knocking the target away!
Soldiers in the northern regions, upon receiving the news, eagerly volunteered for the assessment, only seeking to become members of the new legion.
After discussions between Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing, and incorporating the suggestions from Lü Yi of the Western Province, this new legion, which would be composed of the Divine Archer Corps and the Heavy Cavalry Legion, also received a new combined designation.
The Great Gan Valiant Cavalry!
Currently, it was under the selection and training of Lü Changhe and Ding Wuyi, with equipment allocation. In times of war, it would be authorized by Xiao Qing and arranged by Liang Xiao, Lü Yi, or Gongsun Ye.
At present, Lü Yi was in the Western Province, ostensibly negotiating with the Guishuang Dynasty, but in reality, the two armies were in a stalemate.
Great Gan's intelligence on the Guishuang Dynasty was insufficient, and the western frontier did not yet have enough supplies to support a westward campaign. They could only maintain deterrence against the Guishuang Dynasty, preventing them from casually encroaching upon the Western Regions.
The Western Regions held a unique position, with vast deserts making them unsuitable as ideal bases for either country. Only the various kingdoms of the Western Regions could survive here.
The King of Guizi had already dispatched people to closely monitor the movements of the Guishuang Dynasty. Should the situation turn unfavorable, the kingdoms of the Western Regions would consider a nationwide withdrawal to the Western Province to avoid being massacred by the Guishuang Dynasty.
Several volumes of the Great Zhou historical records had already circulated to the kingdoms of the Western Regions. The people of the Western Regions learned of the brutality of the Tianri tribe, and upon discovering that the King of Guishuang was also a member of the Tianri tribe, they were filled with even greater dread.
Meanwhile, on the western continent, rebel forces led by the Liang Family Army, of which Liang Jing's family was a part, were engaging in guerrilla warfare in the mountainous regions, opposing the Tianri cavalry.
The Tianri cavalry were constantly harassed but could not easily bypass these mountainous areas, forcing them to advance cautiously.
Heracles, a former Roman prince who had become a commander of the Liang Family Army cavalry, ascended a mountaintop and looked at the distant herds of Tianri cavalry with a troubled expression.
"How did they conquer your Western countries back then?" Liang Jing also expressed some bewilderment.
Heracles sighed helplessly.
"The learning ability of this Tianri tribe is astonishing. Despite being mere cannibalistic barbarians, they could temporarily conceal their man-eating nature, smiling deceptively, playing along with our various countries, and acting meekly. Later, when various countries were embroiled in conflicts, and we were engaged in a prolonged war with the Carthaginians, this Tianri cavalry, which appeared out of nowhere, swept across the lands, becoming the overlords of this continent. They then coerced and enticed various parties through various means, forcing us to accept humiliating treaties and vie to pay tribute."
"The Tianri tribe is not a purely singular ethnic group. They have also absorbed personnel from various Western countries. As long as they are willing to devour their own relatives, they can join the Tianri tribe and accept the Tianri faith. This is an inside secret we learned only after our defeat, but it was too late. This continent no longer has any country capable of effectively resisting them. Any who resisted were utterly annihilated!"
"When they were weak, they could even appear harmless and peace-loving. But once they possessed absolute strength to crush all countries, their true faces were revealed. They enslaved all countries with their power. All the logic of bandits we knew was embodied in them. In their eyes, they were powerful, therefore everything they did was correct and just, and those who defied them were evil. For two thousand years, they have also altered the history of all civilizations they destroyed. All the heroes and gods of these civilizations have become Tianri, while demons belong to these civilizations…"
Liang Jing and the soldiers behind her pondered deeply.
"It seems the Tianri tribe can no longer be defeated by guerrilla tactics alone. We must find a way to contact our homeland in the East, and contact that General Tian and that Marquis of An Guo as soon as possible. Until then, we must first ensure the safety of the mountain populace! I hope we can all return to our homeland within ten years!"
Heracles volunteered, "You have shown me great kindness, and I have the appearance of a Westerner. I should be able to slip past the eyes of the Guishuang Dynasty."
With the support of the descendants of the Great Zhou Martial Saint, Heracles, taking with him money, fine horses, and Liang Jing's letter and Great Zhou token, set off eastward to seek aid.
Liang Xiao and his entourage had been well-settled in the Honglu Temple, and were quite satisfied with its arrangements.
"The Great Liang truly shows great sincerity," Zhuo Zifang could not help but praise.
Liang Xiao smiled, "With such sincerity, I'm afraid Yan Liu and his faction are already panicking."
Inside the Imperial Study of the palace, Prime Minister Yan Liu, along with a group of court officials, presented their advice to Mu Cheng.
"Your Majesty treats Liang Xiao with such generosity, and also lets the people of Great Liang know that he is the son of the Northern King. I fear that in the future, the people's hearts will be with Liang Xiao, the Northern King, and Great Gan, rather than with Your Majesty! For the current situation, we should hasten to negotiate with Liang Xiao and send him back to Great Gan as soon as possible!"