Mu Cheng smiled and said, "If all my beloved ministers diligently cultivate virtue and benevolence, and the common people give their hearts to us, why would you fear Liang Xiao being popular with the people? If I and you cannot diligently cultivate virtue and benevolence, or even act against the natural order, would Liang Xiao not come to Daliang, and would the hearts of the people in Daliang not turn towards Da Gan?"
Yan Liu and the others were stunned.
Only then did Mu Cheng put on a serious face and say, "All of you must perform well, and do not let Liang Xiao outshine you! Whoever dares to hold a sinecure, or accept bribes and break the law, will obediently step down and be replaced. Even if it's someone from your own family, at least you yourself will never have another chance to be an official!"
The officials were filled with anger, but outwardly they showed fear, kowtowing and pledging, "Your humble servants will do their utmost to be loyal and resourceful!"
Mu Cheng's move had hit the bullseye.
They monopolized official positions, and even if they resigned, their family members could still rise to power. The nation could not function without them.
But they themselves were passionate about power. Compared to being behind-the-scenes manipulators, they preferred to openly and legitimately hold direct power, to be imperious and awe-inspiring. Such satisfaction was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
After the officials departed, a Xuan Wei guard came to report.
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of An Guo's family brought their own food and provisions, only allowing most of the accompanying personnel to occasionally accept meals provided by our country..."
Mu Cheng was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile, "This child's actions are truly flawless!"
He understood, of course, that Liang Xiao was worried about being poisoned.
After all, even though he himself had guarded against it with all his might, and with Qin Feng's assistance, he couldn't prevent his wife and children from being poisoned to death...
At night, Qin Feng brought a middle-aged man in black to visit Liang Xiao.
"This is Ye Chengxiu, Commander of the Xuan Wei, my Emperor's confidant, whom you can trust. If you have anything to convey, you can entrust it to him."
Liang Xiao looked at the middle-aged man in black introduced by Qin Feng and asked, "Commander Ye, does your Emperor have no private matters he wishes to discuss with me?"
Ye Chengxiu replied without hesitation, "Please accept the hospitality of the Marquis of An Guo and remain patient. Even we, his ministers, cannot fathom our Emperor's intentions, but he bears no ill will towards the Marquis of An Guo."
Liang Xiao could only agree.
Having learned that Mu Cheng's wife and children had been successively poisoned to death, for safety reasons, he and his wives, along with Zhuo Zifang, Zuo Wushang, Yue Qingtian, and He Zizhang, only ate the dry rations brought from Da Gan.
The meals of other subordinates were also strictly supervised during preparation, and they tried to eat dry rations. Continuous supplies of dry rations were also sent from the military camp on the south bank of the Heng River.
However, considering that this might dampen the mood, they could occasionally partake in Daliang's cuisine, but safety precautions were essential.
After Qin Feng and the other two chatted with Liang Xiao and Zhuo Zifang for a while and left, Zhuo Xun was dejected beside them.
"Big demon husband, I want to go see my second sister tomorrow..."
Liang Xiao looked at Zhuo Zifang beside him. Zhuo Zifang sighed, "Let her father take her. If I go, Little Yun will probably hide."
After some thought, Liang Xiao agreed, but he did not allow Jian Qinwan and Luo Qingxue to go with her.
After all, in Zhuo Yun's eyes, they were all "Liang Xiao's wives," and only Zhuo Xun and she were sisters and had the best relationship.
Luo Qingxue and Jian Qinwan exchanged glances, only sighing softly.
On the western continent late at night, at the foot of a mountain, Attila and Blayd rode their horses through the wilderness, looking towards the distant mountains.
"Is the Heavenly Sun King's heavy bribe to us to hunt down these rebels reliable?" Blayd frowned.
Attila retorted, "Blayd, do you know about the aristocratic families and powerful clans of Da Gan?"
"How could I not know? I had contact with Dugu Qun and Dugu Liang back then, and we had a pleasant conversation!" Blayd replied without hesitation.
Attila asked again, "Then do you know why these aristocratic families and powerful clans are so rampant? They emerged during the budding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and by the time of the Great Heng Kingdom, they had already seriously threatened imperial power. By the time of Emperor Wen of Da Gan, he still smiled at them."
"What does that have to do with what I asked you?" Blayd said nonchalantly.
Attila looked back to the east, his voice trembling.
"The reason they are rampant is because there are constant external threats on the borders of that land: the barbarians, the Guishuang Dynasty, the Peacock Dynasty, and the Great Liang Kingdom. They support the barbarians precisely to create threats to protect themselves, so that the Da Gan imperial family would not dare to confront them. Liang Xiao crippled an entire generation of us, and after seizing Sanshan and Monan, he eliminated the greatest external threat. He will then turn back and deal with them properly! And if they don't want to wait for death, they must either rebel or flee as soon as possible."
Blayd seemed to understand, "I get it, we must also create threats to protect ourselves!"
Attila then nodded, "My scouts have discovered that the Heavenly Sun cavalry also eats people, which shows that their civilization is only superficial. In essence, they are as savage as our barbarian cavalry was back then. And now that we, as the Xiongnu, have come to develop in this land, we face great difficulties. The outcome of our clearing out these so-called rebels, whether it's a mutual defeat or our great victory, the Heavenly Sun cavalry, without the threat of the rebels, will surely turn around and eliminate us."
"Once we lose our advantage, the mercenaries and slave soldiers we have gathered from various places will immediately defect."
A cold sweat broke out on Blayd's forehead, "It is fortunate for your subjects that you became the King of the Xiongnu..."
Attila did not preen with pride but turned to look at the mountaintop, "I didn't expect to find remnants of the Great Zhou Dynasty here. According to the latest intelligence, the Rejuvenation Sect also has many remnants of the Great Zhou. Why haven't they joined the Rejuvenation Sect and are instead opposing the Heavenly Sun tribe? It's baffling... Blayd, we need an envoy to contact them, understand their background, and let them know that we do not intend to make enemies of them! The sooner the better!"
Blayd nodded, "I'll go!"
The next morning, Blayd returned to the camp at the foot of the mountain, his face pale.
"Are you sick?" Attila quickly pulled Blayd into the warm military tent.
Blayd shook his head.
"I met their leader, the 'Martial Saint.' She is a robust woman who appears to be a skilled martial artist, and she admitted that she is a remnant of the Great Zhou. "
Attila frowned, "That's not important. What is her attitude towards both sides?"
Blayd replied, "After I privately explained my intentions to her, she allowed us to camp at the foot of the mountain, but not to enter the mountain range! She also revealed many truths about the Heavenly Sun tribe, though I don't know if they are true."
Having said that, Blayd took a sheepskin scroll filled with writing from his embrace and handed it to Attila.
After Attila finished reading it, his expression changed, "A race that naturally eats people and absorbs foreign races to integrate into itself? Such barbarians, originating from a land of hardship, can sweep across the western continent? In comparison, we are much more civilized than them."
"The Heavenly Sun tribe fears no cold. Even in icy and snowy conditions, they can endure for a whole day wearing only a single layer of clothing without freezing to death. This continent has long been in internal strife, and the weather is often bitterly cold, which has given them an opportunity. This is likely the reason! You have witnessed this area yourself!" Blayd sighed.
Attila remained silent for a moment, then handed a pot of burnt wine to Blayd, "Does this scare you?"
Upon hearing this, Blayd did not take the burnt wine, and his face became even more grim.
"How could I be afraid of this! That woman revealed their origin to me, and the Heavenly Sun tribe also knows it, but they are concealing it. It turns out that the troops who have been engaging in guerrilla warfare throughout the mountains are the descendants of the Great Zhou Martial Saint's several children sent to conquer the West back then. She even gave me a portrait of the Great Zhou Martial Saint! And the Great Zhou Martial Saint who beheaded the Heavenly Sun tribe's War God Achilles was named Liang Xiao. The portrait bears at least a fifty percent resemblance to Liang Xiao himself, in terms of eyebrows, nose bridge, and lips..."
"CRASH!"
The burnt wine in Attila's hand slipped and shattered on the ground.