The Xianbei king frowned and said, "Even if we find the so-called treasure, we can't possibly transport it from under the nose of Da Qian? That Valentin might be deliberately setting us against Da Qian to benefit the Tian Ri tribe! Besides, isn't Liang Xiao in the capital? Xianbei cannot bear the brunt of it!"
Speaking of Liang Xiao, the Xianbei king became angry again.
Just two thousand phantom soldiers under Liang Xiao's banner had scared him into retreating hundreds of miles with his Xianbei cavalry, which was a disgrace…
"At least the news is not false, after all, the Tian Ri tribe has indeed dispatched a treasure-hunting team of ten thousand people… It is necessary for our country to investigate first, to determine which areas should be seized in the future, rather than facing Liaodong directly," the ministers proposed.
After a long period of contemplation, the Xianbei king finally dispatched a thousand-man reconnaissance team in several batches to explore the southern desert. They were ordered to retreat immediately if they encountered Da Qian cavalry.
At this time, five hundred Shadow Guards and more than ten thousand Northern cavalry were north of Yinshan, exploring the spot marked earlier. Half a year had passed since then.
However, as winter was approaching, the troops had to retreat to the Northern Territory as soon as possible to regroup.
The Shadow Guard captain on horseback, looking at the thumb-sized gold coin in his hand, fell into deep thought.
This gold coin was engraved with some strange symbols, which did not belong to Da Qian script.
"Our Da Qian should not have gold coins of this standard, right?" The Shadow Guard captains whispered to each other, their faces filled with excitement.
This gold coin was accidentally dug up from a tunnel, making them even more convinced that the treasure did exist.
It was possible that King Heluofu of the ancient Xiongnu, besides plundering Da Zhou, had also plundered other regions, such as the west, and therefore this treasure was hidden in the desert.
Winter was approaching the capital, and the people in the capital had already felt the chill.
With a large number of troops stationed in various parts of Da Qian, stability had been maintained for over half a year, and coupled with timely disaster relief in various regions, there were almost no rebellions within the country.
However, the court did not dare to relax its vigilance, as many local magnates and powerful families still held armed forces, and local rule was often based on family systems, with entire families being prominent.
After several major victories, Da Qian had changed its focus from valuing civil officials over military ones, and a martial spirit had swept across the country. The military had been expanded and, under the strict control of the central government, the military system had been reformed, maintaining army stability and preventing mutinies and rebellions by military commanders.
The troops in Liaodong were increased to 100,000, the Northern Territory to 150,000, the Western Territory to 200,000, the regions south of the Yangtze River to a cumulative 250,000, and the East Sea to 50,000.
The remaining nearly 250,000 troops were stationed in the capital and throughout the country, making a total of over a million soldiers.
Da Qian's population might be close to a hundred million, but with the population of Xichuan and the population reported truthfully due to the tax reform, the current official figure was only eighty million, equivalent to one soldier supported by eighty civilians. The burden was not small, but it was still within acceptable limits.
The tax reform, which spread the poll tax onto land, also effectively increased revenue, making it equivalent to one soldier supported by a hundred Da Qian civilians.
However, the contradictions brought about by the tax reform were enough to make the landlord class nationwide resentful, and half a year of stability was not enough to ensure national security.
At this time, the newspaper published by Liang Xiao played a crucial propaganda role for the common people.
The local army, while stationed, also ensured that the newspapers could be distributed without interference from powerful landlords, allowing the people to stay informed of national developments and making it difficult for landlords to deceive them.
As long as the people did not support rebellion, these landlords, even if they were as rich as a country, would have almost no troops to use.
The current stability of Da Qian had even forced mountain bandits to lie low and hide in the deep mountains, for fear of being encircled and suppressed by the officials.
However, this was the limit of human governance by Xiao Qing and Liang Xiao, and it could not guarantee the impact of natural disasters on the country. Therefore, food must be stockpiled in various regions to ensure timely disaster relief in case of an emergency.
Liang Xiao had already entrusted the palace Shadow Guards to secretly inform Qin Feng in Da Liang that if the country remained stable, he could send an envoy to Da Liang next summer.
"When Brother Xiao returns from Da Liang, we will find a suitable time to announce the truth about the Empress and the Heavenly General to the world, what do you think?"
In the Western Palace Villa, Xiao Qing looked at the child with affection and murmured to herself.
Liang Xiao smiled and nodded, "Everything is good!"
What prompted Xiao Qing to make this decision was the upcoming construction of ancestral shrines for "Marquis Anguo of Da Qian" across the country. Regardless of the official and newspaper emphasis on not encouraging it, the people still "acted on their own."
The Heavenly General had turned the tide, repelled the barbarians, and saved Da Qian from disintegration.
The Marquis Anguo had developed the country on this foundation, pacified Xichuan, defeated the barbarians, and expanded the territory, allowing them to live good lives with greatly reduced living pressures. In a certain sense, his achievements far surpassed those of the Heavenly General.
However, neither Liang Xiao nor Xiao Qing wanted to waste the people's energy and money, as ancestral temples for the Heavenly General had already been built across the country, including in Jinling, Yanzhou, the capital, and Shenwei Prefecture.
There were no longer any threats from aristocratic families in the country. After all, the enemies had given up and even dared not rebel.
However, the journey to Da Liang still posed an unstable factor.
The Emperor of Da Liang held military power, but he could not withstand the pressure from all the aristocratic families.
Xiao Qing's smile bloomed like a flower, "Brother Xiao is the best!"
As the ruler of a country, she could not help but have a slight vanity.
She wanted the world to know that her husband was both the Marquis Anguo and the Heavenly General!
Compared to this, the common people could accept the Empress marrying him as his equal, as even court officials showed understanding.
After all, Liang Xiao's merits were unprecedented, and he could not let his lineage end without an heir.
Zhen Mi, who was playing with the three infants, heard Xiao Qing's proud voice and could not help but glance back at Liang Xiao, pouting.
Next year she would be fourteen, the age of marriage in Da Qian.
But she was now Consort Mi, and even if she wasn't, in her Brother Xiao's eyes, she was still a child, and it was unlikely he would accept her.
Therefore, the promise of this Empress sister was crucial!
Xiao Qing also noticed Zhen Mi's small movements and said with a smile, "Mi'er's 'The Heroes of Da Qian' and 'The Legends of Da Qian' are both completed. And as Brother Xiao suggested, 'The Heroes of Da Qian' has added several talented individuals, such as Li Xiuyun, Yue Yun, Gu Shaoyan, Mu Hong, Hong Jie…"
"Mi'er is a talented woman, and I, her sister, have long been far behind," Luo Qingxue, holding her son Luo Pingxiao, also chimed in with praise.
"That's natural!" Liang Xiao, who was kissing his ninth child, Xiao Qian, said proudly, then sighed, "It's just that she's been wronged by being made Consort Mi, and her future marriage will be a trouble. Is Mi'er planning to devote herself to the country and not consider marriage?"
His wives and Zhen Mi looked at Liang Xiao's back with strange expressions, as if looking at a lunatic.
Did he really not see it?
"Yes, yes, yes, like my Brother Xiao, devoting herself to the country," Zhen Mi only looked at Liang Xiao resentfully.
Liang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh my, Mi'er's aspirations are so great! Then I don't have to worry. If someone doesn't like Mi'er in the future, I'll have to castrate him, won't I?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Liang Xiao, inexplicably having the urge to fly over and kick him in the backside.
Zhen Mi felt like she was about to cry from anger.
Just then, a Shadow Guard reported that Zhang Yang and Huang Xing had an urgent matter and invited Liang Xiao.