Zuo Jing hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "I like him..."
"Then stay!" Luo Qingxue urged.
Zuo Jing shook her head. "My father has the kindness of nurturing me. If I stay in Da Gan, he will only hate Da Gan more, and might even reveal the truth about the Heavenly General..."
Luo Qingxue's breath hitched.
Even Zhuo Xun was startled.
She already knew Liang Xiao was the Heavenly General, but to her, who the Heavenly General was didn't matter. What mattered was that Liang Xiao was her man.
But if this news spread, Da Liang would likely be utterly shaken. How would they face Da Gan in the future?
Surrendering obediently was impossible. They could only strengthen Da Liang's northern defenses, which meant Da Gan would also have to strengthen its defenses north of the Heng River!
"I still hope you'll stay. I can resolve other matters. Let's talk to your father first," Liang Xiao said earnestly.
Zuo Jing shook her head, cast a resentful glance at Liang Xiao, and lowered her head. "Is there anything else you haven't gotten from me? You should be content..."
Liang Xiao's old face flushed, and he was suddenly speechless.
"If I go back, I can persuade my father not to be enemies with Da Gan. After all, you've avenged my mother and killed so many people from the Barrens..."
Before Zuo Jing could finish, Liang Xiao picked her up.
"What are you doing?" Zuo Jing asked, blushing.
In the warmth of the blankets, Zuo Jing snuggled into Liang Xiao's embrace and said softly, "Will you truly remember me forever..."
"Do you think I'll forget?" Liang Xiao countered.
Such a response moved Zuo Jing deeply.
"My body and soul belong to you. From now on, I'd rather die than accept any other man."
Liang Xiao said solemnly, "I will definitely bring you back!"
Zuo Jing stared blankly at Liang Xiao, her words failing to express the myriad emotions within her.
The next morning, on the southern imperial road outside Yanzhou City.
Escorted by eight Yun Tian Guards, Zuo Jing sat in the carriage, pulling back the curtain to gaze at Liang Xiao, who rode on Wan Li Yun Yan.
"Hurry back. The people of Da Gan need you more. If you keep escorting me, I'll get angry!"
Only then did Liang Xiao rein in his horse, gaze at Zuo Jing deeply, and shout, "I'll come to fetch you back!"
"Okay..." Zuo Jing replied obediently, and then the shadows of the trees outside the window flashed by rapidly.
Until Liang Xiao was no longer visible, Zuo Jing hugged the framed poem Liang Xiao had given her and wept like rain.
* "The distant Cowherd Star, the bright Girl of the Milky Way. Slender hands, busy at the loom. All day long, no garment is made, tears stream down like rain. The Milky Way is clear and shallow, how far apart are we? Between us, a stream of shimmering water, we gaze at each other, unable to speak." *
At this moment, Liang Xiao and she were indeed like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, gazing at each other across a river.
"Miss, Duke Anguo will surely bring you back," Qing, who was driving the carriage for Zuo Jing, suddenly said.
Zuo Jing was startled. "What makes you say that?"
"Because he is the Duke Anguo of Da Gan. It's that simple!" Zhu, who was also driving with Qing, added.
Zuo Jing fell silent, recalling Liang Xiao's promise, her feelings complex.
He seemed to have never broken his word to a girl...
Watching the carriage caravan disappear from his sight, Liang Xiao felt a sense of loss.
In the room, Jian Qin Wan held the well-behaved Xiao Dou Ya'er and said softly, "They are all your good friends~"
Xiao Dou Ya'er looked at the sleeping infants and whimpered softly, even nodding.
It was the first of August, with only three days left until the children's full moon banquet on the fourth.
After the children's full moon, Liang Xiao would take his family to the capital, where the environment was better.
Lu Yi, Nan Ji Yun, Nie Yuan, and Zhuo Ying had already left Yanzhou and would not make it for the full moon banquet.
Only Chen Shaoling and his wife, Yu Qingchuan and his wife, the Lu Changhe family, and the Yue Qingtian family would arrive in time for the feast.
Yu Zao had completely integrated into Tianshan and had given birth to twins for Yu Qingchuan.
Ever since Liang Xiao conquered the Xiongnu, the Kingdom of Chuyun no longer dared to contact Yu Zao, for fear of being discovered by Liang Xiao and punished.
Furthermore, with Yu Zao having borne children for Yu Qingchuan, her loyalty had come under suspicion from Ito Masamune, and the two sides had severed ties.
Due to her successful deception of Sasaki Jiro, Xiao Qing secretly rewarded Yu Zao with five hundred taels of gold, all of which Yu Zao donated to Tianshan.
At the banquet, Yue Qingtian patted his chest and proposed to Liang Xiao.
"Marquis! From now on, I will be responsible for the security of the Marquis's mansion. Leave the training of soldiers to Uncle Liang Zhan!"
Liang Xiao smiled and nodded.
The Qingtian Guard had become a true elite force. Training the troops could be left to the thousand-man captains like Jiang Long, with Liang Zhan and Liu Fan overseeing them, ensuring it was foolproof.
Liang Zhan and Liu Fan had also received rewards for the victory at Yanzhou, but they both remained as Liang mansion's household generals and retainers.
Liu Fan knew his abilities were limited and dared not hope for higher office. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to managing the military affairs of the Qingtian Guard.
Of the forty thousand new recruits, ten thousand were selected according to the standards of Da Gan's Iron Guard, requiring him and Liang Zhan to retrain them.
"Second Young Master, are we really going to fight the Guishuang Dynasty in the future?" Liang Zhan's eyes held a hint of worry.
The cavalry of the Guishuang Dynasty was comparable in strength to the barbarian Iron Cavalry. More importantly, the Guishuang Dynasty possessed vast iron ore reserves and fine horses. If they were to improve their weaponry like Da Gan, they might truly discover something.
And now, Da Gan also had to protect the Hetao region and the Hexi Corridor, consolidating its achievements, and could not spare too many troops for a distant expedition in the short term.
Liang Xiao nodded solemnly. "The Guishuang Dynasty is coveting us. The Silent Wolf Guards I sent have reported back that the King of Guishuang might also be from the Tianri tribe!"
The Tianri tribe!
The generals at the table shuddered.
This was a major concern for Da Gan. Both the Peacock Dynasty and the Guishuang Dynasty had deep ties to the Tianri tribe.
Especially the Tianri tribe's envoy, Valentin, who led a treasure-hunting team of ten thousand men to dig for treasure in the southern desert, a fact that Da Gan's soldiers learned from the confessions of barbarian captives.
Although the Barbarian Chieftain had committed heinous crimes, he was currently under house arrest in the capital due to being the Barbarian Emperor.
The Chieftain's fate was of little consequence to Da Gan. However, if the Chieftain were to be executed, in the future, when Da Gan campaigned against other nations, the leaders of those nations would inevitably resist fiercely upon considering the Chieftain's fate, meaning more Da Gan soldiers might sacrifice their lives.
"Whether it's the Tianri tribe or the Guishuang Dynasty, if they dare to invade, our Da Gan soldiers will annihilate them all!" Lu Changhe declared with great spirit, and everyone echoed his sentiment.
"Do not underestimate them. The Tianri tribe was able to kill their way from the northwestern world to the southwest of Da Gan, occupying the Guishuang Dynasty and the Peacock Dynasty. They are not to be trifled with!" Liang Xiao cautioned.
The generals all nodded, and could not help but wonder, "But why haven't they attacked Da Gan?"
Liang Xiao replied, "This matter is indeed perplexing. After collecting intelligence, I discovered a widely circulated folk rumor."
Everyone put down their cups and turned their curious gazes toward Liang Xiao.
What kind of folk rumor could warrant the attention of someone like Liang Xiao, who would mention it specifically?
Liang Xiao also put down his wine cup and explained in detail.
"Before Da Gan, during the Great Heng Kingdom, ancient texts were severely damaged, and historical records were largely lost. As for the Great Zhou Dynasty and the 'Wu Dynasty' before the Great Zhou Dynasty, only fragments remain! Legend has it that the historical records of both dynasties record their connection with the Tianri tribe. If some of the lost historical records can be found, then the past of the Tianri tribe can be known, their true base of operations can be discovered, and their methods of conquering various nations can be understood!"
"Otherwise, even if we destroy the Guishuang Dynasty today and the Peacock Dynasty tomorrow, the Tianri tribe will return and continue to threaten Da Gan's borders! And the intelligence I have indicates that a certain Liang Shi family from Xichuan might still possess the historical records of the Wu Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty!"