Ding Wuyi suddenly remembered something and angrily said, "The warhorses in the Nanshan Grassland, aren't they Young Master Liang's!"
Liang Xiao also frowned.
Those warhorses were bought by Liang Xiao from the most famous horse merchants in the capital. Each horse was worth over one hundred taels of silver, and that was after the horse merchants gave him a discounted price out of respect for Liang Xiao!
And they were eaten just like that?
Based on preliminary estimates, Liang Xiao had likely lost at least fifty thousand taels of silver!
Ding Wuyi's expression grew increasingly grim. The two of them, closely followed by the shadow guard, hurried towards the Nanshan Grassland.
Along the way, the shadow guard also roughly explained what had happened.
"Those unruly folk claimed to be 'Wild Tribesmen' from the Yanzhou region. They were all burly and fierce-looking. They subdued our stable hands guarding the horses, lit fires, and started slaughtering cattle and horses. When we arrived, not only did they refuse to surrender, but they also tried to fight back!"
Ding Wuyi's eyes grew colder, and he then sighed, "Young Master Liang, I will give you an explanation. The imperial court will replace the lost warhorses for you!"
Everyone knew that Liang Xiao was buying land in Yanzhou and must be short on money. Losing fifty thousand taels at this juncture was definitely not a small sum!
Liang Xiao pondered for a moment, then smiled, "Don't worry, I'm rather curious who has such guts."
The afterglow of the sunset cast upon the Nanshan Grassland. Over four thousand Imperial Guards and five hundred shadow guards, fully armed and armored, surrounded a group of "savages" dressed in animal skins, their expressions filled with indignation.
Apart from some frightened elderly, weak, women, and children, this group of "savages" also had about three hundred young and strong males. They were broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, wielding giant wooden clubs and guarding their elders, women, and children. The entire tribe numbered over two thousand people.
The bald leader standing at the forefront was exceptionally tall and had a ferocious expression. In his right hand, he clutched the tails of two adult bulls.
These two bulls had already been knocked to the ground, barely breathing.
Behind the savage tribe, a pile of bonfires blazed. The ground was littered with bloody bones and flesh from cattle and horses, and some horse meat was still being roasted over the fire, emitting a "sizzling" sound.
Fifty Tian Shan swordsmen, led by Chen Shaoling, stood with their swords drawn in front of Jian Qinwan and the others, fearing that these savages might go berserk and break through the army's defenses, harming the young ladies.
Luo Qingxue wore a worried expression, unsure of what to do.
Those warhorses were carefully selected by Liang Xiao at great expense, precisely for the purpose of forming a private army with a small contingent of cavalry...
Now, not a single one had survived!
The two sides were at a stalemate. The shadow guards and Imperial Guards, under Xiao Qing's orders not to kill indiscriminately, dared not act rashly and could only surround them without attacking.
"Greetings, Commander!"
Ding Wuyi, with Liang Xiao in tow, arrived quickly. After signaling for everyone to dispense with formalities, he and Liang Xiao moved to the front of the troops to observe this group of so-called savages.
Seeing them, Liang Xiao couldn't help but marvel.
Liang Xiao had estimated the dimensions of the Great Gan Kingdom. If converted to centimeters, one chi was close to twenty-four centimeters, and one zhang was ten chi, and one chi was ten cun.
Liang Xiao and Ding Wuyi, at eight and a half chi tall, were already considered quite tall and robust. However, this bald strongman at the head was definitely over nine chi tall and weighed at least three hundred jin. His muscles, not covered by animal skins, were incredibly powerful, with veins bulging!
The companions behind the bald strongman were all over eight chi tall, even taller than Liang Xiao!
The bald strongman also noticed Ding Wuyi and called out loudly, "Are you the one in charge? My tribesmen are starving, we're out of food, so we had to catch these cattle and horses. We are truly sorry!"
Ding Wuyi placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and said gravely, "Young Master Liang, you decide this matter. I will act accordingly!"
Liang Xiao looked at a strategist and asked, "Liu Fan, how many warhorses did they eat?"
This Liu Fan was one of the scholars from the Eastern Sea. His knowledge was second only to Lin Xiu, who had enlisted at the same time. Liang Xiao had temporarily appointed him as his chief strategist.
Liu Fan sighed, "Marquis, we lost four hundred and fifty. I didn't expect them to kill so quickly and waste so much! However, they probably don't deserve death..."
Liu Fan wanted to say more but felt hesitant to continue.
In terms of value, Liang Xiao's loss exceeded forty-five thousand taels. The compensation for the fallen white-robed soldiers was only a few dozen taels of silver!
The bald strongman gritted his teeth and said guiltily, "There are too many refugees in the mountains, and hunting is difficult now. We are poor! We've eaten all the beef and horse meat. We have no money! As for our lives... we can't give them to you, otherwise, who will hunt for my tribesmen!"
Liu Fan, who had intended to plead for them, flushed with embarrassment. "Are you even speaking human words! Do you know how much horse meat and beef you have wasted!"
These scholars from the Eastern Sea had initially intended to beg Liang Xiao to spare these people, but this fellow was so arrogant!
Even the Tian Shan swordsmen were filled with righteous indignation.
These were the horses of the Marquis of Anguo!
The most infuriating thing was that there were only two thousand of them. They only needed to eat a few dozen cattle. Why did they have to slaughter all these cattle and horses? Clearly, they intended to take the remaining meat back!
If they wanted to take it back, normally they would just drive the cattle and horses. But by slaughtering them all, it showed they were worried about the neighing of the warhorses attracting attention along the way and planned to carry away the beef and horse meat under the cover of night!
This was outright thievery!
Luo Qingxue returned to Liang Xiao's side with the young ladies, wanting to speak but hesitating.
The gaze of everyone present fell on Liang Xiao, who was to make the decision.
Liang Xiao observed the group for a long time, a plan forming in his mind. Finally, he spoke, "Go and fetch three hundred and twenty jars of 'One Draught for a Hundred Years'."
Everyone looked confused.
Liang Xiao smiled and asked, "You divided the beef among the old, weak, women, and children, and only ate horse meat yourselves?"
The crowd looked even more bewildered, not understanding the meaning of his words.
The bald strongman rubbed his bald head and chuckled foolishly, "That's right! Beef tastes better!"
Liang Xiao nodded and sighed, "I heard that eating horse meat without drinking wine is harmful to the body. I shall, for now, bestow upon each of you a jar of fine wine to help you celebrate."
Eating horse meat and being bestowed wine?
Everyone was bewildered, and the savages were stunned.
Not only were they not being blamed for stealing horses, but each of them was being gifted a jar of 'One Draught for a Hundred Years,' worth five hundred taels?
However, Liang Mansion's guards followed orders. Dozens of carts carrying three hundred and twenty jars of 'One Draught for a Hundred Years' were pushed forward.
"This..." The savages were stunned.
"You have the guts to eat my horse meat, but not the guts to drink my wine? Are you perhaps afraid I've poisoned the wine?" Liang Xiao chuckled softly, opened a jar of 'One Draught for a Hundred Years,' took a deep drink, closed it again, and casually tossed the wine jar towards the bald strongman.
"What is there to fear!" The bald strongman caught the wine jar, laughed heartily, and opened it to drink.
The other young and strong savages also went to the carts to collect a jar of 'One Draught for a Hundred Years' each.
"Burp! Good wine!"
They drank heartily, burps erupting one after another.
Ding Wuyi and the others watched this, only able to offer helpless bitter smiles.
Luo Qingxue, Jian Qinwan, and Yue Lian breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at Liang Xiao, their eyes filled with admiration.
These people didn't deserve death, but they also understood Liang Xiao's losses and didn't want him to be in a difficult position. Yet, Liang Xiao was so magnanimous!
The shadow guards and Imperial Guards were dumbfounded, simply watching the savages drink.
After several rounds of drinks, the bald strongman bowed deeply to Liang Xiao and asked, "Your kindness in providing food and wine will never be forgotten! I am Yue Qingtian, the chief of the Wild Tribe. May I ask for your name, sir?"
Ding Wuyi couldn't help but exclaim loudly, "He is our Great Gan's Marquis of Anguo, Grand Master of the Court, General who Pacifies the East, Vice Minister of Works, Young Master Liang Xiao!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire wild tribe was shocked and stood up.
"Marquis of Anguo Liang Xiao? The Marquis of Anguo blessed by General Martial God Tian!"
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, the entire wild tribe, led by Yue Qingtian, knelt down towards Liang Xiao, prostrating themselves on the ground. Some even wept profusely!