"Que Yue Formation?" Xiao Qing was confused.
Having studied the Way of the Emperor diligently since childhood, she was well-versed in military treatises and had never heard of such a formation!
Liang Xiao nodded. "The Que Yue Formation uses infantry to counter cavalry. This tactic is still in its preliminary conceptual stage and requires my personal practice to perfect. Moreover, it cannot be easily learned by the enemy, otherwise it will be a great threat to the cavalry of Da Qian in the future. At the very least, we must use it first, and even if the enemy learns it, I can break it! This formation relies on terrain and reasonable command, and is more suitable for defense, or luring the enemy deep into our territory, after all, the mobility of infantry is far inferior to cavalry."
Xiao Qing was both surprised and delighted. "Brother Xiao, just do as you please! Now I finally understand why Brother Xiao proposed to have Mu Hong serve as the Minister of Armaments, it was for this consideration!"
The Que Yue Formation might require some complex armaments, and these armaments must be entrusted to reliable individuals for manufacturing, ruling out Du Gu Qun first. And Mu Hong, out of gratitude to Liang Xiao, would surely go all out, doing his best to prevent Du Gu Qun from interfering!
Using infantry to counter cavalry was something she had never dared to imagine. If anyone else had proposed it, she would never have believed it.
But this was her beloved's idea, and it was bound to create miracles!
Liang Xiao smiled. "When I go to the northern border, I will discuss it further with the General of the Cavalry. Before that, I must entrust Mu Hong to craft a large number of armaments for me and send them to Yan Zhou at any time. My army, a part of it will remain as subordinate troops, still belonging to the imperial court, and the other part will be special forces, under my personal command and for intelligence operations."
The General of the Cavalry, Lü Yi, was deeply trusted by the royal family and was considered a rare famous general in the history of Da Qian. Perhaps he could fully grasp the Que Yue Formation, and even if he couldn't use it as skillfully as Liang Xiao, he wouldn't be too bad.
Xiao Qing obediently agreed, but a faint expectation stirred in her heart.
Liang Xiao suddenly put on a stern face, pretending to be angry. "I told you that you should enjoy your life and not always worry about state affairs, but you don't listen. I will punish you!"
"Ah?" Xiao Qing looked up at Liang Xiao in a daze, then her expression changed, and her face instantly turned crimson. She cried out, "Ah!"
"You, you hit me..." Xiao Qing touched her翘臀 (qiào tún - buttocks) with a wronged expression, looking at Liang Xiao, her face so red it seemed like it could bleed at any moment.
He was still smiling!
I will hit back legitimately sooner or later!
Liang Xiao's blow was not heavy, but it made her heart flutter and her breath catch!
Another blow, and Xiao Qing cried out again, flustered!
"Your Highness?"
Ning Xue Jun, hearing the commotion outside, couldn't help but burst through the door, only to see the two in an intimate embrace on the bed.
Liang Xiao's "salty pig hand" was still there...
Xiao Qing, shy, quickly buried her head in Liang Xiao's embrace, not daring to look at Ning Xue Jun.
Ning Xue Jun smiled knowingly, pretended not to see anything, and quietly retreated, closing the door.
Liang Xiao looked at the beauty in his arms and laughed heartily.
Fortunately, he had enough self-control. Such beauty, the shy look of a maiden, was enough to captivate all beings. He almost lost control!
"Brother Xiao is getting more and more wicked..." Xiao Qing said coquettishly.
"If you're not good, I'll be wicked," Liang Xiao said proudly.
Xiao Qing clenched Liang Xiao's clothes tightly with her right hand, gathered her courage, and said in a faint voice, "No matter how wicked Brother Xiao is, Shuang'er still likes you. You can do anything you want to Xiao'er..."
Thinking of the remnants of the Great Heng Kingdom trying to win over Liang Xiao, and Yue Lian being by Liang Xiao's side, Xiao Qing felt uneasy, afraid of losing Liang Xiao.
I, I have risked everything again!
"You can do anything I want?" Liang Xiao's eyes lit up.
Xiao Qing's delicate body trembled, and she nodded gently. "Mmm~"
Liang Xiao finally couldn't resist. He cupped Xiao Qing's small face and gently squeezed it. "Ouch, it feels about the same as your Imperial Brother's hand."
Why is this person so annoying!
Xiao Qing's pretty face burned with redness, and she gazed at Liang Xiao with a mournful expression, but also calmed down.
It was better to wait for Lü Yi to return to the capital, and the four great ministers would discuss whether to reveal her identity to Liang Xiao and how to do it.
The next morning, Liang Xiao took Yue Lian into the palace and met Xiao Qing in the imperial study.
"This commoner, Yue Lian, pays respects to Your Majesty..." Yue Lian knelt in fear.
After Xiao Qing had Ning Xue Jun help Yue Lian up, she sighed. "I know about your situation. The former Emperor only found the former dynasty's princess in the fire and couldn't bear to harm the innocent. How can I bear to... You are by my eldest brother's side, and you must not collude with the remnants of the Great Heng Kingdom again, lest you make it difficult for both me and your eldest brother."
Yue Lian tearfully promised.
Xiao Qing returned the jade pendant to Yue Lian and said, "Since this object was cast from the Imperial Seal, I should have confiscated it. But the Imperial Seal is already in this state, what difference does it make whether I confiscate it or not? At a critical moment, perhaps you can still use it to restrain the remnants of the Great Heng Kingdom and protect my eldest brother. You must understand my meaning."
Zuo Wu Shang had brought back his own jade pendant in the end, and Yue Lian still kept this one.
Ning Xue Jun said softly, "Miss Yue Lian, for the sake of national security, when you are not by Master Liang's side in the future, you must be guarded by Captain He and Captain Liang. His Highness has no intention of harming you, but he hopes you can also understand His Highness's difficulties."
Yue Lian was touched and nodded solemnly. "This commoner has no other wishes, only to be able to serve my young master forever..."
Seeing this, Xiao Qing nodded slightly, and a hint of jealousy arose in her heart.
Annoying eldest brother!
On the top floor of the Bai Chun Tower, Zuo Wu Shang looked at Liang Xiao's carriage, trembling all over. "Detestable! Liang Xiao, you are truly stubborn!"
He had guessed that Liang Xiao must have taken Yue Lian to the emperor to confess.
Since they could return safely, it meant that the matter had been settled!
Even if Liang Xiao was not around in the future, Yue Lian would likely be watched by the shadow guards, making it difficult to act!
The best outcome might be that the shadow guards were not present when Yue Lian was by Liang Xiao's side.
But Liang Xiao was more terrifying than the shadow guards...
"We cannot yield! We have endured for generations, just for the restoration of the Great Heng Kingdom. How can we become timid because of Liang Xiao?" Zuo Wu Shang clenched his fists, making cracking sounds, then sighed, "But in the future, we must be careful. I myself would not regret dying, but I cannot implicate Yi Rou and the others..."
"Second Young Master, someone delivered a note. The pageboy who delivered the note is waiting for your reply."
When Liang Xiao returned to the Liang Mansion, his guard handed him a note.
Liang Xiao looked at it. It read: "Awaiting reply."
Written in small characters on the side of the note was "Jade pendants are a pair," which was clearly Zuo Wu Shang's veiled way of expressing his identity.
Liang Xiao wrote without hesitation on the note: "Stubborn and unrepentant."
"Send it back!"
The note went around and finally returned safely to Zuo Wu Shang's hands.
Zuo Wu Shang sighed and stood up abruptly. "The aristocratic families are also unreliable. Set a date and go to Jiangnan to make arrangements and develop. There is still a chance to turn the tables!"
The court session was held at noon, with all the officials gathered.
By then, Du Gu Qun's complexion had improved somewhat. He avoided Liang Xiao as if he were avoiding a plague, along with He Wan Li and others.
After the officials paid their respects, Liang Xiao, seated before Xiao Qing, looked at Du Gu Qun below the platform and said with a smile, "Oh? Minister Du Gu's complexion looks good?"
Du Gu Qun almost vomited blood from anger. He snorted and refused to look at Liang Xiao.
Liang Qing and the others couldn't help but chuckle.
Who would have a good complexion after being extorted for three million?
Having dealt with Yue Lian's matter and with Liang Xiao's conception of the Que Yue Formation, Xiao Qing was in a much better mood. She smiled and said, "I have summoned all of you, my lords, today to announce several major matters."
"The first matter is to bestow upon my beloved Minister Liang a golden medal of immunity from death, to be proclaimed to the world that no one, including myself, shall kill my beloved Minister Liang! If any foreigners dare to kill my beloved Minister Liang, Da Qian shall mobilize its entire army to exact revenge!"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials were aghast!
Even Liang Xiao and Wang Cang Hai were surprised!
Since the founding of Da Qian, only one person had ever received a golden medal of immunity from death from the Son of Heaven, passed down through generations.
The ancestor of the Saint of the Qin, a founding hero of Da Qian, the peerless divine general whose merits were recognized throughout the land, the Marquis who secured Da Qian!