The five thousand troops led by Lü Yi, excluding logistics personnel, comprised three thousand cavalry, nearly all the cavalry forces in the northern part of Yan Province except for the White Robe Army!
This was to ensure marching speed anytime and anywhere!
Liang Xiao did not stand on ceremony. Instead, he immediately proposed: "Marshal, you and I will lead half the troops to escort the gold back to the capital. We shall write another letter and send it back to the capital. The remaining troops will be under the command of Eunuch Ding to defend this place, strictly prohibiting anyone other than the Shadow Guards from entering the cave to investigate. After all, so much gold will require two or three trips to transport completely. We must ensure there are no leaks..."
Lü Yi and Ding Wuyi both nodded, their hearts filled with tension.
Gold was heavy. A single cart could hold twenty to thirty pieces at best.
With so many chests, if even one chest of gold accidentally fell out during transport, the news could spread and attract the covetous eyes of the noble clans!
At that point, even if Xiao Qing possessed tens of millions of taels of gold, Dugugu and others would rack their brains to find all sorts of pretexts to force Xiao Qing to pay for things.
The Shadow Guards went out to retrieve chests to load the gold.
Lü Yi suppressed his complex emotions and pulled Liang Xiao and Ding Wuyi into a quiet military tent outside. The three removed their armor and could finally have a proper conversation.
"Nephew, your uncle has always wanted to ask you some things." Lü Yi's tone was sincere.
"Uncle, let me ask first." Liang Xiao smiled faintly.
Lü Yi was taken aback, then nodded.
"Uncle, you are a relative of the imperial family and hold great power, yet you are so loyal and have never abused your authority. Why is that?" Liang Xiao asked.
This was Liang Xiao's long-standing question. Imperial relatives rarely failed to sow chaos in the court.
Lü Yi gave him the feeling of Wei Qing serving Emperor Wu of Han, although his abilities were not quite as great as Wei Qing's.
Upon hearing this, Lü Yi could not help but chuckle and fall into reminiscence. "During the famine back then, my little sister and I almost starved to death by the roadside. It was the young former Emperor who gave us a meal and took us in. Later, my little sister became the Crown Princess... I personally witnessed the former Emperor and Emperor Zhao working tirelessly for the Great Gan Dynasty until they died of exhaustion, entrusting the young prince to our care."
The "Emperor Zhao" mentioned by Lü Yi was Xiao Qing's grandfather, whose temple name was Emperor Xiaozong and posthumous title was Emperor Zhao, a wise ruler of his generation.
Ding Wuyi sighed, "I can also testify to this for the Hussar General. As for myself, Commander Ning and I were abandoned infants from the Jiangnan region. We were fortunate enough to be adopted by Emperor Zhao, and the former Emperor treated me as a brother. He even felt deeply guilty about my castration since childhood. I would die a thousand times and still be unable to repay the imperial favor!"
Liang Xiao was lost in thought.
He had once been a spy, an undercover agent, and even risked his life to infiltrate dangerous places to assassinate drug lords, all for a simple belief.
People could change, but some beliefs did not fade with the passing of years.
However, the influence of the noble clans in the Great Gan Dynasty was simply too great. Even with Xiao Qing holding imperial power, the four great auxiliary ministers at his side, and Liang Xiao providing so many state policies, he still dared not let his guard down!
The Great Gan Dynasty needed more capable individuals to unite and replace the noble clans to have hope!
With Xiao Qing's current team, they could only suppress the noble clans, preventing them from rebelling.
Lü Yi also asked, "Then what about you, nephew? Uncle heard that you used to only enjoy looking at flowers and strolling with birds, completely a carefree noble son. How did you suddenly become so..."
Liang Xiao replied without hesitation: "For the oath I made to Little Shuangzi. He was willing to be misunderstood as a eunuch for me, and even dared to become sworn brothers with me..."
Lü Yi and Ding Wuyi exchanged knowing smiles. As for Liang Xiao's address for Xiao Qing, it was a trivial matter.
"I was born carefree, but I don't desire a world in chaos for my own freedom. At least, I want to live a carefree life in a truly peaceful and prosperous era before I can find peace of mind. Of course, Little Shuangzi also understands me and doesn't require me to clock in every day. I'm living a relatively carefree and happy life now."
Liang Xiao's words made Lü Yi and Ding Wuyi look at him with new respect.
He was very honest, without excessive grand pronouncements.
After a brief exchange, the three men, if not kindred spirits, at least spoke from the heart, which facilitated future cooperation to assist Xiao Qing in dealing with the noble clans.
The chests brought by Lü Yi were wooden boxes that had been repeatedly inspected. To prevent the leakage of gold, each wooden box only held twenty gold bricks, weighing eighty-four catties.
All the gold bricks were placed evenly in the chests to avoid imbalance.
A grain transport cart could normally carry over a thousand catties, but considering the weight of gold, each cart carried only four wooden chests, covered with tarps, and constantly guarded by soldiers.
To be safe, Liang Xiao only deployed half of the grain transport carts, to avoid transporting too much at once, which would strain the guarding personnel and risk leaking the secret.
The other half of the grain transport carts and twenty-five thousand men could be used after Lü Yi's return.
"Handle with care. The chests contain poisons and toxic gases for dealing with the barbarians! Without permission, no one is allowed to approach the carts and wooden chests. Those who disobey will be executed on the spot, and their families will be implicated!"
The military order spread, and the soldiers avoided the tarp-covered carts as if they were plagues, daring not to approach them casually.
Twenty-five thousand men escorting five thousand grain transport carts, carrying a total of over 1.68 million catties of gold, marched majestically towards the capital!
During the night's rest, these grain transport carts were gathered together and guarded by Lü Yi's personal guards who had slept on the carts during the day.
Liang Xiao, along with the people from Tianshan, also departed with the army, offering guidance along the way.
The Grand Hall of the Imperial Palace in the capital.
Dugu Qun, along with dozens of important court officials, knelt at the foot of the steps, impeaching Lü Yi.
Dugu Yuncheng, in particular, spoke with tears and embellishments.
"Your Majesty, please investigate! The Hussar General used the temporary privilege granted by Your Majesty, threatening his life, to force me to return to the capital and not allow me to continue my supervisory duties! He even brought fifty thousand troops away from Yan Province, with sinister intentions. I fear he is planning a rebellion!"
Even Liang Qing and Luo Changfeng turned pale with shock!
Lü Yi's actions were incomprehensible even to veteran military officers like them.
Could he truly be preparing to rebel?
Only Wang Canghai and Xiao Qing remained calm.
Xiao Qing said in a deep voice, "The Hussar General's privilege was granted by me personally. Minister Dugu, are you questioning my decision?"
"I dare not!" Dugu Yuncheng said with utmost fear.
Dugu Qun finally became angry. "Your Majesty, have you considered the feelings of us important court officials and the common people! Allowing the Hussar General to act so recklessly puts the Great Gan Dynasty in grave danger!"
Xiao Qing's face darkened. "Do you think I am an incompetent ruler?"
Despite his words, Xiao Qing felt a pang of nervousness.
This matter was indeed very serious. These noble clans clearly appeared ready to fight to the bitter end and create a huge scene. If he did not give them an explanation, they might truly turn against him!
Dugu Qun's breath hitched, and he repeatedly claimed he dared not.
Wang Canghai said in a deep voice, "Your esteemed ministers have spoken too strongly. The Hussar General is leading his troops south of Yan Province to carry out an urgent mission assigned by His Majesty."
"How is that possible? What task could His Majesty possibly give him that requires fifty thousand troops!" Dugu Qun and the others did not believe him.
Xiao Qing's hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched a letter from Liang Xiao.
My dear elder brother has arranged everything, and is preparing to take the blame for me, so that I won't get hurt...
"It was I who sent an urgent dispatch, ordering the Hussar General's army to move out and protect a dragon脉 (dragon vein) south of Yan Province!"
As soon as he spoke, the assembled officials turned pale with shock!
Dragon vein?
"The matter of the dragon vein concerns the nation's destiny. It is something that the former Emperor and Empress have repeatedly appeared in my dreams for the past month, urging me to handle it. The former Emperor bestowed upon me the wise minister General Tian and Marquis Anguo in my dream. How dare I not believe it? Do you dare not believe it?"
Below, Dugu Qun and the others' faces changed dramatically, and they repeatedly claimed they dared not.
Dugu Qun, still unwilling, said, "Your Majesty! Even so, you shouldn't have sent Minister Dugu back to the capital, should you? What is the meaning of this?"
Xiao Qing smiled faintly. "It was the intention of Minister Liang. Minister Dugu has rendered meritorious service and deserves to be promoted. He is simply returning to the capital to report on his duties. I have approved this matter!"