The news of the Nine Cauldrons' return to Da Gan quickly spread across the land.
Carrier pigeons and six-hundred-li urgent dispatches ensured the news reached the capital promptly.
Xiao Qing and the civil and military officials were overjoyed, with some even banging their heads on the ground, shouting, "Long live our Emperor!"
At this moment, led by Gu Hong, the former minor aristocratic families and clans had completely transformed into normal families, further rejoicing in their past decision to support imperial power and later the Empress.
The significance of sweeping through the barbarians and retrieving the Nine Cauldrons was self-evident; it no longer mattered whether the emperor was male or female.
"The Xianbei have withdrawn their troops, and the Nine Cauldrons are on their way back. Even if they break their treaty, it's too late to intercept them!"
Xiao Qing was in high spirits, his face beaming.
Such a monumental event as the return of the Nine Cauldrons could not be hidden, and Da Gan also needed to leverage the Nine Cauldrons to further strengthen the national identity and sense of belonging among its citizens.
Allowing the Xianbei to relax their vigilance in the desert, and seizing the opportunity to transport the Nine Cauldrons and their treasures away was already a great diplomatic success. By the time they realized what had happened, it would be impossible to intercept the difficult journey back of the Nine Cauldrons.
What remained was a pile of heavy gold in the cave, requiring at least two hundred thousand troops for guarding and hundreds of thousands of laborers for transportation, a time-consuming process...
Zhuo Wulue stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty! After withdrawing their troops from Liaodong, the Xianbei went to Taiji Kingdom. It is rumored that Taiji Kingdom has formed an alliance with the Izumo Kingdom. Perhaps the three powers will join forces, intending to seize Liaodong. Our army must not be complacent."
Xiao Qing understood and nodded, "Currently, our forces are stretched thin. The troops in Liaodong have already been increased to one hundred and fifty thousand. For now, we can only order Liaodong to hold its ground and not be careless. We seek not victory, but absolute safety! Our primary objective is to transport the Nine Cauldrons back and strictly prevent any complications."
Regarding the gold, only a few ministers were aware of it for the time being. As long as the news was not exposed, it would naturally be kept as secret as possible.
However, Xiao Qing was also well aware that how long it could be kept secret depended on Ding Wuyi's methods.
Of course, perhaps the enemy had also heard rumors of the treasure?
"Issue a decree to Zhongzhou: Minister of War Zhuo Wulue shall personally lead an army of one hundred thousand to reinforce the northern Yan Prefecture, and accept the command of General of Cavalry, our esteemed minister Liang!"
Zhuo Wulue set off that very day, accompanied by esteemed court officials such as Zhuo Zifang, Gu Hong, and He Jingyun.
Firstly, the Nine Cauldrons were of unprecedented national significance, and the state naturally had to demonstrate its utmost importance.
Secondly, they were all over fifty years old, some even over seventy, and were eager to catch a glimpse of the Nine Cauldrons, fearing they would die before the Cauldrons were transported back to the capital, which would be a death with regret...
The sky above the Yuzhou Ding was covered with a large amount of wooden planks to prevent the rain in Yan Prefecture from eroding its top.
Even so, considering corrosion, Liang Xiao did not neglect anti-corrosion measures. He even set up numerous torches around it to prevent excessive moisture.
According to his discussion with Xiao Qing, the Nine Cauldrons would also need to be strictly protected after being transported back to the capital. They would certainly not be casually displayed in the future, to prevent them from being damaged.
The only feasible way to exhibit the Nine Cauldrons for a long period was to isolate them from the outside world using "glass."
However, Liang Xiao and the Ministry of Works were already attempting to fire glass, with average progress.
The fired glass was not transparent, and its quality did not satisfy Liang Xiao, making it unworthy of high society and requiring continuous improvement.
Liang Xiao had originally fantasized about using glass to make telescopes and the like, but that had to be put on hold for now.
Telescopes required optical glass, which was even more difficult to produce than ordinary glass...
Furthermore, firing glass seemed to require certain materials. Liang Xiao was not from a chemistry background and his understanding of glass was limited to "high-temperature firing." He currently had no clues and could only let the Ministry of Works explore slowly.
Three days later, the second cauldron, the Yongzhou Ding, was also transported to Da Gan.
The Yongzhou Ding was decorated with dragon patterns, and its body was reddish in color.
Its volume was smaller than the Yuzhou Ding, but its height was similar. Liang Xiao estimated its weight to be over twelve thousand jin.
Nie Yuan, responsible for the defense of the northern frontier, was so excited that his face turned red. He immediately requested to go into the depths of the desert to assist Ding Wuyi.
Nie Yuan and Qin Xinsheng already had a son and a daughter, so Liang Xiao felt at ease sending him on this task. He immediately dispatched an army of one hundred thousand, including thirty thousand cavalry, to the desert.
Liang Xiao himself had a crucial mission: to await the Nine Cauldrons and simultaneously train Da Gan's elite cavalry.
In the Yan Prefecture military camp, two thousand heavy cavalrymen, fully armored along with their horses, and two thousand mounted archers wearing cotton armor, armed with longbows, sabers, or 'modao' (a type of saber), were reviewed by Liang Xiao.
The elite force of forty thousand, forming Da Gan's elite cavalry, witnessed Liang Xiao bringing the Yuzhou Ding and Yongzhou Ding into Yan Prefecture. At this moment, they all removed their helmets, their faces filled with fervor and reverence.
The Grand Marshal before them was the God of War of Da Gan, who had repeatedly led the northern soldiers to create miracles!
Many of them were originally northern soldiers who had accompanied Liang Xiao on his campaigns to Fenglangjuxu and pacified Xichuan. They were already eager to follow Liang Xiao, achieve unparalleled feats once more, and leave their names in history.
"In the future, you will become the absolute main force on the battlefield, carving a path through thorns and expanding the territory for Da Gan, invincible in all battles!"
Liang Xiao's majestic and resolute voice echoed in all directions, with adjutants urgently repeating his words.
The forty thousand soldiers were filled with excitement and joy. Everyone placed a hand over their heart and solemnly declared, "We are willing to defend and expand the territory for Da Gan!"
Facing Liang Xiao's training orders, the forty thousand elite cavalry of Da Gan were all filled with passion, fearing that they would fall behind and lose face.
Dust swirled in the military camp, and the roars of men and horses were incessant, much like the clash of battle.
Liang Xiao and the soldiers looked at the forty thousand elite cavalry with satisfaction.
"The Marshal truly has a way! The discipline of these forty thousand men is no less than that of the White Robe Army! We just don't know where their first battle will be!" The soldiers were excited.
Liang Xiao smiled, "That will depend on which of the Xianbei or the Guishuang Dynasty makes a move first. I will lead them to that side."
The generals burst into laughter.
Da Gan certainly did not expect the Xianbei to remain docile forever. With the news of the Nine Cauldrons spreading, the Xianbei ruler might be enraged, feeling deceived, and thus launch an attack in retaliation.
The troops Da Gan had sent to the desert had already exceeded two hundred thousand, and the laborers had exceeded five hundred thousand.
All of them had been promised heavy rewards and had signed contracts, requiring complete secrecy and obedience, or facing military law.
Even if someone unfortunately perished in the desert, their treatment would be equivalent to that of the soldiers who died in the desert during Liang Xiao's Fenglangjuxu campaign, and their relatives would be well taken care of.
Because Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing's image in the hearts of the people had become immeasurably great, the populace placed absolute trust in them. Countless people from the north answered the court's conscription and gathered in Yan Prefecture.
Yan Prefecture also gathered over one-third of Da Gan's military grain reserves, utilizing several granaries from the capital and the northern frontier.
Fortunately, Da Gan had long accepted Liang Xiao's proposal. Taking advantage of the impact of new crops on rice prices, they had purchased large quantities of military grain and unhusked grains, which were more than enough to supply the army.
The tens of millions of taels of silver in the national treasury were intended to stabilize public confidence, letting the people know that the country had the financial means to cope with any disaster, and therefore it could not be easily depleted.
Thus, Xiao Qing had been constantly drawing from his personal treasury. Currently, the gold in his personal treasury, converted to silver, only amounted to forty million taels...
The gold in the depths of the desert was a must-obtain, but it might also lead to a protracted war with the Xianbei!