In late February, Liang Xiao and his party finally arrived in Zhongzhou, with only two days left to return to the capital.
"Marquis Anguo and Zhuo Lingjun have not failed their mission; Da Gan and Da Liang have officially formed an alliance for ten years!"
The news had already spread throughout the country, bringing joy to the military and civilians of Da Gan.
Liang Xiao knew Mu Cheng's health condition intimately, but the outside world only saw the results.
The two nations shared the same roots, and complete unification was currently unrealistic, especially with powerful enemies surrounding them. They ought to band together for warmth.
A ten-year alliance would at least ensure the stability of Jiangnan.
If, after Mu Cheng's death, the new emperor of Da Liang broke the treaty and attacked Jiangnan from the north, Da Gan would have the rightful cause to suppress rebellion and achieve true unification.
Scholars from both nations' regions highly praised Liang Xiao and Zhuo Lingjun for maintaining peace between the two countries.
Xiao Qing, who was in the capital, was overjoyed and had already sent people to wait for them in Zhongzhou.
In Zhongzhou city, the military parade was in full order. Ten thousand soldiers, each filled with fervor, gazed at the white-robed marshal on the high platform.
He was their revered God of War, the Marquis Anguo of Da Gan, the Grand General of Cavalry, and the Grand Marshal!
"Although we have officially allied with Da Liang, peace is still a distant prospect! The Guishuang Dynasty, the Peacock Dynasty, as well as the Izumo Kingdom and the Xianbei, are all enemies that cannot be ignored. Our country has not updated their intelligence for a long time; we must not be complacent..."
Liang Xiao's solemn speech on the platform was met with waves of affirmative responses.
"We pledge to serve His Majesty with our lives! We are willing to follow the Marshal to expand Da Gan's territory and sweep across all nations!"
Looking at the exceptionally spirited soldiers below, Liang Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In truth, these were mostly new recruits who had not yet participated in actual combat.
Da Gan's current military system combined a volunteer army with conscription. In border regions with a high concentration of official land, a militia system might also be considered.
However, it was still primarily a volunteer system, aiming to boost soldier morale through reasonable pay.
But the drawbacks of a volunteer army were also quite evident: soldiers might be eager to enlist but not necessarily eager to fight.
To address this drawback, Liang Xiao had implemented a regular assessment system for soldiers in various regions.
Failure to pass the assessment would result in salary cuts and demotions. Those who seriously violated military discipline would be apprehended and dealt with according to the law.
A martial spirit had been prevalent in Da Gan for two years. After trimming redundant soldiers, the country's standing army now numbered one million, with over thirty thousand elite troops.
To have the chance to bring glory to their families and secure their descendants' futures, and also to retain the higher pay that soldiering offered compared to farming, these soldiers worked exceptionally hard, fearing being replaced by newcomers.
During wartime, if necessary, over 1.7 million troops could be mobilized. However, a standing army of one million, with an average monthly stipend of one tael of silver, two taels for provisions, and military equipment costs per soldier, would require an annual expenditure of at least thirty million taels of silver.
Without the corruption and embezzlement of aristocratic families, Da Gan could currently sustain this expense with relative ease.
But the problem was that the entire nation knew that Da Gan's military equipment required continuous upgrades, and this was the main expense.
Xiao Qing's private funds, combined with the national treasury's expenditure, could likely sustain fifteen years of high-intensity consumption, barring any major unforeseen events.
After fifteen years, if the national treasury could not achieve stable revenue growth, Liang Xiao could donate half of his wealth, which would allow for another decade of maintenance.
Beyond that, they would have to be extremely frugal.
The treatment of Da Gan soldiers far surpassed that of any previous dynasty. With the added boost of the martial spirit and the strict military system, he no longer had to worry about the army at this point.
However, Liang Xiao had estimated that while conquering the Guishuang Dynasty and the Peacock Dynasty, and the Xianbei and Izumo Kingdom within twenty-five years was not impossible, defeating the Tianri tribe's homeland would be incredibly difficult, given the logistical challenges of supply lines stretching thousands of miles.
As long as the Tianri tribe was not destroyed, he and Xiao Qing could never truly rest easy, and it might require the efforts of several generations.
Zhuo Wulüe, the Minister of War, cooperated with Liang Xiao in a military review in Zhongzhou, optimizing various details of marching and training.
The kingdoms of the Western Regions had mobilized their citizens and gathered in Guizi Kingdom, with the King of Guizi as their alliance leader.
Most of the leaders of these nations, while nominally kings, were effectively no different from village or town chiefs in status, and thus did not cling to their thrones.
The Guishuang Dynasty's insatiable greed had led to continuous oppression of the Western Regions, but what truly prompted these kingdoms to seek allegiance with Da Gan were Xiao Qing's promises.
The people of the Western Regions would enjoy the same status as the citizens of Da Gan, their kings would be enfeoffed as marquises of five hundred households or more, and every citizen of the Western Regions would be granted land and housing, allowing them to settle and prosper in the western territories.
In essence, it meant they would continue to govern their own people and receive additional stipends.
Upon hearing this, the Guishuang Dynasty offered double the promises.
After weighing their options, the kingdoms of the Western Regions, unwilling to trust the repeatedly perfidious Guishuang Dynasty, collectively decided to migrate.
The King of Guizi, as the alliance leader, sat in his carriage, gazing back at the receding Guizi Royal City with a complex mix of emotions.
If they didn't flee now, the cavalry of the Guishuang Dynasty would soon catch up, and Guizi Kingdom would suffer the most dire consequences.
"Your Majesty! The Guishuang cavalry is here!"
A scout from afar suddenly delivered astonishing news, causing the King of Guizi to nearly fall from his carriage!
"How could they be so fast? Impossible!" The kings of the Western Regions exchanged fearful glances, utterly shocked.
The scout urged, "They are truly here! Approximately ten thousand elite cavalry, their attire different from that of ordinary Guishuang cavalry. They must have traveled light, a thousand-mile dash!"
The King of Guizi, a mixture of shock and anger, trembled, "It must be the King of Loulan leading them and providing them with supplies!"
The 360,000 people of the Western Regions, upon hearing of the approaching Guishuang cavalry, descended into chaos!
The King of Guizi could only brace himself and say, "King Yanqi, I will lead the troops to hold them back. You lead the young men and women of the Western Regions towards the western border of Da Gan!"
At this moment, the King of Guizi understood that if he did not actively cover the retreat, the people of the Western Regions would resent him, leading to disarray.
The people of the Western Regions might not fully believe the cruelty of the Tianri tribe, but the immediate crisis was undeniably brought about by their kings.
Three thousand warriors of the Western Regions, led by the King of Guizi, formed a defensive formation to the west, setting up barricades alongside the elderly and weak to cover the retreat of the young and children.
The people of the Western Regions were forced to abandon some of their heavy luggage, keeping only their valuables, food, and livestock.
Ten thousand troops roared towards them, and in the blink of an eye, they had arrived within ten miles, steadily closing in.
Using the high ground of the earthen hills, the King of Guizi and the warriors of the Western Regions gazed at the distant cavalry, their hearts filled with dread.
This cavalry was definitely not the Guishuang cavalry they were familiar with; they exuded a formidable aura!
"Your Majesty! Another cavalry force is approaching from the east!"
Someone let out a roar, pointing towards the east with a look of terror.
"What? Have the Guishuang cavalry circled around to flank us?"
The King of Guizi was on the verge of losing his composure. He struggled to turn his head and then, with a cry of surprise and joy, exclaimed, "Those are clearly Da Gan cavalry!"
The Western Region warriors, who had been feeling disheartened, all turned to look and were filled with both surprise and joy.
It was the banner of Da Gan!
All of them wore white robes and cotton armor, and even their spare horses were equipped with armor!
Ten thousand elite Da Gan cavalry, led by Yue Yun, thundered towards them.