Thousands of words could not compare to the fulfillment of a promise.
Zhen Mi, her heart filled with joy, leaned into Liang Xiao's embrace, her gaze tender as he wiped away her tears.
"Mi'er is only fifteen. I cannot take advantage of you. You must study diligently and not think of me all the time," Liang Xiao whispered.
"Will Brother Xiao not take advantage of Mi'er?" Zhen Mi asked tentatively.
"Yes, until you come of age, until you shed the identity of Concubine Mi, I cannot," Liang Xiao replied.
"Oh, then it's fine~" Zhen Mi suddenly giggled.
Liang Xiao, who had been gazing at the rafters with a sigh, suddenly felt a soft pressure on his belly, his expression changing: "What are you doing..."
"Sister Qingxue, Sister Qinwan, and Sister Shuang'er asked me to. They were sure Brother Xiao wouldn't bear to bully Mi'er, so they asked Mi'er to bully you a bit on their behalf..." Zhen Mi whispered, still mindful of her sisters' instructions.
Liang Xiao's old face turned red. "Alright, I'll go get my revenge on them now."
"Mi'er, save me... Sisters, help..."
In the West Palace villa, Zhen Mi and the others watched as Xiao Qing was swept away by Liang Xiao. They only waved at her, daring not to make a sound, fearing they would implicate themselves.
The next day, Zhuo Zifang and Wang Canghai arrived at the imperial study to discuss top-secret state matters with Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing.
"The Nine Cauldrons are here too??" Liang Xiao was greatly surprised!
In his homeland, the Nine Cauldrons held even greater significance for their people than the Qin Dynasty's Imperial Seal. Yet, according to ancient records, the Nine Cauldrons had vanished after the Qin Dynasty conquered Zhou.
How had the Nine Cauldrons ended up in the hands of the ancient Xiongnu king?
"In this old minister's opinion, just as the Great Qian Dynasty had families like the Dugu and Gongyang, it's possible that during the time the Nine Cauldrons were lost, the Great Zhou also had internal traitors who colluded with the enemy and sought to enthrone the Xiongnu to rule the Central Plains, thus presenting the Nine Cauldrons to the Xiongnu," Zhuo Zifang lamented.
The loss of the Nine Cauldrons for centuries, if they had been melted down by Helo Fu or simply lost, would have been an immeasurable loss to this land!
"According to reports from the Shadow Guards, each cauldron weighs over a thousand jin. They should be on their way to Yanzhou now. For now, more valuable artifacts will be transported first. Gold is too heavy, so we can only plan for it later," Xiao Qing said with a grave expression.
The Nine Cauldrons held extraordinary significance. The Great Qian Dynasty had to be extremely cautious to prevent them from being seized by the Xianbei during transport, which would be a national disgrace.
Losing the Nine Cauldrons was akin to losing the last of their treasures.
"We must send reinforcements to the northern border and then transport them from the desert. We should resolve this quickly. Simultaneously, we must dispatch envoys to temporarily befriend the Xianbei, but we cannot let our guard down. We must dispatch troops to patrol the southern desert. If the Xianbei break their word, we can eliminate them as well. I can personally lead the troops," Liang Xiao stated seriously.
"The envoy should have already reached the Xianbei. We await the outcome. However, regardless of whether the Xianbei ruler agrees or not, our country must transport the gold before spring to avoid waiting another year," Wang Canghai's expression showed rare tension.
It was rumored that the gold exceeded thirty million taels, and with other jade and treasures, its value might reach at least five hundred million taels of silver, surpassing the value of the Yanzhou treasure!
If these millions of jin of treasures could be transported back to the country, the Great Qian Dynasty would have virtually no financial concerns.
The people's livelihood and military equipment would both see further improvements!
At that time, it would not be impossible for the Great Liang Kingdom to concede when measuring the gap between the two nations, and to unify the two countries without bloodshed would be ideal.
For this matter, Xiao Qing dispatched five thousand Shadow Guards for the first time, led by Ding Wuyi, directly to the southern desert, determined to complete this arduous mission.
The journey from north of the Yin Mountains to Yanzhou spanned nearly two thousand li, consisting of deserts, grasslands, and harsh weather.
Only with death-loyal troops like the Shadow Guards leading the way, supported by the Great Qian Garrison, the Great Qian Iron Guards, and the White Robe soldiers, could other troops competently undertake this task.
Human greed could lead some soldiers to secretly hoard gold, thus the transportation method had to emulate that of the Meng Hu River treasure.
"Once matters in the capital are settled, I will go to Yanzhou to be ready to provide support and, incidentally, check the progress of the Great Qian Fierce Cavalry training," Liang Xiao was also uncharacteristically excited.
The Great Qian Fierce Cavalry was the most costly army in the history of the Great Qian Dynasty. Twenty thousand heavy cavalry and twenty thousand divine archers, their metal weaponry was almost entirely made of steel, and they were equipped with longbows and repeating crossbows, representing an immeasurable investment.
The Great Qian Fierce Cavalry would be the main force in the decisive battle against the Tianri tribe and might also shine brilliantly on the Xianbei battlefield in advance.
Once this gold was stored, as long as there was sufficient iron ore, and the nation could cultivate and recruit more artisans, combined with coal, it could continuously produce more Great Qian Fierce Cavalry, making world domination no longer just empty talk!
The White Robe soldiers, the Great Qian Iron Guards, and the Heaven-Sustaining Guards were all seasoned veterans, already the elite of the elite.
But if these legions were expanded to a thirty-thousand-strong Great Qian Garrison to confront the Great Qian Fierce Cavalry, they would likely struggle to win.
Twenty thousand meticulously crafted longbows would be enough to instill fear in the world.
To defeat these twenty thousand divine archers, one would have to face twenty thousand fierce Great Qian heavy cavalry, breaking through their terrifying spear formations and a volley of repeating crossbows.
Even if the enemy managed to break through to the divine archers, they would discover that the divine archers were not solely capable of ranged attacks. Each soldier was also equipped with a steel saber, and the foremost ranks wielded *modao*, made with Damascus-like patterned steel, comparable to the Damascus steel Liang Xiao knew of.
However, Liang Xiao also knew that more than half a year had passed since his mission to Great Liang, and the capital also required his presence for a period. The matters in the desert could be handed over to Nie Yuan and Lü Changhe for now.
Only by making the world understand that he was always the Marquis of An Guo of Great Qian, appearing wherever he was needed, like a phantom, could he instill fear in his enemies.
"It is confirmed that after the Marquis of An Guo's mission to Great Liang, the Guishuang Dynasty indeed began to stir. The western regions are now in a state of emergency, and we are awaiting news from the western front. We do not know how the situation is," Wang Canghai sighed.
Liang Xiao took a deep breath and looked at the map of the Western Regions on the table.
The Silk Road would likely be impossible in the short term. This was not the Western Han Dynasty, nor his homeland. Times had changed.
Only by defeating the Guishuang Dynasty could they hope to communicate with the West and engage in trade.
The Great Qian Dynasty's most lacking resources were Yew wood, iron ore, and sulfur. Coal was secondary.
Following his knowledge of his homeland's mineral resources, he had dispatched Shadow Guards and Hidden Wolf Guards to investigate, but had not found the resources that should have existed, thus forcing him to expand his territory.
It was said that the Guishuang Dynasty and the Peacock Dynasty were cultivating a new batch of Yew trees. If they could conquer these two countries before these Yew trees matured, they might still have a chance to acquire some undamaged Yew wood.
Of course, the Great Qian Dynasty itself was also planting a large number of Yew trees in suitable regions, but they would need some years to mature.
Everyone discussed for a long time, finally setting the future general policy, but still remaining vigilant amidst peace.
The Great Qian Dynasty faced too many enemies and could not afford any retreat.
Xiao Qing then summoned Gu Hong and other court ministers.