The civil and military officials, along with the surrounding palace maids and guards, fell into deep thought.
After a long pause, the officials erupted in heartfelt praise: "Long live His Majesty!"
They had initially expected their Emperor to deliver a grand speech, elaborate at length, and then conclude.
A future world where good people do not suffer!
A seemingly ordinary sentence, plain and unadorned, devoid of grand visions or earth-shattering processes, yet it contained wisdom enough to conquer all.
Indeed! Regardless of what the future held, if good people were not taken advantage of, if they abided by the law and could even fearlessly do good deeds and accumulate virtue, how could the nation not prosper eternally!
"I hope all my esteemed ministers will not become stubborn adherents obstructing the development of the future world, but rather pioneers willing to work with generations to come, to usher in an era of eternal peace and leave their names in history. I know this is difficult, but I am willing to protect you all. Are you willing to embark on such a future world with me?"
Hearing Xiao Qing's question, the officials swept away their confusion and bowed, pledging: "We shall exert our utmost efforts and follow His Majesty!"
Xiao Qing finally felt relieved, a wide smile gracing her face.
Fortunately, the civil and military officials' trust in her was unprecedented, bordering on blind faith.
All this was attributed to the awe-inspiring might of the Great Gan nation that had swept across all other realms, the legitimacy represented by the return of the Nine Tripods and the Imperial Seal, and the numerous policies that benefited the nation and its people.
At this moment, Xiao Qing missed her beloved even more, the architect of the Great Gan's prosperous era, who was far away in Luzhou.
"I hope all Great Gan soldiers and civilians will forever remember that it was Lord Liang Xiao who brought all this to the Great Gan nation! When he returns, I have important matters to discuss with him, and I shall announce it to the world."
In the evening, Zhuo Zifang, who was recovering from illness, also heard about the court assembly.
Having witnessed the darkness of officialdom for half his life and feeling powerless, he had retired to his hometown in frustration. Now, Zhuo Zifang experienced a sudden enlightenment; no one understood the meaning of this statement better than he did.
"A future world where good people do not suffer? Good, good! Everyone can receive education, everyone has food to eat, and good people do not suffer!"
Zhuo Zifang, rarely moved to tears of joy, coughed violently several times, his voice carrying a slight bubbly quality.
"His Majesty is right, we must let the people of the world know that their Marquis of Anguo has done more for them than just this... cough cough! He is the greatest fortune this land has ever known, from ancient times to the present. Cough cough... When will this child return victorious?"
"Grandfather, please focus on your recovery first." Zhuo Yun and Zhuo Xiong tearfully supported Zhuo Zifang, their faces filled with worry.
Now, the Zhuo family even dared not inform Liang Xiao and Zhuo Ying, who were on the front lines, about Zhuo Zifang's illness, for fear of affecting their combat efforts.
It was feared that his time was running out...
The spinning machines in the capital area were the first to be put into production. After improvements, they could be combined with the initial steam engines, greatly increasing weaving efficiency.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qing was still in the palace discussing with Wang Canghai and others how to ensure the transition for some Great Gan workers in the future.
Besides Xiao Qing, Liang Xiao's wives were also diligently educating their offspring. Led by Luo Qingxue, the Marchioness of Anguo and her peers worked hard to manage charitable activities, aiding more people.
In addition to distributing porridge and providing disaster relief, the Marquis of Anguo's mansion also publicly pledged: half of the net profit from all its industries each year would be used to establish a new "Anguo Fund" to support disaster relief across the country.
The people of Great Gan were filled with admiration: "The Marquis of Anguo should be the richest man in Great Gan!"
In preparation for the potential industrial revolution, the Marquis of Anguo's mansion was working hard to cooperate with Xiao Qing in stabilizing public sentiment.
Jian Nanfeng and Mu Xueqin did not return to Mount Tian, but instead took up residence in the Liang mansion, providing space for Liang Xiao's children to learn medicine and martial arts.
Following Liang Xiao's advice, they did not force the children to study but guided them to learn what they desired.
Fortunately, Liang Xiao's children were generally diligent and intelligent, so they did not cause trouble for these renowned teachers.
As for the brothers Xiao Xun and Xiao Qian, under the care of Ning Xuejun and Ding Wuyi, and with the assistance of Wang Canghai and others in teaching them, they exhibited brotherly affection and respect at such a young age.
And at the Liang Xiao oil fields outside Zhongzhou City, oil continued to be transported to the East Sea.
In recent years, smallpox had become increasingly rare...
The military and civilians of the capital awaited their Marquis of Anguo's triumphant return from Jiangnan, to deliver further victorious reports.
In the military camp of Luzhou City, Liang Xiao's brow furrowed as he looked at a damaged trebuchet.
"Is this the trebuchet restored by the Tianri tribe? It feels like the principle is similar to our bed crossbows!" the soldiers said, bewildered and apprehensive.
If the enemy accidentally invented a triple-bow bed crossbow, the Great Gan soldiers would be in dire straits!
"Hahaha! Stuck in the past!"
Liang Xiao's cheerful laughter echoed through the camp.
The soldiers looked at Liang Xiao, who was touching the damaged trebuchet with his hand, in confusion.
"We should be fortunate that the Tianri tribe studied ancient Western technology and did not grasp its essence," Liang Xiao said, patting the trebuchet. "Any weapon that falls behind its time is bound to be obsolete. Later, even the Westerners themselves abandoned trebuchets and scorpion crossbows, and this trebuchet, along with the scorpion crossbows, restored by the Tianri tribe, are not even as good as those built by the Romans themselves!"
The generals suddenly understood and nodded: "They are no match for the Marquis of Anguo's Huihui catapults, bed crossbows, let alone the Divine Martial Cannons!"
Liang Xiao merely smiled, but inwardly felt a lingering fear.
Before he reformed their weaponry, Great Gan's military equipment was not much more advanced than theirs. The creation and improvement of a weapon often took decades or even centuries...
Every time he recalled the backwardness of the Great Gan nation, Liang Xiao's hatred for the Dugu family deepened.
It was the Dugu family that obstructed the development of weaponry!
In the Great Gan of that era, the only notable siege weapon they possessed was the stone-throwing machine, which bore a resemblance to the Huihui catapult.
Liang Xiao could see that even if these trebuchets were not damaged, they would not be able to unleash the power of the Roman trebuchets he knew of, and might not even be able to shake walls four meters thick.
The city walls in Jiangnan and the western regions, after years of reinforcement, even those of small county towns, were at least five meters thick, not to mention such trebuchets. Even if the Romans brought their true trebuchets to bombard them, they would not be able to breach them.
Not to mention the strategic strongholds in Luzhou, Jinling, and Yuzhang in Jiangnan. If the minimum thickness was not six meters, Liang Xiao would not feel at ease even while eating.
Because of the reinforcement of these cities, the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue had once advised Liang Xiao against it, fearing that if the generals of these cities rebelled in the future, it would create difficulties in conquering them. However, Liang Xiao overruled their objections.
Initially, Liang Xiao had considered this possibility. For instance, Lu Kang in the Three Kingdoms period built a city, Xiling, which even he himself could not forcefully conquer. Later, Xiling surrendered to the Wei kingdom, causing considerable trouble for the Wu kingdom. This was not without precedent.
However, since Liang Xiao had even developed the Divine Martial Cannon, he had no reason to worry about such a situation. Moreover, the people of Jiangnan would not stand by idly while local officials rebelled against Great Gan.
"Even so, our army should remain vigilant. After suffering losses, the enemy is likely to imitate our weaponry," Liu Feng said anxiously.
The generals patted their chests and guaranteed: "We will absolutely not allow any unauthorized personnel near the weaponry!"
Liang Xiao smiled and nodded, then asked, "What happened to the young lord in the brocade robe after being shot by this general?"
Liu Feng replied: "According to the surrendered soldiers, the young lord in the brocade robe died. Before his death, he ordered Xiao Che to seek revenge on the Marquis of Anguo's family..."
Liang Xiao sneered: "They are already as good as dead. This general will uproot the Jiaozhou warlords and the Four Great Clans sooner or later!"
Cheers erupted around them.
Luzhou had held out for over half a year, and now, having decisively defeated the enemy's tens of thousands of troops, it was enough to strike fear into their hearts!
Meanwhile, Zuo Wuji, leading ten thousand cavalry, pursued the fleeing enemy cavalry and finally reached the enemy's main camp.