The whole crowd fell into a brief silence, followed by an uproar.
Nan Jiyun and Tong Zhen were stunned.
"Your Majesty, I have a family," Nan Jiyun sighed.
"Nan Ba!" Tong Zhen, regaining his senses, quickly grabbed Nan Jiyun's arm.
Nan Jiyun added, "My daughter is already seven years old."
"What happened to 'a master's kindness is as deep as the sea'!" Tong Zhen finally lost his temper and kicked Nan Jiyun in the backside.
This was the first time in his life he realized his beloved disciple was so detestable and inflexible!
"This..." The elders of Nanman exchanged glances.
"Is that so?" Meng Wuxin lowered her head in disappointment, her heart filled with sorrow.
"You are a dignified queen, how dare I conceal anything from you, and how could I bear to wrong you?" Nan Jiyun's tone was extremely sincere.
Meng Wuxin felt a little better and mumbled, "I don't care, after surrendering to Da Qian, I won't be the Queen of Nanman anymore, and you'll have to marry me..."
Nan Jiyun fell silent, and Tong Zhen cast him a pleading look.
She had already abandoned the dignity of the Nanman Queen and confessed her love publicly. How bold!
After a long pause, Nan Jiyun nodded solemnly, "Understood! After returning, I will discuss it with my wife, and then report to His Majesty. You and my wife will be recognized as joint principal wives, how about that?"
"Joint principal wives?" Meng Wuxin was overjoyed, but maintained a solemn demeanor on the surface and readily agreed.
"Wuxin!" Gongyang Qiu immediately became furious.
"He's yours to deal with..." Meng Wuxin pointed at Gongyang Qiu and said.
Nan Jiyun thanked her, and Gongyang Qiu fainted on the spot from anger.
A legendary and dreamlike persuasion ended with the Queen of Nanman and a general of Da Qian pledging their lives to each other.
Meng Wuxin, leading the Nanman elders, presented the letter of surrender to Nan Jiyun's army, officially submitting to Da Qian.
In the military camp, Meng Wuxin and Meng Bailing sat opposite Nan Jiyun, their hearts filled with complex emotions.
Nan Jiyun asked, "Why did so many elders in Nanman wish to surrender, yet Nanman still attacked Bannan?"
Meng Wuxin explained, "Some elders and their followers originally believed in the Spring Return Sect, but they were all killed by your Da Qian soldiers. Tong Zhen suspected that the Spring Return Sect had infiltrated Nanman, but he didn't know my and my mother's methods. The Spring Return Sect was only capable of external infiltration. After all, even as the King of Nanman, I had no right to interfere with my people's beliefs."
"Then can you forgive my master?" Nan Jiyun pleaded.
"My mother hated him for half her life, but in her dying moments, she came to terms with it and forgave him. However, she still wanted me to remember that my father was the Great King of Nanman, and my surname is Meng. After all, my father treated my mother and me with immense kindness and regarded me as his own daughter," Meng Wuxin replied.
"My master knows he is at fault..."
Nan Jiyun was about to explain further when Meng Wuxin interrupted him with a blush, "Meeting a hero like you is enough for me, but I can't change my name to Tong Xin..."
Nan Jiyun pleaded again, "How about this, for our future children, the first will take the surname Meng, and the second will take the surname Tong. This way, neither of them will be without heirs. What do you say?"
"We're already talking about children?"
Meng Wuxin was taken aback, then her face turned crimson, and her voice became a mere whisper, "Okay... If you want me to forgive him, you have to take Bai Ling as a concubine too."
Nan Jiyun was stunned and looked at Meng Bailing, who was blushing and lowering her head.
"Nan Ba, a master's kindness is as deep as the sea," Tong Zhen's voice drifted in from outside, startling Meng Wuxin.
"Alright..."
With the surrender of Nanman settled, Da Qian soldiers captured Yongchang City without a fight, and everyone rejoiced.
The "romantic affair" between Nan Jiyun and the Queen of Nanman quickly spread throughout the army, spawning countless versions.
"General Nan is truly remarkable, not only pacifying Nanman but also winning the beauty's heart!"
Meng Wuxin could only hide in Nan Jiyun's military tent, not daring to show herself.
The remnants of the Spring Return Sect, led by Gongyang Qiu, were imprisoned by Da Qian soldiers and would be sent back to the capital for trial.
Nanman became a thing of the past. According to the grand plans of Xiao Qing and Liang Xiao, Nan Jiyun established the Seven Commanderies of Nanzhong here, with Lin Quan temporarily in charge of administration and security.
Compared to Yizhou, this place was still not much different from barren land. Therefore, the elders were happy to bring their treasures and follow Meng Wuxin to surrender to Da Qian, enjoying the long-desired "white sugar," "newspapers," and "cheap books"...
After leaving a garrison in Nanzhong, Nan Jiyun immediately led his troops back to Yizhou and sailed down the Yangtze River to support Jiangnan.
The next day, Gongyang Qiu and his followers sat in a prisoner cart, listening to the rumble of the wheels, utterly defeated.
As the escorting soldiers chatted, a white figure suddenly flew from afar.
Gongyang Qiu spotted the approaching person from a distance and shouted, "Achilles!!"
Achilles, who was galloping on horseback, immediately rushed over, shot down a soldier with an arrow, charged into the midst of thousands of soldiers, and with lightning speed, beheaded the other escorting officers. Then, with another saber strike, he severed the cage, casually tossed Gongyang Qiu onto his horse, and galloped away.
The Da Qian soldiers were unable to catch up and could only urgently report to Nan Jiyun.
"A divine steed? A precious saber that can sever a prisoner cart with one stroke? This person must be Achilles of the Tianri tribe, who was rampant in the western regions previously. This trip is likely to support the rebels in Jiaozhou," Nan Jiyun slammed the table and rose, leading his troops to search. Achilles had already disappeared, so he could only inform Luzhou via carrier pigeon.
Escorted by the Da Qian army, Meng Wuxin, along with Tong Zhen and Meng Bailing, bid a reluctant farewell to Nan Jiyun and headed to the capital to meet the Emperor.
Liang Xiao's troops arrived north of Yuzhang. The allied forces of Jiaozhou scattered at the sight of them, not daring to engage, yet they also delayed their retreat.
Upon hearing of the Marquis of Anguo's arrival, the people of Yuzhang rejoiced.
Liang Xiao urgently inspected the city walls of Yuzhang and ordered repairs.
"The enemy's catapults... well, ballistae, have been bombarding our city walls. Fortunately, the Marshal's foresight and Yuzhang's years of fortification have made it impregnable. A mere flying stone could not shake the walls!"
"However, the enemy seems to have realized that Yuzhang is difficult to conquer and has resorted to scattered harassment, even sending cavalry to attempt to attack our northern supply lines. There have been several small-scale battles, with our army suffering three thousand casualties and defeating over ten thousand enemies..."
Yang Piao, the defender of Yuzhang, reported the battle situation truthfully.
After assessing the casualties, Liang Xiao publicly commended Yang Piao and rewarded the army.
"The enemy remains here stubbornly, it seems they still have some leverage!" Liang Xiao stood proudly south of the city, gazing into the distance, his killing intent evident.
The allied forces of Jiaozhou had lost so much in supplies that the idea of exhausting Da Qian's grain was a foolish dream.
Even so, their refusal to retreat indicated that the Peacock Dynasty might still be sending reinforcements here.
The Peacock Dynasty was over six thousand miles away from Da Qian, yet they could still dispatch over a hundred thousand troops for a distant campaign, which demonstrated their terrifying logistical capabilities and should not be underestimated.
Two million shi of military grain and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep would only be enough to sustain the approximately five to six hundred thousand soldiers in Jiangnan for about two months.
In the forest, Achilles threw Gongyang Qiu onto the grass and went to feed his divine steed, the Holy Dragon Shadow.
"The plan to incite Nanman failed? What is the situation in Jiangnan? Have Alexander and Hannibal arrived as promised? Have the Tianri cavalry swept through Da Qian?" Achilles asked.