Xiao Qing had already woken up and heard the father and son talking. She couldn't help but kiss each of them. Her eyes were filled with tenderness.
"Qian'er is sensible, but he should focus on his studies first. When he grows up, your father and I will teach him then."
Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing exchanged a deep look, understanding each other's thoughts.
They couldn't let their child bear everything for them.
"Okay, Mother."
Xiao Qian obediently agreed and went back to sleep.
"Qian'er's hearing and eyesight are excellent, as is Xiao Xue'er's," Liang Xiao said with delight.
What he was most grateful for was that his children were all healthy, sparing their mother from worry and guilt.
"Actually, Qian'er is also very strong. He's the same age as Xiao Xue'er and the others. It seems he inherited Brother Xiao's innate divine strength," Xiao Qing said happily.
Liang Xiao was both surprised and delighted.
Perhaps, the fierce generals of the Great Gan Kingdom would not have a break in succession in the future.
He hoped his children would be safe and sound, but he also wished for them to develop freely. If they wanted to learn martial arts, they could; if they wanted to study literature, they could; they could even engage in business.
In the distant West, the Ayyubid dynasty.
Attila, the Scourge of God, and Saladin, the Sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty, formally met. They sat at the negotiation table with their respective subordinates.
"The Tianri people are far more powerful than I imagined. The Liang Family Army is already in full retreat. That Caesar, however, has some skill," Attila said with a grave expression.
Saladin sneered, "That's merely a hero's name stolen by the Tianri people! Our Ayyubid dynasty has its own oral traditions and legends that prove this was once the name of Rome's uncrowned king!"
Attila sighed, "That's not important. I only look at current strength. The past is meaningless. Just like us Huns, we were once the Xiongnu, then became barbarians, and now we are driven to the West by the Great Gan Kingdom like stray dogs, even being called Huns by the Westerners."
Facing Saladin, a monarch with knightly demeanor, Attila did not hide much, even speaking frankly about past humiliations.
"Now, we need to be frank and honest to jointly deal with the threat from the Tianri people," Saladin said, taking out a document and frowning. "You say you Huns were driven to the West by the Great Gan Kingdom?"
"To be precise, it was driven by one person. The Great Gan with him and the Great Gan without him are two different Great Gans. His name is Liang Xiao, but I hope your people don't mention him in my tribe," Attila said with a curl of his lip.
"Liang Xiao, the Marquis of Anguo of the Great Gan? I have already heard of this man on this land of Africa, told to me by a prisoner of the Tianri people. Attila, no matter what grudges you have in the past, I hope you understand that now is not the time to antagonize the Great Gan. We need to contact the Great Gan to resist the Tianri people together."
Attila was dismissive, "We'll talk about it later. The Tianri people are currently launching a joint attack on the Great Gan Kingdom, which also means they are bogged down in the war with Great Gan. This is the opportunity for you and me to expand. We should decide our future spheres of influence to avoid internal conflict and repeat the tragedy of the Roman states, allowing the Tianri people to take advantage of our weakness."
Saladin nodded slightly.
"My influence has spread throughout the southeast of the land of Europe. I hope to use merchant ships, bypass the Peacock Dynasty, and cooperate and trade with the Great Gan until the Tianri people are annihilated. I don't object to you wanting to compete with the Great Gan. We desperately need seeds for potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn from the Great Gan Kingdom. You are the same, really. We can do you a favor and resell these to you at a low price."
"Of course, we can also sell you our Damascus swords, if you can afford them. Facing the threat of the Lionheart King, we need to continuously strengthen our national power to deal with his crusades."
"Everything I do is for the survival of our Huns, and nothing else. As long as the Ayyubid dynasty does not cross my bottom line, you are free to do as you please," Attila said without hesitation.
Faced with the growing threat from the Tianri people, the two monarchs were uncharacteristically frank, defining their spheres of influence. The Ayyubid dynasty prepared to contact the East.
In the northern part of the European continent, inside a palace.
The King of Tianri sat on his throne, while his ministers below were furious.
"Your Majesty, it seems we have nurtured a tiger that will bring us trouble. The Huns, led by Attila, have broken free from our control. They may be allying with Saladin!" a marshal said angrily.
The King of Tianri maintained his indifferent expression and said, "Haven't you noticed? The population in the lands conquered by Attila has been growing year by year."
The crowd was stunned. "Many hidden livestock have also responded to his call and returned to their homeland!"
"The Tianri people have never feared any threat, not even the Great Gan. We appear to be indulging the barbarians, nurturing a tiger that will bring us trouble, but in reality, we are just raising pigs. The obsession with a decisive battle against Liang Xiao will inevitably cause Attila to lean towards the Tianri people at a critical moment. And there is another ambitious man by Attila's side. Do you understand?" the King of Tianri said coldly.
The ministers below finally understood, "To use the words of that land, it's the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!"
The King of Tianri remained indifferent and looked at the marshal below, "Caesar, what are the Lionheart King's movements?"
"He is considering forming a new crusade to confront the Ayyubid dynasty and Attila," Caesar replied.
"Ally with him, supply him with weapons, and let him deal with Saladin!"
The Ayyubid dynasty began to attempt to increase merchant ships, bypassing the sea routes, and contact the East.
There were once many merchant ships traveling the East China Sea that came from this place...
At the same time, Li Mou, the guardian of the East China Sea in the Great Gan Kingdom, looked at the coast with a worried frown.
"Why have the number of foreign merchant ships decreased in the past two years?"
On an isolated island overseas, Senluo Island, another fleet was heading to Izumo. The people on board were mostly fair-haired and blue-eyed.
"Speed up! I heard our prince has become the heir to the Emperor of Izumo. It's time for him to lead Izumo and blockade the coast of Great Gan!"
Thousands of miles away from the Great Gan Kingdom, on another isolated island overseas in the south, the local aborigines had been wiped out by the Tianri people, and a large amount of iron ore was being transported to the Peacock Dynasty...
The world was in turmoil, and the Great Gan Kingdom was still facing a multi-front war.
On the western border, in the Guishuang Dynasty's army camp.
Achilles was impatient, "How much longer until the supply lines are ready? Can't the giant ballistae be transported first?"
Mars said in a deep voice, "You always measure others by your own standards of strength, which is why you will only ever be able to charge into battle and never be a commander. Logistics are far more complex and difficult than you imagine. The reason we can freely wield our power on the battlefield is thanks to hundreds of thousands of people collecting weapons and food for us, and millions of slaves working to transport them."
"That's your business. I just want to kill all the fierce generals of Great Gan, do you hear me!" Achilles roared.
Mars finally smiled, "Alright, I'll give you thirty thousand cavalry to harass the enemy's border. You can do as you please. It's best not to disappoint me and His Majesty."