The generals listened intently to Liang Xiao's arrangements, eager to act.
Finally, Liang Xiao's expression turned solemn.
"Our army's expedition has another crucial objective: to eradicate the remnants of the Tianri tribe within the territory of Great Gan, including Jiaozhou. This means that not a single Tianri soldier in the enemy camp must be spared! For if even one escapes, Jiaozhou could be plunged into utter devastation!"
"Previously, based on reports from envoys of the Ayub Dynasty, we concluded that if cities under the Tianri tribe's control were about to be conquered by the Ayub Dynasty, they would do everything in their power to slaughter the city's inhabitants, even pickling them as rations, to deny the Ayub Dynasty any population and to exert pressure on the Ayub Dynasty and its populace."
"However, this does not mean that the residents of these cities would be spared if they were not attacked. The Tianri soldiers, due to their faith in the Tianri religion, are known for their heinous deeds. Arson, murder, looting, and the ravishing of women are commonplace. Anyone not of the Tianri tribe would be exploited to their last breath, and extinction would only be a matter of time. The civilizations north of the Mediterranean on the continent of Europa serve as a grim example."
"Therefore, since our army is marching south, we must reclaim Jiaozhou as swiftly as possible to save as many people as we can, to prevent the Tianri tribe from acting with impunity should they retreat back to Jiaozhou."
A chill ran through everyone, and they instantly understood.
Population was always a vital resource. After Liang Xiao pacified Xichuan, the region underwent a tremendous transformation and could now stably pay taxes to the central government, a fact deeply resented by the Tianri tribe, who absolutely did not wish for Jiaozhou to become another treasure trove for Great Gan.
Jiaozhou possessed abundant natural resources, such as timber and wildlife, and in the future, it could be used to cultivate yew trees.
If the Tianri tribe were to seize control of Jiaozhou while Xiao Che and Xiao Chang were in disarray, the consequences would be unimaginable!
This was also why Liang Xiao had not rushed forward earlier.
Without sufficient cavalry, it was impossible to guarantee the pursuit and elimination of the enemy forces.
While Liang Xiao could defeat the enemy with infantry and siege weapons, if the cavalry could not be completely annihilated, the infantry would be unable to catch up to the fleeing Tianri cavalry and could only drive them back.
But now, the northern cavalry was marching south in full force to rendezvous!
Upon returning from Fenglang Juxu, Liang Xiao had already proposed to the court the establishment of ranches in the Jiangnan region, the large-scale cultivation of grasses and grains favored by warhorses, such as purple alfalfa and beans, and the increase of egg production from chicken farms.
Eggs, being rich in nutrients, could supply the soldiers, and sometimes, warhorses could also be fed a moderate amount.
The quality of the pasture in the south was inferior to that of the northern natural pastures, so they had to compensate with quantity.
All these preparations were made for the recovery of Jiaozhou.
A deeper consideration was the eventual reclamation of even Liang itself, though this was known only to Xiao Qing and the high-ranking officials of the court. After all, Mu Cheng was still alive at the time, and Great Gan could not openly discuss the unification of two nations.
Without the grasslands freed up in Jiangnan and the areas north of the Yangtze River, the feed for nearly two hundred thousand warhorses alone would have been an unbearable burden for the former Great Gan.
The warhorses of the Jiaozhou allied forces had already depleted the grasslands south of Yuzhang, leaving insufficient fodder for the Great Gan cavalry.
The two main camps were sixty li apart, a distance that was neither dangerous nor safe, allowing only for mutual vigilance against surprise attacks.
The Great Gan army's encampment was also strategically chosen on higher ground, with sentry posts established.
However, the vanguard led by Shi Liuyun, primarily composed of the Iron Cavalry of Jiangnan, was dispatched southward first to clear the path, sweeping away enemy scouts and scattered soldiers.
This was Great Gan's territory, and it was not difficult to locate water sources and plan routes in advance.
"The vanguard cavalry of Great Gan is approaching!"
Upon receiving the news, the Jiaozhou allied forces had no choice but to mobilize the Tianri cavalry to intercept.
"If the enemy deploys heavy cavalry like you, without relying on ballistae, it will be difficult to inflict significant damage on them!" Hannibal frowned.
"If we possessed sufficient longbows, like Great Gan, we could have easily pierced their armor!" Xiao Chang lamented with deep regret.
This was a shameful secret he and Xiao Che found difficult to divulge.
A significant portion of the yew wood that Great Gan had aggressively acquired years ago had actually originated from Jiaozhou...
Jiaozhou, in effect, was independent and engaged in trade with foreign countries, especially the Peacock Dynasty, which consequently introduced the highest quality yew wood varieties from the West.
However, yew wood had always been used for furniture and some military equipment, such as fine weapon racks and shields.
It had never been used for making bows, as people found it exceedingly difficult to craft bows from yew wood.
Therefore, when Great Gan's "merchants" paid exorbitant prices for yew wood, and the government itself led the charge, Jiaozhou's timber merchants eagerly sold their stock, providing Jiaozhou with substantial tax revenue, which made the brothers beam with delight.
It was only later, when longbows became remarkably effective and shocked other nations, that they realized they had been duped. They used this as an excuse to demand the extermination of the families of those timber merchants, but the merchants, possibly tipped off by Great Gan's traders, had already fled to Jiangnan with their families, leaving them with no recourse.
Later, the Tianri tribe finally managed to develop a crafting process for longbows superior to ordinary bows. Although not as good as Great Gan's, they were at least able to produce them.
However, Jiaozhou's yew wood reserves were dwindling. Yew wood salvaged from furniture, when used to make bows, invariably broke...
And now, Great Gan had developed new types of bows and arrows, whose armor-piercing capabilities at close range even surpassed those of yew wood!
Hannibal sneered, "A batch of yew wood has matured in the Peacock Dynasty and is being rapidly fashioned into bows. If we can stall here with Great Gan for a year or two, once the military supplies from the Peacock Dynasty arrive, we can win decisively and even capture Jiangnan!"
Xiao Chang and others finally rallied, "Excellent!"
The lack of sufficient longbows had always been a weakness of the Jiaozhou allied forces, and Xiao Che attributed all their failures to this.
To ensure no room for error, the Jiaozhou allied forces continued to reinforce the eastern mountain pass, strictly guarding against Great Gan soldiers attempting to bypass the mountain from the east and raid their supply lines.
The Tianri soldiers stood at the very front line, while the cavalry, primarily the Tianri Elite Cavalry, had eyes blazing with ferocity.
"We have annihilated civilization after civilization, slain countless warriors whom these civilizations called 'great,' we are the nemesis of mankind in this era! Avenge Achilles, slay the Heavenly General, and give Marshal Mars his due!"
The Tianri Elite Cavalry, their fear transformed into rage, longed to charge forth immediately and annihilate the Heavenly General.
In the western borders of Great Gan, Mars, the Grand Marshal of the Tianri tribe, trembled violently, his wine cup quivering.
"General Liang Xiao of Great Gan?!"
The most unbelievable thing in this life and in all lives to come!
Not only that, but they had nearly annihilated twelve thousand elite soldiers of the Jiaozhou allied forces on the Luzhou battlefield!
That individual, who was clearly no more than twenty years old, had become the nightmare of the Tianri tribe, repelling their grand ambitions and vast empire!
Currently, only Lü Yi was defending the western border, and he remained at a loss.
The city walls of Yumenguan were simply too thick, rendering the ballistae useless!
"How am I to explain this to my father? Those were the Tianri Divine Blade and the Tianri Holy Armor, treasures of the Tianri tribe, personally bestowed upon him by my father. To think they could be pierced through the chest by an enemy, something even the Silver Dragon's Golden Weapon could not achieve..." Mars murmured, sighing endlessly.
The King of Tianri was the previous "Achilles."
This was a royal secret. The King of Tianri hailed from the lineage of the first "Achilles." He later ascended the throne. He was the biological father of the two brothers. Their nominal father, the King's younger brother, remained completely unaware.
Furthermore, the King of Tianri bestowed Iris, who was "half-sister" to Achilles, upon Achilles to bear offspring, in pursuit of pure bloodlines. Later, through cruel interrogation of Queen Lis's personal maidservants, another situation was discovered.
The Queen Lis's daughters might have all been born under coercion from her younger brother, including Chris, who was still in her womb at the time...
Therefore, this royal brother successfully became a sacrifice offered by the King of Tianri to the Tianri gods, and Lis became a wanted sorceress.