Originally, the coalition forces of Jiaozhou numbered over 350,000 troops, with more than 150,000 being Tianri ethnic troops. Their equipment and average personnel age were far superior to those of the Jiaozhou soldiers, hence the Tianri ethnic troops held the dominant position. Even if the Jiaozhou soldiers were dissatisfied, they dared not speak out.
With over 300,000 men guarding a mountain range and surrounding military camps, internal harmony would ensure no concerns about congestion.
However, now that the Tianri ethnic troops had lost five-sixths of their strength, the ratio of forces had shifted to nearly one to eight, making the Jiaozhou soldiers appear as a vast multitude.
On that day, the Jiaozhou soldiers recalled the fear they once felt under the domination of the Tianri ethnic troops.
The current Jiaozhou soldiers, seeing the significantly fewer Tianri soldiers being beaten into dejection by the Daqian forces, yet still daring to be imperious towards them, finally erupted in anger.
After several days of friction, discontent within the army grew.
Xiao Chang, unable to curb the situation despite repeated efforts, was filled with remorse.
The gold from the Jiaozhou stronghold had been seized by the Daqian soldiers. Only a small amount of gold remained in the mountains, utterly insufficient to reward the Jiaozhou soldiers.
The promised rewards for repelling the Daqian forces had fallen through due to the Tianri retreat.
If they had managed to repel the Daqian soldiers, it would have been different. But now, facing defeat, the blow to the soldiers' loyalty and morale was unimaginable.
Xiao Chang now dared not mention rewards, only feeling like weeping without tears.
The Nanwang noble family, with its century-old foundation, had been destroyed because of the invasion of Jiangnan!
At this moment, Dugu Qun paced back and forth in the stronghold, filled with regret.
They had funded Jiaozhou with gold and silver, and if they could have taken control of Daqian, they would have profited tenfold.
But now, everything was lost!
That over a million taels of gold was their hard-earned cash!
All gone!
And now they didn't even know how to break out, as it was uncertain if the Jiaozhou soldiers would defect during the escape.
It was simply a matter of waiting to die!
In contrast, the Daqian army, having sealed off all routes and constantly vigilant against the Tianri cavalry's escape, was casually feasting on horse meat.
Many Tianri warhorses had fallen. It was still deep winter, the weather was cold, and horse meat was easy to preserve.
The Daqian soldiers shouted various slogans outside the mountain daily, disturbing the Jiaozhou allied forces within.
Most of these were slogans previously used by Liang Xiao to persuade the Xichuan generals to surrender, with only slight modifications.
"The soldiers of Yizhou are brave in battle, their merits comparable to those of the White Robe Army, Jiangnan Iron Cavalry, Heavy Armored Soldiers, and Daqian Elite Cavalry."
In the military camp, Liang Xiao praised them effusively, while Nan Jiyun and the Yizhou generals beamed with joy.
They were not content with just pacifying the southern regions; this battle was enough to prove they had not disgraced the country's grace in stabilizing Xichuan.
"Marshal, when do you estimate the enemy will fall into internal strife?" Shi Liuyun asked excitedly.
"Perhaps within half a month, maybe sooner. After all, different lands nourish different people, and the people of this region ultimately possess a fiery spirit, which naturally includes Jiaozhou," Liang Xiao replied without hesitation.
The others did not fully grasp his meaning but were still overjoyed.
Regardless, with ample provisions, they could afford to wait.
"To be safe, General Lu, lead the White Robe Army and the Jiangnan Iron Cavalry to raid Jiaozhou, gather intelligence, and assess the situation south of Jiaozhou. I am also very curious how Jiaozhou managed to procure tens of millions of shi of grain and fodder," Liang Xiao wrote a dispatch, giving it to Lu Changhe and repeatedly emphasizing his instructions.
"Perhaps the enemy has been planning south of Jiaozhou for a century. Many personnel are hidden in that area. The intelligence gathered by the Hidden Wolf Guard is limited, only knowing that there are many major routes between the Peacock Dynasty and Jiaozhou."
"Your subordinate will surely not fail this mission!" Lu Changhe, his face alight with excitement, left the camp to carry out his task under the envious gaze of the others.
The White Robe Army slipped out of the camp again, each man carrying only a month's rations.
Yuzhang urgently dispatched a swift report of the front-line victory to the capital. From Emperor Xiao Qing down to the common folk, everyone was overjoyed!
"Next, will Marquis Anguo lead the troops to retake Jiaozhou!!"
The Daqian kingdom inherited most of the lands of the Daheng kingdom, but Xichuan and Jiaozhou still maintained de facto separatism, only nominally submitting and paying tribute. To the far south lay vast territories of Da Liang, divided by the river.
From the day national consciousness deeply permeated the people, the armies and citizens of Daqian had all hoped that Daqian's territory could surpass that of Daheng, reaching unprecedented levels!
Xiao Qing, overnight, led two princes to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to worship their ancestors, informing them of the news.
Cheng Qing, the Prime Minister of Da Liang, finally returned to his own capital, his face etched with worry.
He was met by Qin Feng.
"Regent, Daqian refuses to agree to a reconciliation. I fear our country will no longer be able to stop Daqian's southward advance; the fall of our nation is only a matter of time..." Cheng Qing said with a wry smile.
"I had anticipated this. Moreover, Daqian has already recalled its merchants and citizens," Qin Feng merely nodded, welcoming Cheng Qing.
Everyone's brows were furrowed. Amidst the clinking of cups and plates, they were absent-minded, finding even dragon liver and phoenix marrow difficult to swallow.
During the banquet, a messenger on horseback from the Northern King's Imperial Guard suddenly arrived.
"Reporting to the Regent, the Daqian army has annihilated the Jiaozhou allied forces a hundred li south of Yuzhang, killing over 120,000 Tianri ethnic troops!"
As soon as the words fell, the assembled guests were greatly shocked, their chopsticks trembling from their hands. Cheng Qing's face turned ashen.
"I had barely left, and they had already engaged in battle? They just returned, and have already achieved a great victory?"
Qin Feng merely gestured for everyone to quiet down and asked, "What were the losses for the Jiaozhou soldiers?"
"Uh, the intelligence personnel in Yuzhang reported that the Jiaozhou soldiers did not engage in battle!"
Qin Feng paused, lost in thought.
"Thirty-odd thousand men against twenty thousand, yet they suffered such a crushing defeat. It's incredible..."
Everyone fell into deeper despair.
Normally, even in battles involving over a hundred thousand men, neither side would suffer such heavy losses, as both understood the importance of pursuing victory and the wisdom of retreating after defeat to minimize casualties.
The fact that over 120,000 Tianri troops were captured and executed indicated that the battle that unfolded south of Yuzhang had gradually escalated into a decisive engagement, ultimately devolving into a one-sided massacre.
"Adding the great victory at Luzhou this year, if calculated, the Marquis Anguo has led the Daqian soldiers to kill over 650,000 alien races, has he not?" the generals muttered, dejected.
Most of these generals, from humble origins, had been promoted by Mu Cheng and Qin Feng. Serving different masters, they only wished to be loyal to Mu Cheng, and to Zhi Rou, who inherited Mu Cheng's legacy. They did not wish to be ministers of a fallen nation, nor did they want Mu Cheng's descendants to be rulers of a fallen nation.
"Although Da Liang's current situation is somewhat subdued, we believe that as long as we have His Majesty and the Regent, the country will surely be restored to the prosperity of the Martial Emperor's era! We are willing to stand with the Regent and defend Da Liang!"
After falling into despair, the generals continued to express their allegiance.
Qin Feng repeatedly expressed his gratitude and then fell silent.
The news of Daqian's victory sent shockwaves through Da Liang, and the common people everywhere were astonished.
The "cannibals" that Emperor Wu Mu Cheng had repeatedly advertised in newspapers, the seemingly invincible Tianri, had also been crushed by Liang Xiao?
And within the mountain range, the Jiaozhou allied forces, besieged by the Daqian army for many days, experienced frequent infighting between Jiaozhou soldiers and Tianri troops.
Although some of these Jiaozhou soldiers were old or weak, they were still armed.