Land has always been a precious resource in any era, and people have a fundamental yearning for it.
Liang Xiao's words undoubtedly put all the soldiers of Jiaozhou at complete ease, and their gratitude towards Xiao Qing was beyond measure.
After calculation, each household would receive dozens of mu?
The soldiers of Yizhou also cheered and expressed their support.
Jiaozhou was too vast, with more land than Xichuan. However, the arable land that could truly reach Xichuan's standard might be less than fifty million mu, and the wasteland might require further reclamation.
Furthermore, the people of Jiaozhou had indeed suffered greatly. Having returned to Da Qian several years later than Xichuan, they had endured more hardship.
At this moment, almost every soldier in Jiaozhou was weeping with gratitude, unable to contain their emotions.
Only Xiao Chang felt like crying without tears.
After repeated interrogations by Liang Xiao, he finally confessed his family's financial situation.
All cultivated land was to be confiscated by the state!
"You wore the dragon robe, and the imperial court has shown exceptional grace by sparing your life and leaving you ten thousand taels of silver. This is already immense leniency; be content."
Liang Xiao's scoff at the time still echoed in Xiao Chang's mind. Now, Xiao Chang wished he could slap himself.
He had raised an army to attack Jiangnan under the guise of "removing the corrupt officials from the emperor's side," which at most was considered rebellion, and he still had a chance to seek leniency by virtue of his status as the Prince of Nan.
But by wearing the dragon robe, he had rendered himself speechless.
Dugu Qun and others, bound tightly, seemed to have aged ten years. They lowered their heads in silence, regretting their past opposition to Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing.
Xiao Che, who was imprisoned, flew into a rage and cursed upon hearing that Xiao Chang and others had surrendered.
"I treated you as a brother, and yet you are so cowardly now!"
Facing Xiao Che's accusations, Xiao Chang chuckled and said, "Second brother, elder brother still has a family..."
Xiao Che thought of his son, Xiao Chan, who had been shot dead by Liang Xiao, and was so enraged that he spat blood on the spot.
The Sun Moon Army had suffered a defeat in Luzhou once, which had enhanced Liang Xiao's fame. Later, they suffered heavy losses in Xichuan, and then again in Luzhou, where they were annihilated!
Among all the prisoners, Xiao Che had no value. Liang Xiao ordered him to be escorted back to Yuzhang in a carriage to be tried and handed over to Gongsun Ye, the arch-rival of the Jin Pao Wang.
After appeasing the Jiaozhou soldiers, Liang Xiao began to feast the troops that very day.
Lu Changhe had already launched a surprise attack on Jiaozhou ahead of time. Liang Xiao then summoned all the Da Qian cavalry generals, appointed Lu Changhe as the commander of the cavalry, and Nan Jiyun as the deputy commander, who also carried Liang Xiao's official document to Jiaozhou to rendezvous with Lu Changhe and jointly besiege Jiaozhou.
The elite cavalry of Da Qian, shedding their heavy armor, set off on a forced march with the army.
Liang Xiao personally led the main army southward, escorting the Jiaozhou soldiers back to their homes.
Twenty thousand Jiaozhou soldiers, plus tens of thousands of prisoners to be brought from Luzhou, presented a significant management challenge.
Shortly after Nan Jiyun led the cavalry away, Liang Xiao appointed Zhuo Ying as the vanguard general, leading the Yizhou army corps, to march rapidly towards Jiaozhou. He left fifty thousand men to guard the mountain passes and the grain and supplies in the Jiaozhou encampment, and sent someone to notify Yuzhang to receive some of the grain.
This was a request voluntarily made by the soldiers of Yizhou; he had originally intended to arrange for the Da Qian Garrison to lead the way.
"You lazy brat, if you don't hurry up, when we get to Jiaozhou, you'll only get to eat shit, and not even hot shit!"
In the vanguard, soldiers from Yizhou were constantly urging their slower comrades to hurry. The army's marching speed stabilized at over sixty li per day, which was astonishing.
Liang Xiao, holding his ground behind hundreds of thousands of troops, could not bear to dampen the enthusiasm of the Yizhou soldiers, so he could only send someone to remind Zhuo Ying to pay attention to arranging rest.
The Jiaozhou soldiers also yearned for their homes and worried about the safety of their families, hence their urgent march. The elderly and weak members were left behind in carts, escorting the grain and responsible for logistics.
The army was able to march at great speed, heading straight for Panyu, the current seat of Jiaozhou's administration.
A carrier pigeon delivered the message to Yuzhang immediately, notifying Gongsun Ye to prepare.
"Accepted the surrender of two hundred thousand troops??"
When Gongsun Ye received the news, he was both shocked and delighted. He hurriedly sent people to publicize the matter and simultaneously notified Luzhou to escort the Jiaozhou prisoners.
The military and civilians in various parts of Jiangnan rejoiced, and every household rushed to the ancestral shrine of Liang Xiao to offer their worship.
In various parts of Jiangnan, except for areas directly facing the Da Liang Kingdom like Wuyongzhou, the state of emergency was finally lifted. Scholars composed poems and essays, and beautiful women sang and danced to celebrate the army's victory.
The Peacock Dynasty had mobilized nearly two hundred thousand Tianri ethnic troops to invade Jiangnan. After two battles, they were completely annihilated!
The more than twenty thousand Tianri ethnic troops who died in the infighting among the Jiaozhou soldiers were also attributed to Liang Xiao by the populace.
If one were to add the Xianbei cavalry, and the time Liang Xiao transformed into the Heavenly General, leading the White Robe soldiers to repel the barbarians who invaded Yanzhou.
"Since the Heavenly General An Guo Hou of this dynasty led the troops, countless enemies have been defeated, with over a million heads of barbarians, Xianbei, Tianri ethnic groups, and Japanese pirates taken. He has deterred all nations, his achievements have overshadowed the world, establishing our Qian ethnicity, and his legacy will echo through the ages! From now on, who in the world dares to despise the heavenly might of our Da Qian and the divine martial prowess of our Qian ethnicity?"
Countless talented men and women were moved to write poems for Liang Xiao, expressing their admiration.
Yue Wenxin, who was handling affairs at the Liang residence in Yuzhang, no longer dared to go out, as upon leaving, she would be met with envious and jealous gazes and shrieks from the talented women of Yuzhang.
The news quickly spread throughout the country, and the entire nation rejoiced.
Da Liang, bordering Jiangnan, also received the news.
"Da Qian's An Guo Hou accepted the surrender of two hundred thousand Jiaozhou soldiers without firing a single shot?"
The military and civilian populace of Da Liang were all aghast and speechless.
"What kind of miracle is this..." In the imperial court, Cheng Qing's voice trembled, and he could only give a wry smile.
The civil and military officials were shocked, while Qin Feng and Zhi Rou remained silent.
They could imagine that with such a state of affairs, Liang Xiao's prestige after reclaiming Jiaozhou would rise to an unprecedented height, and the national strength of Da Qian would skyrocket with the return of Jiaozhou.
Jiaozhou possessed extremely rich resources, especially timber!
If the Da Qian cavalry could also timely cut off the Peacock Dynasty's supply lines to Jiaozhou, preserving the farmlands and pastures in that area, it would be unimaginable!
"Your Majesty, we absolutely cannot surrender to Da Qian..." More than half of the officials weakly advised.
But at this moment, they had no confidence.
Their response was still Zhi Rou's silence.
Panyu, the current seat of Jiaozhou's administration.
Xiao Feng, the eldest son of the Prince of Nan, was stationed here, assisted by Dugu Xiao, Ouyang Sheng, Ouyang Ping, and others. They lived a life of debauchery daily.
In contrast, the people of Jiaozhou closed their doors during the day. Families with daughters would hide them in cellars, delivering food daily, not daring to let them be seen.
Xiao Feng had previously captured a group of civilian women and sent them to "serve" the "officials" of the Peacock Dynasty, which had already caused terror throughout the city.
Now, only two thousand Tianri ethnic cavalry remained in Jiaozhou, and they were still engaged in looting and plundering.
Xiao Feng merely tolerated this, turning a blind eye, and those who went to report suffering to the authorities were beaten back by Xiao Feng's men.
"Why has there been no news from the front line?"
It was not until one day, when Xiao Feng woke up from his drunken stupor and felt bored, that he remembered something and asked those around him.
"Your Highness... no, Your Majesty, he will surely overcome misfortune. His Highness the Crown Prince need not worry." The butler flattered him.
Xiao Feng laughed, "Overcome misfortune! What misfortune... when Da Qian's grain and fodder run out, that will be the beginning of the collapse of their national strength. Do you know how many years my family and the Peacock Dynasty have worked to achieve today's savings? Da Qian cannot afford to be worn down!"
The servants echoed his words, and the butler quickly slapped himself and confessed his guilt.
Just then, an urgent report came from outside.
"Your Highness, the Prince has sent an official document!"