"Old man, should I address you as General Tian, or Marquis Anguo..."
Cheng Qing's voice trembled, a rare occurrence, as he gazed at the figure like a mountain on the main seat.
He had heard the unbelievable news on his journey, so much so that his chopsticks had fallen from his grasp.
"Still Marquis Anguo as when we first met, Master Cheng is a kind soul, no need to be nervous," Liang Xiao replied.
Cheng Qing nodded repeatedly, then rose from his seat to kneel and pay homage.
"Our young emperor has torn up the treaty and invaded Great Gan, committing a grave error. Now that the Empress has ascended the throne and reformed the court, the Kingdom of Liang is willing to repent, pay reparations, mend our ties, and ransom our captives! We hope Marquis Anguo can convey our kingdom's sincerity to the Holy Emperor of Great Gan."
Liang Xiao shook his head, "Back then, I was an envoy to Liang, and signed a covenant with Emperor Wu of Liang. Our two nations were friendly, even called brothers. Alas, in the end, you betrayed Great Gan! Mu Xuan, as the ruler of a nation and the king you elected, invaded Jiangnan and caused the loss of over a thousand soldiers. The relationship between our two countries is destined to be irrecoverable."
Cheng Qing was filled with shame but had no power to refute.
Gongsun Ye said solemnly, "Our two nations share the same lineage. If your Empress of Liang is willing to surrender, she will surely be treated kindly by my Emperor, and henceforth, the people of both lands will belong to the Gan Clan, living in peace and prosperity. Is that not good?"
Cheng Qing could only offer a wry smile, "How can the legacy of our ancestors be given away so easily? We who eat the emperor's salt are loyal to the emperor, how can we become ministers of a fallen kingdom, and how can we allow our emperor to become a king of a fallen kingdom..."
Liang Xiao sighed for a moment, his tone heavy.
"Great Gan must unify Great Liang. This is the bottom line. Great Gan must eradicate the possibility of a second betrayal, and your country's credibility has been utterly destroyed. Even if you were to wage war again, Great Gan would have more than enough resources to fight on multiple fronts."
"Our kingdom will never wage war again!" Cheng Qing pleaded.
Gongsun Ye shook his head, "Even if you can guarantee it for now, you cannot guarantee it for future generations! If the Kingdom of Liang finds another opportunity in the future, who can guarantee you won't invade again? With the unification of our two lands, the people and soldiers of Great Gan can rest assured, and will not have to endure such tragic fratricidal strife every few years. My Emperor will treat the people of Great Liang with the same kindness as the people of Great Gan, without distinction of status!"
Cheng Qing lowered his head in silence.
He was usually eloquent, but now he lacked any confidence.
Great Gan was so powerful, so magnanimous, yet it had suffered betrayal from its ally. Why should it forgive such aggression?
After a long pause, Cheng Qing asked, "Does the Holy Emperor of Great Gan also believe this?"
Seeing Liang Xiao and Gongsun Ye nod in unison, Cheng Qing felt despair.
Ultimately, there was no room for negotiation.
He could see clearly that, under normal circumstances, even if Great Gan refused reconciliation, they could have feigned compliance, buying time for the soldiers of Jiangnan, and settled accounts with the Kingdom of Liang after recovering Jiaozhou.
But now, Liang Xiao spoke frankly. Given Liang Xiao's steady nature, it indicated that Great Gan had no fear of a second invasion from the Kingdom of Liang.
This was the most despairing aspect. According to his and Qin Feng's discussions, even if Great Gan was merely stalling, a verbal assurance would have been sufficient, at least giving the soldiers and people of Liang an explanation, and dealing with the future later.
He knew even better that Liang Xiao's words undoubtedly reflected Xiao Qing's thoughts, and perhaps even that Liang Xiao was instructed by Xiao Qing to reply this way.
Anyone in Xiao Qing's current position would not let such a golden opportunity for legitimate unification of Great Liang slip away.
A grand enterprise was about to commence; how could he tolerate others sleeping soundly beside his bed!
There was no longer any need to travel to the capital of Great Gan; it would only lead to humiliation. It was better to return and discuss with Qin Feng as soon as possible.
Cheng Qing had no heart to accept Liang Xiao's hospitality and simply bowed, bidding farewell, and hurried back to Liang.
Before they parted, Liang Xiao could not help but ask Cheng Qing, "Is Marquis Zhenguo still well?"
Cheng Qing was startled, a mix of emotions surging within him, "He is enduring hardship, but he is healthy. However, his head full of white hair is heartbreaking."
Liang Xiao merely urged Cheng Qing to convey his regards to Qin Feng for his well-being, and said no more.
Back in the carriage, Cheng Qing felt a lump in his throat, his eyes welling up.
He was the only one who still addressed Qin Feng as Marquis Zhenguo.
He still respected Qin Feng, and did not question or scorn him, which was enough!
The soldiers and civilians of Great Gan's western territories also received the news and learned the truth about General Tian.
In the western regions, everyone was inspired, singing praises of General Tian, Marquis Anguo, and the Gan Clan. The unity of the military and the populace was stronger than ever!
"Magnificent, the Gan Clan!! We are all fortunate to witness contemporary history, and we have no regrets in this life!"
In the military tent, Lü Yi rarely laughed heartily, and all the generals were fervent and extremely invigorated.
Especially the soldiers who had once followed Liang Xiao deep into the desert, their pride was evident.
The King of Guizi had already returned to the Western Regions. The people of the Western Regions who had surrendered to Great Gan were both shocked and delighted upon hearing the news.
The General Tian who had saved Princess Kristy of the Western Regions was, in fact, already married to Kristy!
"Lord Gati has foresight!"
The people of the Western Regions were all grateful to the former King of Guizi, Gati, and many went to his residence to offer thanks and congratulations.
Gati was at home, smiling foolishly in bewilderment.
Liang Xiao acknowledged him as his father-in-law. Although he was too embarrassed to formally claim kinship, Liang Xiao's businesses in the western territories still looked after his family.
Because he had entrusted Kristy to deliver a treasure map of an ancient Xiongnu king to Great Gan, Xiao Qing had privately rewarded him with 400,000 taels of gold, mostly in the form of bank notes that could be exchanged for real gold at any time.
Bank notes worth over four million taels of silver were enough to ensure he and the people of the Western Regions lived in abundance.
However, they now faced a new challenge.
Gati, on behalf of the people of the Western Regions and with his own questions, went to the military camp to request an audience with Lü Yi.
"Great General, are we, the people of the Western Regions, considered subjects of the Gan Clan..."
In response to Gati's question, Lü Yi replied without hesitation, "We must be! The Gan Clan is a broad ethnic concept. As long as one recognizes their identity as subjects of Great Gan and embraces the culture of Great Gan, they are subjects of the Gan Clan. Even people from the Western Regions and Southern regions are treated equally, without distinction of high or low status!"
Upon receiving an affirmative reply, the people of the Western Regions celebrated in their settlements with song and dance, rejoicing that they too had joined the Gan Clan.
The people of Southern regions were closer to Jiangnan. After receiving the pigeon post, Yizhou informed Southern regions.
Upon learning that they were also accepted as members of the Gan Clan by Great Gan, the people of Southern regions finally let go of all their anxieties, beat gongs and drums to celebrate this matter, and at the same time, county towns across the region urgently began constructing temples to Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing.
Meng Wuxin and his party, who were on their way to the capital, also received the news and were utterly shocked.
"Fortunately, the elders maintained their reason, otherwise we would have nearly been led into an abyss of eternal damnation by the Rejuvenation Sect!" Meng Wuxin patted her chest, still feeling the lingering fear. Then her face blushed, and she murmured, "Bai Ling, our man has also followed General Tian to create a prosperous era and achieve great deeds."
Meng Bailing blushed and nodded shyly.
Before they could reach the capital, the capital had already received an urgent report and sent Xiao Qing's imperial decree midway, specifically bestowing a marriage.
In addition to the imperial decree, there was a letter from Nan Jiyun's wife, written in a gentle tone, demonstrating her virtuous nature.
It turned out that Nan Jiyun had a pair of children. He had been busy with military affairs for a long time, and his wife had been concerned about him taking concubines.
Their children were not yet adults and could not guarantee the continuation of the family line.
With the support of his principal wife, they both felt greatly relieved.
In their joy, Meng Wuxin looked at Tong Zhen beside her. At this moment, she truly understood that Tong Zhen was saving her, and even saving the entire Southern regions.
"Thank you, Father!"
Tong Zhen, who was also shocked by the truth about General Tian, snapped back to reality upon hearing such a natural address and felt a sense of gratification as if he could die without regret.
The military and civilians throughout Great Gan were invigorated, and the hearts of the people were united as never before. In contrast, the morale of the allied forces in Jiaozhou declined day by day.
For most of the soldiers in Jiaozhou, every extra day spent there was an ordeal...