The crowd could not help but marvel, "The Marquis of An Guo is truly inscrutable, to say the least!"
"The urgent dispatch just now also stated that the enemy ships touched by our Great Gan's Heavenly Fire met a more tragic fate than recorded in history," praised Mu Lingming.
Zhuo Wulue said sternly, "The Izumo Kingdom is cruel and wicked. Burned to ashes by Great Gan's Heavenly Fire, they have received their just deserts!"
Xiao Qing also quickly added, "I named it the Liang Xiao Oilfield, is it worthy of its name?"
The crowd praised him in unison.
However, the ministers and ruler of Great Gan at this time did not know that such a lavish use of millions of catties of petroleum was a complete waste of heaven's bounty. Liang Xiao had only "painfully" proposed the creation of Great Gan's Heavenly Fire to minimize casualties among the Great Gan soldiers.
As the ruler and ministers were discussing, another shadow guard rushed in with an urgent report on the situation in Great Liang.
"What? Qin Feng deposed the emperor, murdered him, and installed his wife as the Empress of Great Liang, making himself the Emperor of Great Liang?" the officials exchanged bewildered glances.
Was this truly the work of the Marquis of Zhenguo of Great Liang?
Zhuo Wulue recovered his senses and stepped forward to report, "Your Majesty! Our country can legitimately declare war, punish the wicked, and launch an attack against Great Liang for their invasion and Qin Feng's regicide. The unification of the two countries is just around the corner!"
Xiao Qing also recovered and asked doubtfully, "Your esteemed ministers all met the Marquis of Zhenguo of Great Liang back then. This person was benevolent and kind-hearted. Do you believe he is a treacherous minister capable of deposing and murdering the emperor?"
The officials were stunned and whispered amongst themselves, lamenting, "This is truly unlike something he would do!"
Gu Hong sighed, "Your Majesty, life is unpredictable, and people can indeed change their allegiances. Regardless of the truth, once our country repels the border invaders, our forces can march directly on Great Liang. We can send an envoy to persuade them to surrender, perhaps without bloodshed, and annex Great Liang!"
Xiao Qing nodded gravely, his eyes burning with anticipation, "I too long for the day of unification between our two countries..."
In the end, Qin Feng was definitively branded as a regicide. The scandal of the Mu family imperial line of Great Liang was not recorded in history. Apart from Qin Feng, Zhi Rou, and Ye Chengxiu, no fourth person in the world understood the full truth. Even those old palace maids who provided intelligence only knew that Mu Xuan might not be Mu Cheng's biological son.
Emperor Wu of Great Liang, Mu Cheng, preserved his posthumous reputation and remained a sage ruler in the hearts of the Great Liang army and people, surpassing even the founding ancestor of Great Liang.
Even Mu Xuan's incompetence was not blamed on Mu Cheng by the populace. After all, everyone knew that the six princes had been poisoned to death. They all believed, "If the other princes were still alive, it wouldn't have been the Third Prince's turn to ascend the throne. Perhaps the new ruler would have been a wise one."
In the streets and alleys of Great Liang, discussions revolved around Qin Feng and the Empress.
However, as the Empress of Great Liang restored the systems of Mu Cheng's era, allowing the people to recuperate, the populace unanimously supported Qin Feng and Zhi Rou's rule.
With the people's support, Zhi Rou was barely able to secure her throne. Even if the officials harbored resentment, faced with Zhi Rou, the sole surviving imperial descendant of Great Liang, they could only swallow their pride.
Qin Feng, in his capacity as Emperor of Great Liang, concurrently served as Regent. He diligently managed state affairs daily and sent imperial decrees to the front lines, ordering a retreat.
South of Wuron Prefecture, the Great Liang army camp had descended into chaos.
An increasing number of generals received news that their families had been rescued by Qin Feng and sent to the capital for safekeeping.
But everyone knew that Qin Feng might also be holding their families hostage in another form. However, as long as they retreated, everyone would be happy.
These generals, who had once supported aristocratic families, finally had the courage to discuss a retreat.
As the Grand Marshal, Su Wencheng, who had lost Mu Xuan's support, felt uneasy daily.
The members of the aristocratic families had been purged by Qin Feng, and these generals had long since lost faith in him, making it impossible for them to return to the country to fight Qin Feng and Zhi Rou.
His only option now was to abandon the army as soon as possible and flee alone to avoid a mutiny.
But he was unwilling!
The Spring Revival Cult in the Southern Barbarian territories had been pacified by Nan Jiyun. The Jiaozhou Allied Forces had also been annihilated by Liang Xiao, with over one hundred thousand casualties. Jian Bei, the cult leader, and Master Longyue had been beheaded by Liang Xiao, and the former leader, Elara, had met a violent end.
The strategy to cripple Great Gan was about to turn into a bubble, and the Spring Revival Cult would completely lose its influence!
"Has the restoration of Great Zhou become a fleeting cloud?"
In his military tent, Su Wencheng gazed at the maps of the two countries, his unwillingness evident.
Just then, shouts of killing erupted from outside.
"Grand Marshal! Disaster! The army is mutinying!"
As disciples of the Spring Revival Cult rushed to report, Great Liang generals led their troops into the central camp, purged Su Wencheng's personal guards, and captured Su Wencheng.
Bound tightly, Su Wencheng looked at the generals with bloodshot eyes and despaired, sighing incessantly.
The Great Liang army elected a new interim commander and swiftly retreated back to their country, thus lifting the siege of Wuron Prefecture. The entire region's army and people rejoiced.
A great victory!
Liang Xiao, currently in Yuzhang, also welcomed new support.
As the Western Front held firm, Heraclius, dispatched by Lu Yi, marched from the Western Front to Yuzhang to accept Liang Xiao's command.
Liang Xiao personally went out of the city to welcome him.
Heraclius and his personal guards arrived outside the city. Upon hearing that the Marquis of An Guo had come out, everyone was excited.
A moment later, the north gate opened. Heraclius, seeing Liang Xiao from afar, was struck as if by lightning: "How is this possible?"
Liang Xiao, seeing Heraclius's expression from afar, approached with a smile.
"You are the cousin of my wife, Christa, so we are somewhat related."
Heraclius merely stared fixedly at Liang Xiao, his mouth opening and closing as if choked, unable to utter a word.
Yue Qingtian grew wary and quickly stood in front of Liang Xiao: "Our Marquis is speaking to you."
Heraclius regained his senses, knelt before Liang Xiao, and kowtowed repeatedly.
Just as Liang Xiao was about to help Heraclius up, Yue Qingtian had already stepped forward, giving Liang Xiao a look, clearly concerned that Heraclius, who had come to pledge allegiance from the west, might be a threat to Liang Xiao.
Heraclius exclaimed, "You, you must be the reincarnation of Great Zhou's Martial Saint!!"
Everyone present was stunned: "On what grounds do you say that?"
Heraclius then realized his lapse in demeanor, looked at Liang Xiao with a troubled expression.
Liang Xiao understood and smiled, "Let's talk about it back at the residence."
"Ms. Liang Jing, the leader of the Liang Family Army, once showed me a portrait of her ancestor, the Martial Saint of Great Zhou. He looks exactly like the Marquis of An Guo, and his name is also Liang Xiao. It's simply incredible..."
During the feast, as they listened to Heraclius's explanation, everyone was also amazed.
"It must be!" Gongsun Ye stroked his beard and laughed, toasting Heraclius.
"Indeed! The Marquis of An Guo is the reincarnation of Great Zhou's Martial Saint!" Those who knew Liang Xiao's identity as General Tian also chimed in.
With the historical records of Great Zhou preserved by the Ye family revealed, the Martial Saint of Great Zhou also became a legendary national hero who defeated the Tianri tribe.
Liang Xiao could not help but chuckle, not explaining the misunderstanding.
He was already certain that he was a descendant of Great Zhou's Martial Saint, and it was natural for him to resemble his ancestor...
After all, if he resembled the Martial Saint of Great Zhou, it meant his father, Liang Anguo, also resembled him!
As for the matter of him being a descendant of Great Zhou royalty, it was still unnecessary to spread it, lest those with ulterior motives make a fuss about it again.
But this was a huge matter. Heraclius's words quickly spread through the streets and alleys of Yuzhang, causing a great stir.
"The Marquis of An Guo is truly a saint bestowed upon us by Heaven, the reincarnation of Great Zhou's Martial Saint, the legendary nemesis of the Tianri tribe!"
The people of Yuzhang, both military and civilian, firmly believed the reincarnation theory. The morale of the army surged, and the Marquis of An Guo of Great Gan was further deified.