With the comfort of the Zhuo family, led by the elder Mrs. Zhuo, Liang Xiao slowly emerged from the grief of losing Zhuo Zifang, waiting in the capital for the return and rewards of Qin Feng and his soldiers.
Upon receiving the news, King Tianri clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and declared, "Since the Great Zhou Dynasty, we have not suffered such a devastating defeat in centuries. Immediately notify Attila and convey our sincerity!"
Caesar, the Tianri Marshal, standing below, gave a wry smile and said, "Your Majesty, Attila is not someone we can control at will."
"You underestimate his hatred for Liang Xiao. Just go," King Tianri said, and immediately began drafting a letter, paying no further attention to those below.
In the southwest of Europa, at the border city between the Ayyubid Dynasty and the Xiongnu Empire, Saladin and Attila held a secret meeting to discuss an alliance.
"Sign this contract, and from this day forward, we shall be true allies in a secret partnership, jointly opposing King Tianri and King Lionheart."
"It is our honor to form an alliance with Saladin."
Attila signed with a smile, when suddenly a hurried guard rushed in, whispered something in his ear, and handed him an intelligence report.
Under Saladin's perplexed gaze, Attila's brow furrowed as he opened the report. The more he read, the more shocked he became, his hand holding the report trembling violently.
"The Heavenly General of the Great Gan Kingdom is indeed the true person of Liang Xiao, the Marquis of Anguo..."
"What?!" Saladin shot up, his constricted pupils betraying his inner shock.
"The Great Gan Kingdom has already annihilated over two hundred thousand Tianri troops on their southern front, and has absorbed all the farmlands and pastures from the Peacock Dynasty to Jiaozhou. They then turned southeast, and by now, they must have recovered Daliang."
"What a miracle..." Saladin stroked his beard, murmuring to himself. "This is good. The Great Gan Kingdom will surely tie down the main force of the Tianri people for us, and we can take this opportunity to occupy all of Europa and West Asia!"
Attila shook his head. "The Great Gan Kingdom is so powerful, they will surely be our ultimate enemy in the future. How can we be happy about this?"
"My subordinates have reported that the Emperor of the Great Gan Kingdom and that Marquis of Anguo are quite reasonable. According to the traditions of the Great Gan, even if they come to the West, they would at least not annihilate entire populations like the Tianri people, would they?" Attila immediately voiced his opinion, his words filled with admiration.
"Your understanding of the Great Gan Kingdom is only superficial," Attila sighed. "The lands of Great Gan stretch for tens of thousands of miles east, west, north, and south. They can fight on multiple fronts, deploying over a hundred thousand troops in the west and northeast, and over four hundred thousand in the south. You should understand the immense pressure this places on logistics."
Saladin fell into thought.
"The fact that Liang Xiao could pacify the four directions so swiftly indicates that they possess logistical support capabilities that the Tianri people can only dream of, with transportation capabilities that put the whole world to shame."
"With the current capabilities of the Great Gan Kingdom, I am certain that with Liang Xiao's character, he will find a way to ensure the annihilation of the Tianri people, and thus they will continue to improve their transportation. If we allow them to grow stronger like this, one day they will be able to transport troops and supplies to the front lines at a speed unimaginable to you and me. After defeating the Tianri people, their forces will point southwest, and by then, you and I will only be able to bow and scrape before Liang Xiao."
"However, the Tianri people are our sworn enemy at present," Saladin said solemnly.
"The Tianri people no longer have the ability to attack the Great Gan, but I must ensure they have this ability, otherwise, they will inevitably come to Europa to harass and plunder again," Attila slowly stood up, sneering, "If nothing unexpected happens, the envoy of King Tianri is already on his way to visit me. I cannot stand idly by."
Saladin's brows knitted tightly, looking at Attila with a complex expression, gritting his teeth as he pushed the just-signed contract towards him.
"My apologies, Saladin, our alliance ends here. I will compensate your Ayyubid Dynasty with ten thousand gold coins."
"We formed an alliance today and broke it today! Are you toying with our great Saladin!" The warriors behind Saladin were furious.
Attila smiled. "I was very satisfied and at ease cooperating with Saladin, but I am truly sorry, I absolutely cannot allow the Great Gan Kingdom to become so powerful that it can advance westward. Furthermore, I can promise that our two sides will remain separate."
"Why do you do this? What good comes from opposing the Great Gan? Are you not worried about burning yourself?" Saladin sighed.
Attila looked back at the endless East and said with a smile, "Defeating Liang Xiao is the driving force behind my will to live. Saladin, you cannot understand my hatred, just as I cannot understand your tolerance."
Saladin took out his copy of the contract and placed it on the table.
"Go, I await the day you change your mind. The Tianri people are not something you can control. Be careful not to play with fire and get burned. Also, do not covet the lands of the Ayyubid Dynasty. This is my final piece of advice to you."
After the contract was dissolved, Attila returned to his main city.
Marshal Caesar of Tianri, as expected, had been waiting there for a long time.
"I presume you are already aware of the matters concerning the Great Gan Kingdom and Liang Xiao. Our King hopes that the Tianri people and the Xiongnu Empire will join hands to resist the Great Gan. After all, you have a deep-seated enmity with the Great Gan. To use the words of the Great Gan people, we are now like lips and teeth, dependent on each other."
"As long as your Xiongnu Empire and we join forces to advance eastward and resist the Great Gan, we can present you with ten thousand catties of gold, with one thousand catties delivered as a deposit, and we will be responsible for providing the supplies needed by your Xiongnu cavalry!"
After Caesar's eloquent persuasion, Attila finally found an excuse to ask, "From the Kushan Dynasty, how long would it take to establish a supply line capable of accommodating one hundred thousand Xiongnu cavalry and one hundred thousand Xiongnu infantry?"
Caesar replied without hesitation, "At the earliest, one year!"
Attila nodded. "Go and bring the deposit. I accept King Tianri's proposal."
After Caesar left with surprise, Bleda, who had been silent, finally reminded him, "Attila, the empire we have today was hard-won. Facing the might of the Great Gan directly like this might lead us down the same path as the barbarian cavalry of the past..."
"We have a deep-seated enmity with the Great Gan," Attila said in a deep voice.
"But that was clearly the fault of Zuo Xianwang and his kind, breaking the treaty and heading south..."
"Enough!" Attila roared. "Liang Xiao broke the backbone of the Xiongnu of the Great Desert, restoring confidence to the Great Gan army. To this day, his name is still a nightmare for countless tribesmen. He destroyed the confidence of three generations of our people! I have endured for so long, it is time for me to compete with him!"
"Attila, you are not as calm as you used to be!" Bleda said with great anxiety.
"I am very clear-headed, even regretting that I studied the history of the Great Gan and attempted to form alliances. If we cannot defeat Liang Xiao, the Xiongnu Empire will quickly crumble when faced with the might of the Great Gan Kingdom. It is better to take a gamble! Do you still not understand why I have worked tirelessly to build the Xiongnu Empire for so many years?"
Bleda remained unconvinced, trying his best to persuade him.
"My mind is made up, you need not try to dissuade me further!" Attila said sternly.
Cold sweat broke out on Bleda's forehead, and he sighed, "Let me ask you one last question, Attila. Are you truly determined to be an enemy of the Great Gan?"
"Indeed."
As soon as Attila finished speaking, Bleda clapped his hands on the spot.
Hundreds of heavily armed Xiongnu soldiers quickly rushed into the tent, surrounding the two men.