Attila surveyed his surroundings and smiled, "Bleda, are you preparing to usurp my position?"
"I will never allow the Hunnic Empire to be destroyed by your hand. The glory the Hunnic Empire enjoys today is not solely due to you and me, but also countless subjects. Neither you nor I have the right to bring about our own demise!"
Attila stared at Bleda and asked, "And if I insist?"
"I will pull you from your throne!" Bleda gritted his teeth.
"And then what? What will you do to me? Kill me?"
Seeing Attila’s relaxed demeanor, Bleda replied, "No, I will keep you under house arrest until you admit your wrongdoing. You can continue to be king, but from this day forward, military power must be in my hands!"
Attila was stunned at first, then burst into laughter.
"Bleda, you seem to have forgotten who holds the true authority of the Hunnic Empire."
As soon as the words fell, the surrounding Hunnic soldiers stepped forward and apprehended a shocked Bleda.
"How is this possible… You!!" Bleda’s eyes were bloodshot.
Attila’s face darkened. "Do you know why I always sent you to contact the Heavenly Sun King, Saladin, and Liang Jing?"
Bleda snarled, "How did you take this opportunity to bribe my personal guards!"
"Don't forget, it was I who led our people to retreat into the depths of the desert, saving the Huns from near extinction. But the true key was that while you were on your missions, their families were held by me," Attila said in a low voice.
Bleda trembled with rage, his face full of unwillingness.
"Bleda, no one, nothing, will escape my control. This includes the Heavenly Sun King and you," Attila said coldly.
"The victor is king, the loser is the vanquished. I have nothing more to say." Bleda sighed several times and offered his neck for the execution.
The next day, Attila summoned his ministers and announced,
"Bleda attempted to betray the Hunnic Empire. He and his wife and children have been hanged by my command! From this day forward, no one shall question my authority, including my own wife and children! Dispatch envoys immediately and tell the Heavenly Sun King that, no matter what, they must make our Hunnic Empire feel our absolute sincerity."
The ministers were all horrified, but faced with Attila's strategic brilliance, they still chose to obey.
Three days later, Liang Jing, who was in the mountains training her troops, received an uninvited guest.
"Bleda, why are you here? Did Attila send you to break ties with us, like you did with Saladin?" Liang Jing said coldly.
Standing before her was Bleda, Attila's brother, with thirty elderly men, women, and children, and ten personal guards behind him!
"Yes, he sent me to tell you that from now on, the Hunnic Empire will cooperate with the Heavenly Sun tribe and ask your Liang Family Army to withdraw from this area and seek refuge elsewhere, to avoid conflict between the two sides." Bleda, with a sincere expression, recounted his ordeal to Liang Jing.
"Why did he not kill you?" Liang Jing asked disbelievingly.
"He said I saved myself… But from now on, there can be no one called Bleda in the Hunnic Empire. He ordered me to take my wife and children and seek refuge with you, to become civilians under your rule, to stay far from all conflicts, and never to betray the Hunnic Empire again…" Bleda said with a bitter smile.
Liang Jing quietly observed Bleda and the people behind him.
A Liang Family general reminded her, "We should first verify the authenticity of the intelligence. Also, we must send people to guard these individuals, ensuring they do not collude with Attila."
Liang Jing understood and immediately dispatched people to investigate.
A day later, intelligence from the Liang Family Army within the Hunnic Empire also arrived, confirming the failure of Bleda's coup.
"Attila has, after all, betrayed us and is choosing to ally with man-eating demons…" The Liang Family Army was utterly disappointed.
Liang Jing sighed, "The Hunnic Empire is not what it once was. If they ally with Britain and the Heavenly Sun tribe, we will surely perish if we remain trapped here. We must lead the mountain people to retreat to the Ayyubid Dynasty as soon as possible!"
Ten days later, the borders of the Ayyubid Dynasty also welcomed three thousand soldiers from the Liang Family Army, which alarmed Saladin. Saladin personally went to meet them.
After hearing Liang Jing recount the situation, Saladin’s brow furrowed. After a long while, he sighed, "I must admit, the Ayyubid Dynasty is indeed no match for the alliance of these three powers."
"The Liang Family Army requests to fight alongside you!" Liang Jing said solemnly.
Saladin waved his hand, "No!"
Hearing this, Liang Jing and the others looked disappointed. "We have disturbed you…"
"No, you misunderstand me, Ms. Liang Jing. Please grant me one day." Saladin requested.
Considering Saladin's mortal enmity with the Heavenly Sun tribe, Liang Jing ultimately decided to stay for one day.
The next day, a thousand infants in swaddling clothes were brought before the Liang Family Army.
"What is this?" Liang Jing asked, confused.
Saladin explained, "I will provide you with the best ships of the Ayyubid Dynasty, and you will take these one thousand Ayyubid Dynasty infants with you to Da Gan. I have a premonition that the Ayyubid Dynasty, and indeed all of Africa, will face an unprecedented catastrophe."
Liang Jing sighed, "Can't their parents accompany them?"
Saladin shook his head.
"I am unwavering in my devotion to the world of truth, but I am also acutely aware of the current situation. That great Marquis of Anguo will never allow the existence of theocracy. Therefore, let these thousand ignorant children be your adopted sons, and join Da Gan with them. Whether they become citizens of Da Gan or not, never tell them of their origins. From this day forward, they no longer belong to us, but only to that land."
Seeing Liang Jing's ashamed expression, Saladin said sternly, "Consider this an equivalent exchange between your Liang Family Army and the Ayyubid Dynasty. When they grow up, perhaps our civilization will have been destroyed, and they will be proud to be citizens of Da Gan. Because…"
As he spoke, Attila looked eastward, unable to conceal his reverence. "The people of that land have always been well protected by the bravest among them."
The Liang Family Army finally accepted Saladin's entrustment, taking one thousand infants from the Ayyubid Dynasty, along with Bleda and his entourage, aboard new warships of the Ayyubid Dynasty. They departed from the southeastern waters, circumvented the Peacock Dynasty's sphere of influence, and headed straight for the East Sea of Da Gan.
In the capital of Da Gan, Liang Xiao was at the Ministry of Works, watching Zhang Yang demonstrate an improved steam engine. He praised it highly, and finally embraced him heartily.
"Zhang Yang, you are truly a genius!!"
Zhang Yang repeatedly shook his head. "The real genius is you. I am merely researching based on the blueprints you provided, and even the 'scientific theories' I learned were taught by you!"
Liang Xiao dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Have confidence! The future inventions of Da Gan depend on you. Our Da Gan should also have an inventor king!"
"Also? Could it be… your dream world has one?" Zhang Yang asked curiously.
Liang Xiao chuckled and nodded.
He was certain that with Zhang Yang's abilities, in modern times, he would be a great scientist or inventor!
Prototype of a locomotive, improved steam engine, machine tools…