At this moment, all eyes were on them!
The older generation of citizens were already in tears, the young men and women were either joyful or excited, and the bewildered children were cheering.
The people looked at Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing on the high platform, their faces filled with fervor and reverence, and countless people raised their arms to cheer their honorary titles.
"I heard that His Majesty and the Marquis of An Guo are like brothers, and they even swore an oath! You two are the greatest, the best pair of brothers in all ages!"
Countless cheers erupted from the crowd, and more and more people echoed the sentiment.
The best brothers in all ages!
Xiao Qing looked at the excited soldiers and citizens, pursed her lips and smiled, and secretly tugged at Liang Xiao's hand.
Liang Xiao understood and said loudly, "Please welcome representatives of old soldiers, wounded soldiers, and relatives of fallen soldiers!"
As soon as the words fell, more than half of the crowd was stunned.
During the unification celebration, they invited these people first??
Many scholars, after a moment of thought, seemed to understand and couldn't help but applaud with tears.
Under everyone's gaze, thousands of retired soldiers, battlefield casualties, and families of fallen soldiers walked towards the southeast, closest to the high platform.
Behind them, some members of the White Robe Army, the Great Qian Iron Guards, the Heaven-Supporting Guards, and the Great Qian Cavalry were dragging some wooden tablets for them.
The crowd looked closely, and these wooden tablets clearly recorded the place of origin of the fallen soldiers, the deceased soldiers, and the deceased laborers.
There must have been hundreds of thousands of memorial tablets!
The civil officials, led by Wang Canghai, and the military officials, led by Gongsun Ye, could not help but applaud them.
This was a special ceremony held for the first time in history.
"The prosperity that our Great Qian enjoys today is inseparable from the efforts of millions of soldiers and logistical personnel!"
"No matter how peaceful the country becomes in the future, I hope that the citizens of the Qian race will not forget their sacrifices!"
"Since the disastrous defeat at Helan Mountain that year, our country has recorded a total of five hundred and thirteen thousand eight hundred and one casualties, including injuries and illnesses, and one hundred and seventy-three thousand two hundred deaths!"
"I hereby order the Ministry of Revenue to do its utmost to record the information of all soldiers during their lifetime. From now on, these soldiers will be enshrined in the Divine Might Prefecture! The divine might of Great Qian is forged by the blood and sacrifice of tens of thousands of soldiers! From this day forward, for all generations to come, I hope the people will understand one principle."
"Nation, nation! Where does the home come from without the nation? Without the nation, how can we protect our homes? Soldiers should protect their homes and the country, and shield the people, and not disturb them! The citizens of the Qian race should also forever respect every soldier who enlists for the country! Only then can the Qian race be united as one, with one heart and one mind!"
The orderlies had already memorized these words of Xiao Qing in advance and relayed Xiao Qing's words in all directions.
The soldiers and their families present were all deeply grateful and knelt to thank them.
"Your Majesty's grace is immense, we will never forget!"
"Your subordinates remember Marquis An Guo's teachings, we will freeze to death without tearing down houses, and starve to death without plundering!!"
Qin Feng, Heraclius, and others who had surrendered to Great Qian could not help but applaud in amazement.
"A nation that remembers the sacrifices of its soldiers is qualified to stand at the pinnacle of the world!"
This was the belief in everyone's hearts, firmer than ever before!
Only then did Xiao Qing feel satisfied, and then her delicate body began to tremble.
Feeling the warmth of Liang Xiao in her palm, Xiao Qing finally mustered up her courage and looked into the distance.
"Before the grand ceremony of unification, I still have one matter that I must announce to the world and confess to the citizens of the Qian race, because the overall situation is now settled and the country is at peace, and I can no longer hide it from my subjects!"
"I, Xiao Qing, the Son of Heaven of Great Qian, have always actually been Princess Ningshuang, Xiao Shuang! My imperial brother died young, and the late emperor's will ordered me to inherit the throne and stabilize the situation..."
"What?!"
Not only did some of the civil and military officials present who were unaware of this, but even the orderlies were stunned!
It wasn't until the shadow guards handed each orderly a document to read that they came back to their senses. With trembling hands, they took the documents and, after a moment of difficulty in speaking, nodded solemnly.
"Your Majesty is Princess Ningshuang?!"
After the orderlies relayed Xiao Qing's words unchanged, the soldiers and citizens present were as if struck by lightning, and for a long time, they could not recover.
Princess Ningshuang?
People looked around and then remembered that Princess Ningshuang had not been present all along!
"My imperial brother, Xiao Qing, died of smallpox that year. At that time, the court was in chaos, the country had suffered a great defeat at Helan Mountain, the noble families had gained power, the King of the South was coveting the throne, and the warlords in the southwest were unbridled. Because my imperial brother and I looked alike, the late emperor wanted me to take my imperial brother's name, become the Crown Prince, and then inherit the throne to stabilize the government, so that the country would not fall apart!"
"But from now on, I will still govern the country in my imperial brother's name, to comfort the spirits of the late emperor and my imperial brother in heaven!"
The civil and military officials around were the first to recover and immediately knelt down, shouting in unison, "Your Majesty is wise! Your subjects will swear to be loyal to Your Majesty, whether Your Majesty is a woman or not!"
After the soldiers and citizens present recovered, they swept away their shock and also knelt down to praise.
"We swear to be loyal to Your Majesty, loyal to the Qian race, and never regret it for eternity!!"
Looking at the resolute soldiers and citizens and officials below, Xiao Qing held back her tears, took out all the imperial edicts of Emperor Wen, and had Ding Wuyi and Wang Canghai read them one after another, and then the orderlies brought them to reread.
Everyone listened to the imperial edicts recounted by the orderlies and finally understood the truth of the past. Countless old people and women burst into tears, kowtowed to the ground, and were filled with grief.
"His Majesty, actually, as a woman, bore all of this for our Great Qian..."
Xiao Qing finally let out a long sigh, suppressed her choked sobs, and announced loudly.
"With my mere weak woman, how could I have resisted internal and external troubles back then? Heaven sent Marquis An Guo, Liang Xiao, who, as a heavenly general, turned the tide with all his might, and then, under the name of Marquis An Guo, he saved the people! How could I and the citizens of the Qian race forget the grace of the sages! From now on, I will rule the country together with my husband, Liang Xiao!"
Countless people shouted Liang Xiao's official title and honorary title.
Marquis An Guo!
Heavenly General!
...
But what truly resonated with people was ultimately...
"Long live Your Majesty! Long live Marquis An Guo! Long live Your Majesty and Marquis An Guo together!!"
The earth-shattering cheers from the scene were enough to make countless people abandon their thoughts and join this universally witnessed carnival.
Liang Xiao's wives, who were standing below the platform, successively ascended the stage.
People immediately remembered that Marquis An Guo had seven wives!
"Let alone seven, even if Marquis An Guo marries more wives and concubines, we would have no objections! Being able to marry Marquis An Guo is a blessing for the women of Great Qian! He did not abandon them, nor did he bully men and bully women. The wives of Marquis An Guo are all virtuous and compassionate, and together with Marquis An Guo, they save the world and the people!"
Finally, a soldier in white robes bravely raised his arm and shouted.
Immediately, the scene erupted in a wave of echoing cheers and revelry.
Xiao Qing finally felt relieved, pursed her lips, and looked affectionately at Liang Xiao with her sisters, her beautiful eyes seeming to hold countless unsaid words.
The current Great Qian, with its many women and few men, had not yet abolished polygamy.
Liang Xiao and his wives also felt a mix of emotions as they looked at the soldiers and citizens below.
It was like a lifetime ago!
"The prosperity of today is as the soldiers of Great Qian wished, and also as Marquis An Guo wished! The soul of our Great Qian will live forever and its legacy will be eternal!!"