The internal strife of the Xiongnu had resulted in the regime being controlled by the new Left and Right Virtuous Kings, who were infiltrated by the Tianri tribe.
However, two months of civil war had also caused unprecedented weakness in the Xiongnu Empire, with tens of thousands of soldiers dying in the conflict.
"Your Majesty! We must flee, the Xiongnu Empire can no longer accommodate you!"
The guards escorted Dida, who was holding Attila's ashes with despair, onto a ship. Over a thousand people fled the Xiongnu Empire by sea.
The thirty thousand Tianri cavalry, who had been waiting at the border for a long time, launched a full-scale assault, plundering and burning everywhere in the Xiongnu Empire. Within seven days, including the Left and Right Virtuous Kings, the empire was annihilated, and the entire city was shrouded in sorrow.
Half a month later, Nan Jiyun led his troops to surprise attack Jerusalem, slaughtering the thirty thousand Tianri cavalry who were feasting on human jerky within the city, and performing a blood sacrifice at the gates of Jerusalem.
Qin Feng looked at the ground full of jerky made from human flesh and felt a chill. He sighed, "We're still too late!"
A young supply officer from the Xiongnu Empire followed, saw the scene, and wailed in grief.
After calming himself, the supply officer pointed to a golden eye in the center above the city gate and explained, "That golden eye contains one of Saladin's eyes, preserved internally..."
"What? Why would you treat our Saladin like this!" Captain Abdullah, the guide, was furious.
"It was Saladin's own request. He said he would one day witness with his own eyes the Eastern warriors marching into Jerusalem and annihilating the Tianri tribe!"
After the supply officer's explanation, other accompanying captives also recounted the events.
Everyone sighed with emotion.
Qin Feng immediately ordered people to pay respects to the golden eye, then had it removed and sent back to the capital to be handled by Liang Xiao.
With sufficient supplies, Nan Jiyun and his men could only fight their way to Jerusalem. Lacking supplies there, they had to return home before their provisions ran out.
Qin Feng was still worried and dispatched fifty accompanying Ayyubid cavalry with provisions to scout the situation on the African continent.
In less than half a month, the cavalry returned with news, their faces full of grief.
"We searched the ruins of the country and captured several Xiongnu Empire soldiers. Their testimonies were consistent: the Tianri tribe seemed to have landed on the southern coast of Africa from the sea, intercepting and slaughtering other subjects of the Ayyubid dynasty there! The Xiongnu Empire also left a contingent to guard against this ruthless Tianri tribe!"
"Attila had also sent an army to drive them away before campaigning in the west. Before their tens of thousands retreated, they engaged in a 'three-light' policy... Now Africa is barren, and no living soul can be found, only rotting corpses everywhere! They didn't want the Qian tribe to gain population, nor did they want the Xiongnu Empire to benefit! We also brought the other golden eye from the city gate of Cairo!"
"The subjects of the Ayyubid dynasty on the African continent, if they did not go to sea, have already been exterminated..."
Nan Jiyun and others were shocked and enraged: "Such brutality!"
Qin Feng immediately dissuaded them, looking at the second golden eye in Abdullah's hand. "Our army's reach is limited. We must not act impulsively. We need to return to the country for resupply and then await the Emperor and the Emperor's decision."
Nan Jiyun, after assessing their provisions, sighed and had no choice but to comply.
The western campaign of the Qian tribe was ultimately limited by food supplies, and the supply lines were stretched too far to be adequately resupplied.
The Tianri tribe's sacred land, thousands of miles northwest of the Kushan Dynasty, was perpetually cold and unsuitable for winter campaigns.
The Kushan Dynasty was also incorporated into the Qian territory. The soldiers returned to the capital to receive their rewards and were assigned to guard various regions.
"The Western world seems to be utterly devastated. We cannot underestimate our enemy or rush in, but the Tianri tribe is ultimately a malignant tumor. We will not have peace as long as they are not eliminated! There must be a large number of Tianri tribes still overseas, and they must all be destroyed to prevent future trouble!"
After Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing discussed, they immediately increased military farming in the western regions, allowing the army to produce while advancing, and simultaneously building railways to strengthen transportation and communication between the east and west.
"Your Majesty, Emperor! The blast furnace has been successfully put into operation!!"
News also came from the Ministry of Works, which greatly excited Liang Xiao, and he personally went to inspect.
The widespread production of steam engines and blast furnaces significantly accelerated the Qian tribe's steel production. Railways began to be gradually extended north of the Hengjiang River in Jiaozhou to strengthen support for the southern expeditionary forces in Jiaozhou and Daliang.
To ensure naval combat strength, steamships were also mass-produced, all for future campaigns against Izumo and the Moluccas.
The sanitation system was also put into production.
Leveraging his knowledge of the Industrial Revolution and its future development, Liang Xiao ensured that the state maintained control over key industries to reduce the exploitation of the populace by capital.
Those areas seemed to have become bases for the Tianri tribe, and many places, likely rich in resources, needed to have their roots severed.
Liang Xiao fulfilled his promise to his wife and children, staying in the capital to accompany his family and personally educating his children, while also dealing with the "female demons" who always wanted to tease him. Even the most well-behaved Yue Lian and Christine had learned from their sisters to playfully tease their husband, watching him feign exasperation while not daring to overstep, laughing heartily.
Of course, the "retribution" would come at night...
Liang Xiao's children were also growing up, becoming more sensible.
A month later, Attila's two golden eyes were delivered to the capital.
"Lord Saladin, at least in another form, has witnessed Your Majesty and the Emperor's victory and the Tianri tribe's defeat. He can rest in peace in the afterlife!"
Babaris and others were filled with gratitude.
Unknowingly, their descendants had accepted Qian culture, no longer believing in the world of truth, and had become recognized Qian citizens, proving Saladin's foresight. This place did not allow the union of politics and religion.
A year later, Dida, leading the Xiongnu Empire's fleet, reached the coast. The remaining five hundred Xiongnu subjects and she were sent to the capital.
"I understand your intentions. The Qian tribe can accept you, but from now on, you are Qian citizens, no longer Xiongnu subjects, do you understand?" Xiao Qing said earnestly.
Dida handed the crying infant in her arms to a palace maid and knelt, tears streaming down her face.
"Thank you, Your Majesty and Emperor, for not holding grudges! This child... is the child of this servant and Attila. This servant knows her sins are deep and is willing to accept any punishment, but hopes Your Majesty can find a good home for the child..."
Xiao Qing looked at Liang Xiao, who nodded, and motioned for Dida to rise.
"You, as his birth mother, will raise him. There is no need to conceal anything. Tell him that his father was also a hero, but he was defeated by the times. If he had been born a few hundred years earlier, he would certainly have been a hegemonic ruler who struck fear into the Western world."
Dida stared at Liang Xiao and his wife, disbelief etched on her face.
After a long while, Dida took back her child, sobbing uncontrollably, "This subject vows to Your Majesty and the Emperor that our descendants will be loyal to the Great Qian and will never rebel!"
General Lu Yi formally retired to live out his days in peace.
Nan Jiyun succeeded him as the Great General, and Nie Yuan was promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry.
According to Liang Xiao's plan, all official positions in the Great Qian were rotated every five years. After five years, Lu Changhe would be promoted to Great General, Nan Jiyun would be reassigned to General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Nie Yuan would be promoted to General of the Flying Cavalry, with civil officials similarly rotated...
The retired Prime Minister Wang Canghai passed away at the age of ninety-two. Xiao Qing and Liang Xiao personally oversaw his state funeral and bestowed a large amount of gold, silver, calligraphy, and paintings upon the Wang family, valued at over one hundred thousand taels.
Five years after the pacification of Jerusalem, Jiaozhou was stable, with ample troops and provisions. Zhuo Ying was ordered to campaign south against the Peacock Dynasty.
The Peacock Dynasty was already outwardly strong but inwardly weak. Before retreating, they had massacred the local indigenous population, leaving no one for the Great Qian.
The Great Qian cavalry, transferred to the south, pursued and killed them relentlessly. Under Zhuo Ying's leadership, the ten thousand Tianri troops, including the King of Peacock, were annihilated.
"Our army cannot be indecisive, or it will bring endless trouble and harm future generations... Zhuo Ying gazed at the devastated lands of the Peacock Dynasty and sighed for a long time before leaving troops to garrison the area and returning to report to the court."
The region of the Peacock Dynasty was renamed "India."
Shi Liuyun, who was guarding Daliang, was also ordered to campaign south to clear out barbarians.
The barbarians, already thoroughly infiltrated by the Tianri tribe, could not resist and fled overseas by boat. Shi Liuyun succeeded in occupying a vast area in the south.
This was a new land beyond Liang Xiao's comprehension, named "Xinzhou."
"Brother Xiao, does the Tianri tribe truly have such great potential?"
The prosperity of the Great Qian filled the Qian people with pride. Even Xiao Qing couldn't help but privately ask Liang Xiao.
"It's hard to say, but in any case, we cannot underestimate them. I have never seen such a cunning and ferocious cannibalistic race that could develop and grow strong." As Liang Xiao spoke, he picked up a nearly intact diary from the Kushan Dynasty and frowned.
This was a slave's diary from the Kushan Dynasty, rumored to be written by a descendant of the royal family among the original inhabitants of the Kushan Dynasty.
[Prince Mars was born. King Tianri threatened my family to care for this child and feed him mother's milk.]
[My God, this child was born with teeth and bit me hard. Why does a newborn child have such great strength...]
[Prince Mars always likes to bite others. Even at three years old, he shows no mercy to me, his wet nurse with whom he spends day and night, and bites my arm. What makes it even more chilling is that I overheard their conversation. Prince Mars is a relatively restrained child! Pure-blooded Tianri children are interested in human flesh from birth!]
[Prince Mars is seven years old. My left arm was eaten by him. I still have my family, and I cannot resist, nor can I resist. Perhaps next time, like the legends passed down by his ancestors, he will transform into a cannibalistic demon of the Tianri tribe and devour me without mercy...]
The diary's record was disorganized, and even some of the writing was unclear, yet it filled Liang Xiao, the god of war of this era, with an inexplicable sense of unease.
There were even more horrifying contents within, which he dared not let his Shuan'er read.
Cannibalism, perhaps, was a memory etched into the genes of the Tianri people...
Between the Izumo Kingdom and the Taiji Peninsula, the sea had been turbulent and prone to tsunamis since the year the Qian conquered the Kushan Dynasty. The Qian had been unable to sail out of that sea for years.
Liang Xiao had not abandoned his intention to conquer Izumo, and he also warned the Taiji Peninsula to be wary of potential tsunamis.
The Qian citizens lived and worked in peace, becoming increasingly prosperous, and their gratitude towards Liang Xiao and his wife was immense.
All the ministers believed that at least three generations of Qian citizens, who experienced the transformation of this land, would forever remember the benevolence of Liang Xiao and his wife.
Even though Liang Xiao repeatedly announced in the newspapers that he only needed to be addressed as the Marquis of Anguo, the common people still respectfully called him "Emperor."
More than a decade later, Liang Xiao's children had also grown into adulthood.
"Uncle, go all out, I won't hold back!"
Liang Xiao's second son, Jian Canglang, and Mu Youmin, the son of Mu Cheng and Su Wanqing, sparred in public, their swordplay creating dazzling flashes.
"Be careful, don't get hurt!" Jian Qinwan and Yue Hongxiu reminded them simultaneously.
As the two direct disciples of Jian Nanfeng, their swordsmanship was evenly matched. They had fought over a hundred rounds, yet no victor had emerged.
"Second Brother, I lost. Canglang has immense strength and deliberately held back, while I don't have natural strength..." Mu Youmin said dejectedly.
"The way of the sword is profound; it is not about brute force. Do not be discouraged," Liang Feng, Liang Xiao's eldest brother, comforted him, and his third brother, Liang Yun, immediately echoed his sentiment.
Because Liang Anguo and Mu Cheng were sworn brothers, Mu Youmin was now the younger brother to the three of them.
"Second Brother, I also want to go on the western expedition with Marshal Nan..." Mu Youmin looked at Liang Xiao, his voice sincere.
Liang Xiao pondered for a moment and sighed, "You are over twenty now, and you even have twins, but times have changed. Military affairs are not just about swordsmanship. You need to gain experience in the army for two years and learn from Cang Sheng and the others."
Mu Youmin was overjoyed.
Liang Xiao, out of personal preference, had always forbidden him from joining the western expedition.
The sixth son, Liang Cang Sheng, the seventh son, Zuo Longcheng, and the ninth son, Xiao Qian, had been serving in the western regions for three years.
Liang Cang Sheng married his childhood sweetheart, Yu Ning, whom he had spanked on the bottom when they were children. She was the precious daughter of Yu Qingchuan and Yu Zao, and they had a son and a daughter.
The second son, Jian Canglang, married Xiao Qin'er, the adopted daughter of Ye Qingyi and Yi Rou.
The third son, Luo Pingxiao, married Xiao Xuan'er, the adopted daughter of Li Xin.
The eldest daughter, Liang Hongxue, married Nan Changfeng, the son of Nan Jiyun, with whom she had been in love for many years. They had a son and a daughter. Liang Hongxue was now in charge of the Female Shadow Guard.
The fourth daughter, Liang Xinyu, also married Lu Shen, the eldest son of Lu Changhe. They had twin sons.
The fifth son, Qiu Hanhai, married Nan Jiyun's adopted daughter, He Ling, who was two years older than him. She was the granddaughter of He Yao, who had risked his life to bring new crops in the past.
Zuo Longcheng married Nie Han, the youngest daughter of Nie Yuan, and they had three sons. Zuo Wushang happily doted on his grandchildren daily.
Qin Feng's youngest daughter, Qin Qingyue, became the Crown Princess of Xiao Xun and gave birth to two "Imperial grandchildren."
The Imperial Consort of the ninth son, Xiao Qian, was the youngest daughter of Zhang Yang, Zhang Xiao, who gave birth to a daughter.
The tenth son, Zuo Hucheng, married Zhuo Xuejian, the eldest daughter of Zhuo Ying, who was three years older than him. Their connection originated from seven years ago when he accidentally entered the wrong bathhouse and was chased by the woman for half the capital. They now had three sons.
The eleventh son, Liang Tiancheng, married Gu Yu'an, the second daughter of Gu Shaoyan, and they had a son.
As "mother-in-laws," the three renowned talented women were already over thirty years old but still dared not interact much with Liang Xiao, despite their relatives' persuasion.
A group of daughters-in-law in their early twenties calling their father-in-law, and sons-in-law calling their father-in-law, was originally a natural thing, but Liang Xiao always felt inexplicably helpless.
He and his wives still looked like teenagers, just as they had after their marriage, appearing younger than their own children...
Zhang Yang and Qin Feng's faces had wrinkles, making them look like their elders.
In a few more years, the grandchildren would be able to speak and call them Grandpa and Grandma. How outrageous!
What frustrated Liang Xiao was a joyful piece of news for the Qian people.
Their Emperor and Empress were still as strong and vigorous as ever!
The current technological level did not support Liang Xiao in researching his own physical condition, so he could only maintain an optimistic attitude.
Regardless, he had successors.
On the contrary, Liang Xiao's wives were delighted to see that he and they still looked like young boys and girls, attributing it to divine favor.
Perhaps that "elixir of immortality" had the effect of maintaining youth and prolonging life?
It no longer mattered. What mattered was that he was the great Emperor of the Qian tribe, the husband they longed for, and the father their children admired the most.
After more than a decade of construction and development, the Qian tribe had finally advanced to five thousand miles northwest of the Kushan Dynasty.
In the past decade, the Tianri tribe on the European continent had been completely cleared out by the Qian soldiers. No living humans other than the Qian could be found in this region.
The Tianri tribe occupied the northwest of the continent, subsisting on fish and well-preserved human jerky.
The Qian army crossed the snow-capped mountains and finally saw the situation of the Tianri tribe's sacred land.
It was slightly cold but not an icy landscape.
This was a land they had never seen before, and it was said that outsiders who entered never returned.