The items brought by Liang Xiao this time, in addition to the Emperor's Order Sword, were also the seals of Grand Tutor, Chancellor, Deputy Marshal of the Northern Frontier, and General Who Guards the East.
Following Emperor Xiao Qing's imperial decree, Liang Xiao's Ephemeral Sword also became one of the Emperor's Order Swords, eliminating the need for constant replacements.
Upon hearing of Liang Xiao's arrival, Lu Yi led everyone out of the tent to greet him.
"Marquis of An Guo has arrived!"
The soldiers of the Northern Frontier, especially the Iron Guards of Da Qian, were immensely excited.
Thanks to Xiao Qing's improvements in military treatment, they had saved up a considerable amount of money for their families over the past half year, and their meals had greatly improved.
Even winter cotton-padded clothes had been distributed!
Soldiers who brought their own padded clothes could send their original ones home or keep them as spares.
The Iron Guards, in particular, had the most rigorous training but still enjoyed meat every meal and were allocated various types of armor.
Liang Xiao entered the military tent with Lu Yi and inquired about the situation in the wilderness.
"Hold the city, scorch the earth! They came in a hurry and can't do anything to us for a while. Let's wait for the harsh winter and see if they can endure it!" Lu Yi laughed heartily.
Liang Xiao quickly cautioned, "We must not be careless, especially in Yun Prefecture. Once Yun Prefecture falls, Yan Prefecture and Shuofang will be attacked from both sides, putting us in a very passive position."
Lu Yi, deeply in agreement, nodded, "This marshal intends to personally go to Yun Prefecture to take command, ready to support Shuofang and Yan Prefecture at any time. At that time, the Yan Prefecture Northern Frontier Army camp will be under your charge, with Commander Mu assisting you!"
The Commander Mu Lu Yi mentioned was Mu Hong, from the Ministry of Armaments, who had come to the Northern Frontier from the capital. After getting acquainted with the Northern Frontier army camp, his work was proceeding in an orderly fashion, earning Lu Yi's high praise.
The Mu family had already sided with Xiao Qing and were cooperating wholeheartedly. Lu Yi felt assured enough to delegate some authority to Mu Hong to gain experience and familiarity with military affairs.
Liang Xiao's highest military rank was currently General Who Guards the East, but as one of the Three Excellencies, the Grand Tutor, his status was extraordinary. For the time being, there were no generals in the Northern Frontier beyond his jurisdiction.
Compared to Grand Preceptor and Grand Tutor, the Grand Tutor was the one who truly taught the Emperor and the Crown Prince how to wage war among the Three Excellencies...
Nan Jiyun, Lu Changhe, Zhuo Ying, Mu Hong, and others also looked excited, but a sense of unease remained.
Due to recent reinforcements to Yun Prefecture, the current defending forces in Yan Prefecture, excluding the newly recruited thirty thousand new soldiers, numbered only one hundred and twenty thousand.
According to scout estimates, the barbarian forces gathered in Yan Prefecture could be at least one hundred and eighty thousand, with a large proportion of cavalry!
Faced with an enemy that could not be pursued if won against, and could not escape if lost, winning battles would not necessarily yield spoils, and defeat would mean devastation. Lu Yi could not rashly attack, and the generals had calmed down.
Lu Yi sighed again, "The biggest problem now is that a portion of the generals from the Dugu and He families are constantly clamoring for an attack. But they are very clever and know how to phrase their words, making it sound more like suggestions, so it's difficult for me to punish them for disturbing military morale!"
Liang Xiao frowned.
While civil officials could select talents through various channels, it was extremely difficult to find outstanding military talent from Da Qian, a nation influenced by the prevailing atmosphere of favoring civil over military arts.
Liang Xiao finding Nie Yuan, Nan Jiyun, and Yue Qing Tian was already considered remarkable.
"Let's go inspect the troops and see what's going on with these people?" Liang Xiao said with a smile.
Lu Yi understood and readily agreed.
On the reviewing stand, fifty thousand soldiers, temporarily assembled nearby, stood below with solemn expressions.
The White Robe Soldiers and the Da Qian Iron Guards were still undergoing training in their respective camps.
Liang Xiao read out the imperial decree in public.
Everyone listened with reverence.
Liang Xiao was formally appointed Deputy Marshal of the Northern Frontier, but his position as Deputy Marshal of Jiangnan had not yet been revoked.
This meant that Liang Xiao simultaneously served as the second-in-command to both the Northern and Southern Marshals, nominally holding the position directly below the Marshal and having the authority to take over military command!
Lu Yi and Lu Changhe's gazes were sharp.
Liang Xiao finally stopped pretending. The voice with which he read the imperial decree was infinitely close to that of the Heavenly General.
They didn't understand how a person could change their voice, but the Liang Xiao of today was full of authority, enough to command obedience!
After the troop inspection, everyone's mood relaxed slightly.
Liang Xiao then said loudly, "This general has heard that many soldiers have recently hoped to march out of the city to meet the barbarians and annihilate them completely? This matter is not punishable by the masses, and past transgressions will be forgiven. What are your opinions? Let a few representatives speak."
Everyone exchanged glances.
Seeing that no one stepped forward, Liang Xiao called out, "General Pingdi, He Anping!"
A middle-aged general then stepped out of the formation, "This subordinate, He Anping, awaits your command!"
Liang Xiao sized up He Anping and smiled faintly.
Since the founding of Da Qian by Emperor Gaozu Xiao Ping'an, there had been no taboo or literary inquisition. Commoners could even have the Emperor's name in their personal names; for example, Liang Qing did not need to change his name because Xiao Qing ascended the throne.
However, this He Anping, being the nephew of He Wanli, had a name that was the opposite of Emperor Gaozu Xiao Ping'an's name, which was very intriguing.
How could the Emperor be completely unconcerned about such a situation?
This matter was enough to illustrate the arrogance of the He family in the capital: What's the big deal? At worst, we'll change our names. What can you do to us?
For these powerful aristocratic clans, as long as they did not openly rebel or assassinate the Emperor, anything else they did was considered trivial. After all, the Emperor dared not do anything to them.
Before suffering Liang Xiao's beatings, such actions had become habitual behaviors and perceptions for these aristocratic clans, to the point where they were practically proclaiming to the world, "Without the support of our families, the Emperor is nothing!"
Liang Xiao then successively read out the names of twelve generals from the Dugu and He families, most of whom were deputy generals and fang-tooth generals.
General Pingdi He Anping, as a General of the fifth rank of miscellaneous titles, was already the highest-ranking among these individuals.
"Please, General Pingdi, share your esteemed opinion." Liang Xiao addressed He Anping by his military title, with a sincere expression.
He Anping, seeing that Liang Xiao was not being overbearing, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Deputy Marshal, did you not proclaim that Da Qian and the barbarians are irreconcilable enemies, and that one day the soldiers will be able to water their horses in the vast sea? You also said, 'If the enemy can come, so can we'!"
Everyone was filled with righteous indignation.
"Indeed, this general has said all that!" Liang Xiao replied without hesitation.
"Then, now that our forces are strong and our horses are swift, why do we not take revenge for the people of Yan Prefecture and the Heavenly General and his comrades, but instead remain confined to Yan Prefecture, hang a sign of non-engagement, and allow the barbarians to humiliate us?" He Anping feigned heartbreak, his words conveying a sense of sadness.
Lu Yi and the others couldn't help but cast disgusted glances at He Anping.
These people were most adept at using all sorts of grand-sounding rhetoric.
Now they were even using the banner of the Heavenly General!
However, Lu Yi quickly smiled and looked at Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao nodded, "The one who proposed to His Majesty and the Marshal to temporarily defend Yan Prefecture, Shuofang, and Yun Prefecture was this general!"
"What does the Deputy Marshal mean? Is it because you are a civil official?" He Anping looked even more distressed.
This time, even Liang Xiao felt goosebumps.
These past defeatists had now transformed themselves into apparent proponents of war. Their intentions were obvious!
Liang Xiao said proudly, "The Northern Frontier must not only defend temporarily, but from today onwards, whoever speaks of fighting shall be executed!"
The entire assembly was shocked, even Lu Yi was startled!
To be executed for speaking of war?
"If the Deputy Marshal cannot give us a reason, this subordinate would rather face execution than be a coward!" He Anping adopted a posture of righteous sacrifice, and the surrounding soldiers cast admiring glances at him, while looking at Liang Xiao with questioning eyes.
Liang Xiao smiled, "Do you all forget why the imperial court raised the treatment of soldiers? Was it to nurture a group of cowards? Of course not!"
Everyone was speechless.
Liang Xiao then put on a stern face and said in a deep voice, "As the Art of War states: Military affairs are of paramount importance to the state, the province of life and death, the road of survival and destruction, and cannot be examined carelessly! Even if this general wishes to lead an army into the wilderness right now, we must learn to restrain ourselves, wait for the opportune moment, and crush the barbarian offensive in one fell swoop.
"When the time comes, the three armies will charge. Those who speak of retreat shall be executed!"
With the decree of executing both those who fight and those who retreat, the order finally brought solemnity to the three armies.