As the generals led by Lu Yi marched out of the city to greet them, the sight of the Yan Province army's formation left them utterly awestruck!
After a victory of earth-shattering proportions, this unit seemed to have undergone a complete metamorphosis, their morale far surpassing anything they had known before.
Confidence! Zeal! Steadfastness!
However, this was also due to the White Robe Soldiers, the Sky Pillars Guard, and the Great Gan Iron Guards leading the way; these were the most elite troops of Yan Province, all accompanying Liang Xiao.
Although more than half of these troops had been trained under Lu Yi's supervision, seeing them again, Lu Yi couldn't help but sigh, "Things are different now. This commander finally understands why Yan Province could slay seventeen myriad enemies..."
The generals behind Lu Yi nodded in agreement.
This army, from its equipment to its spirit, was beyond their ability to compare!
Fortunately, Great Gan had reformed the military merit system, so they were not afraid of falling too far behind in their contributions.
The great victory in Yan Province had even earned soldiers from Yun Province and Shuofang regions rewards and permission to feast on meat for ten days.
However, Yan Province soldiers were allowed to eat meat for a month, and now they could only envy them.
"Marshal, our army has also brought a large quantity of military supplies, including spoils of war captured from the barbarians, as well as domestically produced equipment," Liang Xiao reminded him.
Lu Yi's heart bloomed with joy, "Elite troops should be equipped with domestically produced gear. Those barbarian weapons and armor are nothing to look at!"
Everyone chuckled.
In the past, capturing so much equipment from the barbarians would have been enough to make the northern generals ecstatic.
But having witnessed the equipment of the Yan Province soldiers, they looked forward even more to the domestically produced items. After all, if the barbarian equipment was superior to Liang Xiao's, they wouldn't have had seventeen myriad enemies slain!
It was rumored to be "steel" equipment, of even better quality than forged iron!
Especially the padded armor, it was an artifact for winter warfare, providing both warmth and protection.
Lu Yi had brought a few pieces of padded armor to Yun Province and gifted them to his generals, who discovered that the inner layer of the padded armor was lined with fine steel plates, offering decent defense.
In the freezing cold, padded armor was much more practical than cold, stiff armor during marches, preventing morale from being affected by the harsh weather.
"It's cold outside, hurry into the city, don't catch a chill!" Lu Yi urged everyone.
The ninety thousand strong army, entering the city in succession, drew the entire city's populace to watch, their exclamations continuous.
"They are even more valiant than our Yun Province soldiers, no wonder they could slay seventeen myriad barbarians!"
The Yun Province garrison, overhearing the people's discussions, felt a pang of jealousy and secretly resolved: At the battle of Helan Mountain, they must not fall behind!
The padded armor brought by Liang Xiao, nearly ten thousand sets, was already the limit that the Ministry of Military Equipment could achieve in a short period.
To rush the production of so many padded armors, workers at the Ministry of Military Equipment and the Yan Province Steel Mill worked overtime for double wages, striving to make as many as possible.
Almost all idle artisans from across the country were conscripted by the imperial court and sent to the capital.
The result was that the national treasury, boosted by salt administration, contract taxes, and "donations for resolve," saw its revenue decline significantly.
No matter how Ouyang Ji, the Minister of Revenue, devised new schemes, Xiao Qing refused to approve them all, only instructing Wang Canghai to have someone review all proposals and approve a portion that was beneficial.
Xiao Qing would not openly squander gold until he had complete control of the Ministry of Revenue.
After all, there were still many members of noble families, their disciples, and supportive gentry and wealthy landowners throughout the country. If the emperor's private treasury held tens of millions of taels of gold, equivalent to hundreds of millions of taels of silver, and Ouyang Ji knew about it, he would still find ways to make Xiao Qing spend it, as Xiao Qing had plenty of money.
Lu Yi left two thousand sets of padded armor, planning to take them to Shuofang for distribution. The remaining eight thousand sets were allocated to the elite troops of the Yun Province garrison.
A portion of the Yun Province garrison was dispatched by Lu Yi to reinforce Shuofang as a precautionary measure.
Now, with twelve thousand regular troops and the forces brought by Liang Xiao, the total reached an astonishing twenty-one myriad.
Fortunately, Yun Province had prepared barracks for the Yan Province soldiers in advance, preventing congestion.
Facing ironclad military orders and unforgiving executioners, the twenty-one myriad soldiers dared not cause trouble for the locals.
Including over a million shi of barbarian grain captured, and the grain stored locally in Yun Province, the grain brought by the Yan Province soldiers was sufficient for the twenty-one myriad people for a year and a half!
Lu Yi was startled when he was tallying the Yan Province soldiers' supplies, thanks to Liang Xiao.
This fellow had even brought various river-crossing tools, indicating he was truly determined to reach the vast desert!
However, Great Gan had not yet taken Helan Mountain, so Lu Yi did not dare to think so far ahead, merely praising Liang Xiao and others for their excellent command of the troops.
Now that Nie Yuan, Yue Qingtian, and others had been enfeoffed as marquises and generals for their military achievements, Liang Xiao and Lu Yi could confidently let them lead troops, unafraid of not being able to command respect.
"Seventeen myriad barbarians were slain, but their Right Virtuous King still has at least twenty-five myriad troops. It's simply unbelievable!" Lu Yi's anger grew, and he couldn't help but slam his palm on the table.
Once the enemy's intelligence was understood, anyone could see that the barbarians could support such an astonishing number of troops and military supplies, clearly not through their own development.
If the barbarians had truly found the treasure of the ancient Xiongnu kings, they would have had no need to launch a surprise attack on Yan Province last year. They should have used this gold to trade with various regions, directly exchanging it for various goods, and only then launching a surprise attack when Great Gan refused to sell.
But according to the intelligence Lu Yi had obtained, the living standards of the barbarians deep in the desert had not improved at all; they could only support a large cavalry force.
According to the description on the ancient Xiongnu king's treasure map, the portion of the treasure gold hidden within the barbarian homeland was undoubtedly larger than the one in Yan Province, meaning at least forty million taels of gold!
Therefore, Lu Yi was also certain that someone within the country had been secretly trading with the barbarians, bypassing the eyes and ears of the Great Gan northern border defenses.
This could only be through sailing from the East Sea, approaching the desert from the northeast, or绕ing past the Western Regions from the west...
Such trade might have continued for decades, even centuries, making the barbarians increasingly strong!
Only Liang Xiao, Lu Yi, Lu Changhe, Nan Jiyun, and Zhuo Ying remained in the military tent. Lu Yi then spoke his mind, "It's those aristocratic families that have been secretly supporting the barbarians, isn't it?"
Liang Xiao nodded, "It's impossible without their support, but relying solely on them couldn't have been done so covertly. There must be other merchants assisting, like the Duanmu family... what about the merchants in the Hedong region?"
Lu Yi frowned, "There are indeed many wealthy merchants in Hedong, led by the He family. The He family deals in grain and clothing. We must investigate thoroughly, but I fear it might be too long ago to find any traces!"
Scholars, peasants, artisans, and merchants; in previous dynasties, merchants held the lowest status, but Great Gan was exceptionally lenient towards them, contributing to the superficial prosperity of the nation.
However, these merchants had gradually accumulated astonishing fortunes. For example, the Duanmu family, boasting an inheritance of hundreds of millions, was the richest family in the world.
"The Ministry of Justice has sent people to various regions. If anything is discovered, we'll confiscate their property directly. The national treasury is short of money, after all," Liang Xiao said with a meaningful smile.
Xiao Qing was not short of money, but outwardly, the national treasury was still in deficit. Those aristocratic families wouldn't be so foolish as to fight to the death by donating at the slightest disagreement.
And Great Gan was in urgent need of funds!
Legally confiscating property, a path to riches...
Seeing Liang Xiao's sinister smile, Lu Yi and the others felt a chill.
This clearly signaled the prelude to an enemy's downfall.
At the same time, the news of the Yan Province garrison marching into the northwest also spread throughout the country via swift horses.
Following Yan Province, the people of Great Gan and the Great Liang kingdoms now focused their attention on Yun Province.
The three generals of Great Gan, holding positions comparable to the Three Excellencies, General of Cavalry Liang Xiao, and General of the Guards Gongsun Ye, with two of them now united, could work together to initiate a new decisive battle with the barbarians!