The Left Virtuous King, knowing he could not escape, disregarded everything and sought to cause trouble for Liang Xiao, sneering, "No! You, Liang Xiao, are the Heavenly General himself!!"
The people nearby, hearing the Left Virtuous King's roar, were all astonished.
Lu Yi and the others were inwardly startled!
They had, of course, considered that the enemy might believe Liang Xiao was the Heavenly General.
Especially this Left Virtuous King, who was most familiar with the Heavenly General among the enemies, as the Heavenly General was a fear etched into his very bones…
Only Liang Xiao smiled gently and said, "Do you believe what you're saying yourself?"
The Left Virtuous King faltered.
He had only had this feeling, but even he did not believe it himself!
The soldiers below finally lost their patience and began to denounce the Left Virtuous King.
"Our Deputy Marshal is the Great Qian's Literary Sage, protected by the Heavenly General, and the Heavenly General even manifests his spirit in various places!"
"The Deputy Marshal commands the army from the central camp, his archery is unparalleled, and he only knows a bit of family swordplay. How could it be the same as the Heavenly General's skill in spear and halberd?"
"Left Virtuous King, you are going to die, so stop making baseless accusations!"
…
Those who knew Liang Xiao's identity merely looked at the Left Virtuous King and chuckled.
At this moment, it was better to let the soldiers defend Liang Xiao. If these few closest to Liang Xiao were to explain, it would seem like trying to cover something up.
Clearly, any sane person would not believe Liang Xiao was the Heavenly General.
After all, he was only twenty years old!
If one calculated from the time Liang Xiao first emerged, he was only eighteen then!
After a moment of stunned silence, the Left Virtuous King struggled fiercely, but his bonds were too tight.
"I don't care! You, Liang Xiao, are the Heavenly General! The Heavenly General Liang Xiao!"
Hearing the Left Virtuous King's roars, Lu Yi and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
As expected, the Left Virtuous King was merely trying to cause Liang Xiao some trouble unexpectedly, and had no concrete evidence.
They had almost, in their agitation, rushed to defend Liang Xiao.
"Consort, the farce should end now," Ding Wu Yi reminded him.
Hearing this, the Left Virtuous King was filled with despair and roared at Liang Xiao, "If I am to die, I will die in a glorious duel with the Heavenly General! Death with honor!"
"Liang Xiao! You can summon the Heavenly General's divine manifestation, can't you? Come on!"
Liang Xiao merely shook his head, "You summon the Heavenly General whenever you please, to come and go at your beck and call?"
Lu Yi and the others secretly applauded in their hearts.
Liang Xiao's words had a double meaning, refusing the Left Virtuous King while also guiding the crowd to think that the Heavenly General had become a deity, thus distancing himself.
At this point, they finally understood why Liang Xiao, after retreating with injuries, had entered the world as a scholar.
The more astounding his achievements in literature and politics, the less people would believe he was the Heavenly General himself, after all, that level of martial arts skill had also taken time to learn!
At that time, the Liang family had lost the generation of Liang Anguo, and Liang Qing had already retired. They had wealth but no power and could not resist the barbarians, noble families, and other Great Qian rebels who hated the Heavenly General!
Later, the Great Qian army and civilians all believed that their Marquis An Guo's posthumous title would be the highest for a civil official, "Wenzheng," corresponding to the Heavenly General's highest posthumous title for a military official, "Zhongwu"!
The Left Virtuous King's roars eventually turned into mad laughter, and then he lowered his head and mumbled, "Spare me…"
The crowd watched, shaking their heads.
"He killed countless Great Qian soldiers and civilians, and even led the slaughter of three hundred thousand barbarians. He deserves to die!"
Looking at the crestfallen Left Virtuous King, Liang Xiao handed the Dan Xin Sword to Liang Feng, "This sword, Eldest Uncle also used it. Brother, it is your turn to act."
Liang Feng was startled, feeling a little lost.
"At this moment, he still remembers to set an example and promote the laws of Great Qian!" Lu Yi praised.
As the commander of Liang Anguo back then, Lu Yi naturally knew that Liang Anguo and Liang Dingguo were skilled swordsmen. This Dan Xin Sword had been passed down from Liang Qing to Liang Dingguo before he was injured, and then taken over by Liang Anguo when he came of age.
The soldiers suddenly understood and looked at Liang Feng, their eyes filled with renewed respect.
The fathers of these two brothers had both used this Dan Xin Sword, making it truly an excellent instrument for execution!
Upon hearing Lu Yi's words, Liang Feng finally came to his senses, looked at Liang Xiao gratefully, and readily agreed.
Under the setting sun, blood splattered three feet, and the Left Virtuous King's head rolled to the ground. The Great Qian army and civilians finally took revenge!
The soldiers all raised their arms and shouted, "A tribute to our ancestors!!"
As Liang Xiao returned triumphantly from the northern desert, he also sent someone to notify Yanzhou, asking Liang Feng to prepare to collect the Left Virtuous King's blood and return home for the ancestral sacrifice.
After the execution, the Left Virtuous King's corpse would be sewn up, sealed like the Right Virtuous King, and cast into a bronze statue, forever kneeling in three places with the Right Virtuous King!
Liang Feng, holding a small water flask prepared in advance, collected the Left Virtuous King's hot blood, poured it into a waterskin, sealed it, and took his leave in haste.
"Second brother, remember to return to Yanzhou soon. Your sisters-in-law are about to give birth!"
The soldiers below congratulated Liang Xiao one after another. Liang Xiao quickly looked at Lu Yi and Ding Wu Yi.
The two understood.
Lu Yi said, "Leave the miscellaneous matters here to Uncle. You take my son and the others back to Yanzhou first!"
After Ding Wu Yi handed the topographical maps to Liang Xiao, he whispered a few words.
Liang Xiao nodded, took the maps, gave a brief speech, and then, accompanied by the generals who had campaigned in the northern desert, including Nan Jiyun, Lu Changhe, Zhuo Ying, Nie Yuan, and Yue Qingtian, they all mounted their horses. Five hundred Shadow Guards accompanied them, along with five thousand fresh horses for changing.
They traveled day and night, with Liang Xiao growing more anxious by the hour.
Ten months of pregnancy, but generally, delivery occurred around nine and a half months.
Liang Xiao calculated the time; it had been nearly ten months, and his wives had already passed their due dates by more than half a month!
Everyone understood Liang Xiao's anxiety, and they themselves were eager to see their families in Yanzhou.
"Marquis Anguo has led the Great Qian soldiers to a triumphant return and is about to return to Yanzhou!!"
As the news spread, countless Yanzhou citizens came to the west gate daily to wait.
Especially the people of Anxi County, Liang Xiao's fiefdom, sent at least three people from each household, excluding those needed for autumn harvest, to wait day and night, fearing that Liang Xiao would arrive early and there would be no one to welcome him.
Three days later, the west gate opened. Liang Xiao, accompanied by five hundred Shadow Guards and five hundred cavalry officers, a thousand-strong contingent, arrived outside the west gate of Yanzhou and dismounted to enter the city.
"The army and people of Yanzhou welcome Marquis Anguo and all the heroes of Great Qian home!"
The city gates opened wide. As Liang Xiao and the soldiers entered the city, they saw tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians kneeling on both sides.
At the same time, in the Liang Mansion in Yanzhou, in Liang Xiao's courtyard, within a large, temporarily constructed birthing room, Jian Qinwan, Yue Lian, Luo Qingxue, and Christine lay on the birthing beds, their faces pale, gritting their teeth and enduring the pain of childbirth.
Even the Medical Saint Mu Xueqin looked somewhat worried, going back and forth to comfort the four with the midwives.
The four women, their pregnancies only a few days apart, were giving birth on the same day, which was now a problem…
Liang Xiao suppressed his anxiety and quickly said, "There is no need for such formality, everyone!"
The Yanzhou army and civilians then stood up, all of them excited, a myriad of expressions on their faces.
"The Great General, Marquis of Zhenguo, is leading the soldiers home. Please excuse me for my temporary absence, I must return home to take care of my wife and children…"
After quickly apologizing to the Yanzhou army and civilians, Liang Xiao prepared to board a carriage to rush home.