He Wanli and others continued to argue, and Xiao Qing finally lost patience.
"A death sentence can be avoided, but a living sin cannot be forgiven! The Grand Astrologer He Long slandered and insulted court officials and fabricated history of past sages. He is dismissed from his post for investigation! Gu Hai, a subordinate official of the Ministry of Punishment, will temporarily act as Grand Astrologer. A good historian will be sought within the country to recompile the "Great Qian Historical Records" according to official records!"
"From the founding Prime Minister Zhuo Mingfeng and Founding Marshal Gongsun Wuji onwards, loyal officials who truly served the country and its people have been slandered. Their actions, written with the 'spring and autumn brush,' are heartbreaking! From today onwards, I will order people to thoroughly examine past records and personally supervise them!"
Lin Yan, the Minister of Punishment, who was always taciturn, finally spoke, "Your Majesty, there have always been good historians in the Great Qian, but they were marginalized and resigned from their posts at the very beginning of the founding! The Ye family in Xichuan, a scholarly lineage, has always specialized in compiling history and truly records events faithfully. However, with the recent changes in Xichuan, the Ye family's situation is worrying."
He Wanli glared at Lin Yan in anger, but could do nothing.
The Ministry of Punishment was a group of incorruptible "judges" who spoke their minds and showed no favor to anyone. For instance, Gu Hai had even offended Liang Xiao.
Xiao Qing's expression softened slightly, "The army is about to pacify Xichuan. I will make arrangements immediately. Until then, Gu Hai will be responsible for the review!"
The dismissal of the Grand Astrologer spread like wildfire in the capital.
But to He Wanli's surprise, two days later, the common people were vociferously condemning the former Grand Astrologer He Long, even pointing and gossiping outside the He family's mansion!
He Wanli was shocked and enraged, and urgently inquired about the situation.
In the past, when emperors dismissed officials from aristocratic families, they were often criticized by the public. This was due to the influence of personnel planted by these families in various regions, who manipulated public opinion.
However, this tactic no longer worked for the He family.
It wasn't until He Wanli obtained the day's newspaper that he understood the truth and became furious.
The cause and effect of He Long's dismissal was actually published in today's "Great Qian Daily," with an extra page added!
"How could the printing speed of the 'Great Qian Daily' be so fast? Doesn't carving and setting up the printing plates take time!"
At this moment, the He family also understood the terrifying power of Liang Xiao's newspaper.
Its efficiency was astonishing, far surpassing any previous method!
With the capital as the center, newspapers in various parts of the country received their copies and began their own publications.
Returning to the West Palace Villa, Xiao Qing felt a lingering fear, "If I hadn't accidentally recalled the historical records, I might still have been kept in the dark, and brother Xiao's lifelong achievements would have vanished into the river of history..."
At this moment, Xiao Qing could only hope that Liang Xiao would return to the capital soon, so she could find time to visit the six little ones.
In the Yanzhou military camp, forty thousand new recruits and sixty thousand veterans were inspected by Liang Xiao.
"Greetings, Grand Marshal and Marquis of Anguo!"
The soldiers below looked up at the white-robed figure on the high platform with fervent admiration.
It was him who had made the people of Great Qian stand tall, who had allowed the soldiers of Great Qian to deeply understand the meaning of military service and strengthen their resolve!
Defending the homeland, achieving great deeds, marrying a wife and having sons!
Liang Xiao looked at the spirited new recruits below with great satisfaction.
After the Great Qian army conquered the desert, the enthusiasm for enlisting surged across the country, and the number of applicants increased significantly. The government had to raise the selection criteria, and the demeanor of the new recruits was much better than that of the tens of thousands of new recruits before the great victory at Yanzhou.
Unfortunately, the production capacity of Great Qian was limited. Weapons were still being produced, but materials were insufficient.
The topographical maps of the Dongye clan contained very few iron ore deposits, with one location in Xichuan and another at the border of Southwest and Jiaozhou.
Furthermore, the Taiji Kingdom, with its wavering allegiance, had rarely paid tribute of iron ore for the past ten years.
Great Qian could only use some of its existing iron to be re-smelted in Liang Xiao's steel mills.
"Have all the soldiers memorized the military laws?" Liang Xiao asked loudly.
"Freeze to death but do not break into houses, starve to death but do not loot, commit no offense against the common people during harvest!"
A thunderous response came from below, bringing a smile of relief to Liang Xiao.
An army that did not harass the populace could gain the support of the people and be worthy of being called an army of righteousness.
The mindset of Great Qian soldiers was no longer about looting and getting rich as in the past. After all, their current military pay was quite generous, at least not less than their income from farming.
High risk, high reward. Soldiers might die on the battlefield, but they also had the opportunity to achieve great deeds and rise rapidly.
Nan Jiyun and Nie Yuan were the best examples. They rose from humble beginnings, and now one was conquering the west and the other the east, how imposing they were!
The twenty-one thousand soldiers who went on the expedition had received rewards that could allow their families to live without worry of food and clothing for three to ten years. Even in times of disaster, they would not worry about lack of grain at home!
The nearly twenty thousand northern border guards had also successively received rewards exceeding ten taels of silver!
"From today onwards, General Lu Changhe will be responsible for the training of the entire army. Everyone must not slack off!"
With a command from Liang Xiao, Lu Changhe took the command sword and introduced himself to everyone.
As one of the Four Directions Generals, Lu Changhe was already qualified to be a marshal defending one side, yet he willingly accepted Liang Xiao's dispatch.
The White Robed Soldiers had already gone to the western front with Lu Yi. When Nan Jiyun returned from Xichuan to the western front, he would serve as the commander of the White Robed Army.
The Great Qian Iron Guards were still trained by Liang Zhan, with Liu Fan assisting.
Mu Hong, the nominal supervisor and Assistant Minister of War, returned to the capital. The court was considering appointing other officials as supervisors for the western front.
After Liu Fan finished reading the daily training routine, none of the new recruits raised any objections.
New recruits were given meat for three days upon enlistment.
But they wanted to earn the right to eat meat every day!
This could only be achieved by constantly achieving merit.
In the military camp, the training of the entire army was in full swing.
Only when the sun began to set did the soldiers finish their work and rest.
Liang Xiao specifically led the generals to the military camp to offer comfort. Seeing the new recruits hesitant to speak, he said, "Everyone, speak freely."
"Grand Marshal, will we also see the Heavenly General manifest in the future!" A new recruit finally mustered the courage to ask.
Lu Changhe and others behind Liang Xiao were stunned.
Liang Xiao's clear laughter echoed through the military camp.
"Naturally! But everyone must remember, the Great Qian military spirit that the Heavenly General wishes to see is that the soldiers of Great Qian can still awe all foreign tribes even without him!"
All the new recruits suddenly understood and bowed their thanks.
Liang Xiao was finally satisfied.
The people of this land were very similar to the people of his other homeland.
The heavens have eyes, follow the will of heaven and the opportune time; the heavens have no eyes, man will conquer heaven!
Therefore, Liang Xiao did not completely reject the belief in gods and spirits in this era. If it was useful, he would use it; if it was not useful, he would discard it.
Liang Xiao returned home from the military camp and found his wives taking care of the children.
Zuo Jing sat aside, chatting with Luo Qingxue and others, while gazing intently at the rosy-cheeked babies in the cradle, her envy unconcealed.
"Lin'er."
It was only when Liang Xiao called out that Zuo Jing came back to her senses, her pretty face flushing.
"How do you feel living here?" Liang Xiao asked.
"It's quite good..." Zuo Jing mumbled.
"Just quite good?" Liang Xiao smiled.
Zuo Jing huffed, "Sister Qin Wan said that you can't always get carried away with yourself!"
Liang Xiao then looked at Jian Qinwan, who was acting as if nothing had happened.
"Then do you like living here?" Liang Xiao asked softly.
Zuo Jing fell silent.
Here, she felt unprecedented ease and happiness. She was reluctant to leave, and had even considered staying to train the Cloud Sky Guard for Liang Xiao...