We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Li Che thought he had misread it.

After all, in his subconscious, pandas could never be associated with prey.

He went over and took a closer look. The beast was bear-like in shape, with distinct black and white fur, round ears, and black eye circles.

At this moment, it is making helpless "hmm" sounds and futilely twisting its round body.

What else could this be but a panda?!

Li Che never imagined that the first time he saw a live panda, it would be facing the fate of being slaughtered and eaten.

"Wait a moment!"

Before Qiu Bai and the others could react, Li Che had already strode towards the campfire, and the others quickly followed.

The soldiers by the campfire were startled by the approaching crowd, especially when they recognized the distinguished young man in the center who was surrounded by people. They realized that he was likely His Majesty the Emperor. They immediately dropped their tools and knelt down in a panic.

Li Che ignored them and walked straight up to the panda.

The little guy seemed to sense the change in atmosphere, his dark eyes looking at Li Che, his whimpers filled with fear.

It was covered in dust, but had no obvious external injuries, so it seemed to have been captured recently.

"What is this?" Li Che asked.

A junior officer tremblingly replied, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, this... this is a bamboo bear, also called a spotted bear. It's common in the mountains. Its meat is edible, and its skin can also be used."

"The brothers stumbled upon this while patrolling the mountain today, so...so they just took it..."

Seeing him trembling, Li Che felt somewhat helpless.

It is obviously useless and incorrect to talk to these ancient people about species conservation.

The Liao people can't even get enough to eat, so why should they protect other animals just because they're cute?

Li Che certainly wouldn't have such a saintly attitude, but he couldn't bear to watch the chubby panda cub being skinned.

He pondered for a moment, then quickly found a reason that better aligned with his current understanding:

"I see that this beast has unusual fur, with black and white fur that is distinctly different from the color of the heavens and the earth, and I believe it must be an auspicious beast from the mountains."

His words were quite mystical, bringing up auspicious omens, feng shui, and mountain spirits.

The kneeling soldiers seemed to understand, but not quite, and their faces immediately showed confusion.

Li Che's tone softened slightly: "With a great battle imminent, what if injuring the auspicious beast angers the mountain god?"

"Release this beast carefully and bring it to my tent for safekeeping."

"Yes Yes Yes!"

The leader was overjoyed, thinking that even the emperor was craving panda meat, and quickly ordered his men to untie the panda.

With the rope removed, the panda clumsily got up, seemingly still a little dazed.

It looked around and then subconsciously took two steps toward Li Che's feet.

It sniffed at Li Che's trouser leg, then plopped down and looked up at the two-legged creature that had come to its rescue.

His adorable appearance softened Li Che's heart.

He crouched down and tentatively touched the panda's fluffy head.

The panda grunted in response, didn't flinch, and instead rubbed against his palm.

Those around were somewhat puzzled by what they saw.

Luo Yueniang and the others were also surprised that His Majesty suddenly valued a wild beast so much, and even brought up a story about auspicious beasts.

Seeing that the beast truly seemed to possess a spirit and was close to His Majesty, His Majesty couldn't help but believe in the auspicious omen.

The soldiers were stunned and filled with awe.

Yang Tong, a man skilled in speculation, kept this matter firmly in mind.

It seems His Majesty is quite fond of these bamboo bears. If there's a chance, we can catch a few more and send them to His Majesty.

"Go and find some fresh bamboo shoots and tender bamboo," Li Che ordered, adding, "and build a sturdy fence, set up in a sheltered spot behind my tent."

"Yes, sir!" Qiu Bai quickly arranged for someone to take care of it.

Li Che glanced at the bewildered soldiers and comforted them, "It's alright. I took your lunch, so I certainly won't let you go hungry."

He then ordered his personal guards to fetch some dried meat and other items, which he then distributed to the soldiers.

As for the foolish thing of banning the entire army from hunting pandas, Li Che did not do it, nor was there any need to do it.

This is not modern times. Li Che's love for pandas is just a personal preference, and protecting pandas is not a law or regulation.

Using personal preferences to make things difficult for the people is the behavior of a foolish ruler.

These little guys will probably have to wait hundreds or even thousands of years to become national treasures.

However, this lucky panda ended up staying in a private room in the Emperor's camp.

The panda is small, probably still a cub, but it is a black and white giant panda, not a red panda.

Li Che watched as it crunched away at the bamboo shoots that had been brought to it, looking completely carefree, and couldn't help but find it amusing.

During his campaign, he inexplicably acquired a pet, which turned out to be a national treasure in later generations.

However, they cannot be considered purely cute pets. Pandas of this era still retain wildness and the fighting ability of bears.

While they can't compare to beasts like Xiao Tuan on the ultimate path, adult pandas rarely have rivals in the mountains and forests.

Li Che named the panda Xiao Han.

Xiao Han quickly adapted to camp life, spending his time eating, sleeping, and hanging around Li Che.

Its naturally endearing, goofy demeanor quickly became a rare moment of relaxation in the tense atmosphere of preparation.

Even when Li Che was on his inspection tour, the soldiers would occasionally smile when they saw the black and white furry little ball following behind His Majesty.

Only the Liao people were puzzled, not understanding why these Qing people would look at a piece of food and grin like idiots.

All I can say is that the habits of the people of Qing are truly strange.

. . . . . .

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain.

News of the imperial army's massive gathering spread like a mountain breeze deep into the mountains and valleys.

The camp stretched out in a long line, with swords and spears like a forest, a constant stream of grain transport teams, and that black dragon flag that symbolized supreme power.

The Emperor of Daqing has come in person!

In Panyangling, the largest village of the Qingpian Qiang people, the fire pit that was originally used for discussions is now filled with smoke.

A dozen or so tribal leaders and elders huddled together, their faces all shrouded in a somber, deathly pallor.

"Fight? How can we fight?" The chieftain of the Baima Qiang was a one-eyed strong man. He slapped his thigh and said in a hoarse voice, "Last year, we joined the Duzhang and Baicao families to attack the city. We gathered eight thousand warriors, but not one of them came back. Their corpses filled the valley!"

"The Qing people's firearms can kill people from hundreds of steps away. Now there are even more of them, and there are also familiar officials who have defected to them to guide them."

"With our small force scattered everywhere, how can we possibly fight?"

"If we don't fight, are we just going to wait to die?" An elder with indigo patterns painted on his face stood up and slammed his bone staff on the ground. "The salt wells are all gone. The Qing people are trying to cut off our path to survival!"

"If we don't fight, are we supposed to kneel down and beg them for food?"

"Don't forget how our ancestors were driven into these deep mountains!"

"Fighting means death, not fighting means death too!" another chieftain said helplessly. "The Duzhang Man and Baicao Qiang are tough, but now that the village is destroyed, the people are scattered, and the remaining people are hiding in caves like rats!"

"Could we... talk?" a young chieftain asked hesitantly. "The Qing emperor himself has come. Perhaps we could send an envoy to ask them what they really want?"

"If we are willing to submit and pay tribute, could they leave us some salt wells?"

"What do we have to negotiate with? Do we even have any bargaining chips left?" the one-eyed leader sneered. "The knife handle is in their hands. What's the difference between negotiating now and begging for mercy!"

The young chieftain clicked his tongue but didn't say anything.

Do you really think you're going to negotiate? You're going to beg for mercy! You don't even have that much awareness, no wonder they want to beat you up!

The argument lasted for a full day and night, and the firewood in the hearth was added again and again.

Those who sought war were filled with grief and indignation but had no good strategies, while those who advocated peace were humble and lacked confidence.

Finally, amidst an exhausted silence, a relatively compromise solution was barely approved.

First, send an envoy to meet with the Qing emperor to test his true intentions.

At the very least, we need to figure out whether this emperor's mobilization of troops was intended to exterminate them or if there were other conditions.

The selection of the envoy was hotly debated, and three candidates were finally chosen:

One was an elderly man from the Qingpian Qiang region who spoke some Qing dialect; another was a warrior from the Baima Qiang region known for his bravery; and the third was a young man from the small village who was recognized as the fastest runner and most familiar with the terrain.

In case things don't go well, we hope he can escape back and report the news.

With trepidation, the three of them left the mountains carrying gifts and a petition written in broken Chinese.

As they approached the outer defenses of the Qing army, they were spotted by patrolling Qing soldiers and escorted to the camp.

They were then placed in a makeshift tent with food and water, and were neither abused nor cared for.

One day, two days, three days...

They requested an audience with the emperor to plead their case, but the officer who received them simply took notes expressionlessly and then nothing more was said.

Li Che did receive the letter, and even skimmed through it.

But he simply placed the crookedly written piece of paper on his desk and paid it no further attention.

Not only did they not summon the envoy, they also accelerated the pace of military deployments and troop movements, adopting a "read but not reply" approach.

Are you kidding me? We've already mobilized our troops and exhausted our supplies. You think you can just send a letter and then stop fighting?

That's impossible. We need to inflict pain on them first before we can negotiate.

Just as the Qiang and Man envoys were anxiously waiting in the camp, the Qing army's operation began.

Li Che did not launch a large-scale frontal attack, but instead used a gradual, pervasive approach, like spring rain seeping into the soil.

Elite squads of several hundred men, led by experienced officers familiar with the terrain, advanced into the deep mountains along the various streams and valleys.

They would capture any small groups of Qiang people they encountered, and when they discovered a mountain stronghold, they would not launch a full-scale attack, but instead set up a simple outpost nearby to block the water source.

There's nothing else to it but constantly squeezing the living space of the Qiang and Man people, causing them to panic.