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

Seeing Li Che's resolute attitude, everyone knew that further persuasion was useless; the emperor's mind was clearly made up.

Your Majesty is willing to use your own reputation to ensure the peace and wealth of the veterans in their later years.

Thinking of this, the way the generals of the Northwest Army looked at Li Che was completely different.

Even if the emperor is trying to win people's hearts, if he goes this far, they will be willing to be bought off!

In Li Che's view, what was wrong with issuing a mere edict of self-reproach?

Compared to the morale of the 100,000-strong Northwest Army, what is this?

He didn't have such a big idol image to maintain. As an emperor who was worshipped and revered by all the people, he should bear the corresponding responsibilities.

Emperors are born to take responsibility. If they don't even have this much responsibility, why should people risk their lives for them?

"Alright." Li Che waved his hand, a hint of weariness on his face. "I've said what I needed to say. It's already broad daylight. Go and prepare yourselves."

"You count the number of veterans. I will draft detailed compensation and resettlement regulations in the next few days and then issue the order to all military forts."

"There are many and complicated things to do, and they all take time. We need you to do your best."

His gaze sharpened again: "Remember, go for it. Don't be as hesitant and timid as before."

“Your Northwest Army is the shield of Daqing. You are not an isolated army without support. You were not before, and you are even less so now.”

He raised his head slightly and said, word by word, "I am your greatest support."

These words, like the hottest molten iron, were poured into the hearts of the Northwest generals.

All the grievances suffered over the years were burned away at this moment.

"We will repay Your Majesty with our lives!"

Led by Ma Jing, the generals responded with a resounding roar.

Li Che waved his hand dismissively and said nothing more.

The group bowed and took their leave, their footsteps fading into the morning corridor, and the study finally fell silent.

The morning light fully illuminated the room, and dust particles danced in the beams of light.

Li Che let out a long sigh of relief, his straight back relaxing slightly.

That night, he was extremely exhausted, both mentally and physically.

Making those decisions wasn't difficult; the difficulty lay in bearing all the pressure that came with them.

Fortunately, Li Che also had some military merits. If he had been an emperor who ascended the throne peacefully, he really wouldn't have been able to withstand it.

“Your Majesty is exhausted and should rest,” Xu Jiezi said gently.

Li Che nodded, his weariness deepening: "Sir, you should rest too."

He then looked at Yue Yun and the others and said, "You've all had a hard night. I'm giving you a day off to rest. Come back to me tomorrow to report for duty."

The crowd expressed their gratitude and departed one by one.

When Li Che returned to his room, the little panda had somehow sneaked in again and was playing with his boots.

Li Che smiled, took off his outer robe, and lay down fully clothed on the still messy bed.

It's strange. I was tossing and turning and couldn't fall asleep before, but now that everything has settled down, my heavy eyelids can't stay open anymore.

The chaotic images in my mind gradually blurred and faded away.

Almost the instant his head touched the pillow, his even breathing began.

. . . . . .

Li Che slept soundly, but none of the Northwest Army generals, led by Ma Jing, could sleep like that.

The crowd's emotions were complex at that moment: excitement, exhilaration, and trepidation...

The emperor's golden words were like a ray of sunlight tearing through thick, dark clouds, illuminating the long-suppressed darkness in everyone's hearts.

Ma Jing immediately made up his mind and informed the entire army of the news.

He wasn't afraid of things going wrong and wanted to fix the situation; he believed the emperor wouldn't go back on his word.

He simply felt that the Northwest Army had waited too long, and the sooner the news reached the soldiers, the longer they could hold out.

Ma Jing immediately summoned all the messengers and scouts to assemble at the city gate.

"Pass on my orders!" Ma Jing's eyes were bloodshot, but his spirit was unusually vigorous. "Everyone, divide into ten groups, cover all military towns and garrisons, and deliver His Majesty's decree word for word!"

"Here!"

The thunderous sound of hooves echoed through the streets of Lanzhou, raising clouds of dust.

Dozens of fast horses roared out from different city gates, shooting towards the vast northwest land like arrows released from a bow.

Although the Northwest Army was said to number 100,000, it was not a colossal force gathered in one place.

They were like scattered copper beans, laid out along the long, arc-shaped defensive line, relying on the strategic location of the mountains and rivers to build military towns, garrison cities, camps, and beacon towers of all sizes.

Large military towns such as Liangzhou, Ganzhou, and Suzhou could garrison more than 10,000 soldiers, while smaller outposts might only have a few dozen men, isolated in the Gobi Desert.

They maintained contact with each other through post roads, beacon fires, and a sparse network of scouts.

. . . . .

On the western route of Longyou, there is a medium-sized garrison fort built against the mountain - Huwei Fort.

The fort walls were rammed with loess mixed with gravel, and have been weathered and mottled over time.

It was nearly noon, and the dry wind whipped up sand and gravel that lashed the faces of the soldiers guarding the wall.

The garrison commander, surnamed Han, was in his early forties and was currently discussing winter defense matters with his deputy in the yamen, looking at a rough map.

A bodyguard led a dusty messenger in quickly.

"General! Urgent order from Lanzhou!" The messenger knelt on one knee and presented a letter tube with feathers inserted in it.

General Han noticed that he was panting heavily, clearly having been traveling at high speed without stopping, and became serious.

After receiving the letter and verifying that the sealing wax was correct, he quickly opened it.

His gaze swept over the letter, and his brows furrowed habitually at first, but as he read the contents, his brows rose higher and higher.

"Count all veterans who have served for ten years or more?" General Han looked up at the messenger. "What does the commander-in-chief mean by this? Is it to reorganize the army?"

The deputy general standing nearby scoffed upon hearing this and retorted, "What's there to statistic about this?"

"At most, we can only muster about three thousand men to fight. Bring me the roster and just cross out the names of those brats. There aren't many of them anyway."

"The rest of them, one by one, are all veterans who have been around for over ten years!"

His words were half a joke, and half a statement of harsh reality.

Huweibao is located on the front line, with harsh conditions, a high casualty rate, and extremely difficult replenishment of troops.

The military is already dominated by veterans, with very little fresh blood; everyone is a precious gem.

These two commanders might not recognize the squad leaders and platoon leaders below them, but they could clearly remember the names of every young soldier.

General Han glared at his deputy, signaling him to be careful with his words, then looked at the messenger: "Brother, you've worked hard. Why did the commander suddenly compile this? Is there some new decree from the court?"

He keenly sensed that this was clearly not something Ma Jing could accomplish.

In recent years, the Northwest Army has faced increasing difficulties, and Ma Jing can only act as a repairman, patching up problems from one end to the other, and doing his best to maintain morale.

The act of collecting statistics on veterans is clearly not conducive to stabilizing morale within the military.

The messenger wiped the sweat from his face, his eyes gleaming: "Reporting to the general, it's His Majesty! His Majesty has personally arrived in Lanzhou!"

"What?!" General Han and his deputy exclaimed simultaneously.

"Absolutely true!" The messenger nodded emphatically. "His Majesty personally inspected our granaries and armories, and it is said that he was furious and immediately ordered them to be renovated!"

"The commander-in-chief said that His Majesty is considerate of the hardships faced by the border troops, especially these veteran brothers who have served for many years, and intends to let them retire and return to their hometowns. The court will provide them with resettlement and compensation!"

"Retire and go home?" The lieutenant's sneer froze instantly, replaced by a resentful sneer. "What a joke! If all the veterans leave, who will guard Tiger Might Fort for him?"

"Given the current situation, which of those delicate young men from within the Great Wall would be willing to come to this godforsaken place to live a life of hardship and toil?"

"What the imperial court says, just listen to it and forget about it!"

"Shut up!" General Han shouted sternly, his face darkening. "How dare you criticize His Majesty?! If you dare to speak nonsense again, you will be subject to military law!"

Deputy General Wang shut his mouth in a huff, but the resentment in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

This is not just his opinion.

The Northwest Army was far from the central government, and the feelings of these middle and lower-ranking generals and soldiers towards the imperial court were extremely complex.

During Emperor Qing's reign, the border troops' rations and pay were often delayed or withheld, making them like children raised by a stepmother, with no one truly caring for them.

They guard the nation's borders, shedding blood and sweat, yet they receive no respect or protection in return.

Long-accumulated grievances have led to their extremely low sense of identification with the imperial court, and they instinctively harbor suspicion towards any news from the central government.

Li Che's reign was short, and he had not yet established a deep bond of gratitude.

General Han took a deep breath and turned to the messenger: "Is it really His Majesty who has come in person? What did the Commander-in-Chief say?"

The messenger nodded vigorously: "The commander-in-chief was so excited that he didn't sleep a wink all night and sent us out before dawn."

"The commander-in-chief told me to tell all the generals that the Northwest Army really has hope this time, and His Majesty is serious."

"The commander-in-chief has instructed you to cooperate fully and complete the task properly; this is also to secure a future for our own people!"

General Han pondered for a moment and nodded: "Since it is His Majesty's decree, this humble general will obey it."

He paused, then said to the messenger, "Brother, you must be tired from your journey. Go and have some food and rest."

The messenger bowed and said, "Thank you, General! However, the military situation is urgent, and I must hurry to the next location."

"The commander-in-chief specifically instructed that this matter is of great importance, and all generals must take it seriously and not be perfunctory or make mistakes."

His last sentence was tactful, but the meaning was clear: it should not be treated as a vanity project, but rather as a practical matter.

After the messenger left, the yamen fell silent once more.

The lieutenant couldn't help but speak up: "Winter is approaching, and those Tibetan wolves will definitely come out to raid again. We're too busy patrolling and guarding to have time to do any statistics."

"If you ask me, just submit any number to get by. When has the imperial court ever failed to deliver anything more than a show of force?"

General Han did not immediately reprimand him, but stared at the letter from Ma Jing on the table and remained silent.

"Old Wang," he said slowly, "what if this time, His Majesty is truly determined to thoroughly reorganize the Northwest Army?"

Deputy General Wang choked for a moment, then frowned and said, "So what? Reorganization requires people, money, and supplies! What we lack here is not determination, but tangible things."

"His Majesty may be different." General Han's gaze was far-reaching. "Don't forget, when the Guanzhong War was raging two years ago, His Majesty allocated a batch of muskets and cannons to the commander-in-chief."

"At that time, the imperial court was also at war and was not wealthy, but His Majesty still helped us."

"This emperor... may really be different."