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

Li Che looked at the kneeling generals of the Huan Kingdom Army, and the background music seemed to faintly ring in his ears:

[The morning moon brushes against the fleeting years, and the farewell that cannot be let go flickers and disappears]

[The mottled years are never forgotten, leaving behind two or three volumes of pure joy that dazzle the eyes]

Young...Young Marshal?

This name is not popular!

From ancient times to the present, there seems to be a young marshal who is more famous.

But on second thought, this title really gives his inheritance of this army a certain legitimacy.

The Huan Guo Army was an army from the previous dynasty. If they surrendered to Daqing, it would definitely not be the turn of him, the Prince of Ninggu, but he would have to surrender directly to the court.

And if he had the status of a young marshal, it would mean that Yang Zhongsi transferred his private army to his sons and nephews, which was legally acceptable.

"Uncle Yang, what are you doing..." Li Che looked at Yang Zhongsi.

"I'm old..." Yang Zhongsi let out a long sigh, his eyes drifting towards the wilderness outside the city. "The future you described is great, but I no longer have the energy to accomplish these great things with you."

"Speaking of which, your mother is my adopted sister, so I am also your elder."

"This army has served me for many years, and from now on I will hand it over to you to lead. You are a prince who loves his soldiers like his own children, and I believe you will treat them well."

Li Che looked at the generals of the Huan Guo army kneeling on the ground. He did not feel happy about achieving his goal, but rather felt a little heavy.

This is inheritance and also responsibility.

"Dad, where are you going..." Yang Xuan asked anxiously.

Yang Zhongsi smiled and said softly, "I can't stay here. The future belongs to you young people."

"I am old. Since I cannot die on the battlefield, I will retire to the mountains and forests."

. . . . . .

Yang Zhongsi indeed could not stay under Li Che's command.

First, his blind loyalty is too deep-rooted to change in a short time.

Second, there will be great resistance from the imperial court.

They might acquiesce in Li Che's attempt to subdue the Huan army. After all, compared to this former dynasty's forces, Emperor Qing certainly trusts his son more.

But Emperor Qing would never allow Yang Zhongsi, his great threat, to defect to Li Che's camp.

A general of the previous dynasty and a prince with the blood of the previous dynasty, the two combined have too much influence and prestige.

Even if Li Che had no intention of rebelling, those who still had illusions about the previous dynasty would still place their hopes on him.

Before Yang Zhongsi left, he and Li Che sorted out the remaining affairs of the Huan Guo army and the city of Andong.

First, let’s look at the situation of the Huan Guo army.

At its peak, the Huan Guo army had 40,000 cavalrymen, but by the time Jie Ming broke out and came to Li Che for help, only half of them were left.

Adding to the casualties suffered by the Goryeo army when it launched the general offensive, there were only 12,000 people left in the Huan Guo army, most of whom were injured.

But Li Che did not think it was too few. These twelve thousand people were all elite soldiers with rich combat experience and could adapt to the cold weather in Northeast China. Moreover, all of them were cavalry.

Not to mention that there are generals in the army who have followed Yang Zhongsi for many years, all of whom are senior command talents.

The only thing that gave Li Che a headache was still the problem of food.

The amount of food brought this time was not small, but it was more than enough to supply his own soldiers. But now with so many more mouths to feed, it was a bit stretched.

The Huan Guo army had 12,000 men, and preliminary statistics show that the Goryeo army captured at least 20,000 men.

Unless Li Che ordered the killing of all the captives, the food and supplies would soon be exhausted.

A few days later, Li Che sat in the government office in Andong City, sighing as he looked at the list of food consumption.

"what happened?"

Hearing the voice, Li Che looked up and saw Yang Zhongsi, dressed in a linen robe and looking like an ordinary old man, walking in.

After handing over the Huan Guo army to Li Che, Yang Zhongsi was relieved of the burden of many years and looked much younger.

He was not in a hurry to leave, but planned to help Li Che deal with the follow-up matters before leaving.

"It's still the food problem. It's a distressing issue." Li Che said helplessly, "The army only has enough food for three days."

"Why not kill those Koreans?" Yang Zhongsi said calmly, "With over 20,000 mouths to feed, the food shortage won't be so severe, right?"

Li Che was shocked: "But... killing prisoners is unlucky."

He didn't have much sympathy for the Koreans, but the values ​​in ancient times were different. If the ruler of a country committed too many sins of killing, he would be ostracized by mainstream society.

Just like when Bai Qi killed 400,000 soldiers and took the blame for King Zhaoxiang of Qin.

He still has ambitions to develop Northeast China, and it is impossible for him to ruin his reputation so quickly.

"That's right." Yang Zhongsi smiled, "Then I'll help you think of a solution."

"I'd like to hear the details." Li Che was overjoyed.

Yang Zhongsi casually pulled a map from the table and pointed to several locations: "Here, here, here, and here."

"These tribes once provided food and fodder to the Goryeo army. You can order them in the name of the young marshal to provide us with food and fodder, otherwise we will send troops to attack them!"

Li Che was surprised: "Can they agree?"

"They dare not refuse." Yang Zhongsi's expression was cold. "Who made them choose the wrong side? The Korean army failed to destroy me, so their act of aiding and abetting the tyrant must be punished!"

"These tribes have a total of 100,000 people, right? Will they join forces to attack?" Li Che asked again.

Yang Zhongsi shook his head. "No. Let's not even talk about the start of spring. Both the Khitans and the Hu people need to herd their sheep to fatten them up. At the same time, the fishing and hunting tribes also need to break the ice to catch fish and store their prey."

"Even if they could find time, their tribes are too scattered to quickly mobilize the army and gather together."

"Our army can definitely take the initiative and defeat them one by one."

Yang Zhongsi sighed, "It's a pity that the army needs to recuperate. It's not appropriate to send troops at this moment. Otherwise, we could really wipe them out and kill all the barbarians in this area."

Li Che thought about it and felt that it was worth a try.

The nearby tribes were all aware of Yang Zhongsi's reputation. When they helped Goryeo to raise military supplies, they should have known the consequences.

Now that Goryeo was defeated, these tribes were probably worried, fearing that Yang Zhongsi would take revenge.

Now I am just asking them for some food, which is already a kindness on my part.

"Also, Goryeo must pay a price!" Yang Zhongsi's eyes flashed coldly. "This city and 20,000 prisoners are our bargaining chips."

"They have returned with a crushing defeat, and the morale of the army and the people at home will undoubtedly be unstable. We can use this as a threat and demand a huge price from them, forcing them to pay money and food to redeem these captives and the city."

"As far as I know, the situation in Goryeo has not been good in recent years. In order to appease the situation, the King of Goryeo will definitely agree to our request."

"Then you will keep the strong Korean captives as slaves. The old, weak, disabled and sick captives will be sent over."

"Let these disabled and sick people consume Goryeo's food and medicine, and drag down their finances. Within five years, they will no longer be able to invade the border."

"This kills two birds with one stone!"

Li Che was stunned for a moment, then looked at Yang Zhongsi with shining eyes.

What an old Yin Bo...Pah, pah, pah, what a talent!