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

On the banks of the Yalu River, clouds rolled over the Wumeng Mountains, and large snowflakes swayed and fell, wrapping the city of Andong in a layer of white.

The soldiers patrolling outside the gate stepped on the thick snow, making a crackling sound.

Li Che stood up, closed the window, and blew into his palms.

"The last snow has arrived, and spring has officially arrived." Yang Zhongsi said as he sat by the fire.

Li Che hummed and sighed, "Yeah, the weather is getting warmer, and we won't be freezing to death anymore."

Having lived in the Northeast for more than 20 years in his previous life, how could he not know that after the last snow of spring falls, the temperature will warm up quickly.

If I had not traveled through time, I could put away my cotton coat and trousers now and wear them next year.

"It's time for you to return to your fiefdom and oversee the spring plowing, right?" Yang Zhongsi asked.

"Yes."

Li Che had already made plans for the first farming in Ninggu County.

The people of Ninggu County had tried to grow something before. After all, it was the bloodline of the flower-growing family, so they would grow whatever they wanted.

But the crops grown by the people were too diverse, all of which were common crops in the Central Plains and were not very suitable for the climate of the Northeast, resulting in a very pessimistic harvest.

Now that Li Che is here, the types of crops must be carefully planned.

Corn and cotton must be planted, but Li Che has no idea whether these two crops can adapt to this land.

He planned to divide the field into two halves, planting one half with the seeds he brought with him, and the other half with common cold-resistant crops such as millet, wheat, and sorghum in the north.

In this way, even if crops such as corn and cotton cannot germinate outside the Great Wall, Ninggu County will not suffer a complete harvest as there are other crops to provide a backup.

"That's good." Yang Zhongsi returned to the table and placed a black piece on the chessboard.

Li Che frowned, not understanding Yang Zhongsi's strategy, and made a move on his own.

Yang Zhongsi also looked at him strangely, then shook his head and asked, "When are you planning to leave?"

"I'll be leaving once Mr. Zhuge returns with the compensation from Goryeo," Li Che replied. "What about you?"

Yang Zhongsi replied, "I will go with you, but I will not enter Ninggu County."

"We are in Chaoyang City now." Li Che reminded.

"Oh, right, Chaoyang City." Yang Zhongsi nodded. "It sounds better than Ninggu County City. You are a good name picker."

Li Che smiled slightly and did not ask Yang Zhongsi where he was going.

After spending these few days together, the two of them have established a foundation of relationship as both teacher and friend.

Yang Zhongsi treated Li Che as his nephew, and Li Che also liked this old man very much.

This old man is stubborn. If I try to ask him too many questions, I won't get anything out of him and it will only make him angry.

The old man has been a soldier for half his life and is not a man without sense of propriety. He must have plans for the future, so why should I ask too much?

Li Che made another move, and a smug look suddenly appeared on his face: "Old man, you lose!"

Yang Zhongsi was stunned for a moment: "What did you lose?"

Li Che drew a line on the chessboard: "Five stars in a row, you lose."

Yang Zhongsi's veins popped out, and after making sure that Li Che was not joking, he resisted the urge to smash the chessboard on his head.

"Five stars in a row means you win. What kind of rule is this?"

"Gobang." Li Che blinked. "You haven't played it before, have you?"

Yang Zhongsi took a deep breath and reached out to mess up the chessboard:

"No more, no more, it's time for you to learn the art of war!"

Li Che looked at him with disdain.

The old man is so bad, why can't he afford to have fun?

As military affairs became less frequent these days, Li Che had some free time, so he asked Yang Zhongsi for advice on military tactics.

Military tactics are not easy to learn, as they are usually family traditions and based on experience.

Without a guide, even if Li Che studied hard behind closed doors for decades, he would probably still be an unconventional person.

Yang Zhongsi should be one of the top commanders of this era, so Li Che would naturally not miss the opportunity to learn from him.

"Today I will learn the formation."

That’s right, Li Che had already studied for a few days before Yang Zhongsi explained the formation to him.

It was not easy to be a general in ancient times. Formation was not the basics, but advanced knowledge.

In ancient wars, more than half of the time was spent on marching, and the success of the march depended on logistics.

There are many details about food, fodder, stoves, and camps.

Even how the army defecates and urinates has its rules. It is definitely not okay to allow soldiers to urinate and defecate anywhere. The smell is a small matter. The most important thing is that if it is not handled properly, it may lead to the occurrence of epidemics.

Li Che also just realized that there are so many things to say when an army marches. Fortunately, he had few people under his command, so there was no trouble.

"Don't underestimate the great victory you won a few days ago, but from what I've seen of your cavalry tactics, they were riddled with errors. If the Goryeo army hadn't been completely unprepared, your cavalry would have been trapped."

Yang Zhongsi criticized Li Che without any hesitation, but Li Che did not get angry. Instead, he became more serious.

Yang Zhongsi nodded in satisfaction and continued, "The tactics you used earlier, sending cavalry directly into the infantry phalanx, were incredibly costly. Do you know how many horses were killed in that battle?"

Li Che lamented, "Including the dead and the disabled, there are at least more than a thousand horses."

The medical conditions in Daqing were not as good as those in later generations. If a horse's hoof was broken, it was basically impossible to reconnect it, and the horse would be useless.

In the battle a few days ago, many horses became useless and had to be killed to serve as military rations. Li Che had been eating horse meat for several days and was almost vomiting.

"When I'm fighting, I usually let my infantry fight the enemy's infantry first. Once the enemy infantry shows signs of slacking off, I'll send my elite cavalry for a quick flank charge."

Li Che asked, "Hammer and Anvil Tactics?"

"Huh?" Yang Zhongsi's eyes lit up, and he stroked his beard and nodded. "Infantry is the anvil, cavalry is the hammer. This name is quite appropriate."

How could it not be appropriate? Li Che is very familiar with this tactic.

Send infantry to hold the line and let the cavalry attack from the side and back. This process was used by the West from ancient Greece to World War II, and Nazi Germany still used it extensively.

In the history of the great Eastern country, Li Shimin should be the person who was most skilled in using hammer and anvil tactics.

But his tactics were a little different. He usually led the cavalry in a flank attack himself, and he was able to kill the enemy every time.

With the intention of teaching the young man, Yang Zhongsi explained to Li Che in detail the cavalry tactics he often used.

Li Che was fascinated by what he heard and quickly transformed Yang Zhongsi's command experience into knowledge in his own head.

"And infantry tactics..."

Li Che came back to his senses and shook his head: "Forget about the infantry. I can't hold so many things in my head at once."

Li Che was not prepared to learn infantry tactics because he felt that the current infantry tactics were not suitable for the Ninggu Army.

In other words, it will be eliminated soon.

Once he invented black gunpowder, all traditional hand-to-hand combat tactics would be eliminated, and the Ninggu Army would have to use more advanced tactics.

For example, the anti-fire tactics of heavy infantry holding the line in the front, grenades throwing in the middle, and crossbowmen firing from the rear.

Once I mastered the technology of firearms, I could even use the "three-three system" squad assault tactics that were so effective in modern warfare.

At present, the Ninggu Army still has to focus on cavalry. After all, before the appearance of tanks, cavalry has always been the protagonist of the war.

Yang Zhongsi frowned and was about to advise Li Che not to underestimate the infantry.

Before he could finish his words, a personal guard announced from outside the door: "Your Highness, Mr. Zhuge is back."