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

Li Che was indeed very angry at this moment.

After taking control of Chaoyang City for a month, they began to chop off the heads of a group of barbarian envoys to calm the people's hearts.

In recent days, several victims have finally reacted one after another.

For example, the Mohe people, because they were relatively close to Chaoyang City, had long heard the news that the Limo tribe was wiped out by Li Che, and knew that Chaoyang City had risen and was no longer the same.

The Ninggu Army was able to destroy the powerful Limo tribe, so naturally it could also crush other weaker Mohe tribes.

Therefore, even if their envoys disappeared, they all became silent.

The Xi and Shiwei tribes, which were a little further away, and the more powerful Heishui Mohe tribe, also did not make any movement.

Or maybe they were too arrogant and didn't care about a mere Ninggu County at all, and didn't even take the envoy's disappearance seriously.

But the Songmo tribe of the Khitans was different. It was not known whether their leader was stubborn or stupid.

Li Che had just caused such a big stir in Goryeo that shocked several Khitan tribes, but they were completely unaware of it.

I thought the people in charge of Ninggu County were those weak aristocratic families, but today they sent envoys to Chaoyang City to demand an explanation, and their words were completely rude.

Li Che naturally refused to accept this humiliation. He had worked so hard to show off his power and make the soldiers and civilians in the city stand up straight. How could he be frightened by a small Khitan like you?

Just now in the lobby, he scolded the envoy sent by the Songmo tribe.

After Li Che finished scolding, he sat in his seat and waited for his luck.

Qiu Bai beside him quickly poured him a pot of tea.

Li Che took a sip of tea and saw out of the corner of his eye that Jie Ming brought a young man over. He nodded slightly and signaled them to wait.

Then he looked at the trembling messenger kneeling on the ground and said coldly:

"When two countries are at war, envoys are not executed. I will not hold you responsible for your offense just now. Go back and tell your leader exactly what I said."

Anyone who can be an envoy is naturally not a stupid person.

Seeing the new vassal king of Ninggu County had such a defiant attitude, he immediately realized that he was not a weak lord.

He immediately knelt on the ground with all his heart and whispered, "I obey your command."

Li Che sneered: "Just now your nose was raised to the sky, and now you call yourself a foreign minister. You Khitans are not that stubborn."

The messenger lowered his head and said nothing.

The more Li Che looked at him, the more he disliked him. He said sinisterly, "If you insult the prince, you can escape the death penalty, but you can't escape the punishment of life."

"Come here, cut off his nose and throw it on the roof! Let him lift it up for me, and then he can lift it up in heaven!"

Upon hearing this, the envoy was horrified: "Your Highness, this is unacceptable... This is against etiquette and undermines your dignity!"

"Besides, didn't you just say that when two countries are at war, envoys should not be killed?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Li Che said impatiently, "Just tell me whether I didn't kill you or not."

The punishment of cutting off the nose is called "Yi Xing", which is one of the five corporal punishments and is considered a very cruel punishment.

The nose is the organ for breathing and distinguishing fragrance and odor. Although cutting it off will not endanger a person's life, it will cause great damage to a person's image and is also a great destruction to personal dignity.

Therefore, the purpose of the punishment of cutting off the nose is not only to punish the criminal behavior, but more importantly it is a humiliating punishment that will accompany the criminal for the rest of his life.

Li Che waved his hand impatiently, and his personal guards stepped forward to drag the wailing messenger away.

The envoy looked at the civil and military officials on both sides in despair, but found that these people had no intention of stepping forward to plead for mercy, and they were all watching coldly.

This was different from his impression of Daqing officials. Aren't Daqing officials always talking about propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame, claiming to be a country of etiquette and rituals, and disdaining to attack envoys?

Shi Yong watched the Khitan envoy being dragged in front of him, and then heard a scream outside, and his legs began to tremble.

Is this cutting off someone's nose?

Brother Jie hasn't read much, so do you have any misunderstanding about the word "gentle and elegant"?

Li Che calmed down and looked at the others: "I'm afraid the situation with the Khitan will not end peacefully. Next, we must speed up the reorganization of the army and give priority to military reform and training."

Chen Gui's eyes suddenly lit up, and he stood up and said, "Your Highness, my Gunpowder Department has already produced 500 grenades. If we increase the scale of production, we will surely be able to repel the enemy."

Li Che shook his head: "No, why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken? Gunpowder is the trump card, the Songmo tribe is not worthy of it!"

Gunpowder is not only a killer weapon, but also a double-edged sword.

Once we use gunpowder, the news will spread to the barbarians outside the Great Wall.

A smart person will think of a countermeasure. When the time comes, when he uses gunpowder, the other party will be prepared and he will lose the advantage of taking the initiative.

What if the news of the power of gunpowder reaches the court again and my cheap father becomes suspicious and asks me for the formula?

Ninggu County's assembly line production is still in its early stages, and its productivity is far inferior to that of Daqing. It is not wise to start an industrial competition at this time.

The most urgent thing is to develop slowly and don’t waste time!

Seeing this, Wang Sanchun couldn't wait to stand up and said, "Your Highness, the Ninggu Army requests a fight!"

**zhi frowned slightly and stood up: "The National Protection Army is willing to help Your Highness wipe out the Songmo tribe."

He Conglong also stood up, bowed, and said nothing.

The Chaoyang Army was composed of new recruits, and he was not sure he could lead them to win this battle.

Li Che shook his head: "Don't worry, this matter is my free arrangement. Let's continue to discuss the issue of the army."

He Conglong said, "Your Highness, the spring plowing is in full swing in the city now. The soldiers often discuss it privately and want to join in."

Li Che looked at him: "You mean..."

"Your Highness, why don't you learn from the imperial court's garrison system and establish military registration and distribute military land. Let the soldiers fight the enemy during wartime and cultivate the land during leisure time, thus generating additional food income."

Li Che pondered for a moment and shook his head decisively.

Farming?

In the context of time-travel novels, this is indeed a good policy.

But reality is not fiction.

During the Tang, Song and Ming dynasties, soldiers who had settled in the military farms were transformed from professional soldiers into half-soldiers and half-farmers, and examples of their combat effectiveness plummeting were common.

What Li Che wanted were professional, full-time soldiers, a group of howling wild wolf soldiers.

We cannot reduce the army’s combat effectiveness for the sake of temporary interests.

"There's no need to mention this matter any further. In the lands beyond the Great Wall, a strong army is the only guarantee. How can a soldier, armed with swords, spears, bows, and arrows, touch a hoe?"

He Conglong looked troubled. "It's just that the soldiers are used to daily training now, and they have nowhere to expend their energy after training."

"Those who are married are fine, but those bachelors are really..."

"Nothing to do?" Li Che laughed immediately. "That's easy. How about an exercise?"

"Exercises? Your Highness said it was a military exercise?"

Li Che nodded: "That's right, but this exercise cannot be carried out near Chaoyang City."

"Then where to go?"

"How about going to the doorstep of the nearby barbarians?" Li Che said with a mischievous smile.