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

Li Che rode on his horse, passed through the gate of Xiangping City, and looked up at the city.

As one of the five capitals of the Liao Dynasty, this city is larger than Chaoyang City and its walls are thicker than Chaoyang City.

It's a pity that the Khitans didn't know how to defend the city. If they could raise the walls, build more trenches and bunkers, and dig a moat outside the city...

Even with an army of 100,000, it would be impossible to storm it.

It’s a pity that although the Khitan cavalry was invincible on the plains, they still suffered from their poor ability to defend the city.

This is also an inevitable result. A nomadic people who does not understand internal affairs and development will inevitably not be able to control such a large territory.

Seeing the royal flag enter the city, the soldiers of the National Protection Army were stunned for a moment, and then their eyes burst into fanatical admiration.

"Greetings to the young marshal! The young marshal is mighty!"

There was a loud sound of armor colliding, and wherever Li Che passed by, the soldiers of the National Protection Army knelt on the ground.

This call of "Young Marshal" came from the bottom of my heart and I was convinced.

Just ask yourself, which commander would risk his life to fight against an army of 100,000 just to save a city that could fall at any time?

If the previous time in Andong City is counted, Li Che has personally rescued the National Protection Army twice.

At this moment, Li Che's prestige in the army was on par with that of the old commander Yang Zhongsi, not to mention surpassing him.

Having such a leader is enough to make the soldiers willingly die for him.

Li Che looked at those eager eyes and felt warm in his heart.

He finally understood the mentality of those rebellious princes and commanders in ancient times.

With tens of thousands of people willing to serve him and even die for him to accomplish his great cause, it is perfectly normal for them to have inappropriate thoughts about that position.

Li Che laughed and scolded: "Alright, kneel down, I told you that kneeling is not necessary in the army. Do you think my words are bullshit?"

"Everyone, get up!"

Everyone then stood up one by one. Li Che dismounted, walked up to a soldier, helped him straighten his helmet, and patted him on the shoulder.

The soldier's face flushed immediately, and he felt honored, and his back straightened.

"This battle was hard, and our army's victory is all thanks to your dedication!" Li Che said loudly.

Everyone said in unison: "Thank you for your hard work, young commander!"

Li Che raised his right hand, and everyone fell silent instantly.

"I will reward you for your contributions."

"In addition, to encourage your loyalty in defending the city, every soldier in the National Defense Army will receive an extra month's pay from this king's private treasury!"

Everyone was delighted: "Thank you, Marshal, for the reward!"

Li Che nodded, his expression becoming solemn: "The soldiers who died in this battle, this king will never forget, Fengguo will never forget, and Daqing will never forget!"

"I will record their compensation. I know most of your family members are inside the pass, but that's okay."

"I will send people to look for them. If they are willing, they will be brought to Fengguo. If they are not willing, the compensation will be delivered to them. There will be no mistakes!"

"Though the martyrs are dead, their spirits live on forever! I have promised to build a tall monument for them, where they will be worshipped by the people for eternity, and their spirits will live on forever!"

There was a faint sound of sobbing from the crowd. After Li Che finished speaking, the soldiers were already boiling with excitement:

"I am willing to die for the young marshal, I am willing to die for the young marshal!"

After pacifying the soldiers, Li Che walked towards the tent below the city wall. ** Zhi and others hurriedly came up to him:

"Meet the young marshal."

Li Che waved his hand and looked at Jie Quan who was leaning weakly against the city wall: "How is your injury? Can you still bear it?"

Jie Quan grinned, revealing a half-missing tooth: "Don't worry, Marshal, this is just a minor injury. It will heal after a few days of rest."

Li Che smiled and gently hit his shoulder: "I heard about your deeds, you are a good one."

"I am of low ability. I can't strategize, nor do I have the ability to charge into battle. Fortunately, I didn't embarrass the young commander."

Li Che shook his head: "A brave general is a victorious general, and one who understands military strategy wins. Your courage is unrivaled among the three armies!"

Xie Quan's eyes were slightly red, and he choked up and said, "Young Marshal..."

Li Che patted him, stood up and looked at **zhi: "You are the first to make the decision in this battle."

"I dare not." **Zhi suddenly knelt on one knee. "I apologize for my arbitrariness. There is one thing I decided arbitrarily, and the young marshal is not aware of it."

Jie An, Jie Ming, and Yang Xuan suddenly knelt down together: "Young Marshal, this matter was decided by us all. Please punish us."

Li Che's expression suddenly changed.

These generals of the National Protection Army made great contributions. They accounted for at least 60% of the victory in this battle.

What big thing happened that is worth them all apologizing together?

Could it be that he violated his own military discipline, raped women, and killed innocent people to gain merit?!

"Get up and talk about the matter first." Li Che said lightly without expressing his opinion.

"In our first battle with the Khitan army, we captured over 10,000 of them. However, we ran out of rations, and with reinforcements arriving, we were attacked from both sides."

** Zhi gritted his teeth and said, "I will give the order to bury and kill ten thousand prisoners!"

Li Che looked at him in surprise: "No more?"

"Gone."

His expression instantly softened.

That’s it?

"There is indeed something wrong with the way this matter was handled." Li Che said slowly.

When everyone heard this, their hearts suddenly rose to their throats.

They were not afraid of being punished by the young marshal, but they were afraid of implicating the National Protection Army.

The National Protection Army has an awkward status and cannot be considered Li Che's direct subordinate. They could have caught the young marshal's eye through this battle, but if the killing of prisoners affects the future of the National Protection Army, they will never be able to redeem themselves.

"Since we've already killed them, why not take their heads and build a memorial to intimidate the enemy?"

Hearing this, everyone looked at Li Che in confusion.

Li Che, however, was smiling, his expression not pretending. "Before your National Protection Army arrived, I built a Jingguan outside Chaoyang City. Unfortunately, there weren't enough people, so the scale was a bit small."

"With tens of thousands of people, the Jingguan built should be very spectacular and beautiful, right? Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, what a pity."

Everyone:. . .

Good news: The young marshal is reasonable.

The bad news: But it's a bit too much...

"However," Li Che changed the subject, "Killing prisoners is indeed a violation of military discipline. Considering that this is your first offense, I'll punish you by having you eat half a steamed bun less tonight."

**zhi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Marshal."

He naturally knew that eating half a bun less was just a joke, and the young marshal really didn't care about it.

But he didn't know why Commander Hu Qiang looked at him strangely, as if full of sympathy.

Li Che smiled, then thought that this military rule prohibiting the killing of prisoners needed to be changed.

It is not good to kill prisoners because they are also very important labor force.

However, in an emergency, the inability to properly accommodate prisoners, coupled with military regulations, will inevitably put the general in a dilemma.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to change it to "prisoners cannot be killed without reason".

"Alright." Li Che cleared his throat and looked at everyone, "Generals, listen to my orders."

**zhi and others bowed their heads and listened attentively.

"Jie Quan has made great contributions in stopping the enemy, Jie Ming has made great contributions in defending the city, and Yang Xuan has made great contributions in attacking the camp. They are all awarded the rank of general and can lead an army in battle."

The three of them were shocked and quickly said respectfully, "Thank you, Marshal."

Li Che nodded and looked at Jie An again: "Jie An led the troops in this battle and has the demeanor of a great general. He is promoted to the commander-in-chief of the National Protection Army."

Jie An was stunned and looked at **zhi in confusion.

I was promoted to the commander-in-chief of the National Protection Army, where did Old Chen go?

**zhi's face was calm. He knew that the young marshal would not abandon him after he had served his purpose. He must be transferring him to a more important position.

As expected, Li Che immediately said, "**zhi is the chief meritorious official in this battle! He is promoted to the magistrate of Xiangping City and concurrently appointed as the general of Xiangping City. He will be stationed in Xiangping City from today!"

**'s face showed surprise.

Daqing implemented a county system, with the county magistrate and the general serving as the political and military leaders of a region respectively.

Holding two positions, he was in control of the military and political power of Xiangping City, becoming a local emperor in name only.

In other words, apart from Li Che, ** Zhi is the person who holds the most power in Feng State.

"This... Young Marshal, please think twice. The magistrate and general have too much authority. I'm afraid I can't handle this responsibility."

Li Che waved his hand and said, "That's fine. You can stay here to guard the border and train the troops. I'm short of manpower now, so those who are capable should do more work."

"I...I will obey your orders."

"You should all rest well from now on. The war should have come to an end. I have already sent Wang Sanchun back to defend Guangning City. Now it depends on whether the Khitan Khan wants to continue the fight."

. . . . . .

Shangjing.

In the main hall, Yelu Daha's face was as gloomy as water.

Although Khal Khan had not yet fled back to Shangjing, the news of his defeat had already arrived, and the Khitan monarch and his ministers had learned of the great defeat on the front line.

Inside the hall, civil and military officials stood on both sides, all with solemn expressions, but their hearts were filled with uneasiness and fear.

"A hundred thousand troops! A hundred thousand troops!" a civil official spat, his face filled with anger. "This battle cost us a hundred thousand men, we lost two important cities, and it has caused division among the tribes!"

"The most elite Zuopishi Army was completely annihilated. When has the Liao Dynasty ever suffered such a heavy loss?"

"The Khan should send more troops to fight the Fengtian Army to the death and recapture our territory to comfort the souls of the fallen soldiers in heaven!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the court.

It is said that military generals are warlike, but in fact, it is not true. As long as it suits their interests, there are also many civil officials who are warlike.

This is the case with the Khitan. Civil officials are responsible for governing the country, but the Khitan is now a tribal system, and the Liao Dynasty exists in name only.

Only the directly affiliated cities can be governed by civil officials. If one city is missing, the power of the civil officials will be weakened.

"There have been endless wars in the north, and the Heishui Mohe have repeatedly rebelled in the east. Where can our Liao Kingdom find any useful troops?" someone retorted.

"Then tell me, how should we deal with the affairs of the state?"

The man bowed to Yelu Dahe and said, "I believe we should negotiate with Prince Feng. The Qing people claim to be the Celestial Empire and practice the ways of sages. As long as we are sincere, they will withdraw their troops and even offer gifts to appease them."

This statement did not cause any waves. In the eyes of the Khitan monarchs and ministers, this was indeed the state of the Central Plains dynasty.

If you lose a fight, you have to pay money. Even if you win, as long as the other party sincerely begs for mercy, they will "generously" offer food and cloth to appease them.

It is the ancient version of medical expenses.

Although it is a bit embarrassing to ask for peace with a fledgling vassal king, who made them lose the battle?

The peace faction and the war faction argued endlessly, but Yelu Dahe just watched coldly.

It was not until the ministers were exhausted from arguing that Yelu Daha straightened up and spoke slowly.