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

The Imperial Capital of Daqing, the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

It was lunchtime and the palace was completely silent. The eunuchs and palace maids walked around on tiptoe, not daring to make any noise.

Qin Huizhi held the report in both hands and hurriedly followed the eunuch out of the hall.

"Your Majesty, Minister of Rites Qin Huizhi requests to see you." The young eunuch whispered.

After waiting for a while, Emperor Qing's slightly tired voice came from inside:

"come in."

"Yes." The young eunuch looked at Qin Huizhi, "Minister Qin, please come in."

"Thank you, eunuch." Qin Huizhi bowed gently to the eunuch, stepped over the threshold carefully and entered the Yangxin Palace.

The hall was a little dim, and Emperor Qing was getting up from an old couch, apparently having just taken a nap.

Behind the couch, there was a bird with colorful feathers, crouching on the bird stand.

Seeing Qin Huizhi coming in, the bird glanced at him lazily, then lowered its head and continued to comb its feathers.

Qin Huizhi curled the corner of his mouth, feeling more and more that His Majesty, this bird, had acquired some imperial majesty through the influence of his surroundings.

When did this bird appear in the palace?

It seems that it has been since the news came that King Bong defeated Goryeo.

There were many knowledgeable officials in the court, and someone had recognized it long ago. This bird was a pheasant called "Flying Dragon" from outside the Great Wall.

Outside the Great Wall, it is a food, but in this palace, it becomes a beloved pet.

Emperor Qing saw Qin Huizhi staring at his Long Er in a daze, and he immediately said displeasedly, "What are you doing here in the middle of the day?"

Qin Huizhi came back to his senses, panicked, and quickly knelt down: "I was in a trance for a moment, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

Emperor Qing waved his hand, signaling him to get up.

Qin Huizhi finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Majesty, the Khitan envoy has delivered a letter to the Ministry of Rites. I dare not delay and will present it to Your Majesty in person."

"Oh?" Emperor Qing's half-closed eyes immediately opened, a sharp look flashing across his face. "Why are the Khitans, outside the Great Wall, sending me a letter for no reason?"

Emperor Qing instantly thought of his son outside the Great Wall.

Could it be that the old Khitan Yelu bullied his own son?

And you rebelled against him! I am old, not dead, so it is easy for me to deal with Yelu Dahe!

Just as he was about to reach out and take the memorial from Qin Huizhi's hand, Huang Jin's voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, there is a letter from the Sixth Prince."

Emperor Qing's hand shrank slightly and he laughed:

"Interesting, you even arrived together?"

The Khitan letter and Li Che's letter arrived together, which must mean that something has happened outside the Great Wall, and there is a high probability that there is a war.

Emperor Qing was no longer in a hurry. He stood up and walked to the bird stand, taking out a few pumpkin seeds from his sleeve.

He peeled the melon seeds himself and brought the flat kernel inside to Feilong's mouth:

"Long'er, eat."

The bird slowly lowered its head and gently picked up the nut from Emperor Qing's palm with its beak, being careful not to touch his hand.

Qin Huizhi and Huang Jin stood side by side, neither of them dared to speak.

Qin Huizhi watched the bird from the corner of his eye, secretly complaining in his heart: "What a wild bird that can guess the emperor's mind, it is just like its master. It is obviously just a dish on the table, but it can defy the will of heaven and change its fate, and enjoy all kinds of favors."

Although Qin Huizhi secretly thought that Li Che had bad intentions in offering his playthings, he did not dare to say it.

At the beginning of the year, I had offended the Sixth Prince and was demoted three levels by His Majesty, and was appointed to the position of Minister of Rites. How could I dare to say anything more?

After a long time, Emperor Qing finished feeding the birds and returned to the table. He picked up the herbal tea beside him and took a sip.

"First, bring me Yelu Dahe's letter."

Qin Huizhi hurriedly walked forward with his back bent, and respectfully placed the scroll in his hand on the table.

Emperor Qing reached out and picked up the scroll, spread it out in front of him and began to read.

After a moment, his eyes became strange and his hands began to tremble slightly.

After a while, his eyes gradually became serious, and a cold majesty emanated from him.

He read the letter of several thousand words for a full quarter of an hour before slowly closing the scroll and letting out a long sigh.

"call--"

"More than ten years ago, I led my army out of the Great Wall and defeated the barbarians, forcing them to flee in panic. They all submitted letters of surrender to show their submission."

"But at that time, I only did not move against the Khitans. It's not that I couldn't defeat them, but there was no need to. After all, they were still far away from Shanhaiguan and were a large country with a population of millions."

"Yelü Dahe was also a clever man. Seeing the Daqing army approaching with such force, he immediately sent gifts and food as a gesture of friendship. Seeing that he was understanding, I spared the Khitan. The two countries are now considered friendly nations."

"I never expected it. I never expected it. What I failed to accomplish was accomplished by my son."

Qin Huizhi and Huang Jin were shocked when they heard this, and their bodies froze.

According to your majesty, Prince Feng has made another achievement? And he defeated the Khitans?

My Supreme and Most High Haotian Jinque, the Natural and Wonderful Miro True Jade Emperor!

Those are Khitan wolf riders! Where does the Sixth Prince get the courage?!

"Gunpowder?... This thing actually has such an effect." Emperor Qing murmured again.

As he spoke, he picked up the scroll in his hand and threw it to Qin Huizhi: "Qin Aiqing is the Minister of Rites. Just look at this. Yelu Dahe is a good flatterer."

Qin Huizhi quickly took the scroll and began to read it carefully.

Emperor Qing picked up Li Che's letter and just as he opened the envelope, three folded pieces of Goryeo paper fell out.

Two pieces of paper are large and one piece of paper is small.

Emperor Qing picked up the smaller one casually, looked at it carefully, and his eyes gradually softened.

It’s the black powder formula. Lao Liu still knows his limits.

The other two large pieces of paper, one of which was sewn with yellow brocade, should be an official victory list.

Emperor Qing took a look and found that it was indeed a victory report, which explained the entire process of the battle, which was consistent with what Yelu Dahe said.

After reading it, Emperor Qing put it aside and then opened the last piece of paper, which was the letter written by Li Che himself.

[Your Majesty, are you well?]

Your son kowtows and is very happy today. I have good news to tell you.

Since I was crowned king, I have been serving the country. Although there have been many troubles on the border, I dare not slack off in the slightest.

The old Khitan Yelu dog has repeatedly violated the border, treated our Fengguo as nothing, and disregarded the dignity of Daqing.

I, your son, will always remember my father. As a prince, I should set an example and defend my country.

Therefore, whenever there is a war, I will go to the front line in person and share the hardships with the soldiers.

That old Khitan dog took advantage of my youth and provoked me repeatedly.

Little did he know that his son, having been taught by his father since childhood, was somewhat versed in military tactics. He immediately launched a counterattack in self-defense, beating the old dog to a pulp.

Seeing this, Emperor Qing couldn't help laughing.

You bastard, Yelu Dahe is older than your father and me, but you keep calling him an old Khitan dog. You don't have the demeanor of a prince at all.

Although he thought so in his heart, Emperor Qing still felt comfortable all over.

Young man, you should have this kind of courage and spirit that is not afraid of anything!

So what if I call my son Yelu Old Dog?

Unlike my other sons, who are timid when they see me, can I eat them alive?

Emperor Qing continued reading:

[At the time of the decisive battle, I will first design an ambush to lure the enemy deep into our territory, and then send out a surprise attack to catch them off guard.

After the first battle, the Khitan army was completely defeated, abandoning their weapons and armor and fleeing.

I saw it clearly. The Khitan commander was crawling on the ground in a very miserable state. He looked even more like a dog than his master.

When I find a painter, I will paint the scene to make my father happy.

After several consecutive battles, I defeated the enemy's army of 140,000 and captured two cities. The specific battle situation has been written into the battle report.

This victory brings great joy to my son, not only because we won the battle, but also because I am grateful to you for putting your teachings into practice today.

Emperor Qing was at a loss for words. He looked up at Huang Jin and asked, "Is there any skilled painter in the palace?"

Huang Jin quickly replied, "Yes, I'll call him over right away."

"No need. Let them pack up and go to Fengguo." Emperor Qing said.

Qin Huizhi had not yet come to terms with the Khitan letter and the book, and when he heard what Emperor Qing said, his mind became even more confused.

What is the use of a painter? His Majesty has never been fond of this and has never even left a portrait.

However, before he could think clearly, Emperor Qing had already stopped talking and continued to read with a smile:

[I still remember that when I was young, my father once said that innovation is the foundation of a strong country.

I have it in my heart, and dare not forget it. When I was serving the country, I worked day and night with the craftsmen, and finally improved the formula of black powder.

This thing is extremely powerful. If it is sealed in a can and thrown out when encountering an enemy, it can kill the enemy's horse; if it is thrown from a catapult, it can also break the enemy's city defense like a piece of dry wood with a rotten wood.

When the Khitan army saw this, they were all terrified and their morale plummeted.

I dare not keep this thing to myself, so I have written down the recipe and sent it along with the letter.

I hope Your Majesty will review it. If it can be used for the country, I will be honored as your son.

However, the formula of this substance is simple and very easy to leak. I ask Your Majesty to keep a close eye on it and make sure it does not fall into the hands of foreigners!

I know full well that a strong nation is not built overnight, and I hope this gift can help relieve your father's worries and contribute to the nation's development.

Emperor Qing's smile faded slightly and his expression became serious.

Black powder, black powder again.

Whether it is the Khitan and the book, Lao Liu's battle report, or this family letter, black gunpowder is mentioned frequently.

Especially Yelu Daha, who seemed to be very afraid of the power of black gunpowder and almost regarded it as a magical method.

Is this black powder really that powerful?

Emperor Qing secretly made up his mind and summoned officials from the Ministry of Works to immediately replicate the black gunpowder according to the formula.

No, the officials in the Ministry of Works are not reliable either. Maybe we can hand it over to a loyal eunuch?

No, eunuchs are not without their share of political troubles...

Or, should I figure it out myself?

Thinking about it, he silently picked up the recipe and put it into his sleeve.

[However, the land of Feng State has been plagued by wars for years, and the people are living in hardship.

Although I have tried my best to comfort them, I am powerless. Every night when everyone is asleep, I think of the suffering of the people and my heart cannot calm down.

I beg Your Majesty to have mercy on me and give me some help, whether it is food, cloth, or medical supplies, it will help alleviate the people's urgent needs.

I, your son, know full well that the national treasury is limited and I dare not ask for anything extravagant. I hope that Your Majesty can lend a helping hand so that the people of Fengguo will appreciate Your Majesty's grace and see hope again.]

Emperor Qing shook his head helplessly.

Good boy, after showing off your military achievements, you come here to cry poor.

Thinking of this, a hint of helplessness flashed in Emperor Qing's eyes.

Logically speaking, Lao Liu deserves a reward for his great contribution.

But I don’t have any money!

Last year's harvest was poor, this year there's unrest on the border, and successive disasters in the south. The national treasury...

"Ugh......"

Emperor Qing sighed slightly. When Qin Huizhi noticed it, he immediately became suspicious.

What on earth did Prince Feng write that made His Majesty, who usually keeps his emotions secret, look happy one moment and sigh the next?

This King Feng is really weird!

No one in the court could make His Majesty express his emotions in words, but he was thousands of miles away, yet he could do it!

Qin Huizhi's curiosity suddenly aroused, and his heart felt itchy like a cat scratching.