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

Xue Zhen's attitude towards Li Che has always been complicated.

It started with sympathy.

After all, Shanhaiguan is the most remote pass in Daqing, and the area beyond the pass cannot be considered the real territory of Daqing.

Your Majesty has sent such a young prince here. To put it nicely, it is a vassalage, but to put it bluntly, it is exile.

However, this sympathy gradually disappeared after meeting Li Che for the first time.

This prince was not at all the weak and cowardly person he had imagined. He was bold and decisive, quite scheming, and deeply loved by his subordinates.

At such a young age, he actually acted with me to alleviate His Majesty's suspicion.

Sure enough, none of the princes born in the imperial family are simple.

Those few whippings only changed Xue Zhen's opinion of Li Che, but Li Che's deeds of defeating Goryeo and Khitan made him admire him.

Born into a family of generals, Xue Zhen didn't want to be a soldier guarding the border all his life.

Trampling the barbarians and achieving great achievements is the dream of a military general.

However, he himself had no chance to realize this dream, but it was realized by this vassal king who was not favored by everyone.

Xue Zhen slowly woke up from his trance and looked at the high-spirited young prince in front of him with a cold expression: "Your Highness, please come in and have a chat."

Although his mentality had changed a long time ago, he still had to play his part. It was always a taboo for border generals to collude with vassal kings.

Li Che didn't care about his attitude and walked through the city gate with his personal guards and entered Shanhaiguan.

After looking around, Li Che stared at the big flag with the word "Qing" flying on the pass, and felt it was awkward no matter how he looked at it.

"Just change it to 'Feng'." Li Che muttered.

"What did Your Highness say?" Xue Zhen asked suddenly with his mouth twitching.

"Ahem, nothing." Li Che said seriously, "General Xue, when will the people sent by the court arrive?"

"I have received news that they are still ten miles away from Shanhaiguan and will arrive tonight."

Li Che nodded and asked again: "Why do you insist on having me come here?"

"Your Highness, you need to give me an explanation." Xue Zhen frowned. "You built a road from Chaoyang City to Shanhaiguan. Why didn't I get any advance notice?"

"What a joke!" Li Che sneered, "I'm building a road in my own territory, why should I greet you?"

Xue Zhen said calmly, "Once this road is opened, the Fengtian Army can reach Shanhaiguan in one day. As the commander of Shanhaiguan, I have to be cautious."

"Hahaha! General Xue, how bold! Are you suspecting me of any ill intentions?"

"I dare not, but I am telling you that Feng State borders Shanhaiguan. If you have any further actions in the future, please inform me in advance so that I can prepare early."

Li Che looked at Xue Zhen's dead face silently, and suddenly realized that this guy seemed to have other intentions.

It seems that when the two were talking about building a road, they were actually talking about attacking Khitan.

Xue Zhen was telling himself in this way that if he wanted to mobilize troops against the barbarians again, he could notify him in advance and he would be willing to provide some help.

"I understand." Li Che said with a smile on his face.

Seeing that Li Che understood what he meant, Xue Zhen fell silent and said no more.

The two of them climbed up the Shanhaiguan Pass together and looked into the distance.

After waiting for about an incense stick of time, a long dragon suddenly appeared at the end of the sky, dotted with some flames.

Yue Yun had excellent eyesight and saw it clearly at a glance. He lowered his head and whispered to Li Che, "Your Highness, they are coming."

Li Che slowly opened his eyes and looked outside the pass.

The group of refugees migrating from the imperial court was like an endless river. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on this long group, and everyone's shadow was stretched out very long.

The children clung to their parents' clothes, their eyes full of confusion and fear; the women staggered but still kept up with the pace; the middle-aged men carried the luggage of their families, with sweat and dust mixed on their foreheads.

When Li Che saw it clearly, he immediately frowned.

"General Xue, did the information you received earlier mention how many refugees the imperial court relocated?"

Xue Zhen looked at the endless crowd and was a little surprised: "It seems to be... 50,000 people?"

"Is this 50,000 people?!" Li Che's eyes widened, "I would believe it if you said it was 100,000 people!"

Seeing the majestic pass appearing before their eyes, some people couldn't help but burst into tears.

finally reached!

While people are happy, they are also afraid of the unknown life that will follow.

Is King Feng as wise and powerful as the rumors say? Is he willing to accept us?

The sounds of pain and discussion intertwined together, making Du He, who was at the front of the team, very upset.

Du He originally thought that he should be happy since he had finally reached Shanhaiguan.

But when passing by Yanfan, the annoying King of Yan actually told him that the road outside the pass was even more difficult to travel!

But His Majesty's order was to send all the refugees to Chaoyang City before he could return to report.

Thinking of this, Du He felt a surge of rage in his heart, and when he saw the door was closed, he became even more furious.

He rode up to the gate and shouted impatiently:

"I'm here on a royal decree to transport refugees to Feng State. If you don't open the gate quickly and delay our mission, I won't forgive you!"

Li Che was just shocked by the number of people migrating here, but when he heard Guan Xia's arrogant words, he suddenly couldn't hold back.

Who the hell is this? Even more arrogant than this king?

"Who are you talking to, my official?" Li Che said coldly, "You can't talk properly!"

It was already dark, and Du He couldn't see the people on the wall clearly. He only heard that the other party's attitude was even worse than his own, and he couldn't help but feel angry:

"Shut up! You're just a general. If you don't open the door, don't blame me for being rude!"

Li Che grinned and said to Xue Zhen beside him, "Prime Minister Du's son is such a fool?"

"With such arrogance, those who didn't know him would think he was so bold as to allow his troops to destroy the pass and force his way through the border!"

Xue Zhen looked at Li Che indifferently without saying a word.

Li Che suddenly remembered that this sounded familiar.

It seems like someone did this...

Li Che sneered and turned to look at Du He below the city: "Du He, right? Do you know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are, open the door immediately, or I will report you to His Majesty upon my return to the capital, implicating you in the crime of obstructing public affairs!"

Li Che couldn't help it: "You've never been beaten, right?"

"What did you say?!" Du He's eyes widened, and breath came out of his nostrils. "I am Du He, my father is Du Fuchen! Who are you? How dare you speak to me like that?!"

Li Che finally laughed out loud.

Are you trying to compete with me for my father's name?