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

"Hahaha! Good job!"

Li Che put down the letter in his hand and laughed heartily.

He skillfully picked up the tiger cub beside him and petted it 360 degrees without any blind spots.

Xiaosong accepted it obediently, without dodging or avoiding it. It was obvious that he was used to it and had been trained to be like Li Che.

Huo Duanxiao, who was standing by, saw this and asked with a smile, "What happened that makes His Highness so happy?"

Li Che put down the little tiger cub with a smile and pointed at the letter on the table:

"You can take a look at these letters yourself. They are all from the four major military groups. These guys have done a good job. My careful training has not been in vain."

While Huo Duanxiao picked up the letter and flipped through it, Li Che continued:

"The Panjin and Dalian corps have already arrived at their locations. There has been no loss of personnel along the way, and a fairly large gathering area has already been established."

"Zhou Ling from Huludao is also a wonderful person. In addition to sending letters, he also sent some seafood."

Li Che pointed to the corner of the room where there were two bamboo baskets.

Huo Duanxiao laughed and said, "No wonder I smelled something when I came in. I thought it was Xiaosong's smell."

The little tiger cub beside him shook his tail, expressing his dissatisfaction with Huo Duanxiao's words.

What smell can a little tiger have? It’s obviously fragrant!

"However, it was Pei Yuanxian of the Fuxin Regiment who surprised me the most." Li Che's eyes were filled with approval. "He is a scion of an aristocratic family who has never fought a battle before, yet he has the guts to confront the Khitans head-on."

Huo Duanxiao's face was filled with awe. "There are actually Khitans in Fuxin?"

Li Che shook his head: "The Khitans are a nomadic people. They roam everywhere. They are everywhere. They are really annoying."

"That Pei Yuanxian is a good man. Not only did he defeat the Khitan cavalry, he also captured the cattle, sheep, horses, and food of an entire tribe."

"At least for a while, we don't have to worry about the supply problem of the Fuxin regiment."

"I think Your Highness could write another letter to Yelu Dahe, angrily denouncing his provocation," Huo Duanxiao said. "He must explain this matter."

Li Che couldn't help but smirk when he saw Huo Duanxiao's serious look:

"That's right, Yelu Dahe is truly bold. He actually injured more than a dozen of my Fengtian Army soldiers!"

When two countries go to war, one side is bound to be at fault.

Since the Khitans lost again, they must be the ones at fault. I'm sure Yelu Daha will say something about it.

After all, the grassland believes that if something happens, the winner is the king. You chose it yourself, Brother Daha!

Huo Duanxiao had almost finished reading the letter by now, and sighed sincerely: "Another great success with the hand grenade. This thing is really useful."

"Yes, but the Khitans have suffered losses from grenades many times. If we use military force against them in the future, I'm afraid they will be on guard against it with all their might." Li Che sighed.

Grenades are indeed a product of the times, but as I said before, the explosive lethality of grenades is actually limited, and their deterrent effect is far greater than their power.

For example, when facing the Pi Shi Army who are fully armored, grenades can only harm enemy troops within a limited explosion range.

We cannot stand still. Although grenades are useful, we still need to focus on the research and development of artillery and muskets.

These two weapons are the pinnacle of firearms.

Chen Gui was a scientific madman. With the help of Li Che, the Gunpowder Bureau had made considerable progress in its research on muskets.

Especially artillery, the Gunpowder Bureau has already produced the first iron cannon, and also produced a new type of artillery similar to a "mortar".

The mortar has a short barrel, and its power and range are not high, but it is easier to manufacture and can even be mass-produced.

Moreover, the end of the mortar technology line is the modern mortar and grenade launcher.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore." Li Che stood up. "Zhengze will have dinner at the palace today. Let's try the specialties of Huludao's seaside together."

Huo Duanxiao did not refuse, but bowed with a smile and said, "Then I will respectfully obey your command."

The chef of the palace began to sort and clean the seafood. Li Che was curious and followed with Huo Duanxiao.

Huludao is not far from Chaoyang City. The scouts delivering the message rode at full speed, so the seafood was still fresh when it was delivered.

Li Che is very familiar with seafood because he ate a lot of it in his previous life.

Those who work in exploration are similar to those who work in civil engineering. They both work hard when they are working and spend like crazy when they are resting.

Consumption is nothing more than eating and drinking, singing in KTV after getting tipsy, and then having a foot bath in a club.

I often go out to eat and drink, and of course I eat a lot of seafood.

Li Che looked at the fresh seafood of various shapes and sighed:

"Wow, these shrimps are really fresh. I almost forgot that there are indeed shrimps in abundance over there. They can be eaten just by steaming them, without any seasoning."

"This is a scallop, this is a prawn, and this is a crab."

Li Che knew everything like the back of his hand. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he reached out and picked up a shell from the wooden basin: "This is good, this is good, this is an oyster!"

"This stuff is delicious and very nutritious. It's known as the 'gas station for men.'"

"It's a pity that we in Fengguo don't have chili peppers, garlic, and vermicelli yet... The taste might be a little worse, but this thing is delicious even when eaten raw."

Huo Duanxiao beside him asked curiously, "Have you ever been to the beach? How come you are so familiar with seafood?"

Li Che laughed: "No, no, I've read some relevant books. Food is the most important thing for people. I know a little bit about various ingredients."

Huo Duanxiao stood in awe and said, "Your Highness cares about the people's livelihood, I am not as good as you."

Li Che waved his hands awkwardly.

This is how gourmets are. Even if they fail biology, as long as it is an animal that can be on the menu, their knowledge is definitely as good as that of a biology teacher.

The chef of the palace is quite talented. Even without too many seasonings, he still made the seafood look and smell delicious.

Li Che felt embarrassed to enjoy the seafood feast alone, so he asked his personal guards to invite Zhuge Zhe, Wang Sanchun and others.

Seafood tastes delicious no matter how it is cooked, mainly because there was no chicken essence or MSG in ancient times, so it was difficult to taste the "fresh" flavor.

Among the ministers of Feng State, although there are people from both the north and the south, there is really no one whose hometown is near the sea.

Although they had never eaten seafood before, they were so excited that their faces were flushed and they were full of praise for the food.

Seeing Wang Sanchun open his mouth wide and swallow an oyster, Li Che began to feel a little regretful.

Even though there are plenty of seafood, they can't withstand the cooking of these generals.

"This is truly delicious!" Wang Sanchun praised generously, "It would be even better if it were paired with some wine."

"You're dreaming! You're not going to the court tomorrow?!" Li Che glared at him. "Besides, seafood and alcohol are not good for your health. If you eat too much, you'll get gout sooner or later."

"Gout?" Wang Sanchun blinked. "What is gout?"

Li Che was slightly stunned, and suddenly thought of something, with a strange flash in his eyes.

What happened to the prince's lame leg?

Although the prince's illness was a hidden one, Li Che still remembered that his original self had heard the imperial doctors discussing his condition in private.

It is said that the prince has many "bone bags" on his feet. On weekdays, he looks no different from ordinary people, except that he has some difficulty walking.

But when the disease flared up, the pain was unbearable, and he would even cry and ask the imperial physician to cut off his feet.

These symptoms coincide exactly with those of gout!

Thinking of this, Li Che put down his chopsticks and looked at Zhuge Zhe: "Ziyuan, how is the caravan being formed?"

Zhuge Zhe quickly put down the shrimp he had just shelled and replied with a bow, "Your Highness, it has been... Elder Qian!"

Qian Bin smiled and stuffed the shrimp into his mouth, blinking his eyes: "His Highness is waiting for your report, hurry up and tell me."

As people get older, they become more childlike, and Qian Bin is just like that.

Although he is the most senior and has the most experience, he has never taken advantage of his seniority or clung to power.

Apart from occasionally helping to check the accounts, he has basically become semi-retired and no longer involves himself in political affairs.

Zhuge Zhe was at a loss for words and could only continue, "Your Highness, everything is ready. Since this is our first trade, we don't have many types of goods."

"There's only glass, iron ingots, and some specialties from outside the Great Wall. We plan to sell them to the cities in the north of the Great Wall first. The King of Yan will help find buyers."

Li Che nodded and asked, "You said... can this seafood be sent outside the customs?"

"Huludao and Dalian are both rich in seafood. This is delicious. The wealthy families outside the Great Wall will probably like it very much. It may sell for a high price."

Zhuge Zhe shook his head in embarrassment. "I'm afraid it won't work. This item is not easy to store. It's only acceptable for trade within Fengtian. If it's shipped inside the country, it will probably spoil."

"Why do you suddenly have this thought, Your Highness?"

Li Che smiled, and then revealed his true purpose: "It's nothing, it's just that eating such delicious food, I can't help but think of my father and the prince."

"In the blink of an eye, it has been half a year since I left the imperial capital. I miss my father so much and I want them to have a taste too."

The ministers were moved and said in unison: "Your Highness's pure filial piety is so moving that it moves heaven and earth."

Li Che grinned.

You are right, this king is too filial.

Zhuge Zhe added, "Your Highness is so kind. You could wait until winter to ship the seafood over. With your saltpeter method of making ice, we can preserve it with ice along the way, so it shouldn't spoil."

"Your Majesty sent a letter earlier, saying that the princes from all over the country are being invited to the capital for the New Year. You could definitely take this opportunity to present some seafood specialties."

Li Che's eyes lit up. "That's great, let's do it. We need to prepare more, and we need to send some to the Crown Prince as well. He has never been out of the capital, so he probably hasn't tasted such delicacies."

The prince is very likely suffering from gout. This disease cannot be delayed. I have to use the "seafood therapy" to treat him.

By the way, bring him some good wine. There is no overnight grudge between brothers. Just have a drink and talk things out.

And the best thing is beer. We have to find a way to produce a batch. That stuff has a very high purine content. One glass of it will cure the disease immediately.

Thinking of this, Li Che nodded with satisfaction.

Zhuge Zhe is right. This king is truly filial.

The guards outside the door were patrolling through the lobby when they heard bursts of "loud laughter" coming from inside, and they couldn't help but be stunned.

Why does His Highness's laughter sound a little treacherous?