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

Li Lin was deeply moved by Li Che's words, but let's not talk about it for now.

The two of them left Prince Yan's Mansion and rushed to the imperial city, finally arriving before the imperial city gates closed.

After meeting Emperor Qing, just as Li Lin had said, the emperor was furious.

"What are you doing? Your own fiefdom has been infiltrated like a sieve, and you didn't even notice it!"

"If something unexpected really happens, how can you face the people of Yan? How can you live up to the trust I have placed in you?"

"Your Majesty, I am guilty." Li Lin knelt on the ground, his face covered in sweat. "Your Majesty, please allocate troops to me. I will go back and quell the rebellion. If I cannot wipe out the rebels, I will bring my head before you!"

"Idiot! What do I need your head for?" Emperor Qing felt helpless.

None of these sons of mine understand my feelings.

Why did he go against all the opposition and insist on giving the princes fiefdoms? Was it really to let the princes guard the borders of Daqing and the borders of the country?

Bullshit! That’s just for outsiders to hear!

Isn't it because he wants the princes to have someone to look after when they are old, with territories and armies in their hands, so that at least they won't end up in a bad situation.

Even if a vassal state rises and has rebellious intentions, that is an internal matter of the Li family, and at least it will not benefit outsiders.

In the eyes of Emperor Qing, the princes...or the Li royal family, are more important than the entire world.

After all, he was his own son. After scolding him, Emperor Qing calmed down instead of being angry.

"You can't go."

"Why?" Li Lin asked anxiously.

"The situation is unclear now. The enemy is in the dark and I am in the light. Are you going to die?" Emperor Qing scolded.

"Victorious warriors win first and then seek battle, while defeated warriors fight first and then seek victory. Why is that?"

Emperor Qing highly praised this sentence from "The Art of War" and believed that it was the essence of the entire book, so he always used this sentence to test the princes.

Li Lin lowered his head and said dejectedly, "An army that wins a battle always first establishes the conditions for victory, and then engages the enemy; an army that loses a battle always first engages the enemy, and then tries to gain a lucky victory in the war."

"Since you understand the truth, why are you still so impulsive?" Emperor Qing waved his hand. "Be patient. The rebels will make a lot of noise. We will have news within seven days."

"What's more, it's still winter in the north. Sending troops hastily in winter is a major military taboo, and we must not act rashly."

Sending troops in winter has always been a taboo, and this is a consensus among all ancient military strategists.

Emperor Qing never understood how Li Che was able to send troops in winter and still ensure complete logistical supplies and win battles again and again.

He knew that Daqing could not do this because the local garrison was corrupt and had little combat effectiveness.

The border troops in the north must guard the border and must not act rashly.

If we want to send troops, we can only transfer the imperial guards from the imperial capital. With such a long distance, the supply problem is extremely difficult.

If Emperor Qing was not absolutely sure, he would rather let Yan fall into the hands of the rebels than send troops in a hurry.

After saying that, he sent Li Lin and Li Che away to wait for news.

Li Che had no other good ideas, so he could only comfort Li Lin before returning to Prince Feng's Mansion to rest.

In the next few days, Li Lin fell into anxious waiting, and Li Che was not idle either.

He knew that he could not stay in the imperial capital for too long. As soon as news came from Yan, he would have to accompany Li Lin back.

So, he began to speed up and finish all the things that needed to be done in the imperial capital.

He first went to the Ministry of Rites and took away the gifts from various countries that Emperor Qing had promised to give him.

The Ministry of Rites was still making excuses, but Li Che, who was in a bad mood, slapped a doctor from the Ministry of Rites unconscious, and they immediately became obedient.

The tributes from various countries were not generous, but they were very rare. Some people even sent lions and elephants.

Although Li Che liked strange and exotic animals, he returned them to the palace considering the long journey and the need to fight a war, and that the weather in the Northeast might not be suitable for supporting them.

What he cares more about is various crops and seeds, which are the real good things.

Although most of them are found in Daqing, there are still differences in varieties, which can be used for hybridization to cultivate higher-yielding seeds.

In addition, there were some gold, silver, treasures, ivory, rhinoceros horns and other flashy things, all of which were sold for money.

After dealing with the tribute matter, he went to the Ministry of Justice several times again. This time, his target was the group of pirates under Li Sheng.

This group of pirates make a living in the lake all year round, and with a little training they can become elite sailors.

It would be a pity to just chop off his head like that, it would be better to incorporate him into the Fengtian Army and become a member of the future Fengtian Navy.

In addition, Li Che took time out of his busy schedule to find key figures of the Fengwang Party, such as Huo Tao and Zhu Chun.

As Li Che repeatedly made military achievements, the Fengwang Party expanded rapidly, and he was away from the imperial capital for most of the year, which led to anyone daring to borrow his name.

Li Che temporarily appointed two people to be responsible for the affairs of the Fengwang Party, and strictly selected members, and no one was allowed to use his own name again.

Except for those who are truly interested, everyone else is eliminated.

And it will go into a dormant state in the next few years so that Feng Wang’s party will no longer be seen in the court.

The faction of Prince Feng is now so powerful that it can even compete with the faction of the Crown Prince for a while. Li Che doesn't believe that there is no one behind the scenes.

As the saying goes, the first bird to stick its head out gets shot. His base is in Feng State, so there is no need for him to fight to the death with the prince in the court, which will ultimately allow other princes to reap the benefits.

Just lie dormant and wait for the opportunity.

In this way, the days passed one by one in busyness.

Finally, seven days later, Huang Jin came to the Fengwang Mansion to meet Li Che:

"Your Highness, His Majesty has asked you to come to the palace for an audience. His Highness the Prince of Yan has already gone to the palace."

Li Che sighed slightly, knowing that this was news from Yan.

"I will pack up and then follow you to the palace."

Huang Jin nodded absentmindedly, and when no one was around, he whispered, "Your Highness, be careful. Things have changed."

Li Che frowned and looked at Huang Jin, but found that the latter had a blank expression on his face, as if the words just now did not come from his mouth.

Has something changed?

What changes have occurred? Even if there are changes, it is Yan State's business. What does it have to do with me?

Li Che followed Huang Jin into the palace with full of doubts.

The moment I entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, I felt that the atmosphere was a bit weird.

Emperor Qing sat behind the desk, while Li Lin stood below, both of them staring at him intently.

Li Che suppressed his doubts and stepped forward to pay his respects: "Your Highness, your son pays respects to you, Father."

"No need to be so polite." Emperor Qing's voice was a little cold. "The battle report has arrived. Huang Jin, show it to Prince Feng."

"Yes."

Hearing Emperor Qing's somewhat cold tone, Li Che suddenly felt something was wrong and his eyelids twitched wildly.

He took the battle report, unfolded it carefully, and took a quick look at it, his face suddenly changed.

But there was a line of words written on it:

The Yan army rebelled and attacked Shanhaiguan, raising their banners and shouting: "Restore the Huan Dynasty and establish King Feng!"

Li Che: ???

No, is that right?

How did this commotion turn into me rebelling?