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

Everyone in Xue Town was stunned.

I was still acting out the drama of the conflict between a vassal king and a frontier general with His Highness, and you, kid, just clung to his thigh?

I thought I could never become a true loyal minister, but at least I could become the first loyal minister of the Xue family.

I didn’t expect this, I didn’t expect this, I treat you as your own brother, but you really treat me as your cousin!

"Brother?" Xue Wei called out softly when he saw Xue Zhen had a gloomy face and didn't speak.

Xue Zhen came to his senses and scolded, "Why don't you just stay in the capital and take charge of the city guards? Why do you have to go out here and hang around?"

Xue Wei was also somewhat unhappy and whispered back, "How dare I disobey your Majesty's command?"

"Besides, my family originally wanted you to lead the city guards, but you didn't want to, so you came to Shanhaiguan?"

Xue Zhen was furious, but helpless.

Regardless of their abilities, the Xue family's children all have excellent eyesight.

Even in the imperial capital, where there are princes and nobles everywhere, the Xue family's playboys, although arrogant and domineering, have never offended anyone they cannot afford to offend.

I can see that this Prince Feng has a lot of ambition, and naturally the other people in the Xue family can see it too.

Xue Wei got the advantage but he didn't dare to act cute. He kept silent and pretended to be invisible.

At this moment, he was completely certain of his previous guess. The relationship between his cousin and His Highness was definitely not as rumored, that they were antagonistic or even disliked each other.

On the contrary, my cousin has probably already intended to serve His Highness...

Xue Wei just felt a panic.

It seems that Your Majesty's fear of Prince Feng is not groundless.

Feng State was already powerful, and Prince Feng and Prince Yan were as close as brothers. Even his own cousin secretly admired him.

In a few years, I am afraid that the influence will become greater and greater. By then, will His Majesty have the final say in the North, or will Prince Feng have the final say?

Li Che was unaware that Xue Wei had been thinking so much in his mind. While the team was passing through the gate, he asked Xue Zhen about the attack on Shanhaiguan a few days ago.

Xue Zhen looked around and made sure that no outsiders were watching before he slowly told the story.

The situation at Shanhaiguan was not very good. The attack by the Yan army was too sudden and came from behind, so the defenders suffered heavy losses.

Fortunately, they did not have many siege weapons, and the King of Yan and core generals were not there, so their morale was not high.

Even so, the Shanhaiguan defenders lost thousands of soldiers, more than half of them were injured, and even Xue Zhen himself was hit by an arrow.

Li Che frowned. "How did it get like this? Although the southern side of Shanhaiguan is weakly defended, the city walls are so high that it should be difficult to attack."

As a majestic fortress built with earth and bricks, the city wall is 14 meters high and 7 meters thick.

The height of ancient city walls varied depending on the dynasty, geographical location and function, but generally ranged from 5 to 18 meters, and rarely exceeded 20 meters.

Shanhaiguan is already considered to be relatively high.

Xue Zhen looked ashamed and whispered, "It was my negligence. I never expected the enemy to come from the rear. All the city defense equipment was not on this side, which led to such heavy losses."

"I have already pleaded guilty to the court and requested that Your Majesty hold me accountable."

Li Che didn't say anything else, but just frowned slightly as he looked at the simple conditions in Shanhaiguan.

"You will now arrange for the personnel to send the seriously injured to my army."

"Ah?" Xue Zhen was slightly stunned.

"What?" Li Che pretended to be angry. "What are the conditions in Shanhaiguan? There aren't even any doctors. How can the wounded soldiers survive until spring?"

"I'll take them to Chaoyang City. With the Fengtian Army's medical logistics, I can't guarantee that all the wounded will survive, but at least I can save more soldiers."

Seeing Xue Zhen still hesitant, Li Che raised his voice and scolded him, "Don't be so fussy. Although you and I may not agree, the soldiers are innocent. As a commander, how can I watch my soldiers die from their injuries?"

Xue Zhen's words touched his heart. He immediately stopped hesitating and said, "I'll make arrangements right away, but there are quite a few seriously injured soldiers, at least two thousand. You..."

"That's okay." Li Che interrupted, "I have quite a few people on my side."

Xue Zhen nodded quickly and turned to make arrangements.

However, after taking a few steps, he suddenly turned back.

In Li Che's surprised eyes, he whispered: "Your Highness, I will report these brothers killed and missing."

Li Che was startled at first, then he smiled knowingly and nodded slightly: "Good."

Xue Zhen is a good man. He has taken in so many wounded people. What will he do with them after rescuing them?

They are all soldiers of the imperial court. We can't openly recruit them into the Fengtian Army.

With Xue Zhen's action, they were no longer in the military register and he could use them with confidence.

Those are two thousand veterans with combat experience. Even if they have some injuries and can no longer fight in the battlefield, they can stay in the rear and serve as instructors.

This wave is a sure win!

After Xue Zhen left, there was a burst of cheers from Shanhaiguan, which then quickly subsided.

Then, countless soldiers carried their dying and seriously wounded comrades out from all directions and joined the Fengtian Army.

Li Che had already made arrangements, letting the refugees take over the wounded from the soldiers, and the Royal Guard Battalion, who knew a little about first aid, quickly stepped forward to check.

The dying were put on carriages, the more seriously injured were carried on stretchers and door panels, and mules and horses were arranged to carry the less seriously injured.

The defending soldiers silently stepped aside and watched, bowed their heads in salute, and then retreated back into the pass.

By the time all the wounded were delivered, the team had become more bloated.

Yue Yun led a dozen light cavalrymen ahead to prepare Chaoyang City for receiving the wounded.

Li Che did not linger any longer and walked towards the foot of the pass.

Xue Zhen behind him hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, this general..."

Li Che paused and looked back. Xue Zhen's eyes were filled with a complex emotion of worry and gratitude.

"No need to say more." Li Che snorted coldly, "Guarding the south for me is the best reward."

Xue Zhen was silent for a moment and bowed.

A smile flashed in Li Che's eyes, he turned around, mounted his horse, and galloped away.

The road from Shanhaiguan to Chaoyang City is not that difficult to travel. The newly built cement road in Fengguo is smooth all the way.

Originally, Li Che planned to stop by Huludao Construction Corps to take a look, but the condition of the wounded became more and more serious, and there were even several deaths.

Li Che only took a quick look when he passed by, and the place seemed to be well developed.

As the production corps closest to the interior of the country, it also has to play a certain military role. City walls have been built around it, giving it the appearance of a town.

Occasionally, you can see people walking on the road in groups of three or four, and sentries coming to check the situation.

When Li Che saw the sentry, he gave him some encouraging words and then hurriedly led his team to continue heading north.

There was no further delay on the road and we finally arrived at Chaoyang City at dawn.