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

After waiting for another half an hour, Li Che felt that the time was about right, so he asked Qiu Bai to release another bird.

This time, the bird flew in the cave for a long time and was still full of energy after being pulled out, with no signs of poisoning or lack of oxygen.

The cave entrance has been open for so long, the oxygen content inside should have increased.

Li Che nodded: "It should be OK."

Ten Kunlun slaves, armed with shields and daggers, led the way, and the others followed behind into the cave.

The leader Qiu Bai raised the torch in his hand, and the flame flickered in the dim cave, reflecting the mottled traces of artificial excavation on the cave wall.

The sound of everyone's footsteps scraping against the gravel echoed in the empty cave.

As they continued to go deeper, the cave became gradually wider and everyone's heartbeats unconsciously quickened.

In this environment, everyone felt a little uncomfortable. The darkness and coldness made people feel nervous.

But Li Che felt nothing at all, instead he looked around with great interest.

When I went to various places with my mentor to inspect mines, we visited many caves like this.

He had been to places like mines, soldier caves, and tunnels, and after getting used to them, he was no longer afraid of them.

"Your Highness, there is a fork in the road ahead." Qiu Bai said in a low voice.

Li Che nodded slightly: "Go to the left first."

Qiu Bai held the torch and turned left into a cave. After seeing everything clearly, he exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, it's food!"

Li Che was distracted for a moment and looked forward along the firelight.

In front of me was a huge storage room with the walls covered with dried meats, hanging in neat rows.

The air is filled with the smell of pickled and smoked meats, which are well preserved in the cool environment.

A large clay pot on the side was filled with various grains, and the mouth of the pot was sealed with thick cloth to prevent moisture and insect infestation.

In a corner of the cave, there are several huge wooden barrels filled with clear spring water. This should be the drinking water specially stored by the bandits for their long-term stay.

"Qiubai, raise the torch higher, don't let the food and grass catch fire!" Li Che shouted hurriedly.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Bai quickly raised the torch above his head.

If I burn all this food, I'll have to chop off more than ten heads.

Li Che looked around and turned around and ordered: "Master Qian, take people to quickly count!"

Li Che didn't need to say much, Qian Bin had already brought several officials who were proficient in mathematics to count the food.

A moment later, Qian Bin walked up to Li Che with a happy look on his face, and said with a bow:

"Your Highness, preliminary calculations indicate that there are at least two thousand stones of food and fodder in this cave, not counting vegetables, dried meat, and other sundries."

One shi of grain in Daqing weighs about 100 jin, and two thousand shi is 20 jin of grain.

It was enough to feed Li Che's troops for more than a month.

"Okay, okay!" Li Che laughed from ear to ear, "What did I say? It's still faster to make money by robbing!"

Even when 50,000 taels of silver were found in Wang's house, Li Che was not so happy.

In ancient times, food was much more valuable than money.

Money itself has no value, it is just a trading tool, but food is different.

Since ancient times, where there is food, there are soldiers.

Especially in a hellhole like outside the Great Wall, you can't spend your money, but with food you can quickly assemble an army.

"Everything has been packed up, have someone transport it down the mountain, and be sure to pay attention to the damage." Li Che ordered.

After taking in the surrendered bandits, the number of people under Li Che's command had exceeded 5,000, approaching 10,000.

Just when they were worried about not having enough food, the prince came to their aid.

What a qualified and good brother!

At this moment, Qiu Bai's surprised voice came from the other end of the cave:

"Your Highness! A windfall! A windfall!!!"

Li Che's heart tightened and he quickly walked towards the source of the sound.

On the left side of the cave were piles of old grain, and on the right side were treasures that Fan Chong had accumulated over the years.

When Li Che arrived, he was almost dazzled by the boxes of gold, silver and treasures placed before him.

Most of them were copper coins, which should have been the salaries that the prince asked Fan Chong to give to the bandits, but they were all hidden away by this bastard.

A small portion is silver ingots, and gold accounts for an even smaller proportion.

The rest were pearls, gemstones, luminous pearls, silks and so on, all kinds of things, which should be the stolen money robbed from various caravans.

Li Che felt dizzy after watching it, so he simply stopped looking and handed it over to Qian Bin and others to count.

"Your Highness, there is armor here." Qiu Bai shouted again.

Li Che looked in the direction of the sound and saw Qiu Bai poking his head out from behind a crack that was as wide as a person.

This crack is very hidden and it is difficult to find its existence without careful search.

The crack was covered by a thick curtain. As soon as I entered it, I felt a cool breeze blowing towards me.

When the curtain was lifted, all kinds of armor were seen hanging neatly on the wall.

From light leather armor to heavy chain mail, to exquisitely crafted armor, there is everything, and they are well maintained and free of rust.

Under the armor, there are various weapons, including swords, battle axes, spears, etc. Each weapon is polished to an extremely sharp edge, and the blade is flashing with cold light.

On one side of the cave, there are rows of bows and crossbows. When you get close, you can smell the scent of tung oil. It is obvious that they have been carefully preserved.

The crossbow arrows were neatly stacked in a wooden box next to it. The arrowheads gleamed with metallic luster and were all made of high-quality materials.

Li Che picked up the crossbow and pulled the string to load the arrow.

He aimed at the stone wall and pulled the trigger. The crossbow arrow flew out of the string and stuck tightly to the stone wall.

"What a great crossbow!" Li Che stroked the crossbow and couldn't let it go.

Unlike a bow, a crossbowman needs almost no training to use a crossbow to kill the enemy.

Although the crossbow is slightly inferior in portability and durability, its excellent accuracy and range can fully make up for it.

With this batch of crossbows, Li Che can completely form a crossbow team and obtain the long-range suppression power that the Ninggu army urgently needs.

The only pity is that most of the crossbows placed here are light crossbows, which are much less powerful.

Weapons are easier to count than food and money. After a while, Qiu Bai walked over to Li Che:

"Your Highness, there are approximately one thousand weapons of various types, five hundred sets of armor, two hundred light crossbows, and a number of arrows."

"Besides that, there are a few buckets of black liquid over there. We can't tell what it is."

"Oh? Take me to see it." Li Che said curiously.

In a remote corner of the cave, there were several wooden barrels.

These barrels are made of heavy wood and are covered with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. They must have been here for a long time.

Li Che gently lifted the lid of one of the barrels, and a strong and unique smell immediately hit his nose.

The smell is a bit sticky, with a slight sweetness and a pungent smell of sulfur.

Li Che looked down and saw a sticky, dark liquid inside.

His eyes suddenly lit up.

This thing immediately reminded him of a strategic material that is in urgent need in modern times.