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

Li Che looked at the map behind him and spoke slowly, "Over the past month, our army has assembled a total of 100,000 cavalry and infantry at the border. Generals Chen Pingzhi, Li Leshi, Jie An, Wang Sanchun, and others have all rushed to the front lines."

"Among them, Fuxin and Liaoyang are strategic locations for our army. They are the main storage areas for food, fodder, and gunpowder. We absolutely cannot lose them. Therefore, we must deploy more than 20,000 troops in each of these two locations."

"Wang Hu led 40,000 troops to garrison Goryeo, which also borders Khitan. These troops cannot be moved."

"Excluding the garrisons of Chaoyang, Dalian, Beizhen, and other cities, the troops I can currently mobilize..."

Li Che thought for a moment, then said solemnly, "There are still 80,000."

Including the 100,000 people on the front line, these 180,000 people are the entire wealth of Feng State.

When Li Che first marched eastward to conquer Goryeo, he had 100,000 soldiers under his command. Excluding the 40,000 casualties and those stationed in Goryeo, he only brought back more than 50,000 soldiers.

This winter, the Chaoyang Army expanded its army by 30,000 new recruits, plus the Xuanjia Army and some naturalized Goryeo troops, the total increase in the army was about 50,000.

This brought the number of available troops in Feng State back to 100,000. Together with the armies of Chen Pingzhi, Li Leshi and the reinforcements from the imperial court, the total number was barely 180,000.

These 180,000 people were a mixture of Qing people and barbarian soldiers, and there were probably less than 100,000 pure Fengtian troops.

All the generals had solemn expressions. 180,000 troops were indeed a lot, but facing the Khitans who had come from all over the country, they were ultimately stretched to the limit.

Li Lin below frowned and said, "I wonder how many people Yelu Dahe has?"

Li Che pondered for a moment and said, "According to my estimation, the Khitan people are in chaos right now. Each tribe has its own plans. How many troops the other side has will depend on Yelu Dahe's tactics and remaining power."

"At least 100,000 people, that's the best case scenario. Other tribes don't obey his orders, so Yelu Dahe can only mobilize his own tribe and the Pishi Army."

"But if the worst happens..." Li Che smiled helplessly, "If the entire Khitan nation attacks, and all men go into battle, I'm afraid they could gather an army of 300,000 to 400,000!"

Hearing this, everyone smiled.

This kind of thing is impossible to happen. The situation of a country is so complicated, and people's hearts cannot be quantified by numbers.

There are people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for justice, and there are also cowardly people who sell out their country. How is it possible that everyone is willing to fight to the death?

Li Che concluded: "Of course, the probability of this happening is extremely small, but we must also prepare for the worst. Suppose the Khitan army sends 200,000 troops! Don't forget, they have the Shiwei people behind them. We must count at least 100,000 of their reinforcements!"

He Conglong frowned and said, "So, the enemy has an army of 300,000, and they are all nomads who are skilled in archery and horsemanship?"

Li Che nodded slightly: "That's right. In comparison, we still have to divide our troops for defense. The actual difference in troop strength is more than 160,000."

Yang Xuan, who had been silent the entire time, asked, "Master Zhang has persuaded all the Mohe tribes to surrender. Their military strength is at least over 100,000."

Li Che shook his head: "That's not the way to calculate it. If these Mohe tribes try their best, they can naturally gather these people, but...how is that possible?"

Everyone understood that the Mohe people were more of a barbarian tribe, and barbarians did not value trust or loyalty.

What's more, can trust and loyalty really restrain a country or a tribe?

Once a fight breaks out, the Mohe people can at most tie down the Khitan army. If the battle situation is unfavorable, the Fengtian Army will even have to guard against them.

Expecting them to give their all is a dream.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a little depressed, Li Che grinned and said, "Don't worry, don't focus on the gap in manpower. Just think about it..."

"The enemy has over 300,000 men, and we have 180,000. If every Fengtian Army soldier can defeat two men, we will win the battle."

"Our army has ample food and grass, a large number of skilled soldiers and generals, and we have the advantage of artillery, muskets, grenades and other firearms. If one person defeats two, shouldn't it be easy?"

After hearing what Li Che said, the generals immediately felt that the situation was not so difficult.

The power of firearms is obvious to all and can always turn the tide of battle.

What's more, since leaving the border, the Fengtian Army has been fighting battles where the outnumbered army defeated the larger one, and has never been defeated!

Li Che's expression was serious: "Generals, listen to my orders!"

The generals subconsciously straightened their backs.

"Where is He Conglong?"

"I am here!" He Conglong stepped forward and bowed.

"Order, He Conglong will lead 20,000 troops and set out today along Panjin to Liaoyang City to await orders!"

"The last general takes command!"

"Where is Yang Xuan?"

"I am here." The female general also took a step forward.

"Order, Yang Xuan leads 20,000 troops and sets out today along Beizhen City to Fuxin to await orders!"

"The last general takes command!"

Li Che looked at Li Lin and Xue Zhen again: "Fourth brother and General Xue will accompany me."

The two men looked at each other and took a step forward to receive the order.

Li Che finally looked at Zhuge Zhe and said, "I'll have to trouble Ziyuan with the family matters."

Zhuge Zhe smiled faintly and replied, "Your Highness, rest assured. I will do my best and will not make any mistakes."

Li Che nodded slightly. The entire army was pressing forward in this battle. The front line was very far away from Chaoyang City, so the rear should be safe.

However, we cannot rule out the possibility that the other side will make a desperate move and send a lone army to advance straight into the enemy territory and fight to the death.

He could only feel at ease with Zhuge Zhe guarding the rear.

"Starting tomorrow, all units will set out one after another. Time is of the essence. I would like to ask you to go to your respective armies today, comfort the soldiers, and take charge of the overall situation."

"You are all my right-hand men. I entrust the soldiers to you. I hope you will fight to the death. We will meet you at the foot of Shangjing City!"

All the generals said in unison: "We obey your orders!"

"Finally, please remember..."

Li Che fell silent, his eyes sweeping across the resolute faces of the generals, as if he wanted to engrave their faces deeply in his heart.

The generals didn't dare to speak, and for a moment the only sound in the hall was the heavy breathing of the crowd.

After a moment, Li Che slowly said:

"In this battle, we must destroy their country before we can claim victory!"