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

Songnen Plain, banks of the Songhua River.

Thousands of cavalrymen were resting by the river. The knights sat on the ground with lifeless eyes, and their horses were scattered around, gnawing on the grass at a rapid speed.

Yelu Daha stood by the river with a knife in his hand, looking at the silk-like Songhua River in front of him, wondering what he was thinking.

Seven days have passed since the Khitan's complete defeat.

In the past few days, Yelu Dahe looked older and older, and his helmet could no longer hide his gray hair.

Khalhan watched from afar and waved to the personal soldier beside him, who immediately handed him a bowl of hot soup.

Khal Khan was originally confronting Wang Hu in Goryeo. After failing to attack Mudi City, he was unwilling to give up and tried many times.

The two sides fought three or four battles, with both sides winning and losing, but Mudi City always stood firm.

Khal Khan understood that the generals in the city were no ordinary people, and he was afraid that it would be impossible for him to take over Goryeo.

At this moment, he received the news that the main Khitan army was defeated, and learned that the Khan was leading his troops north, so he immediately led his troops to support.

"Great Khan," Halehan said softly, approaching with a cup of horse meat soup, "Please have some food first."

Yelu Dahe glanced back, his throat moved, and then he said hoarsely: "I am not hungry, let's feed the wounded first."

Hallehan quickly said, "Brothers have all eaten."

Yelu Daha then took the bowl. Although he was very hungry, he still swallowed it in small sips.

While Yelu Dahe was eating, Halehan said cautiously:

"Great Khan, we've found the Fufuyu and Yuling tribes on the left, and we've also contacted the Rilian tribe on the right, but there's still no news of the Pixi and Tuliuyu tribes."

Yelu Dahe paused after hearing this and drank the broth in the bowl.

"No need to search any further, just withdraw everyone." Yelu Dahe's voice was calm and cold. "If they haven't arrived yet, they must have been wiped out by the Fengtian Army or surrendered."

Yelu Daha closed his eyes and thought.

After the troops were divided, he still had 30,000 men with him, and Khal Khan brought back more than 20,000 men, totaling 50,000.

At this moment, the Khitan army was like a wounded lion, and the Fengtian army behind them was like a cunning hyena, tearing off a piece of meat from some corner from time to time, and then leaving quickly.

The Fengtian Army continued to attack with small units of a thousand people, resulting in the loss of only three or four out of the 50,000 people left around Yelu Dahe.

Now, the army that Yelu Dahe can contact is less than 30,000 people.

Seeing that Halehan seemed hesitant to speak, Yelu Dahe said, "Do you have something to ask?"

Hallehan quickly bowed his head and said, "The Khan is wise."

"Ask, it has come to this point, what can't be said?"

"Great Khan." Halehan gritted his teeth, "I feel that something is not right with the Fengtian Army."

"Oh? Why?"

"Our troops have been exhausted these past few days. Traveling daily has become a struggle, and our speed has been decreasing. The Fengtian Army, however, has been unable to catch up for a long time and is only gradually eroding our rear-end forces."

"I think the Fengtian Army's cavalry is capable of catching up with us, but they are only following us from a short distance. I'm afraid there must be something fishy going on."

Upon hearing this, Yelu Dahe couldn't help but sneer: "You are right."

Hallehan was surprised and asked, "Has the Khan discovered it a long time ago?"

Yelu Dahe did not answer Halehan's question, but just sighed and said, "This is the King of Feng."

"Li Che... this young prince is no longer content with simply defeating the Khan. He knew the Khan was heading north to join forces with the Shiwei reinforcements, yet he chose neither to stop him nor to intervene."

Upon hearing this, Halehan was even more surprised: "He...why is this?"

"You don't understand." Yelu Dahe shook his head. "If they catch up now, they can certainly destroy me, but once the Shiwei reinforcements learn that our army has been destroyed, they will definitely turn back, and the Fengtian Army will lose the opportunity to fight them."

"Isn't this in the best interests of the King?"

"No, Li Che doesn't want the Shiwei to give in! He wants us to join forces with the Shiwei people, and then he will attack and annihilate us all, to spread the name of His Majesty the King!"

"By then, the Mohe will have surrendered, and the Goryeo and Khitan will have been destroyed. No one outside the Great Wall will be his rival, and he will have become the true king of this land!"

Halehan gasped when he heard this: "How could this boy be so arrogant?"

"This man is indeed arrogant." Yelu Dahe's eyes grew colder, "but he also looks down on me too much!"

"The Fengtian Army is now alone and deep in our territory. He only has cavalry and some infantry. Those powerful firearms units simply cannot keep up."

"The Shiwei reinforcements are less than two hundred miles away. Once our Khan gets his hundred thousand soldiers, they'll turn against us and strike! He only has fifty thousand soldiers. How can he possibly defeat an enemy three times his size?!"

Yelu Dahe turned his back to the river and said coldly:

"You young brat, you've won a few battles relying on your weaponry, and you've become so arrogant. This time, I'll teach that Daqing Emperor a lesson: arrogance will come at a price!"

. . . . . .

Swah——

The spear tip pierced through the Khitan centurion's chest and was then pulled out with hot blood spurting out.

Li Che glanced coldly through the hole in his chest, then casually stuck the gun barrel into the bloody soil.

Seeing this, Hu Qiang beside him decisively picked up the iron rod and knocked away several corpses around, clearing a clean area for Li Che to sit down.

Not far away, Qu Jinshan came back riding a fast horse, and bowed after dismounting.

"Your Highness, I just got word from the Khitans that Yelu Dahe is less than thirty miles ahead."

Li Che nodded slightly: "I see, you have worked hard, go and rest."

Qu Jinshan stood up, a puzzled look on his face. "Your Highness, it's still early. If we go after them now, maybe we can catch up."

Li Che smiled and said comfortingly:

"What are you chasing? Yelu Dahe is a lost dog. Sooner or later, he will be killed by my gun. There is no need to rush him today or in two days."

"Let the brothers rest and wait for the infantry in the rear. Don't let the team be too dispersed."

Although Qu Jinshan was puzzled, he still agreed respectfully, "Yes."

Li Che turned his head to look at the surging river, and suddenly called out to Qu Jinshan: "Wait."

"Does His Highness have any instructions?"

"Is there any city nearby? Forget it, go get the map for me."

Not long after, Qu Jinshan came back with a map.

Li Che spread the map on the ground, first determined the approximate location, and then pointed to one of the locations and asked: "What is the name of this city?"

The generals around him looked at Yelu He, who immediately stepped forward and replied after thinking for a moment:

"This city is called Aodong City. Dae Jo-yeong once established the Zhen Kingdom here. Later, the Emperor of the Central Plains appointed Dae Jo-yeong, the King of Zhen, as Prince of Bohai County. Zhen Kingdom was renamed Bohai State, and this place was once the core jurisdiction of Bohai State."

Li Che nodded slowly, knowing that this city was the Dunhua City of later generations.

He moved his finger toward the northwest, then determined a rough location and pointed at it with the tip of his sword.

After a long silence, he slowly said, "Let the guards assemble."

"Your Highness, this is..."

"The King will stay here tonight."