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

"Fengtian Chengyun Emperor, the imperial edict said:

I have inherited the great cause and rule over the world.

Here we have the King of Feng, Tuoba Honglie, who, in his own body, donned armor and personally led the Pixiu, and with a single blow, he pacified the Khitan, silencing the smoke of war across thousands of miles. This is truly the spirit of the ancestral society, and the result of your loyalty and bravery.

I specially promote you to the rank of General Tiance, surpassing the Three Terraces in rank, and granting you the same honor as the Nine Gifts.

I grant him a golden seal and an iron certificate, permitting him to establish his own government office and appoint his own officials below the third rank. He is also authorized to make decisions on all matters concerning military affairs, finances, and rations. I approve all his recommendations as a mark of special favor. His generals and commanders will be evaluated and recorded by the Ministry of War, and their achievements will be forever commemorated with portraits.

You are diligent and prudent, loyal and faithful. You use military discipline to calm the borders, spread benevolence and bring peace to the people. You deserve this special favor and will forever keep the Chinese and the barbarians in check.

Awesome!

The ninth day of the fifth month of the first year of Xuanwei.

Li Che bowed and saluted: "Your son, I accept your command and thank you!"

The commander of the imperial guards put down the imperial edict in his hand and respectfully handed it to Li Che with both hands.

Li Che also solemnly took the imperial edict and handed it to Huai En beside him, asking him to keep it.

My father was very generous in rewarding me for the great achievement of defeating the Khitan.

In the future, he could bypass the imperial court and directly reward officials serving the country, and he could give them official positions below the third rank at will.

Li Che was particularly fond of his new official position.

General Tiance! Li Er's former official position!

Of course, Emperor Qing is not a time traveler, so he certainly doesn’t know the special meaning of this title.

In fact, Emperor Qing once asked Li Che to think of a few reign titles for reference.

Li Che didn't think much about it and casually mentioned Zhenguan, Tiance and Yongle to deal with it.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Qing kept it in mind, thinking that Li Che liked these titles, so he conferred on him the title of General Tiance, an official position that did not exist in the world.

I can only say that he is worthy of being the founding emperor, and his means of winning people's hearts are no less than Li Che's.

"General, you've worked hard." Li Che extended his hand to help the imperial guard general to his feet. "I wonder where the emperor is right now?"

The commander of the Imperial Guards was also seeing the living Prince Feng for the first time, and his expression was inevitably excited: "Your Highness, before I left, His Majesty had already arrived in Yan. It is estimated that he will arrive here in five or six days."

Li Che nodded slightly.

My cheap father walked quite fast and reached the State of Yan so quickly.

Li Lin returned to Yan to welcome the emperor a few days ago, and he also sent the generals of the National Protection Army to various places for training.

Now we just need to move the Gunpowder Department and other factories to Qihuo Cave and prepare for the reception.

Li Che said with a pleasant expression, "General, do you still need to go back and report?"

"I am leaving now, but His Majesty is waiting for me."

"There's no rush," Li Che said, trying to persuade him. "The sun is scorching hot right now. General, why don't you go and rest for a while and then set off after sunset when the weather is cooler."

"This..." The imperial guards general hesitated.

Li Che smiled slightly, knowing that at this time there was no need to wait for someone's reply, so he could just make the arrangements directly.

Looking at Huai En beside him, he said, "Go and clean up a room for this general, and get some iced honey water to cool him down."

The commander of the Imperial Guards showed gratitude on his face: "I thank you, Your Highness. I will respectfully obey your command."

After the imperial guards left the hall, Li Che immediately called for the guards outside the door. "Go quickly, tell Wang Chongjian and Chen Gui to clean up quickly. Production will be suspended for the next few days."

"Here."

"Also, give the people a proper heads-up and let them go about their business as usual. There's no need to panic. But don't ever mention presumptuous words like 'Long live the king' again!"

"My subordinate understands."

. . . . . .

Yan State.

"Your Majesty, the Yan territory is just ahead."

"Hmm." The black-robed Emperor Qing lowered the curtain on the carriage. "I remember the last time I came here, fifteen years ago. I was so full of vigor and vitality then, holding a precious bow, sword in hand, and riding a horse, trampling the pastures of the Mohe people."

"Alas... now I'm old and can't even ride a horse for too long."

Except for the journey just after leaving the imperial capital, Emperor Qing has not ridden a horse since he set out.

Although he is strong and powerful, he is old after all, and his body cannot withstand the bumpy ride.

Huang Jin smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Once we leave Shanhaiguan, the road will be flat as if we were walking on flat ground. You will definitely be able to ride a horse again."

"Oh?" Emperor Qing also remembered something. "That cement road, is it really that magical?"

"When I went to Feng State, the King of Feng hadn't built the road yet, so I haven't seen it myself. But the scouts who came and went said so, so I guess it's indeed a good road."

Emperor Qing smiled and said, "In that case, I am actually looking forward to it."

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the carriage.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Yan, along with his princess consort and officials, are waiting in front to welcome you."

Emperor Qing seemed to be in a good mood, his eyes lit up slightly: "Quick, let Lin'er come to see me."

"Here."

The emperor's carriage stopped and the accompanying troops also slowly stopped.

Soon, Li Lin's voice was heard outside the carriage: "Your son Li Lin, I pay my respects to your father!"

Emperor Qing stepped down from the carriage with Huang Jin's help. He looked at the young prince who looked so brave and extraordinary and couldn't help but smile.

"Get up, why should we be so tense between you and me, father and son?"

Li Lin finally straightened up, and Princess Yan stepped forward to greet him: "Your Majesty, your daughter-in-law pays respects to you."

"Alas." Facing the Princess of Yan, Emperor Qing's expression became even more amiable. "I heard that you have been helping the Prince of Yan handle government affairs these days."

Upon hearing this, Li Lin's expression immediately became nervous, fearing that his princess's interference in politics would displease Emperor Qing.

The Princess of Yan remained calm: "The Prince of Yan handles all the important affairs of the kingdom. My daughter-in-law is just helping to find and fill in the gaps."

"That's right." Emperor Qing looked at Princess Yan with admiration. "Marry a virtuous woman, Fourth Brother, you are blessed."

Li Lin smiled innocently and agreed.

"Come on, accompany me to see how your Yan State has been governed in recent years."

"Yes, Father."

The State of Yan was located on the frontier, bordering the grassland. It was indeed not rich, and the development of its territory was somewhat backward.

But fortunately, it is adjacent to Shanhaiguan and closest to Fengguo.

As the Feng State caravans continued to enter and exit the pass, the State of Yan also gained a lot of benefits. In addition, Li Che would occasionally provide some supplies, so the people in Yan lived a good life.

We can’t say that people have no worries about food and clothing, but at least there will be people who are homeless or even starving to death.

Emperor Qing took a look at the conditions in various places north of the imperial capital along the way.

Although the provincial governments in various places have tried their best to cover up, Emperor Qing can still see the suffering of the people.

For an emperor like him, being able to prevent the people under his rule from starving to death already made him a wise king.

As for making the people live better, or even sharing wealth with the people, such things were not within the consideration of feudal emperors at all.

After visiting the State of Yan, Emperor Qing greatly admired Li Lin and asked him to accompany him to the State of Feng.

After the two of them rested in Yan State, the imperial carriage set off again and headed towards Shanhaiguan.