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

Li Che looked at this cheap fourth brother carefully.

Li Lin also inherited Emperor Qing's handsome face, and his eyebrows and eyes are somewhat similar to Li Che.

The same eyebrows and eyes, the same upright figure, but compared to the majesty of the emperor, this royal brother has a bit more heroic spirit of conquering on the battlefield.

It's this personality that makes him seem a little unreliable.

Not only did a prince sneak into the cavalry, but he also came out in person to challenge them?

Isn’t he afraid that with just one order from him, thousands of arrows would be fired?

No matter how strong the armor is, it cannot withstand hundreds of crossbow arrows.

Li Lin didn't think too much about it. He rode up to Li Che and punched him lightly in the chest with a smile:

"He's grown stronger and taller. My sixth child has become a big boy."

Li Che smiled and replied, "I haven't seen you for five years. Fourth brother is even more charming than before."

"Hahaha, of course." Li Lin turned around and said proudly, "Look at my cavalry. Isn't it majestic?"

"Everyone is wearing armor, so they are naturally very powerful." Li Che admired sincerely, and then changed the subject, "But it must be very expensive to maintain such a cavalry team, right?"

"It does cost money, but I don't have much in Yan area except for a lot of horses, so I can still maintain it." Li Lin waved his hand indifferently.

The biggest expense for armored cavalry is not armor, but horses.

War horses not only have to undergo strict selection, but also have special requirements for feed. They usually eat high-quality feed such as beans, which also increases maintenance costs.

No matter how expensive armor is, it is a one-time transaction, while raising horses requires continuous and uninterrupted expenditure.

The abundance of horses in Yan was the key to Li Lin's ability to form armored cavalry.

Thinking of this, Li Che's eyes suddenly became much more eager when he looked at Li Lin.

My dear fourth brother, you don’t lack horses, but I am in urgent need of them.

Li Lin seemed to notice Li Che's gaze, and felt a little uneasy in his heart. He quickly changed the subject:

"Ahem... Sixth brother, let's not talk about this anymore. This is your first time in Yandi, right? Come with me into the city and I'll give you a proper welcome."

Although I don’t know what Li Lin’s attitude towards me is, at least he seems very enthusiastic on the surface.

Li Che hesitated for a moment, then nodded and agreed: "Okay, then I'll make the arrangements and then I'll go into the city with you."

Wang Sanchun, who was standing behind him, saw this and quickly stepped forward to stop him: "Your Highness, no! The army is still outside the city, how can we just rush in so easily?"

Wang Sanchun was a little anxious, and even spoke up to stop him without caring that Li Lin was beside him.

From what His Highness said, he wants to leave the army outside and enter the city alone.

How could this be possible? What if the other party in the city had evil intentions? Wouldn't I be at the mercy of others?

Li Lin glanced at Wang Sanchun and thought to himself, "This general under Lao Liu is quite loyal."

Then he smiled and said, "It's alright. Sixth brother has come a long way and must have had a hard time. Let the soldiers go into the city and rest."

This time it was Li Che's turn to be secretly shocked.

This cheap fourth brother is more courageous than he imagined!

There are six thousand troops here. If you let them into the city, they will be allowed to enter the city. Aren’t you afraid that they will be stabbed in the back suddenly?

However, since Li Lin was so frank, Li Che no longer refused and immediately ordered the entire army to enter the city.

The two armies joined forces and marched towards Dongping County in a mighty force.

Li Che and Li Lin rode side by side on horseback, walking at the front of the team.

Li Lin's eyes kept sweeping over Li Che's side, the burly man who was always by his side.

Hu Qiang was munching on a piece of bread, his feet moving very fast, but still able to keep up with the horse's pace.

Li Lin was curious about this kind of strange person.

Just as he was about to ask, he heard Li Che ask first: "Fourth brother found us so quickly, is there any secret?"

"Of course I have ways." Li Lin said with a smile, raised his head towards the sky, and suddenly blew a whistle.

"Wow—"

A clear eagle cry came from the sky

Li Che looked up and saw a black shadow in the sky rapidly growing larger, and a snow-white bird of prey swooped down.

A strong wind blew past and finally landed steadily on Li Lin's arm.

I saw the bird, with its gorgeous feathers, strong physique, and agile flight, just like a fairy bird in the sky.

"Could it be a Saker Falcon?!" Li Che's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Oh, Sixth Brother, you have good eyesight!" Li Lin was also a little surprised. "Yes, it is the Saker Falcon."

Saker Falcon, also known as the Gyrfalcon.

This bird has a strong body, huge wings, a ferocious temperament, and is good at fighting and brave.

It often fights with prey that is several times larger than itself, and dares to deal with it even if the opponent is a cunning wild wolf.

Because of its fierce and brave hunting method, it is deeply loved by nomadic peoples and has been the hunter's assistant falcon for a long time.

Saker Falcons are difficult to capture and tame. In the Qing Dynasty, catching and handing over a Saker Falcon could even result in a pardon from the death penalty.

"This was presented to me by a Mohe tribe when I first became a vassal." Li Lin gently stroked the Saker Falcon's feathers. "It can hunt and scout. It will call if it detects an enemy."

Hearing this, Li Che looked at Haidongqing more eagerly.

No wonder ancient royal nobles were so fond of this bird. It is simply the ancient version of an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.

If trained properly, it can be used as a radar.

"Sixth brother, do you like it?" Li Lin suddenly asked.

Li Che nodded: "Who wouldn't love such a divine bird?"

"Hahaha, that's easy." Li Lin said generously, "I have two chicks, they are siblings, one male and one female."

"Since Sixth Brother likes it, I will give the female to him as a gift. Just keep her well-raised and don't let her die."

Li Che came back to his senses and shook his head repeatedly: "No, no."

Li Lin looked at Li Che with an unhappy look on his face: "Sixth brother, don't you like it? Why are you refusing?"

Li Che said, "A real man should lead a male eagle. If he leads a female bird, wouldn't it make people laugh?"

Li Lin was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter:

"Hahaha, Sixth Brother, you are so quick to speak. I will give you the male bird!"

Li Lin's gaze stayed on Li Che for a long time, as if he was re-examining him.

In his memory, Li Che was just a taciturn prince with no sense of existence.

But now, he felt a similar aura on Li Che's body.

But when he saw him again, there was a faint sense of fierceness in Li Che, similar to his own. That was the courage that only a hero who had been on the battlefield for a long time could have, and it was definitely not something that a pampered prince could possess.

In just five years, what kind of circumstances could have caused such a drastic change in this old man?

When the team arrived at the gate of Dongping County, Li Che looked at the towering city wall.

The city gates were wide open, people were streaming in, hawking sounds were heard one after another, and the scene was prosperous.

The strong atmosphere of life cannot be faked. The living conditions of the people here are much better than those Li Che met along the way.

The people live and work in peace and contentment. It seems that this cheap fourth brother is not only famous in the army, but also has good skills in governing the local area.

"The people live and work in peace and contentment. Fourth brother has made great contributions in protecting the people." Li Che praised.

"Five years ago, this place wasn't like this." Li Lin's eyes dimmed. "For the peace we have today, countless of my soldiers have died on the battlefield."

"All of this was achieved at the cost of the lives of our soldiers. Although I may be arrogant, I dare not take credit for it."

Life in Yan was not easy either.

Yan is located in a border area. In addition to the sea to the east, it also borders barbarians to the north and northeast.

Although there is the natural barrier of Shanhaiguan in the northeast, the Hu people in the north often go south to plunder.

If a vassal king who is not good at fighting were to come here, he would not be able to defend the Yanyun area.

Li Che was about to speak when he suddenly saw several black shadows flash in front of him. Several masked men in black, holding sharp blades, rushed straight towards Li Lin who was beside him.

"King Yan, die!" the man in black shouted.