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

That night, the palace of King Feng was brightly lit and filled with music and singing.

Emperor Qing held a banquet at the government office to entertain all the officials of Daqing and the civil and military officials of Fengguo, to show that the monarch and his subjects were enjoying themselves together.

Emperor Qing walked into the hall, followed by the two princes Li Che and Li Lin.

Civil and military officials from Daqing gathered together, and officials from Fengguo also took their seats.

Daqing's civil and military officials are on the right, and Fengguo is on the left, with a clear distinction.

Emperor Qing glanced downwards, and just as he expected, the officials of Feng State were clearly more imposing.

After all, it is a newly emerging vassal state, and it has won several great victories. At this moment, the cohesion of Fengguo officials is at its peak, and it is quite vigorous.

On the other hand, although the civil and military officials accompanying Daqing were all outstanding people, they had experienced ups and downs in officialdom for many years and had long lost their original sharpness.

Except for Huo Tao, the head of the civil officials, and Zhu Chun, the head of the military officials, the temperament of the other officials was obviously inferior to that of Fengguo's civil and military officials.

"See Your Majesty."

After Emperor Qing took his seat, all the ministers bowed and then went to see Li Che and Li Lin.

"Greetings to General Tiance, and to His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan."

Li Che was slightly stunned, still a little uncomfortable.

The ministers are all shrewd people, and in such formal occasions, they will naturally use more honorific titles.

Before he was granted the title of General Tiance, although Li Che was also a prince, his status was lower than that of the Prince of Yan according to age.

The position of General Tian Ce was above all the kings. Legally speaking, Li Che was already the leader of all the kings, even surpassing the two kings of Qin and Jin.

After the ceremony, the ministers returned to their seats.

Emperor Qing looked towards the Feng State officials, and after a quick glance, his gaze fell on Zhuge Zhe who was at the front.

"You are Zhuge Zhe, right?"

Zhuge Zhe remained expressionless as he stood up and saluted, "Your Majesty."

"No need for formalities." Emperor Qing smiled. "I've heard that you are diligent and insightful, making you a foremost among Fengguo's civil officials. Furthermore, you have often single-handedly supported Fengguo's logistical affairs during times of war. You truly are a talent worthy of assisting the king."

This evaluation cannot be said to be low. All the civil and military officials of Daqing showed strange expressions and looked at the young man opposite them who was full of literary air.

Facing Emperor Qing's praise, Zhuge Zhe remained neither humble nor arrogant, and simply expressed his gratitude in a light tone, which was neither rude nor respectful.

He came from a noble family of the previous dynasty and had a natural hostility towards Emperor Qing. He never considered himself a subject of Daqing.

Of course, this is also the attitude of most ministers serving the country.

Emperor Qing shifted his gaze to Huo Duanxiao again, and his tone became even more intimate: "Zhengze actually surprised me."

"When I was in the imperial capital, I had heard that Erlang of the Huo family was well-educated and quite brave. However, I never expected that after arriving in Fengguo, you would reveal such extraordinary talent. I almost regret letting you come here."

Huo Duanxiao had a more favorable opinion of Emperor Qing than Zhuge Zhe. He stood up and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is all due to His Royal Highness, Prince Feng. I was only responsible for identifying and filling in the gaps."

"You are so humble, you inherited it from your father." Emperor Qing smiled and looked at Huo Tao below. "Mr. Huo, you have a good son."

Huo Tao quickly stood up and said, "My son is still young and needs more guidance from Your Majesty and Your Highness."

After praising Zhuge Zhe and Huo Duanxiao, Emperor Qing turned his gaze to He Conglong: "General He, nice to meet you again."

He Conglong stood up: "Your Majesty."

The two had met once before. Although He Conglong came from the Criminal Army, his rigorous and steady style of doing things left a deep impression on Emperor Qing.

"I've long said that General He has the qualities to be a commander. Now that we meet again, I can see that he has indeed achieved remarkable military success."

"I still need to work hard to repay the kindness of Your Majesty and Your Highness for your guidance and support."

Emperor Qing smiled slightly, said nothing more, and continued to look at the next person.

Among the civil officials, Zhang Fan, Wang Chongjian, Chen Gui, Liu Ye...

Among the generals, Yue Yun, Ji Taihan, Wang Sichun, Ying Bu...

Emperor Qing could call out the names of dozens of civil and military officials from Feng State in the hall and tell about their achievements, which shows Emperor Qing's concern for Feng State.

Everyone was shocked. This emperor was truly extraordinary. His knowledge of everything did not move anyone, but instead made them feel a chill.

After Emperor Qing had called everyone, he looked back and said:

"Why is General Yang Xuan nowhere to be seen? I've heard so much about her deeds, she's truly a heroine."

The expressions of the civil and military officials of Feng State changed slightly, and they all looked at their own prince.

Li Che remained calm and just smiled, saying, "Your Majesty, you have arrived at an unfortunate time. General Yang has military duties and has gone out of the city to train his troops."

"Oh." Emperor Qing nodded slightly. "Then where is General Chen Ping? The name of the White Robe Ghost General is well-known. I have known him for a long time."

The expressions of Fengguo's civil and military officials changed again.

Li Che remained calm: "Did your Majesty forget? General Chen is in charge of preventing a counterattack from the remaining Khitan troops and is still stationed in Shangjing."

Emperor Qing smiled faintly: "What about the three brothers Jie An, Jie Ming, and Jie Quan? Three heroes from one family, all three brothers have the potential to be famous generals. It is a wonderful story. I have long wanted to meet them."

The civil and military officials of Feng State all looked at Emperor Qing with mixed emotions.

Emperor Qing mentioned the generals of the National Protection Army again and again, and it was obvious that he already knew their identities. This was a secret warning to his prince.

"Your Majesty, several generals are leading troops outside." Li Che remained calm and collected. "If Your Majesty wishes to see them, would you like me to recall them?"

Emperor Qing shook his head and put down the wine glass in his hand: "Forget it, if we are destined to meet, we will meet one day."

Li Che smiled and nodded.

"Whether you are present here, or the generals leading the troops abroad, all of you, the civil and military heroes of Fengguo, are talented people who defend our country. I treat them all equally."

"Now that we have annihilated the Khitan and achieved this unprecedented feat, I should have rewarded you accordingly. However, I am not familiar with Fengtian's internal affairs, so I will give this gift to your Highness."

"I often say that among all the princes, the one who resembles me most is Che'er."

Li Che quickly said, "Your son is terrified."

Emperor Qing smiled faintly: "I appointed you as the General of Heavenly Strategy to express my trust in you. Let all the generals return tomorrow."

Li Che breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Emperor Qing was expressing his stance. He didn't mind that he had used a general from the previous dynasty.

After all, Emperor Qing had always wanted to subdue Yang Zhongsi's Huan State Army, but Yang Zhongsi was unwilling to surrender to him.

Li Che was able to recapture the Huan Guo army because of his ability. As an emperor, he still had some tolerance.

As for the bloodline of the previous dynasty...is this a big deal in the face of sufficient benefits?

A powerful Feng State that can suppress the barbarians outside the Great Wall and bring endless benefits to Daqing is much more important than an illusory bloodline!

"My son, I would like to thank my father."

"Hahaha!" Emperor Qing laughed a few times. "I won't say much. My dear ministers, please enjoy yourselves. I see these delicacies are already making my mouth water."

The banquet finally began.

Various Fengguo specialties were brought to the table like flowing water.

Mountain game, hazel mushrooms, wild vegetables...

Fresh fish, shrimps and crabs in the water...

Scallops, lobsters, and seaweed in the sea...

There are also beef and mutton from the grasslands, pickles, the national treasure of Goryeo...

There is no shortage of delicious food in Feng State, and the chefs in the palace are no worse than the imperial chefs in the imperial palace.

With delicious food and fine wine as companions, the atmosphere of the banquet gradually became more lively.

Even Emperor Qing, who rarely drinks alcohol on weekdays, drank several glasses of wine.