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

Heavenly Khan!

As soon as these three words came out, it was like thunder from the sky exploding again.

This title is more shocking and majestic than Khan, and it sounds like it has an unquestionable and supreme spirit that transcends all nations.

King Wuliang was trembling all over, King Mieqi's eyes were wide open, and the other Northern Hu leaders were all horrified.

Tian Khan...this is no longer the ruler of the grassland.

Instead, he is above all the Khans, like the incarnation of Eternal Heaven on earth, the supreme being who dominates all creatures on the grassland.

There has never been such a noble existence on the grassland, not to mention that the other party is a vassal king of the Qing people?

"Heaven...Heaven Khan..." Mieqi King muttered to himself. The huge shock made him almost speechless. "This..."

"What?" Yue Yun's sword suddenly pressed against his throat, sending a chill through his bones. "You don't want to?!"

"I will! I will! I will!" The threat of death instantly overwhelmed everything. King Mieqi was the first to react. "I will lead the Mieqi tribe and the other northern Hu tribes to honor His Majesty as... the Heavenly Khan!"

"Eternal Heaven is above. If you disobey, you will be punished by heaven and earth and fall into hell forever!"

After he swore, he threw his head to the ground and kowtowed heavily.

The other leaders, waking as if from a dream, rushed to speak out, "We are willing to lead our tribes in eternal submission and honor His Majesty as the Heavenly Khan. With the help of the Eternal Heaven, we will never betray you!"

It's just a title. At least you can survive by using it and the tribe can continue to reproduce.

If we resist to the end and let the Fengguo army continue to wreak havoc, I'm afraid that in a few years this grassland will be left with only cattle and horses...

Hearing them say this, Yue Yun slowly retracted his sword, without even looking at the group of Northern Hu leaders, turned around and strode towards the black altar.

The soldiers of the country stood solemnly in front of the altar, parting the way like a tide.

Yue Yun climbed to the highest point of the altar and faced southeast - that was the direction of Fengguo!

"Jitaihan!" Yue Yun shouted.

"exist!"

The barbarian general, like an iron tower, strode forward.

"Take the Barbarian Chieftain's flag!"

Jitaihan responded, strode into the ranks, and took a pennant from the sergeant.

The flag was embroidered with a ferocious golden wolf head, which was the totem of the common belief of the northern Hu people, representing the royal power of the Kuntu tribe and the dignity of the Hu royal court.

Yue Yun took the royal flag from Ji Taihan and held it high so that all the Fengtian Army soldiers, as well as the Northern Hu leaders and captives kneeling on the ground, could see it clearly.

Then, under the gazes of countless people, Yue Yun took the torch from Li Leshi and placed it on a corner of the royal flag.

Tongues of flame curled up in the wind.

The golden wolf flag that represented King Kuntu's authority was gradually consumed by the flames, and its ashes fell onto the cold altar rocks and were blown away by the cold wind.

Yue Yun shouted again: "Build an altar and offer wine!"

The Fengtian Army soldiers acted quickly and built a simple altar using the black rocks available at the Beihu altar.

The nameplates of the fallen Fengtian Army soldiers were placed respectfully, and large bowls of liquor were poured in front of the altar. The strong aroma of liquor mixed with the smell of blood filled the cold wind.

Yue Yun personally picked up a bowl of strong liquor, raised it high, faced the east, and said in a sad voice:

"Heroes who died in service to our country!"

"Today, our Fengtian Army has conquered the Northern Hu Sacred Mountain, captured the barbarian chief alive, and burned his royal flag!"

"With the blood of this barbarian chieftain and the skull of this enemy, I offer a tribute to your loyal souls on the summit of this mountain!"

"Your heroic spirits are not far away. Just look...Your Majesty has been appointed by Heaven to rule the land and become the Heavenly Khan of the grasslands!"

"Your achievements will be recorded in history and will be immortalized forever!"

After saying this, he raised his head, drank the liquor in the bowl, and then smashed it hard on the altar. With tears in his tiger eyes, he said, "Soul, come back!"

"Soul—come back!"

Ten thousand Fengguo cavalry sang in unison, and the sound swept across the mountain top like a tsunami.

One wine bowl after another was raised, and the strong liquor went into the throat, followed by the sound of shattering, like a war drum bidding farewell to the heroic souls.

In front of the altar, strong liquor mixed with the hot blood of the mourners soaked into the cold rocks.

Behind the altar, King Wuliang, King Mieqi... all the captured Northern Hu leaders, nobles, soldiers, and herdsmen, under the gaze of the Fengtian Army's sharp blades, knelt down like fallen dominoes.

They all crawled on the cold snow, their foreheads pressed against the frozen ground, and shouted with all their might:

"Tian Khan——!"

“Tian Khan——!!”

"Tian Khan——!!!"

The dusk is dark and the wind and snow are getting stronger.

The wheels rolled over the frozen soil, making a dull sound that intertwined with the whimpering of the cold wind.

The Fengtian Army, winding like a long black dragon, slowly moved southward on its way home, which was repeatedly soaked in blood.

. . . . . .

The wheels rolled over the slightly damp bluestone road in the early morning of the imperial capital, heading north.

A small convoy was slowly driving out of the power center that had just experienced a bloody storm.

Li Lin sat upright on the horse in the front, having changed out of the dragon robe that symbolized his princeliness and put on a neat suit with arrow sleeves. There was a hint of fatigue on his face.

Finally able to get away from the power struggles in the imperial capital, Li Lin felt relieved and couldn't wait to return to his princess.

It is too tiring to fight with Emperor Qing and those court officials in the capital. It is better to be a "wife-treasured man" by his wife's side, especially when his wife is a "female Zhuge Liang".

Following closely behind Li Lin was a carriage that was simply decorated yet extremely sturdy.

A small hand quietly lifted a corner of the car curtain, revealing a small face with a calmness that was inconsistent with its age.

On the other side of the convoy, Qiu Bai and Qu Jinshan sat upright on two war horses and rode with the convoy.

Qiu Bai was wearing a black cloak with no markings on it, and the hood was hanging low, covering most of his face.

Qu Jinshan was wearing the black and red armor of a Fengguo general, and the red cloak behind him fluttered in the wind.

The two looked at each other, frowned at the same time, and turned their heads away at the same time, feeling that they were disgusted with each other.

Huang Jin, along with several eunuchs, personally escorted Li Lin to the city gate.

With his usual respectful smile on his face, he bowed deeply to Li Lin:

"Your Highness, the journey is long and arduous, so please take care. Your Highness's return to the vassal state is a great favor from Your Majesty, and a joyous reunion of the royal family. This old servant respectfully wishes Your Highness and the Princess a long and healthy life, and that the Yan vassal state will remain strong forever."

Li Lin laughed heartily: "How come Huang Daban is also like those civil servants, speaking in such a flowery manner?"

Huang Jin smiled bitterly and winked at Li Lin.

Things are different now. The political struggle in the imperial capital is becoming more and more intense. Even he, the eunuch in charge of the seal, feels uneasy and can't help but become more cautious.

Li Lin didn't understand what was going on, but Li Xian in the carriage saw this scene and said crisply:

"Father, we have to say goodbye to Grandpa Huang!"

Although Li Xian is young, he inherited his mother's intelligence and knows that Huang Jin's identity represents imperial power.

Li Lin suddenly realized and bowed seriously, saying:

"Thank you, Eunuch Huang, for seeing me off. On behalf of the entire Yan clan, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your great grace. I also ask Eunuch Huang to convey to Your Majesty that your son, Li Lin, will always be grateful for your grace and will faithfully abide by the territorial boundaries and will never forget it."

Huang Jin then smiled and glanced at Li Xian's little face in the carriage with admiration in his eyes.

What a good child! Fortunately, he didn’t inherit his father’s intelligence, so the lineage of Prince Yan has successors.

He glanced past the dazed Li Lin, and finally looked up at the vast sky in the north, sighing deeply.

The King of Yan, who was as virtuous as ever, still retained his royal title and fiefdom despite Your Majesty's large-scale purge to recover the power of the vassal kings.

On the contrary, none of the other princes who prided themselves on being smart and wise could escape unscathed, and they fell from the clouds to the ground in one day.

It's really good-for-nothing!

No... Perhaps it is precisely because Prince Yan is so simple that he is favored by both His Majesty and His Royal Highness Prince Feng, the two most powerful people in Daqing.

After thinking this through, Huang Jin smiled and nodded, saying, "Your Highness is loyal and sincere. Your Majesty is very pleased. Please!"

After saying that, he moved aside to make way.

Li Lin sat upright on his horse, feeling Huang Jin's gaze gradually moving away from him. He let out a long sigh, thinking to himself:

"Finally, it's over. Political struggles are really taxing... I hope I can still go home for the New Year, but the New Year isn't that fun. Should I go to Lao Liu's place this year? Or go to Chaoyang City? Or even leave the border?"

. . . . . .

As Li Lin wished, there was no trouble on the way back to Yan State.

It only took one month to reach the State of Yan.

The tall gate of Dongping City was in sight, and the large flag with the word "swallow" on a black background and gold edges on the city wall fluttered in the cold wind.

Outside the city gate, a large crowd of civil and military officials from the Yan clan were waiting.

At the front of the team, a slender figure in a dark blue Zhai robe stood like a stabilizing force.

Princess Yan's makeup was meticulous, her eyes were calm, and she exuded the majesty of someone who had been in a high position for a long time.

Although she was a woman, everyone in Yan State admired her. She only needed to stand there and the civil and military officials around her would look at her with respect.

The carriage slowly stopped and the curtain opened.

Li Lin, who was covered in dust, was the first to step out of the carriage. He did not look at the welcoming procession, but turned around, bent down and took out a chubby child from the carriage.

"Xian'er!"

Princess Yan could no longer maintain her dignity and blurted out a trembling call.

Li Lin raised his head, his eyes passing through the crowd, accurately capturing the joy and longing in his wife's eyes.

His throat moved slightly, and he took Li Xian's hand and walked quickly towards him.

"Mother!" Li Xian's big eyes lit up instantly when he saw his mother.

He broke free from his father's hand and, like a baby bird returning to its nest, cried joyfully and threw himself into the open arms of Princess Yan.

Princess Yan hugged her lost and found child tightly in her arms, her shoulders trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Li Lin stood aside with a gentle look in his eyes, and Qiu Bai and Qu Jinshan, who were traveling with him, also smiled like aunts.

He was a vassal prince with no ambitions. He did not seek imperial power or hegemony, nor did he want to be a wise king whose name would go down in history.

The reason why he fought against the Hu people in Yan for many years was to ensure the safety of his wife and children, so that he could see the scene he is seeing now every day.