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

That night, the Prince of Yan's Mansion was brightly lit and filled with warmth.

In the bedroom where candlelight flickered, the noise faded away.

Li Lin and Princess Yan stood side by side in front of Li Xian's bed, quietly gazing at their son's peaceful face as he slept soundly.

As if she couldn't bear to ruin this tender moment, after a long while, Princess Yan spoke softly:

"The prince's trip to the imperial capital... seems to be more sinister than expected."

Li Lin nodded slowly, his gaze still fixed on his son's face. He spoke in a low voice, "The capital is a sea of ​​blood and corpses, fathers and sons are killing each other, brothers are fighting each other... all for that high and mighty broken chair. There's really no emotion at all."

Princess Yan could sense Li Lin's depressed mood and couldn't help but reach out and hold his hand.

Li Lin shook his hand back and said:

"Princess, the New Year is approaching, and the land of Yan is bitterly cold. I want to take Xian'er to Fengguo and celebrate the New Year with Lao Liu in a lively atmosphere."

Princess Yan paused for a moment, frowning slightly as she asked, "Going to Fengguo to celebrate the New Year? You and Xian'er are both gone, leaving me alone to celebrate the New Year?"

Li Lin quickly smiled apologetically and moved closer: "Look at what you said, how can I leave you here alone? Of course we go together."

"You don't know, Chaoyang City is a lot of fun. There's a morning market in the morning and a night market in the evening. There are people selling tofu pudding, flowers and herbs, and even cats and puppies. It's so lively that you can spend a whole day and night strolling around and never get bored."

"Old Six also gave me a mansion in Chaoyang City. Although it's not as big as Prince Yan's Mansion, it doesn't have those bunkers and towers, and it has its own elegant and warm atmosphere."

"There's a new stadium outside the city, and soldiers play football there every day. Princess, do you know what football is? It's just twenty-two men fighting over a ball!"

"And that Goryeo song and dance... ahem, that song and dance is nothing to look at. I've never even seen it once."

The Princess of Yan glared at him, but didn't expose his true intentions. She simply asked, "With both of us gone, how are things in Yan?"

"What's the big deal? Just leave it to the capable ministers below!"

Li Lin and Li Che had mentioned before that Yan State lacked some good people to govern the country, so Li Che sent a group of capable officials.

Today, the Yan State government is running smoothly, and its policies are gradually moving closer to those of Feng State.

Upon hearing this, Princess Yan gently shook her head and said, "Your Highness, going to Fengguo to celebrate the New Year is a family matter. Let's put it aside for now. There is an important state affair that is pending."

"Your Majesty has issued a strict order for all vassal states to disband their private armies. This cannot be delayed any further. Although Your Majesty's decree to reduce the number of vassal states has not yet affected the State of Yan, Your Majesty has sent Xian'er back. Your Majesty's will is very clear. Your Highness should be aware of this."

"Disarmament..." Li Lin's smile froze instantly, his eyes dimming. "Really? My Yan Clan's 80,000 men are all my old brothers who have followed me through hundreds of battles. How can I bear to let them go..."

"Your Highness!" Princess Yan's voice remained gentle, but unquestionable. "Precisely because they are old brothers who have followed you through countless battles, you must consider their future."

"Eighty thousand people, far more than half of the prince's limit. The court's knife is hanging over our heads."

"Besides, think carefully. Among these 80,000 men, how many are old soldiers over 40, with white hair and beards? How many are men with old injuries and hidden illnesses that cause pain to penetrate their bones every time it rains?"

"They have fought for half their lives, and it's time for them to retire and enjoy a few years of peace and a warm home with their wives and children."

Seeing that Li Lin just sighed, Princess Yan couldn't help but slow down her tone:

"I heard that the northern border barbarians have been defeated by the Fengtian Army. They are frightened by the sight of Fengtian's black flag and no longer have the strength to invade. The Yan vassal state really doesn't need so many standing troops anymore."

"Disarmament can not only reassure the court and Your Majesty, but also provide a way out for these old brothers."

Li Lin was silent.

Yes, it’s time for those old brothers to get married, have children, and live a peaceful life.

Zhang Laowu's leg was broken by a barbarian horse at Black Rock Ridge, and the pain kept him awake all night in winter. Zhao Tietou had a centipede-like scar on his back from blocking himself. And Wang Mazi was blinded in one eye by a barbarian wolf-tooth arrow...

Li Lin slowly closed his eyes, as if he could see the weathered and scarred faces on the training ground.

After a long moment, he sighed heavily, his voice dry: "Okay, let's do as the princess wishes."

. . . . . .

In the next few days, the large parade ground outside the city became bustling.

Li Lin was in charge personally, and a military order was delivered to the Yan army camp.

Those who are over 45 years old, have disabilities or old illnesses, and are deemed unfit for service by military doctors are included in the layoff list.

The list was drawn up by the commanders of each camp, and Li Lin personally reviewed it one by one.

On the parade ground, the veterans whose names were called stepped out silently without any noise or noise.

But one could still hear heavy breathing and occasional suppressed sobs.

They took off the military uniforms they had worn for half their lives, folded them neatly, and returned them to the quartermaster.

Li Lin stood on the reviewing platform, and watched these familiar faces who had once fought alongside him leave one by one, with mixed feelings in his heart.

The treasury of Prince Yan's mansion was wide open, and Li Lin took out the generous silver wages he had accumulated and distributed them to the retired soldiers.

In addition to the severance pay stipulated by the court, each laid-off veteran received an additional double subsidy from the Prince of Yan's Palace, and the disabled received additional pensions, all of which were personally supervised by the officials of the Prince's Palace.

The best farmland was allocated and distributed throughout Yan territory, or a stable livelihood was arranged in other departments to ensure that they would have enough food and clothing and a place to rely on in their old age after leaving the camp.

After the layoffs, the huge training ground was still filled with a sea of ​​soldiers.

Li Lin looked at the roster with a heavy heart.

There are still a full 60,000 people, which is half of the 30,000 required by Emperor Qing!

These 60,000 people are all elite young men and are the backbone of the Yan clan.

They are all good soldiers. It’s a pity to lay them off like this.

Li Lin's knuckles turned white as he gripped the roster, and he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

He suddenly remembered what Wei Zhuchun had said in his study before leaving Beijing:

"Your Majesty's intention to reduce the power of the feudal lords is clear, and military reductions are imperative. It would be a pity to abandon an elite division. Your Highness, Prince Feng, is expanding the territory beyond the Great Wall, and now is the time to use men..."

Li Lin made up his mind and called his personal guards: "Send Zhang Neng, Zhu Quan, and Deng Fang to see me in the tent."

"Here."

Soon, several veteran generals with a fierce aura entered the tent and saluted: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

Li Lin took a deep breath and felt his throat tighten as he looked at these trusted and beloved generals who had followed him through thick and thin for many years.

He was silent for a moment and then said, "Okay, get up."

All the generals stood up and remained silent.

Even the generals who usually loved to argue fell silent at this moment, and the atmosphere was so solemn that water could be squeezed out of it.

"Dismissing old and weak soldiers is the law of the land. I am helpless," Li Lin sighed. "The remaining 60,000 men are my backbone and the pillars of the Yan clan. I... cannot bear to dismiss them any further."

As soon as these words were spoken, the generals' eyes suddenly lit up.

The prince still remembers our old friendship!

However, Li Lin's next words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head:

"But the imperial decree is hard to disobey, and the vassal system is hard to overcome. The Yan vassal state can no longer accommodate so many good men." He paused, his eyes sweeping across the suddenly pale faces. "After much deliberation, I have decided to send you all out of Yan State!"

The generals were horrified:

"Send it out of Yan State?"

"Your Majesty! You...are you going to chase us away?!"

"I swear to follow you till death, and will never leave the Yan Clan!"

The generals were struck by lightning, their faces turned pale, and the little hope they had just had was completely crushed.

Several strong-willed generals had tears in their eyes and fell to their knees with thuds, their voices choked with sobs.

"Your Majesty! I have followed you since I was seventeen, fighting from Youzhou to the grasslands. I have seventeen sword wounds on my body. How could you...how could you abandon me?"

"Your Majesty! You saved my life from the dead. Where do you want me to go?"

"My lord, think twice!"

"We are willing to retire and return to the countryside, but we will never leave the State of Yan!"

"Your Majesty!"

For a moment, there was crying in the audience.

These men who remained calm in the face of swords and arrows on the battlefield, now completely collapsed and burst into tears because of the four words "leaving Yan State".

Li Lin looked at the scene in front of him, feeling mixed emotions and indescribable bitterness in his heart.

He opened his mouth to explain something, but was silenced by the overwhelming cry of grief.

At this moment of gloom and sorrow, Zhang Neng, who was kneeling in the front row of the crowd, asked tentatively with tears in his eyes:

"Your Majesty, where are you sending me?"

Li Lin was already upset by the crying and blurted out in a sad voice: "Where else can we go? To Fengguo, to Lao Liu's place!"

Swish-!

The cries, pleadings, and kowtows that filled the room suddenly stopped, as if an invisible hand had strangled the throat.

The big tent fell into an eerie silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Li Lin was stunned and rubbed his ears subconsciously, thinking that he was hallucinating because he was crying so hard.

He looked up in confusion.

This sight was not a big deal, it almost made Prince Yan so angry that he fainted on the spot.

The generals who had cried almost to death just now had tears clearly visible on their stubble, but their expressions... had completely changed.

I wanted to laugh but didn't dare. The corners of my mouth twitched and I tried to push them down, but I couldn't suppress the arc that was trying to rise up.

The look in his eyes was even brighter, like a hungry wolf seeing a fat sheep, a gambler finding his lucky star, or Cao Cao traveling through time and seeing Bai Jie...

The tears on Zhang Neng's face were still wet, but his eyes were as wide as bells, his mouth was wide open, and he had a dull expression that said, "Did a pie fall from the sky and hit me on the head?"

Li Lin: ???

He blinked and rubbed his eye sockets to make sure he was not dazzled.

The expressions on these bastards' faces...are they ecstatic?!

A surge of evil fire shot up from the soles of Li Lin's feet to the top of his head, burning his forehead and making it buzz.

"You bastards! I...I will eat you alive!!!"