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

"Stop!" Li Che raised his hand and tightened the reins.

The cavalry behind him slowly stopped.

Li Che looked at the man in front of him in silence. The two looked at each other through the smoke and dust without saying a word for a long time.

Li Che was the first to break the silence and asked, "Fourth brother, do you really want to fight me?"

Li Lin still didn't speak, but turned his gaze to the 'Silent' long sword at Li Che's waist and paused for a moment.

Then he slowly said, "Is this sword still handy?"

Li Che grinned: "Unstoppable, I have chopped off the heads of several noble families. Thank you, Fourth Brother, for the sword!"

Li Lin smiled upon hearing this: "That's great."

He reached into his arms, took out a long cylindrical object, and threw it towards Li Che.

Li Che reached out to take it, but before he opened it, he heard Li Lin say loudly:

"This is a map of the area beyond the Great Wall. It was created by the Yan army at the cost of hundreds of scouts and brothers who sacrificed their lives over the years. I am giving it to you today, Sixth Brother."

When Li Che opened it, he found it was a sheepskin map with clear images of mountains, rivers, roads, passes, and tribal distribution.

Then Li Lin said:

"The journey ahead is long and arduous, and I don't know when we will meet again. I have nothing else to ask for, except that you take care of yourself."

Hearing Li Lin's words, Li Che felt a warmth in his heart.

This is the first time since I traveled through time that I have experienced the love of brothers and sisters in this royal family.

"Don't worry, Fourth Brother." Li Che responded, "You and I, brothers, will surely meet again someday between the white mountains and black waters, and talk about drinking the blood of the barbarians!"

"Hahaha!" Li Lin laughed heartily, "I've been waiting for that day to come!"

Li Che held the map tightly, feeling that all the words he wanted to say turned into a sigh: "Take care, Fourth Brother!"

Li Lin smiled and raised his hand. The Yan army soldiers behind him turned to the left and right in unison, making way for an exit from the city.

Li Che said no more, turned his horse around, led his personal guards, and galloped straight through the Yan army formation towards the north.

When they were halfway there, they heard Li Lin suddenly shout:

"Send Prince Ninggu out of the city!!!"

Clang——

The Yan army soldiers stood at attention and shouted in unison:

"Farewell, Prince Ninggu!!!"

Li Che shuddered all over, squeezed his horse's belly hard, and walked out of the city gate laughing.

A small team of about fifty armored cavalrymen followed closely behind, escorting Li Che and others northward.

After Li Che and others left, Li Lin's eyes gradually turned cold, and he turned around and shouted sternly:

"The whole army forms an array!"

The Yan army soldiers behind him formed a formation and were ready to go.

Soon, the pursuing soldiers from the noble families arrived at the city gate. They did not see Li Che and the Ninggu army, but saw the Yan army with spears like a forest.

The leader of the private army was horrified and asked, "Why did the Prince of Yan let the Prince of Ninggu go?"

"How dare you, traitors, commit crimes and plunder in the city and loot the market?" Li Lin frowned and looked at him coldly.

"Why does King Yan say that? It's clearly..."

Li Lin waved his hand impatiently just as he was about to say something.

Countless arrows rained down from the city gate and instantly fell into the private soldiers' formation, shooting them into pieces.

Afterwards, the Yan army behind them rushed forward and engulfed these private soldiers of the aristocratic families.

. . . . . .

On the other side, Li Che advanced at full speed for several hundred meters and finally saw the flags of the Ninggu Army fluttering in the wind in front of him.

He looked at the armored cavalrymen who had been guarding him and bowed in thanks, "Thank you for your escort. We have successfully left the city. You may return and report."

Unexpectedly, all the armored cavalrymen stopped their horses and, led by the leading cavalry commander, knelt on one knee in front of Li Che.

Li Che was surprised and said, "What are you doing? Get up quickly."

The cavalry commander took off his armor, revealing a young and handsome face, and said respectfully:

"We are willing to follow His Highness and go outside the Great Wall together!"

Li Che frowned slightly and dismounted, "Why do you say that? You are all elite soldiers under my royal brother's command. How could I possibly steal Fourth Brother's men?"

The cavalry commander raised his head and said, "Your Highness, you may not know that I am originally from a good family. After joining the Yan army, I fought bravely and made many military achievements."

"However, during one patrol, I ran into a member of the Fan family who was trying to abduct a woman. I beat him up and severely injured him, and the Fan family has been holding a grudge against me ever since."

"If it weren't for His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan's love and care, allowing me to cover my face and serve as a cavalryman in the Armored Cavalry, I would have been killed by the Fan family long ago."

"But the Fan family is powerful. If we stay in Yan, we will be harmed by them sooner or later. His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan ordered us to follow you, the Prince, to the Northeast to establish a foundation."

The cavalry commander stood up and pointed at the fifty or so armored cavalrymen behind him. "These people all have grudges against the aristocratic families. They are all willing to follow Your Highness out of the pass and fight the barbarians!"

After that, he knelt on the ground again:

"I hope Your Highness will take me in!"

Everyone shouted in unison: "I hope Your Highness will take us in!"

Li Che's heart was shocked, and his eyes swept across the resolute and courageous faces.

Finally, it landed on the cavalry commander and asked, "What's your name?"

"Your subordinate is Yue Yun!"

Li Che smiled and asked, "Have you chosen a name yet?"

Yue Yun was puzzled, but still said, "I joined the army when I was young, and I didn't take a name."

"Then how about I give you a name, Zilong?"

"Yue... Zilong?" Yue Yun's face was filled with joy as he prostrated himself on the ground. "Thank you, Your Highness, for the gift of a name!"

Li Che hurried forward to help Yue Yun up, and the more he looked at her, the more he liked her.

But he was eight feet tall, with a majestic figure and a heroic face, and he was wearing a white robe over his iron armor.

This kind of cavalry general perfectly matched his understanding of the fierce general from Shijiazhuang, and he couldn't help but feel very happy.

"Zilong will temporarily serve as captain and continue to lead our cavalry," Li Che said. "In the future, if I can also train elite armored cavalry, I will hand them all over to Zilong!"

Yue Yun quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

After accepting Yue Yun, Li Che felt better and more grateful to Li Lin.

Armored cavalry was a strategic weapon in that era, and the King of Yan was willing to give it to him. He was really good to him.

With these fifty armored cavalrymen as a prototype, as long as the productivity of the territory can keep up, he will be able to quickly pull out a fully armored iron army!

After reorganizing the troops and counting the losses, Li Che was surprised to find that there was not a single casualty on his side in the previous battle.

Only one guard stabbed someone too hard and dislocated his arm...

This also shows that the strategy of suppressing bandits and training troops along the way has been quite effective.

At least that group of criminal veterans have transformed into battle-hardened elites, and will be able to become the backbone of the army in the future.

After leaving Dongping County, the team moved forward again.

The next stop is Shanhaiguan, known as the "No. 1 Pass in the World".