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

After hearing what Wen Zaiyin said, Li Che scratched his head and couldn't think of any good reason to refute it for a while.

What can he do? He doesn't want to do it!

Those were easy days!

Seeing a group of low-class people showing off their power and arrogance on the opposite side, who can resist drawing a knife and chopping them?

This was a good opportunity to show loyalty. With Wen Zaiyin taking the lead, a group of civil officials began to speak out:

"Your Highness, you are the backbone of the millions of Fengtian Army soldiers outside the Great Wall! You are the sky above the heads of millions of Fengtian citizens! You are the hope for the future of this country! Your safety depends on the foundation of the country!"

"Yes, the Japanese pirates are just a bunch of scabies. Even if there are hundreds of thousands or millions of them, how can they be worth risking your life for them?"

"Your Highness, how could you...how could you be so despised as to put your country and its people in danger?"

"Your Highness, please reflect deeply and never do such dangerous things again!"

Li Che was hit so hard by this series of resounding questions that he could hardly raise his head, and the smile on his face became more and more stiff.

He subconsciously glanced at Qiu Bai and Qu Jinshan beside him, trying to find reinforcements.

But I found that both of them lowered their heads and dared not breathe.

It would be fine to let them accompany me in the battlefield to kill the enemy, but it would be difficult for them to talk to this group of civil servants.

"Ahem." Li Che cleared his throat and tried to defend himself, "You are all worrying too much, too much."

"This king is not... This king has the protection of the personal guards. Qiu Bai and the others will..."

"The Royal Guard Battalion?!" It would have been fine if Li Che hadn't mentioned this, but as soon as he mentioned the Royal Guard Battalion, Wen Zaiyin's worry immediately turned into anger.

His eyes were fixed on Qiu Bai standing beside him, and his gaze almost wanted to torture him to death.

Qiu Bai was confused and had a bad feeling in his heart.

Qu Jinshan silently took a few steps back and protected Qiu Bai in front of him.

"Since Your Highness mentioned the Imperial Guard, I, this old minister, will boldly ask Your Highness to execute the commander of the Imperial Guard, Qiu Bai, immediately!"

Qiu Bai was struck by lightning. He suddenly raised his head and looked at Wen Zaiyin in disbelief:

"what?!"

Li Che was also stunned: "Behead...behead Qiubai? Wen Qing, why...why is this happening?"

Wen Zaiyin pointed at the pale Qiu Bai and said sternly, "Qiu Bai, as the commander of His Highness's personal guard, shoulders the heavy responsibility of protecting His Highness. His Highness's safety should be his top priority."

"However, what he did today was not only to not dissuade Your Highness from taking such a dangerous path, but to aid and abet the tyrant, placing Your Highness under a hail of swords, spears, and arrows!"

"This is dereliction of duty, the ultimate malfeasance, and the crime should be punished!"

"If you don't kill, you can't uphold military law!"

"If we don't kill them, it won't serve as a warning to others!"

"If you don't kill me, I won't be able to appease you!"

"Your Highness, please enforce the law and execute Qiu Bai immediately!"

Hearing this, Qu Jinshan trembled slightly and shrank completely behind Qiu Bai.

Qiubai people were dumbfounded. Are you civil officials so cunning?

Besides, with His Highness looking like that on the battlefield, who would dare to stop him?

If I really tried to stop him, I was afraid he would eat me alive!

Li Che standing by suddenly felt overwhelmed.

He understood that Wen Zaiyin was taking advantage of the situation. On the surface, he was impeaching Qiu Bai, but in fact, he was strongly opposing his personal presence on the front line.

"You are too kind, Mr. Wen! You are too kind!"

"Qiu Bai and the others have always been by my side, never leaving my side. If they hadn't fought to the death to protect me, I wouldn't have been able to escape unscathed."

"Besides," Li Che tried to change the focus. "This prince personally led the troops into battle, and the soldiers saw it, and their morale was greatly boosted!"

"Wouldn't it be possible to defeat the enemy more quickly and reduce the casualties among our soldiers?"

"For the good of the soldiers?"

Wen Zaiyin asked in return:

"Your Highness! I dare to ask you a question. Without you personally taking up your sword and leading the charge, would our Fengtian Army be unable to win this battle?!"

Li Che was choked by the question.

Looking at the old minister's sad and angry eyes, he opened his mouth, but for a moment he couldn't find a strong rebuttal.

The pride in his bones churned in his chest, and finally turned into a mutter with a bit of dissatisfaction and guilt:

“It’s… hard to say!”

"Pfft."

Several civil servants who had been holding back their words almost burst out laughing when they heard Li Che's almost dishonest way of saying "it's hard to say".

He quickly covered his mouth tightly, but his shoulders couldn't stop shaking.

Wen Zaiyin was so angry that he laughed. He slowed down his tone:

"Your Highness, I know you came from humble beginnings, and sharing the hardships with the soldiers, braving the arrows and stones yourself has become a habit."

"This is your highness's courage, and it is also the basis for your highness's deep loyalty to the army. However, things are different now!"

"In the past, outside the Great Wall, Your Highness had only a few thousand men under his command. In order to survive, Your Highness had no choice but to lead the troops and fight for his life."

"But now, Your Highness has become the ruler of a country. Your safety is no longer a matter of life and death for one person, but rather the survival of the entire country and the well-being of all its people."

"On the battlefield, swords and spears are blind, and stray arrows are hard to defend against."

"Even if Your Highness possesses the courage of ten thousand men and the protection of divine armor, how can we be sure that there won't be a single mistake? If the Japanese pirates' cannon today had missed the target by even a fraction and hit Your Highness's vitals... Your Highness! Have you ever considered the consequences?!"

"Your Highness cherishes the lives of his soldiers, and this old minister feels the same way."

"Of course, a general should sacrifice his life for his country, burying his body on the battlefield. This is his duty! A commander should plan strategies and win battles thousands of miles away. This is the right way! A ruler should sit at the center, command all the land, and benefit all the people. This is the true way!"

"Your Highness! I beg you!"

As Wen Zaiyin spoke, he lifted the hem of his robe and, ignoring the blood and mud on the ground, knelt down.

"For the sake of our country, Your Highness, I implore you to take good care of your body and never...never take risks again!"

The civil servants behind him also bowed in unison, their voices filled with sincerity and earnestness:

"Your Highness, we implore you to take good care of your body and never venture into danger again!"

Looking at the white-haired old minister kneeling in front of him, Li Che's unwillingness to accept and the excitement brought by the battlefield suddenly disappeared without a trace.

He quickly reached out and held Wen Zaiyin tightly before his knees touched the ground.

"Wenqing! Please stand up quickly! This king... This king is learning from you!"

He took a deep breath and glanced at the worried ministers in front of him:

"Every word you have said is truly valuable and hits the nail on the head. It is I who have been careless and impulsive."

"I hereby promise that from now on I will remember your advice today and prioritize national affairs over my own safety!"

"Unless it's absolutely necessary, I will never go to the front line again and put myself in danger!"

"As for Qiu Bai..." Li Che glanced at the still bewildered commander of the personal guards, "He was truly dedicated to protecting his master and performed his duties diligently in battle."

"Although you cannot escape blame for not being able to dissuade the king in time, your crime is not punishable by death."

"Is it okay to order him to pay a fine of six months' salary and make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence? Let's see what happens next."

Qiu Bai: ???