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

Surrounded by a group of black-armored guards, Li Che rode his horse slowly across the battlefield.

Once the front battlefield collapsed, it would not be difficult to capture Xiaguan City.

The gate of Xiaguan City was bombarded by heavy artillery and turned into burning wood chips all over the ground. The few defenders were dealt with by the Fengtian Army like chopping melons and vegetables.

Less than half an hour after the Fengtian Army attacked the city, the city completely changed hands.

On several well-preserved sections of the city walls, the Japanese flags were roughly torn down and stepped on the blood-stained soles of the Fengtian soldiers' boots.

The scarlet flag with the word "Feng" rises slowly on the city wall

The battlefield inside and outside the city was in a mess, with huge artillery craters everywhere, like hideous wounds on the earth.

The inner wall of the crater was charred black, turbid blood pooled at the bottom of the crater, and broken armor and limbs floated on it.

A group of Fengtian Army soldiers roughly drove dozens of captured Japanese soldiers towards the edge of the artillery pit.

After passing by Li Che, they all stopped and saluted.

After standing next to the artillery pit, the Japanese soldiers were already scared out of their wits, crying and begging for mercy, and the timid ones had collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

However, the only response they received was a brief order from the leading officer:

"Fill the hole!"

The crossbowmen walked forward expressionlessly and lined up at the edge of the pit.

The humming sound of the vibrating bowstrings merged into one, and arrows poured down like a torrential rain.

Bursts of screams suddenly erupted in the pit, which were then drowned out by the muffled sound of arrows piercing flesh. One Japanese soldier after another fell into the pit screaming.

Soon, there was only silent chaos at the bottom of the pit.

The officer kicked a stone down and nodded with satisfaction: "Well, it's much smoother now."

Li Che rode past with an expressionless face, his eyes not even lingering for a moment on the gun crater filled with blood and flesh.

It was agreed long ago that no prisoners would be taken in this battle.

This is not just to vent anger, but more for the smooth progress of subsequent wars.

Since entering Japan, these small but stubborn creatures have been resisting more and more fiercely.

The Fengtian Army had previously adopted the strategy of "working instead of killing" the defeated Japanese soldiers in order to obtain free labor, but now it gave them a false impression:

Just lay down your weapons and you can survive.

If you can survive, you will have a chance to fight back!

Li Che wanted to use the massacre and killing to completely crush these illusions.

Resistance will only lead to death!

If you don't resist, at least you still have the opportunity to grow potatoes and mine.

When Li Che reached the ruined city gate and was about to enter the city, he suddenly heard the surrounding Khitan cavalry howling excitedly.

Li Che looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the Khitan cavalrymen were all looking up at the sky and pointing at it.

He also looked up, and saw a gorgeous seven-colored rainbow just across the sky, tearing through the lead-gray clouds that had not yet dispersed.

The cool light sprinkled on the battlefield where the smoke had not yet dissipated, adding a touch of poetry.

Li Che couldn't help but rein in his horse, with a playful smile on his lips.

He turned his head to the white-haired Wen Zaiyin beside him and said:

"Look, Mr. Wen, even the heavens are congratulating the Fengtian Army for its victory."

Wen Zaiyin's skinny body trembled slightly, and he forced a smile on his face.

His lips moved a few times, but he didn't dare to respond.

His Highness's words are sometimes so unorthodox that they are frightening.

It is already great that God is gracious and does not blame us for such killings. How could it be possible for God to congratulate us?

Seeing this, Li Che shook his head disapprovingly.

The ancients were superstitious. They conquered the city where they lived, so why shouldn't God congratulate them?

When the Japanese pirates were wreaking havoc in China, there was no sign of God's blessing. Now that I have done something for him, shouldn't I just offer congratulations?

Unfortunately, the enemy chief, Kaibe Munemasa, has not been found yet.

Although we won a great victory on the front battlefield, it was impossible to wipe out all the more than 100,000 Japanese soldiers.

Many Japanese soldiers ran away, and Wang Sanchun led the light cavalry to chase them.

It is not necessarily that Kaibu Munemasa ran away. He may have died in the chaos of war, or he may have hidden himself.

Li Che didn't care much about this. He was just a defeated general. If he let him go, he and the emperor would continue to fight each other.

More importantly, the last tough bone of Xiaguan City was finally gnawed off.

This means that the Fengtian Army’s road to the Japanese capital has been opened.

On the streets of the city, the whistles and strange cries of the Khitan cavalry could be heard one after another.

As a reward to Yelu He and the Khitan cavalry, Li Che promised them the privilege of being the first to enter the city.

Saying that they were the first to enter the city is actually a euphemism for being the first group to rob.

In ancient times, in order to motivate their soldiers, generals often promised that the army could abolish military discipline for a few days after attacking a city.

In fact, it is a disguised way of allowing them to enter the city and rob.

The Fengtian Army had strict military discipline and had never had a tradition of allowing soldiers to plunder. Li Che was also worried that his soldiers would be reluctant to do so.

The Khitans were born in the grasslands and were good at looting. They could massacre cities and destroy families as if it were commonplace, making them the perfect candidates to do this dirty work.

It is also a professional match.

A Khitan cavalryman caught up with Yelu He who was patrolling the streets and asked excitedly:

"General, what should we do next?"

Yeluhe wiped the blood splattered on his visor and scolded him with a smile: "Idiot! You don't even know how to rob?"

"Don't just stand there like idiots. Open your eyes and run to the center of the city, to the tallest and most magnificent house."

"If you see anyone breathing, regardless of gender, age or status, you should chop them down first. If you encounter someone holding a weapon, you should shout a warning. If you can't do this, don't say you are a Khitan!"

The Khitan cavalry under his command burst into wild laughter, and then howled like a pack of wolves, riding their horses towards the depths of the city.

Surrounded by his personal guards, Li Che strolled along the streets where the looting had just begun.

Seeing Wen Zaiyin beside him, his face still pale, he couldn't help but say, "Don't worry, Mr. Wen. In my opinion, Yelu and these wolf cubs won't get much benefit."

"The old thief from the Haibu tribe is so ruthless that he has completely turned this Xiaguan City into a large military camp. The people and valuables have long been transported away."

Before he could finish his words, a burst of lewd laughter in Khitan and a woman's scream suddenly came from an alley ahead.

I saw several Khitan cavalrymen pushing and shoving several Japanese women in plain white clothes, laughing and dragging them into a half-collapsed house.

Although the white clothes on those women were stained with filth, they exuded a sense of cleanliness that was different from that of ordinary people.

Li Che frowned slightly and raised his hand to signal: "Stop."

Those Khitan cavalrymen were burning with desire and were reluctant to be interrupted.

But when he saw that the person coming was Li Che, he did not dare to resist.

After hesitating for a long time, he reluctantly let go of her hand, rode his horse over to salute, with excitement still on his face.

Li Che's voice was unrecognizable: "What's wrong with these women?"

The leading Khitan cavalryman licked his lips, pointed at the ruins in the direction of the city gate, and answered as if to ask for credit:

"Your Highness, I'm hiding under the pile of rotten wood that collapsed from the city gate tower!"

Li Che's eyes swept over the trembling women in white and he asked patiently, "Who are you? Xiaguan City is already a battlefield, why are you staying here?"

There was a person who was proficient in Japanese to translate.

The women remained silent, with only suppressed sobs.

The patience in Li Che's eyes quickly faded, and a hint of coldness emerged.

He was about to wave his hand to signal the Khitan cavalry to continue charging, when the leading woman in white suddenly broke free from the grip of the Khitan soldiers around her and fell to her knees in the mud with a thud.

"Your Majesty, please spare us. We are priestesses serving the gods and cannot be insulted by them."

"Please spare our lives. They will be of great use to your Highness' army!"

This woman actually spoke Xia language, and quite fluently.

"Witch?" Li Che's eyes flashed, and he instantly figured it out.

No wonder the rain came so timely and accurately, almost becoming the last straw for the Japanese army.

These ancient shrine maidens who served Shinto were all people who had studied astronomy and calendar in depth, and to some extent were the most primitive weather forecasters.

Capturing them is equivalent to obtaining a piece of weather intelligence that is not accurate but extremely valuable.

Li Che gestured to several Khitan cavalrymen: "Let them go, I will keep them for use."

The Khitan cavalry were stunned, with reluctance written all over their faces.

The Khitan people have a deep-rooted idea:

The woman captured on the battlefield becomes one's private property, especially after His Highness personally promised that "you can take anything in the city."

If it were in the Khitan tribe, even the Khan would not rob the spoils of war from his people.

The leading cavalryman smiled flatteringly and said, "Your Highness, you can enjoy it first. We brothers will just wait in line."

Li Che's forehead veins throbbed violently, and he cursed: "Bullshit, how could I compete with you for a woman!"

A Khitan cavalryman couldn't help but mutter, "Your Highness...you said before..."

Li Che looked at their frustrated expressions, feeling both angry and amused, and promised: "Okay, stop looking so depressed as if your parents have died!"

"Go to the prisoner-of-war camp in a few days, and I will allow you to each pick two Japanese women to take away!"

However, the Khitan cavalry looked at each other, and instead of being happy, they looked even more worried.

The leader bravely replied: "Your Highness, the prisoner-of-war camp is tomorrow's matter. Who knows if we will still be alive tomorrow? Today's matter is today..."

The Khitans' logic is simple and realistic. How can the delicious food in front of you be as real as the pie in the sky?

After today, who knows if there will be a tomorrow to enjoy?

Li Che was speechless for a moment, choked by the pragmatism of these grassland men.

At this moment, Wen Zaiyin, who had been observing silently, suddenly spoke slowly, "Just now I heard you say... that you found them under the ruins of the city gate tower?"

The Khitan cavalryman was confused and nodded proudly, "Yes, they were right under that pile of broken bricks and tiles. I am the best hunter in our tribe and I saw them right away."

Wen Zaiyin stroked his beard, a cunning glint in his eyes: "Your Highness, you promised that 'whatever is in the city can be used at will'."

"This city gate tower is a fortification. Strictly speaking, it's located on the city wall and is part of the city's outer defense system. The place where these women are hiding is neither a residential building nor a treasury within the city..."

"According to this theory, they are not considered 'city property' and are therefore not within the scope of your Highness's permission to use them."

Several Khitan cavalrymen were completely stunned, their mouths wide open, looking at Wen Zaiyin and then at Li Che.

Looking at those fair-skinned Japanese women, my head started buzzing.