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

The smoke of gunpowder in Kyoto has not yet dissipated, and the smell of blood mixed with the chill of autumn hangs heavy on every corner.

The black flag of the Fengtian Army replaced the Japanese chrysanthemum emblem and fluttered over the ruined palaces and city walls.

The order in Kyoto was forcibly shaped under Li Che's iron-fisted rule.

The Japanese were driven like frightened sheep, gathered in designated open spaces in the market town, and lived in the open air.

No one was allowed to return to the house, and all the food was confiscated to make it easier to manage.

Anyone who dares to hide food will be killed with a knife. The Fengtian Army will not show any humanitarianism to these slaves.

Of course, these Japanese were extremely important livestock, and Li Che could not allow them to starve to death.

Every day, huge wooden barrels were carried out and placed at various soup distribution sites. The steaming hot slop gave off the sour smell of stale grain.

Although it smells bad, it tastes even worse, just like pig food.

But hunger still drives the Japanese to line up in long queues, numbly waiting for that little bit of life-sustaining paste.

At least his life was saved. Maybe in the future a Japanese delicacy called "Fengjun Hot Pot" would emerge. After all, there are similar delicacies in Korea.

However, the fate of those Japanese soldiers who laid down their weapons when the city was captured or were captured after the rout was not as good as that of these Japanese civilians.

Li Che did not hesitate at all, and waved his hand and gave a direct order:

Behead them all!

Some generals also tried to advise that the number of these surrendered soldiers was really large, and would killing them all arouse greater public outrage?

Li Che didn't even raise his eyelids, looking at the document about food and fodder consumption in his hand, and said slowly:

"The soldiers have been fighting for so long, they deserve a break. The number of troops we have is already stretched to the limit to guard Kyoto, so how can we spare the energy to guard these jackals?"

"The Japanese Kingdom isn't short of people; what it lacks are obedient animals. These Japanese soldiers are a source of instability." He tapped the document with his finger. "Clear them out for me. It will save both food and worry."

So the open space outside the city became a slaughterhouse.

The knife flashed, heads rolled, and dirty blood seeped into the frozen soil.

Because there were too many surrendered soldiers, the Fengtian Army initially used knives to execute them one by one, but later they switched to bows and arrows.

Of course, Li Che was not thinking about these Japanese people, but about the mental health of his own soldiers.

Killing dozens of people every day without anyone noticing would cause great psychological damage. Using a bow and arrow can avoid this disadvantage.

A rain of arrows flew past, and no one knew whether their arrows had hit the target, so they would not have too much psychological burden.

After all, the Fengtian Army soldiers were not beasts like the Japanese army and would not take pleasure in killing people.

As the Japanese surrendered soldiers were executed on a large scale, fear spread among the survivors and also stimulated some of those who escaped.

Some defeated soldiers took off their tattered military uniforms and put on civilian clothes in an attempt to pass through.

But Li Che had long realized that the Japanese were very cunning, so he confiscated all the food in the city and distributed it uniformly.

The defeated soldiers could not find food, so they could only bravely mix into the queue for porridge, praying for a glimmer of hope.

Li Che had anticipated this. Starting from the third day, several silent veterans appeared at the porridge distribution center.

They were not responsible for distributing food, and their eyes were as sharp as hawks, scanning every hand that handed over a broken bowl.

. . . . . .

Soup distribution location.

"Hand out."

An old soldier spoke in a hoarse voice to a 'civilian' who was looking away.

The man hesitated and held out his hands.

The old soldier's skinny fingers were like iron pliers, suddenly pinching his wrist, and the rough fingertips of his other hand scraped across his knuckles, palms, and fingertips.

There, there are thick calluses left by long-term holding of knife handles and pulling bowstrings, which are completely different from the marks formed by the friction of farmers' farm tools.

Life is so cunning.

"Take him away." The old soldier let go of his hand, his voice calm.

"I...I'm a good citizen! It's all unfair!"

The man struggled and was dragged away, his cries quickly drowned out by the blades outside the crowd.

The people queuing next to them were silent, with their heads lowered even lower.

"Could it be...that I saw it wrong?" the new adjutant whispered to his colleague next to him.

A colleague scoffed and glanced at the pile of heads in the distance: "Brothers are not saints. It's bound to happen that we make mistakes occasionally."

"But His Highness said that if they were wrong, they would be wrong. It's just one less mouth to feed. Who would care about them?"

The adjutant nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more.

How many days can a person go hungry?

In fact, it is difficult to give an accurate answer to this question, after all, everyone's willpower and physical fitness are different.

But through the large-scale killing of Japanese soldiers who were taking advantage of the situation, Li Che came to the conclusion that ten days would be the maximum.

As time went by, in the queue for porridge every day, there were always a few unlucky people whose wrists were pinched by the veterans, whose palms were checked, and who were then dragged away.

The defeated soldiers hiding in Kyoto City were combed over and over again as if by a comb, and their numbers decreased rapidly.

After ten days, the number of Japanese soldiers caught every day began to decrease.

Those Japanese who did not dare to take the risk were probably almost starved to death.

The iron-blooded rule of the Fengtian Army completely crushed the Japanese people's will to resist with fear, and the remaining Japanese people were left with only numb obedience.

Kyoto, the former heart of Japan, is now just a lingering shell, without a single pulse of resistance.

The pressure on public security suddenly decreased, and Li Che was finally able to take off his armor temporarily.

He set up a temporary palace in the imperial palace and began to deal with the pile of military affairs.

Now that the major battles are almost over, the next thing to do is to focus on how to deal with the fruits of victory.

This step is the most important. Destroying Japan is not only to avenge the previous China, but also to gain huge benefits for Fengguo.

The fastest way to create wealth is to create an empire, and the faster way than creating an empire is to destroy an empire.

The benefits generated by the destruction of Japan are enough for the Fengtian Army to expand its forces several times, or to build dozens or hundreds of new cities in Fengtian.

. . . . . .

In the Qingliang Palace, Qiu Bai placed the thick document on the desk:

"Your Highness, all units have reported in. The main force is resting and replenishing. Casualties have been counted, and weapons and armor are being repaired in an orderly manner."

Qu Jinshan was not willing to be outdone and handed over another one:

"General He Conglong has an urgent report: the entire Jiuzhou Road has been cleared. All powerful clans, big and small, have submitted, and none dare to move. The garrison has sufficient food and fodder, and the defense is solid."

Li Che nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on the latest battle report: "How is Li Lin's unit progressing?"

"Your Highness," Qiu Bai stepped forward. "After His Highness the Prince of Yan led his army to land on Shikoku Island, he successively conquered the castles of Awa, Sanuki, and Iyo, and headed straight for Tosa."

"We have now captured seven out of ten of the Japanese main cities, and most of Shikoku Island is in our hands. The remaining resistance is weak, and we estimate that the entire territory can be pacified within ten days."

Li Che still has great confidence in the abilities of He Conglong and Li Lin.

Not to mention conquering the two small islands of Shikoku and Kyushu, if they were given enough time, with their abilities they would even be able to lead an army alone to destroy Japan.

Li Che slowly stood up and came to the map of the four islands of Japan behind him.

He slid his finger across the map, from Kyoto in western Honshu, to Kyushu Island in the south, and then to Shikoku Island, which was about to be settled.

"We'll destroy Japan in three months," he whispered, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth. "That's basically it. I'm a man of my words."

His gaze turned to the northern end of the map, the vast island - Ezo.

Now only the northern part of Honshu Island and Ezo remain unconquered.

Of course Li Che would not let these places go. If he said that Japan would be destroyed and its race exterminated, then he would let them be destroyed and their race exterminated!

"Order all units to rest and recuperate."

Li Che slowly said:

"Once our strength has been restored, we will divide our forces to sweep through the remaining cities in this state. If we encounter resistance, we will destroy the cities and slaughter them all!"

"If there are those who surrender the city..." Li Che paused, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "We can accept their surrender."

We can’t kill anymore. If we kill more, there won’t be enough labor.

Before Feng State entered into mechanized production, this group of Japanese people were needed to act as machines and contribute to the prosperity of Feng State.

Hearing this, the generals in the hall were cheered up.

Surrender can finally be accepted, which means that the intensity of the battle will be greatly reduced and the loss of soldiers will be reduced.

"What to do with the surrendered soldiers?" Yang Xuan asked.

Li Che tapped his fingers on the map and said, "Before I left, General Yang told me that Heilongjiang Province has thousands of miles of fertile land that is in urgent need of cultivation. It's the most fertile black soil there, and it would be a shame not to grow enough crops."

"And in all the provinces of Fengguo, there's a need for river work, mining, road construction...where isn't there a need for manpower?"

"Select the strongest among the Japanese, load them onto ships and send them back to various places to serve as laborers."

"Tell the escort officer to keep the loss on the road within 30%."

At that time, black slaves were forced to be imprisoned in cramped cabins, and the loss rate due to hunger, disease and violence was as high as over 50%.

Even so, transporting black slaves to local areas could bring huge profits.

Since Japan is so close to Fengguo, the loss rate can be controlled at 30%.

"As for the remaining Japanese..." Li Che's gaze returned to the Japanese mainland, "Let them stay for now. The land of Japan is in urgent need of mining, and they are still of great use."

He picked up a red pen and circled three locations on the map:

Iwami Ginzan mainly produces silver, but also copper and iron.

In the early Edo period, this mine accounted for 30% of the world's silver production, and at its peak, its annual output reached 38 tons.

Sado Gold Mine is mainly composed of gold, followed by silver and copper.

The largest gold mine in Japan during the Edo period, with an annual gold output of 400 kilograms.

Aren Mine mainly produces copper, but also gold and silver.

Copper production has always ranked first in Japan, and in 1708, 360 million kilograms of copper and lead were produced.

Li Che put down his pen and looked at the generals: "Although Japan is a small country, these three mineral deposits are a gift from heaven."

"Destroying their country and seizing their wealth is the fundamental solution."

"Order the Ministry of Works to quickly dispatch skilled miners and craftsmen, and to recruit young and strong Japanese to excavate the mountains and chisel the stones!"

"This king will transport an endless supply of silver, gold, and refined copper back to Fengguo!"