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

Although it hasn't snowed yet, the weather in Northeast China in November is already very cold.

Li Che traveled at full speed all the way from Dalian to Fengtian, a distance of more than 300 kilometers, and only stopped for one night.

When we arrived at the city of Fengtian, it was already dusk and our hands and feet were numb from the cold wind.

Li Che stroked Heifeng's mane and exhaled a breath of white air: "We still need to find a way to build a railway as soon as possible. It's really painful to travel on horseback."

Li Che had already handed over the principle of the steam engine to scholars at Fengguo University, and it instantly aroused the scholars' strong desire to study it.

They are all top scholars of the time, and having undergone systematic scientific learning, they can naturally see how much energy is contained in this machine.

As the world's most important prime mover, it once caused the first industrial revolution and was enough to open the door from agricultural countries to industrial countries.

However, the research on steam engines is still in the laboratory stage, and it will take some time before they can be mass-produced and fully applied in various industries.

When the research is almost complete, Li Che will definitely give priority to developing the train and then build railways to all parts of Feng State.

After all, railway transportation is the lifeblood of the country.

In the past, Northeast China suffered many disasters and was invaded by Japan and Russia in turn, which was a national humiliation.

But we have to admit that war has its two sides and is not entirely negative.

Both countries regarded the Northeast as their territory and worked hard to develop it, laying railways, building dams, and mining...

The most famous of these is the Daqing Oilfield. Back then, I searched for it for more than ten years, but missed it by just 300 meters away.

The same is true for railways. Tsarist Russia built the Middle East Railway running through the north and south, and after 918, Japan took over its management and expanded it.

After the two countries' aggressive ambitions were shattered, this section of railway became a great help to the new China.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Northeast China became the industrial center of the country by virtue of its post-war railway and industrial base advantages.

Now Li Che has scattered his ashes to the ground, and no one knows where Tsarist Russia is hiding. This humiliating history will definitely not be repeated, but the railway still has to be built.

Railways can not only accelerate the development of science and technology and economy, but also consume the mountains of steel in warehouses, killing two birds with one stone.

While he was thinking, he had already arrived at the gate of Fengtian Hall.

The regulations of Fengtian Hall are modeled after the imperial palace. It is not only Li Che's residence, but also the political center. All officials have to be on duty here on weekdays.

It was now time to go off duty. There were not many people in the hall. Only one room was still dimly lit, which should be the room where the officials on duty were staying.

When Li Che walked into the room, he immediately felt the heat coming towards him and there was a strong aroma of mutton in the air.

He couldn't help but smile and said, "It smells so good."

The two officers on duty who were standing around the stove stood up subconsciously. After seeing Li Che's face and the generals clearly, they immediately turned pale with fright.

"Your Highness, I am guilty..."

"Don't panic." Li Che walked over with a smile and helped the two of them up. "But there are still bowls and chopsticks. I am also hungry."

"Ah... Your Highness, this..."

The two of them were eating mutton hotpot during working hours and were caught by their own prince. It was considered brave of them to be able to stand still, so how could they dare to say anything back?

Li Che comforted him, "Don't be afraid. It's just a small overtime. As long as it doesn't affect your work, it's fine."

He really didn't think it was a big deal. The reason why officials were arranged to be on duty at night was to deal with emergencies, and there was no practical business.

People just need to be here. There is only a plate of meat and a plate of tofu on the table for a hot pot, and not even any wine. In later generations, this would be like a great official.

He is not the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, who is mean and ungrateful to his subjects and treats them like animals.

The two men breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Li Che had no intention of blaming them.

I've heard that His Highness is kind and benevolent, and treats his subordinates very well. Today I see that it's indeed true.

An officer on duty quickly took out a new set of bowls and chopsticks and prepared mahjong sauce for Li Che: "Your Highness, please."

Li Che picked up a piece of mutton with chopsticks, dipped it in the sauce and put it into his mouth. The rich aroma spread from his head to his stomach, and he felt his body suddenly become a little warmer.

He smacked his lips and commented, "It's still a little bland. It lacks fermented bean curd and chives."

The officer on duty said quickly, "I'll buy it for Your Highness right away."

"Forget it, forget it, this is fine." Li Che waved his hand, "You guys sit down and eat with me."

How could the two dare to eat at the same table with Li Che? They repeatedly declined with their hands bowed. However, Hu Qiang on the side was eager to try.

Li Che also knew that the two of them couldn't let go, so he stopped forcing them: "Then you go run errands for me and notify all the ministers to come to Fengtian Palace. I have something to discuss."

"May I ask, Your Highness, which ministers have you summoned to see me?"

Li Che took a bite of tofu and said vaguely: "Cabinet ministers, six ministers, and officers above the division level."

The two were shocked. Why were so many important officials summoned at such a late hour? It must be that there was something important to discuss.

"Yes, I will go right away."

"Hey, wait." Li Che stopped the two of them and pointed at the hot pot in front of them with a smile. "If anyone asks later, just say that I came back from a long journey and was hungry, so I asked you to prepare it."

Big leaders are often easy to talk to, but small leaders are difficult to provoke. Although I don't blame these two people, it is hard to say whether other ministers will take advantage of this.

The two were stunned at first, then their eyes suddenly became warm and they were almost moved to tears on the spot.

"Your Highness...we..."

Li Che waved his hand nonchalantly: "Go, go!"

The succubus's passive ability has never been turned off, so she can use it to win people's hearts at any time. It's just a matter of convenience.

The two thanked him again and hurried out.

After about a quarter of an hour, the ministers arrived one after another.

Zhuge Zhe was the first to walk into the room. Seeing Li Che sitting on a small stool eating hot pot, he couldn't help but look surprised:

"Your Highness, when did you return? Why didn't you send someone to Fengtian to inform me in advance so that I could send someone to greet you?"

"We just arrived. I told the gatekeeper not to announce it. It would be a waste of time to mobilize so many troops."

Li Che put down his bowl and chopsticks and patted the seat next to him: "Ziyuan, come and sit down."

Zhuge Zhe declined a few times before sitting down next to Li Che: "Your Highness, you are so anxious, but..."

Li Che nodded slightly: "I encountered some problems and wanted Ziyuan to help me solve them."

Hearing this, Zhuge Zhe said seriously, "I wonder what happened?"

"No rush, wait for the others."

After hearing what Li Che said, Zhuge Zhe knew that this matter should not be extremely urgent, and he felt a little relieved.

After another stick of incense had passed, almost everyone had arrived.

Several cabinet ministers, six ministers, and many generals guarding Fengtian had all arrived. The small duty room was filled with so many wise men and became lively for a while.

What surprised Li Che was that Yang Zhongsi was also among them.

This general once vowed that he would never enter Ninggu County City, even if it was renamed Chaoyang City. Now that the capital has been moved to Fengtian City, he can finally come back.

Seeing that most people had arrived, with only a few generals who were too far away from Fengtian Palace, Li Che said, "Okay, no more waiting."

"His Majesty has sent me an imperial edict, which involves many things."

He wiped his mouth, stood up, and took out a scroll of imperial edict from his arms. He did it as casually as if he was taking out an insignificant document. Everyone present was afraid that he would use the imperial edict to wipe his mouth in the next second.

Fortunately, Li Che did not go so far as to overstep his bounds. He simply handed it to Zhuge Zhe and said, "Ziyuan, please read it to everyone."

Zhuge Zhe reached out to take it and began to read it word by word. Everyone in the room suddenly became quiet.

After Zhuge Zhe finished reading the imperial edict, everyone stood there silently, looking as if in deep thought.

As His Highness said, the matter involved a huge matter, and for a moment no one dared to speak first.

Finally, Zhuge Zhe frowned and said, "The situation in the capital has been stable recently, and nothing major has happened. Why is Your Majesty so angry?"

Li Che looked at Zhuge Zhe with an expression of approval.

As expected of Zhuge, he saw the essence of the problem at a glance.

Li Che had thought a lot along the way, and now he had almost figured it out. He slowly said:

"If the center is normal, then something is wrong somewhere else."

Qian Bin stroked his beard and frowned, "Your Highness, what you mean is that those aristocratic families dare to manipulate the localities and instruct officials from powerful families to pretend to obey but actually disobey?"

Li Che's expression turned slightly colder. "I'm afraid it's not just lip service. It's very likely that the imperial court has lost control of many of the southern provinces."

Li Che realized this problem as early as when he was in Fuzhou.

Fuzhou is also a big province in the south. Given Emperor Qing's temperament, he must keep it firmly in his hands and will never allow people like Chen Wenrui to control the province and collude with the Japanese pirates.

When Chen Wenrui was ousted by Li Che, Emperor Qing hurriedly sent Su Chen to take over Fuzhou, which further confirmed his guess.

If this is the case in Fuzhou, the situation in other parts of the south will only be even worse.

Since ancient times, imperial power has never extended to the countryside, and the control of people from aristocratic families in the local areas is even more terrifying than Li Che imagined.

I am also responsible for this matter. When I first traveled through time, I was too harsh and wiped out several big families, causing panic among the people.

Now that Emperor Qing wants to pass the throne to himself, these aristocratic families are in fear, and it is understandable that they risk their lives to fight back.

Zhuge Zhe asked again, "How does Your Highness plan to respond?"

Li Che smiled and replied, "Father sent me troops, so naturally there is no reason for me to refuse. As for those noble families..."

"Unless it's absolutely necessary, I really don't want to kill them all."

Upon hearing this, all the ministers broke out in cold sweats.

Is this a question of whether or not you want to do it? You can't do it this way!

The speed at which Fengguo University cultivates talents is not enough to train officials who can cover the entire country.

Today, the people of Daqing still cannot afford to go to school, and ninety-nine percent of the officials are from aristocratic families. If they are all killed without any regard, Daqing will be no different from a fallen country.

"However... since Your Majesty has made a move, I see an opportunity."

Li Che grinned: "An opportunity to completely control the north!"

Qian Bin was stunned and asked, "Is Your Highness planning to lead his army into the pass and attack the north?"