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

Li Che said dissatisfiedly: "Why does Mr. Qian say that? How could I be so belligerent?"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers in the audience secretly curled their lips.

You...are not warlike yet?

It's only been a few years, and there are no other countries around Fengguo...

Your Majesty asked you to come outside the Great Wall to guard the border, but you just destroyed the border.

Li Che also knew that his words were a little unconvincing, and sighed slightly: "Besides, we are all Daqing people, and Qing people don't fight Qing people."

Qian Bin asked, "Then how does Your Highness plan to conquer the North?"

"Father's move is to pave the way for the future. He is making preparations to deal with the drastic changes that may occur within the borders!"

Li Che looked at everyone with a serious expression: "The emperor has mobilized troops from Shanhaiguan and the north. The road from Fengguo to Daqing has been opened. If there is any change in the country, the Fengtian army can march straight in."

"Father has hinted at this point. If I remain ignorant and unaware, wouldn't I be betraying His Majesty?"

"Instead of passively waiting, it is better to make plans early and take control of the four northern states."

"As for how to control it?" Li Che looked at Li Lin, "We still need Fourth Brother to take action."

Li Lin was confused: "Me?"

"That's right, Fourth Brother has a very high reputation in the Northland, and this matter is best handled by you."

"Fourth brother, when you lead your army back to Yan, you'll be stationed at a strategic point on the border near the four states, ready to launch a thundering attack at any time."

"Your presence and your military might are the greatest deterrent to all those harboring dissenting ambitions! Let them understand that those who follow me will prosper, and those who oppose me will perish!"

"As the saying goes, power comes from the barrel of a gun. With soldiers in hand, everything is easy!"

Upon hearing this, Li Lin was reluctant, but he still knew what was important and what was not.

But he also knew what Li Che meant, and he was indeed the most suitable person to carry out this task.

His prestige in the north and his status as King of Yan can greatly reduce the resistance of local forces.

"Since this is a major matter, it is my responsibility as a brother."

Li Lin no longer hesitated and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Sixth Brother. I, Fourth Brother, may not have any other skills, but I'm the best at leading troops. I'll go back and call the troops!"

Li Che nodded slightly and continued:

"Military deterrence is the cornerstone, but true control of the local areas requires civil governance. The second step is to take over the central government of the four provinces!"

"This king will select a group of capable, loyal and reliable people from among the officials of Feng State, and send them to Youzhou, Bingzhou, Jizhou and Qingzhou to take over the provincial government offices."

"The key is to control finances, criminal justice, and household registration. We don't seek to overturn everything immediately, but we do want the government's policies to flow smoothly. Key positions must be replaced by our people."

Zhuge Zhe hesitated and said, "Your Highness, will the imperial court agree to a large-scale replacement of local officials? How could the aristocratic families of the four states willingly hand over their power?"

Li Che smiled and said, "I will go to the emperor and ask for an official position in the name of recommending virtuous people. The emperor will definitely agree with it."

He paused, his voice suddenly turning cold: "As for those aristocratic families...of course they don't have to agree!"

"Then let them ask the tens of thousands of armored soldiers stationed at the border, Fourth Brother, if they agree! And ask the sword in my hand if it agrees!"

"With soldiers at hand and a righteous cause, it's not their turn to disagree!"

"Those who obey me will be rich and prosperous; those who disobey me will have their families destroyed!"

These murderous yet logical words boosted the morale of everyone in the hall.

This style of behavior is very "Li Che", seemingly overbearing and even a bit rough, but it goes straight to the core issue.

Backed by absolute force, supplemented by status and righteousness, it is forcibly pushed forward.

On the road to the rise of Feng State, this simple, crude but effective method has long been proven to be the best choice.

"Your Highness is wise!" Zhuge Zhe bowed first, "I second the motion."

The other ministers chimed in. Tokiwa, listening from the side, was deeply shocked.

"Okay!" Li Che waved his hand and acted decisively, "The selection of candidates will be handed over to Mr. Zhuge. I want to see the list by this time tomorrow."

"I obey!"

"Fourth brother?"

"exist."

"The matter of mobilizing troops cannot be delayed." Li Che said in a deep voice, "The required troops, food, and weapons, take my order and go to the Ministry of War for coordination."

Li Lin nodded: "Don't worry."

"The rest of you will perform your duties and cooperate fully."

Li Che distributed the tasks concisely and then waved his hand: "Disband, and we'll discuss the rest tomorrow."

Everyone bowed and left in a hurry.

Only Yang Zhongsi remained where he was, seemingly with no intention of leaving.

Li Che saw that the old general must have something to ask him, so he said, "General Yang, please stay for a while."

Yang Zhongsi met Li Che's inquiring gaze and stood still silently.

When the last official disappeared outside the palace gate, only the emperor and his ministers were left in the room.

"Uncle Yang," Li Che changed to a more intimate address, "I saw that you were worried just now. Did something happen in the Northern Frontier?"

"The Shiwei have been destroyed, the smoke of war has been extinguished, and the northern border should be peaceful and prosperous. What could have worried you so much that you would even rush back to Fengtian in person?"

Yang Zhongsi sighed, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from your eyes, Your Highness."

Li Che's heart trembled, his premonition came true: "Sit down and tell me, what's going on?"

Yang Zhongsi didn't say anything polite. He sat next to Li Che and spoke in a low voice:

"After the fall of Shiwei, there are indeed no major threats in the northern border. Further north is an extremely cold land with few people and a blank area on our national map."

"However, I dare not slack off in my duty to defend the territory. I still regularly send elite scouting teams to explore along the border. Firstly, to draw maps, and secondly, to prevent danger before it occurs."

He paused, his tone suddenly becoming grave. "Just ten days ago, a scout company of a hundred men penetrated three hundred miles into the north and lost contact completely."

"According to the rules, they should have returned to the camp to report."

Hearing this, Li Che's fingertips tapped on the armrest unconsciously.

An experienced team of 100 men disappeared silently?

This is by no means unusual.

"I immediately dispatched several elite cavalry search teams to conduct in-depth investigations based on the last direction they reported."

Yang Zhongsi clenched his fists slightly. "Further north, on the edge of a huge icy lake, they discovered a massive army!"

"Huge?" Li Che asked, "How big is it? Is it the remnants of the Shiwei? Or..."

Yang Zhongsi shook his head, an unprecedented look of vigilance on his face. "This is definitely not any tribe known to our dynasty. There are probably more than 10,000 people."

"Those people... have strange looks, unusually fair skin, tall and burly build, mostly light yellow or brown hair, deep-set eyes, and eyes that range in color from blue to gray. They look completely different from the Northern Hu, the Shiwei, and even our Qing people."

He emphasized, "They are mainly cavalry, their armor is strange, and their horses are unusually tall."

"Even more alarming is... they also possess firearms. While not as sophisticated as our Fengtian Army's new flintlock rifles, they are undoubtedly muskets, and there are quite a few of them!"

Li Che's heart sank. Although he had a premonition, Yang Zhongsi's words still made him realize the seriousness of the situation.

This image...is obviously not of East Asian descent.

"Have you ever had contact?" Li Che's voice remained steady.

Yang Zhongsi shook his head and said, "The search team didn't dare to act rashly. They observed from a distance and then quickly withdrew."

"The enemy also seems to be extremely vigilant. They have set up camp very firmly, and their scouts are patrolling a large area."

"Although there is no direct evidence that this foreign army attacked my scouts, but..."

The old commander's eyes turned cold. "Your Highness, my intuition tells me that apart from them, there is no other force in that area that can destroy my company of a hundred men in an instant, without even a single informant escaping!"

The hall fell into an oppressive silence.

Li Che leaned back in his chair, his eyes slightly closed, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

The answer is obvious in the vast Siberian permafrost and the country rising on the ice field.

It's just that group of Slavs.

Is it the Principality of Moscow, the Russian Empire, or Tsarist Russia?

Their tentacles of expansion are so rapid that they have already extended to the Far East!

After a moment, Li Che opened his eyes: "Uncle Yang is right. An army of this size and equipment is definitely not an ordinary tribe."

"However, their roots must not lie in the north, otherwise the border between the two countries would have been in constant friction long ago, and they would not have suddenly met only now."

Li Che stood up, paced a few steps, and said decisively: "First, send more scouts to monitor them day and night. If they behave themselves, we will ignore them for now."

"If they dare to cross the border, even if it's just a test, we will send troops to destroy them immediately without asking for permission!"

"Your Highness is wise!" Yang Zhongsi immediately clasped his fists and accepted the order.

However, he did not stand up to leave, but remained bowed and silent.

Li Che was so perceptive that he immediately noticed something was wrong with the old commander.

He turned around, looked at Yang Zhongsi's tightly pursed lips, and said in a sudden realization: "Uncle Yang, you are still feeling unhappy."

Yang Zhongsi raised his head, and the iron-blooded old general's eyes were a little red.

"Your Highness, be wise! Those hundred men...are all good seeds from the Northern Frontier."

"Especially the company commander... He followed me into battle in the Western Regions at the age of fifteen. He's escaped death countless times, and his body is covered in at least ten scars and arrow wounds."

"I promised him that after defeating the Shiwei, I would let him go home, marry, have children, and take care of his mother... Now, even his body can't be found..."

Yang Zhongsi took a deep breath and suppressed his turbulent emotions: "I know that in military and national affairs, the overall situation should be given priority."

"If you provoke a border conflict without any solid evidence, I am afraid that Your Highness will be put in an unjust position."

"But when I think of those children who died unjustly at the hands of those white-skinned ghosts of unknown origin, my heart feels like it's being cut by a blunt knife!"

Looking at the old general in front of him, heartbroken for his subordinates who died in vain, Li Che also felt a complex emotion in his heart.

He walked up to Yang Zhongsi and gently patted the old general's strong but slightly trembling arm.

"Uncle Yang, you are wrong."

Yang Zhongsi looked up in surprise: "Your Highness?"

Li Che's mouth curled up slightly: "We work so hard to develop Fengguo and build a strong army, what is it for?"

"It's not to say I have a legitimate reason to fight in front of the barbarians, it's to allow me to stand tall and proud as a citizen of my country!"

"It is to make the barbarians in all directions feel awe when they hear the word 'Feng' and dare not look sideways!"

"Evidence? Is it important?"

He looked directly into Yang Zhongsi's shocked eyes and said word by word:

"Our Fengtian Army is now strong, with advanced weapons, dedicated soldiers, and a thriving treasury!"

"We are strong enough!"

Li Che leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice even lower:

"So, if you feel resentful, if you feel that the very existence of that foreign army is a threat and an offense to our Feng Kingdom..."

He paused, and the cold smile on his face completely bloomed:

"Then send out troops and destroy them."