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

Li Che did not block the news of corruption in the army, nor was there any need to block it.

Soon, the news spread to everyone in Fengtian City.

In less than an hour, the generals who had greedily used the money but dared not spend it came to Fengtian Hall with the money to confess their crimes to Li Che.

But Li Che had already given the order early on, that no one should be seen and that the stolen goods would be confiscated in the square outside the Fengtian Hall tomorrow.

Everyone could only return home feeling uneasy.

Li Che wanted to use this method to make them remember the fear they felt today and never forget it for the rest of their lives.

The troops stationed in Fengtian were only a part of the Fengtian Army. Most of the Fengtian Army were stationed outside or carrying out missions.

The pension payment for these troops stationed abroad for a long time is managed by a separate department of the Ministry of War. Huo Duanxiao has already thoroughly investigated this department.

What made Li Che feel relieved was that there were no major problems within the Ministry of War. Apart from a few officials who had engaged in some minor acts of corruption, most of them were loyal to their duties.

This shows that most of the martyrs' families have received pensions, so not everyone will point fingers at them and blame them.

As for those generals who came to return the stolen goods, Li Che also thought of a way to deal with them.

. . . . . .

The next day.

The morning light pierced through the cold fog and illuminated the square in front of the Fengtian Temple.

One after another, felt-covered carriages rolled over the cement road and drove silently into the palace gate.

The soldiers who had been waiting for orders stepped forward one by one, silently guiding the carriages and surrounding them on one side of the square.

The generals who got off the car had already taken off their swords and were wearing casual clothes. They all looked pale.

The generals walked to the stone steps in front of the palace gate, lifted their robes and knelt down in unison, bowing their heads and saying nothing.

A young sergeant received the order and used his scabbard to lift open the felt curtain of the nearest carriage.

In an instant, a dazzling silver-white light was reflected, which made him turn his head and close his eyes.

The car was filled with silver ingots.

And there are dozens of such carriages.

At the other end of the square, Li Che, dressed in a black cloth suit and breathing out white air, led three-year-old Li Cheng to jog around the square.

The little fellow's face turned red from running, and he blinked his big eyes as he saw a row of people kneeling in the distance.

"Father." Li Cheng panted, pointing his little hand over there, "Who are those people kneeling there? Aren't they cold?"

Li Che's steps were steady, his breathing was steady, and his eyes were looking forward:

"They were our father's right-hand men."

Li Cheng tried hard to keep up with his short legs and asked curiously, "What about now?"

Li Che said expressionlessly: "Now, it depends on which path they choose."

As the sun rose higher, more and more generals were kneeling, and more and more carriages gathered behind them.

The soldiers carried the embezzled gold and silver from the carriage onto the stage, and the silver ingots shone coldly in the sunlight.

Li Che didn't stop until the cold was mostly dispelled by the sunlight. He wiped Li Cheng's sweaty forehead with a cloth.

Then she took his hand and walked slowly towards the palace gate.

Wherever he passed, the soldiers on guard saluted by beating their chests and making uniform sounds.

The kneeling generals, upon hearing the sound, dropped their heads to the ground like drowning men seeing driftwood.

"Greetings to His Highness! Greetings to the Crown Prince!"

Li Che stood in front of everyone and glanced over.

There were twenty or thirty people in front of him, from the division-level generals who commanded the army to the regimental commanders, all of them were familiar faces.

Li Che smiled silently, and that smile seemed to contain ice, making everyone feel cold.

"Okay, okay!"

"What a loyal and courageous bunch of national pillars! You truly bring honor to this king."

No one dared to respond, only heavy breathing could be heard.

Although it was the coldest time of the year, cold sweat still slid down their foreheads and temples, hitting the stone slabs and leaving dark marks.

Li Che paced slowly and began to call out names one by one:

"Zhang Ben, during the campaign against the Mohe, you led three hundred light cavalrymen to destroy the enemy camp and beheaded seven hundred of them."

Zhang Ben's eyes flushed red, and he slammed his head to the ground: "Your Highness, this general..."

Li Che interrupted coldly: "The king personally praised you for your achievements, bandaged your wounds, and praised you as a brave cavalry commander."

"Now you are also the head of a division. Tell me why you are like this?"

Zhang Ben remained silent and just shed tears.

Li Che's gaze passed over his trembling spine and looked at the person beside him:

"Wang Shouen, when we were pacifying Goryeo, you were wounded three times, yet you fought to the death and refused to retreat."

"I remember that you are a very honest and straightforward person. You often eat and live with the soldiers, and you treat them like brothers. How could you do such a thing?"

Wang Shouen knelt on the ground, his face gloomy. "I was momentarily confused and made a mistake."

"That's enough!" Li Che looked at him coldly, "I don't want to hear this."

"When you go to the monument in Chaoyang City, can you tell those brothers who died in battle that you were foolish and bullied their wives, children and mothers?"

Wang Shouen lowered his head deeply and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "I... am guilty of the death penalty!"

Li Che turned around and saw a majestic figure, and he laughed in anger:

"Liu Song, you're here too!"

"You are an orphan, you have no children, what do you need this money for?"

Liu Song raised his head and said truthfully, "I've taken a fancy to a house in the inner city, and also to a daughter of a former official. My colleagues who came out with me from the Chaoyang Army have all remarried, and I also want to..."

"Well, you still have the nerve to say these ugly things!" Li Che was so angry that his head was about to explode, "Isn't the reward I gave you enough for you to buy a house and get married?"

Liu Song told him everything: "You know, I just want to go to the gambling house and play, and I can't keep the tips at all."

Li Che glared at him and said, "So, you can't return the stolen goods today?"

"I really can't retreat." Liu Song took out two silver ingots from his pocket, "This is all I have now."

Li Che's face was gloomy: "Then what are you doing here?!"

"Your Highness told the money-grubbers to come, so I came." Liu Song blinked. "I feel bad for my brothers who died in battle, but I never hide anything from Your Highness."

Li Che felt at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and kicked the idiot over.

He turned to look at the others and cursed them one by one.

Every time a name was mentioned, every time an achievement was mentioned, the person being mentioned would lower his head even lower, his shoulders would hunch over, and he would almost shrink into the ground.

After everyone had read it once, Li Che stopped and turned around, his face full of regret:

"How many years of peace have we had? Huh? How many years has it been?"

"Have my tiger-like generals stooped so low as to gnaw on the bones of martyrs and survive by sucking the blood and tears of orphans and widows?!"

His gaze was like a blade, scraping across every gray face.

"Have I ever wronged you, my king, these meritorious generals?!"

The square was dead silent, with only the rustling of flags in the north wind.

The generals fell to the ground, holding their breath, their hearts consumed by regret.

Li Che's gaze shifted from the dazzling piles of gold and silver and fell on Zhang Ben who was in the front.

"Zhang Ben."

When Zhang Ben's name was called, his body trembled violently.

"How much did you take?!"

Zhang Ben's Adam's apple rolled, and his voice was hoarse: "Reply...reply Your Highness, eight...eight thousand taels."

"Eight thousand taels!" Li Che repeated.

He did a quick calculation and sneered, "Eight thousand taels of silver is a lot! If one person embezzles ten taels, that means eight hundred brothers will die in battle!"

"The combined weight of this is enough to crush you into a pulp!"

He turned his head and ordered Qiu Bai beside him, "Go! Bring over all the shares he coveted and pile them next to him!"

As soon as Wang gave the order, the soldiers immediately started moving.

The heavy wooden box was lifted off the carriage, and when the lid was opened, neatly stacked official silver was revealed.

The cloth bag was dragged in and opened, spilling out shiny silver ingots and strings of copper coins.

The soldiers went back and forth, piling up the gold and silver around Zhang Ben.

Soon, he was almost surrounded by white silver and money. The cold metal reflected the sunlight and almost drowned him.

Li Che raised his hand and pointed at the silver mountain, looking at everyone:

"You have embezzled the compensation and should be executed according to the law. Even I, the king, will not show any mercy. It would not be excessive to execute you all at the Meridian Gate!"

Everyone's face turned pale, and Zhang Ben was shaking so much that he almost collapsed.

"I have already said that those who return the stolen goods will receive a lighter punishment. I am the King of Daqing, and I will keep my word!"

"Of course, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living punishment cannot be escaped!"

Li Che stared at Zhang Ben closely and said, "You have to carry these eight thousand taels by yourself and send them back to me one by one!"

"Send it to those orphans and widows, tell them in person how the money came from, kowtow to them, confess your sins, and beg for their forgiveness!"

"During this period, you are not allowed to ride horses, use cars, or ask for help from anyone. If one family doesn't forgive you, this matter will never be over!"

"When we have delivered all the gifts and have obtained the forgiveness of all the victims, this matter will be considered over. Do you understand?!"

Zhang Benru was pardoned.

This punishment is not light. It may take several months to send them back one by one.

Moreover, after this incident, he would definitely not be able to continue to serve as the division commander. After all, no army would allow the supreme commander to disappear for several months.

But at least his life was saved.

Zhang Ben knocked his head heavily on the ground, making a dull sound.

"I have heard clearly. I obey your command. Thank you for not killing me!"

Li Che's eyes swept across the crowd and fell on Liu Song and others with pale faces.

"As for Liu Song, and the other idiots like him. They've spent all their money and can't get any more..."

The hearts of those generals immediately rose to their throats.

"Then go and borrow it from your colleagues!"

Li Che's cold eyes swept across the generals: "If you can borrow it, do it as follows. If you can't borrow it..."

He paused and said, "Just wait for the law to deal with you. Even I can't save your heads!"

Liu Song and others suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, almost fainted, and kowtowed repeatedly.

The relationship between generals in the army is still very strong. They are friends for life and death and will not watch their colleagues die.

They borrowed money from each family one by one, and might be scolded or even beaten, but no one would sit idly by.

Li Che said no more, turned around and took the hand of Li Cheng, who had been watching quietly, and walked towards the high steps of Fengtian Hall.

After walking more than ten steps, he suddenly stopped.

Without turning around, his voice was clearly heard throughout the square: "This matter is not over yet!"

"There are still two days left. Those who owe money, pay the full amount within these two days!"

"Those who didn't come..." He tilted his head slightly, his eyes sweeping across the deadly silence, "We are the king and his subjects, so I hope you will take care of yourselves!"

"In two days, the Ministry of Justice and the Night Watch will come to each of your homes and conduct a thorough investigation!"

After saying this, he flicked his sleeves and left without any regrets.

Holding Li Cheng, he walked step by step into the shadow of the deep porch of Fengtian Hall.