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

Li Che frowned slightly, feeling somewhat unhappy.

In the final analysis, the relationship between him and the King of Jin was nothing more than mutual exploitation due to intertwined interests.

Even before that, they were rivals for the throne.

Being able to fight back and rescue him from the siege was a rare act of abiding by the spirit of the contract.

Now that the overall situation is still uncertain, he actually wants to break away from Fengguo and set up his own faction?

Any discerning person can see that the world that lies ahead will be the ultimate showdown between Feng State and the puppet court supported by the aristocratic families.

Li Che absolutely did not want to see other forces taking advantage of the situation to rise up and plunge the already fragmented Daqing into a deeper quagmire.

Before Li Che could speak, Li Lin on the side could no longer hold back and glared at him:

"Where are you going, Third Brother?"

"My second brother and fifth brother have shed blood in the imperial capital. Isn't the blood shed by my Li family enough?"

"Is the taste of power really that lingering?!"

The King of Jin slowly shook his head, his expression indifferent: "Fourth brother, I am the King of Jin, and my fiefdom is in Jin. Naturally, I must go back."

"It's not that I'm greedy for power. Even if I stay in Fengguo, I'm dispensable to Sixth Brother's cause and can't be of much help."

He changed the subject and looked at Li Che, saying earnestly, "But I have been operating in Jin for many years and have some foundation."

"The world is about to fall into chaos. I, your brother, can take this opportunity to recruit volunteers in Jin and strengthen our defenses."

"When Sixth Brother descends from the north to attack the imperial capital, Jin can serve as your flank support, containing the Central Plains rebels."

As soon as these words came out, Li Che's mind raced and he suddenly understood.

The King of Jin was indeed different from other vassal kings. Behind him stood not the traditional aristocratic and powerful families, but a special group - the Jin merchants.

The rise of Shanxi merchants originated from the founding of the country.

As early as when Emperor Qing was busy with military affairs and fighting for supremacy in the Central Plains, this group of sharp-eyed businessmen had "taken advantage of rare goods" and placed their bets on the then weak Emperor Qing.

On the road to entrepreneurship, these "angel investors" provided money and food, and made great contributions to the establishment of Daqing.

After Emperor Qing ascended the throne, the rewards he gave them were unprecedentedly generous.

The imperial court granted them the exclusive right to "salt permits" and handed over the highly profitable salt and iron monopoly to them.

Salt and iron are the lifeblood of the country and necessities for people's livelihood. The huge profits can be imagined.

With this privilege, Shanxi merchants quickly accumulated astonishing wealth and took the opportunity to support the King of Jin as their spokesperson in the court.

Four years ago, Emperor Qing vigorously reduced the power of the feudal lords, which may have been intended to crack down on these powerful merchants who were difficult to get rid of. As a result, the influence of the Shanxi Merchants Group was restrained.

But a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.

As long as the Shanxi merchants are willing, with their huge financial resources and the golden signboard of the King of Jin, it will not be difficult to quickly build a considerable force.

The State of Jin was located in the northwest, bordering the former territory of the King of Qin.

If the Prince of Jin can effectively control these two areas, it will undoubtedly provide strategic support for the main force of the Fengtian Army to move south in the future and form a stable rear.

Thinking of this, Li Che looked at Prince Jin deeply.

Seeing that the other party looked calm and composed, and even had a kind of detached relief between his brows, he had already made up his mind.

But he still had to make it clear: "Third brother, don't blame me for speaking directly."

"Daqing is now in ruins and cannot withstand another upheaval."

Prince Jin met Li Che's gaze and nodded solemnly: "Sixth brother, I understand your concerns."

"When I return to Jin, I will immediately announce to the world: I will never participate in the struggle for the throne. I will unreservedly support you to inherit my father's legacy and revitalize Daqing!"

Li Che slowly shook his head: "More than that, Third Brother, if I inherit the throne one day, I will never allow another country within a country in Daqing."

"At least within the core territory of Daqing, the vassal state system must become history."

"I will retain your title of nobility and royal family status."

"But you must not become a vassal of the Jin State again. The imperial court will send officials from other provinces to govern the area."

To everyone's surprise, King Jin smiled calmly, as if he had already expected this:

"Even if Sixth Brother doesn't mention it, I have no intention of being a separatist prince anymore."

His tone darkened, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "I am the prince of Daqing. I have returned to Jin not to fight for power, but to avenge the blood feud between my father and brother!"

Zhu Chun, Huo Duanxiao and others on the side were extremely anxious when they heard this, and kept winking at Li Che, implying that this move was extremely risky.

Li Che seemed to be unaware of it and just stared into Prince Jin's eyes.

After a moment, he nodded slowly: "Okay, I believe you."

He did feel that the Prince of Jin was trustworthy at the moment, but given his position, it was impossible for him to completely rely on one person's trust for state affairs.

The reason why he finally agreed to let King Jin go back was out of overall strategic considerations.

Emperor Qing set up this situation precisely to allow all potential hidden dangers to surface so that the Fengtian Army could wipe them out.

If the King of Jin truly develops other intentions in the future and becomes independent with his own army, we can then send troops to pacify him.

It's better than forcing him to stay by my side now, forcing the Shanxi merchants to go underground and become hindered in the future.

"In that case, Third Brother, you should take a long-term view when you go," Li Che said. "Don't just focus on the Jin territory. If possible, include the Qin territory in our camp."

Qin and Jin are adjacent to each other, with similar customs, and have a tradition of "the friendship between Qin and Jin".

The King of Qin is dead, and the Qin territory is actually controlled by Emperor Qing's old confidants. Li Che has long regarded them as a force that can be won over.

The Qin people are brave and good at fighting, and are an excellent source of soldiers.

If we can get financial support from Shanxi merchants and firmly control these two places, the overall situation in the north will be stable.

The King of Jin had obviously thought deeply about this and immediately responded:

"Sixth brother, I share the same view. Upon returning to Jin, I will immediately contact Second Brother's former subordinates, integrate resources, and prepare for battle."

"When the main force of your Fengtian Army marches south, we can coordinate east and west to defeat the rebels together!"

"This journey is difficult and dangerous. Do you need any help, Third Brother?" Li Che asked.

"As long as we can reach Jin safely, I will take care of the rest." The King of Jin seemed confident.

Li Che understood, and his eyes swept over the generals behind him, finally stopping on Qu Jinshan.

"Old Qu."

Qu Jinshan sighed inwardly, having already guessed the mission, and could only respond and step out of the group: "Your Highness."

Although he would rather follow Li Che in battle, he could not disobey the king's orders.

"You must immediately select fifty elite cavalrymen to escort His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin back to the State of Jin."

"Upon arrival, you will temporarily remain under the command of King Jin and assist him in strengthening his army and defenses."

Li Che ordered.

Qu Jinshan bowed and accepted the order: "Yes!"

Then he turned to Prince Jin and said, "I am Qu Jinshan, your Majesty, and I look forward to your guidance in the future."

The King of Jin politely replied, "General Qu, thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your help along the way."

The arrangement was finalized. King Jin looked at Li Che and Li Lin and said, "Since that's the case, you and I brothers will travel together for a while, and then I will head north."

Li Che shook his head: "I'm afraid we have to say goodbye now."

The King of Jin was surprised: "Sixth brother, why don't you return to Fengguo immediately?"