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

Li Che strode out of the tent and bumped into Li Lin, who looked excited.

Li Che asked directly, with a hint of anticipation in his heart: "Third brother wrote to me. What did he say that made fourth brother so excited?"

Although Li Che has ascended the throne, he and Li Lin have a tacit understanding between them and still call each other brothers.

It is said that a lonely man is a lonely person, so Li Che cherishes the brotherhood between himself and Li Lin very much.

Of course, it is also because Li Lin has a pure and righteous heart and is worthy of his trust.

Li Lin excitedly waved the letter in his hand and spoke quickly: "It's Third Brother! Third Brother sent me news from Jin. Great news!"

He took a deep breath and tried to speak more clearly:

"Third brother said in the letter that he has safely arrived in the capital of Jin State and successfully contacted a group of local old ministers who are loyal to our father."

"After some careful probing, both parties quickly reached a consensus and decided to pledge their allegiance to you, the legitimate emperor of Daqing!"

"Then, Third Brother made a prompt decision and held a banquet that evening, inviting all the civil and military officials from Jin."

"During the banquet, the assassins he had ambushed suddenly attacked, slaughtering all the officials and generals who were loyal to the aristocratic families, led by the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Liu family of Hedong!"

"It's said that slaughtering the entire government office wasn't enough, he even chased them all the way to their homes and wiped them out completely!"

Li Che was startled at first when he heard this, then he couldn't help but laugh:

"Another standard Hongmen Banquet... Clean and neat, it really suits Third Brother's style."

This method really seems like something that the usually low-key and patient King Jin would do.

If you don't move, it's fine. But if you move, you will fight to the death and leave no room for your opponent to turn around.

He has a bit of a heroic demeanor...

Thinking of this, Li Che narrowed his eyes slightly.

Unlike Li Lin, he and King Jin don't have much brotherly love.

However, as long as Prince Jin continues to behave himself and has no bad intentions, I will let him live the rest of his life as a safe prince.

"And then?" Li Che continued to ask.

He knew in his heart that eliminating dissidents was only the first step, and stabilizing the situation was the key.

The territory of Jin is complex and complicated, and the real power does not lie entirely in the officialdom.

Li Lin continued, "As Third Brother told us before, it's not just the aristocratic families who control the Jin area, but also those Jin merchants who are as wealthy as a nation."

"So after Third Brother quickly took control of the government office, he personally went to visit the largest Shanxi merchants."

"Those businessmen are still the same. They're very pragmatic when it comes to business." Li Lin curled his lips. "They didn't immediately express their support just because Third Brother has a past relationship with them."

"but--"

Li Lin changed the subject and smiled, "When Third Brother explained to them our new policy towards merchants in Feng State."

"Improve the status of merchants, allow their children to become officials, open up national engineering projects to bidding..."

"Guess what, Sixth Brother? Those Shanxi merchants' attitudes immediately changed 180 degrees. They immediately expressed their full support for you!"

Li Che's smile grew brighter, his eyes twinkling as he sighed, "Sure enough, there's a cause for every effect."

Although Feng State strengthened the collection of commercial taxes, making it more standardized and efficient.

But at the same time, it also gave businessmen unprecedented social status and rights protection.

For Shanxi merchants who have already reached the top of the wealth ladder, money growth is no longer the primary goal.

What they really desire is social respect and the right to speak out in politics.

And most importantly, security that can protect their huge wealth from being wantonly encroached upon by power.

In this regard, the old Daqing court did far from enough, and Fengguo's policies hit their pain points.

Li Lin excitedly continued reporting, "With the strong support of the Shanxi merchants in terms of financial resources and local influence, Third Brother immediately gathered his old subordinates."

"Using the funds provided by the Shanxi merchants, we quickly formed an armored cavalry unit of over a thousand men!"

"At the same time, he drastically cleansed the Jin army, replacing all officers planted by aristocratic families and promoting a large number of men from clean families to serve as mid- and lower-level officers."

"Now, Third Brother has completely taken control of the entire territory of Jin."

"He now has 30,000 elite soldiers under his command who have been reorganized and whose loyalty is guaranteed."

"At the end of the letter, he specifically asked you: When will Your Majesty march south to crush the rebels? He will personally lead the Jin army and join you in the Central Plains to fight side by side!"

The smile on Li Che's face faded slightly, and his eyes became deep.

He then asked, "What is the situation in Qin? Did Third Brother mention it in his letter? Did he try to gather the forces left by Second Brother?"

Li Lin shook his head upon hearing this, his expression becoming more serious. "The letter didn't mention much about Qin, but Third Brother did mention it briefly."

"He said that the situation in Qin was much more complicated than in Jin, and could be described as a den of dragons and tigers."

Li Lin carefully recalled the contents of the letter and continued:

"Not only are there deeply rooted local aristocratic families there, but there are also many founding clans and meritorious veterans who followed my father from the beginning of the Long Rebellion. The relationships are complex and the interests are entangled."

"In Chang'an alone, there are several opposing factions, each holding the other back. The waters are too deep."

"Third brother said that he is far away in Jin and is powerless to intervene. If he is not careful, he might end up getting himself into trouble."

Li Che nodded slightly, not surprised by this.

Qin is the birthplace of Emperor Qing and the foundation of the dynasty. Its political structure is naturally far beyond the reach of other regions.

Not only does it produce strong soldiers, it is also one of the core arenas for the game between various forces.

The Qin people were brave and good at fighting, and their character was tough, making them an excellent source of soldiers.

The pseudo-imperial court in the imperial capital must have already sent out capable personnel to try every possible means to get this piece of fat meat.

"I understand." Li Che said slowly, his fingers unconsciously tapping the hilt of the sword at his waist. "Qindi is indeed a tough nut to crack. It's unrealistic to expect Third Brother to control it remotely."

He looked towards the west, and after a moment of silence, he made a decision:

"It seems that if I want to take over Qin and truly bring it under my control, I... must go there in person."

When these words were spoken, Li Lin next to him was slightly startled.

Leading the army in person is one thing, but personally going deep into the center of the complex power vortex in Qin is another.

The risks are probably far greater than those on the front battlefield.

Li Che saw his worry and said comfortingly, "Don't worry, I'm not going to fight, but to negotiate."

"It's just that, standing beside my negotiation table, there will be 100,000 fierce and elite Fengtian troops!"