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

Li Che's gaze passed over the fields and villages below his feet, and turned to the majestic and ancient city outline in the distance, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.

He just stared quietly, like a sculpture.

The setting sun gave his armor a golden edge, and the mountain breeze blew the tassel under his helmet and the cloak behind him.

Up and down the slope, dozens of elite cavalrymen were silent.

Even Gou Wa's flock of sheep seemed to be infected by this pressure and dared not make any sound.

"This is Chang'an..."

Anyone familiar with Li Che could hear a hint of awe in this sigh.

Li Che stared at the majestic city in front of him, his heart filled with ups and downs.

As a time traveler, he had witnessed the vigorous vitality of the imperial capital, felt the ancient vicissitudes of Jinyang, and had personally visited foreign capitals such as Kyoto and Shangjing.

But no other city could bring him such a strong shock that came from the depths of history as Chang'an before him.

This is the place where Zhou Li founded the country, the foundation for Qin to conquer the world, the source of Han Dynasty’s Silk Road, and the prosperous place where Tang Dynasty embraced all nations!

Thousands of years of imperial fortune and civilization accumulation are condensed on this land, making the entire city like a sleeping dragon.

Even though it is silent at this moment, there is a majestic momentum that swallows up the heaven and earth, which makes people feel heroic and at the same time feel insignificant.

He couldn't help but sigh to Li Lin beside him: "Fourth brother, Chang'an has dragon energy!"

"No wonder my second brother, when he was sealed here, had the ambition to conquer the world. Anyone who has been immersed in such a magnificent place for many years would find it difficult to suppress the ambition to conquer the world."

Upon hearing this, Li Lin, with a pair of obvious dark circles under his eyes, stared at the city wall in the distance for a long time.

Then he scratched his head in confusion: "Is it? Where is the dragon energy? Why can't I see anything? I just feel that this city... is quite big."

Li Che: . . .

He glanced at Li Lin helplessly and instantly gave up the idea of ​​discussing Feng Shui dragon veins and historical and cultural heritage with him.

This fool's mind probably can't hold much else except fighting and drinking.

Retracting his gaze, Li Che's attention finally fell on the shepherd boy in front of him.

However, when he saw the big black dog in Gou Wa's arms, his eyes lit up again.

But I saw that this big black dog had a thick skeleton, strong limbs, erect ears and bright eyes.

Although it looks like a common local dog, it has an alert expression and a smooth body, and exudes a spirit that is rare in ordinary domestic dogs.

Li Che became interested and asked, "Little boy, are you selling this dog?"

Gou Wa was secretly glancing at the big shot on the hill, and was suddenly asked, and was stunned for a moment.

Then he shook his head like a rattle: "No sale! No sale!"

Dahei seemed to understand and shrank back behind Gou Wa.

Li Che thought he was worried about the lack of money, so he added: "You have enough money, enough for you to buy many sheep."

"I won't sell it!" Gou Wa resisted even more fiercely. In desperation, he blurted out, "Sir, my...my dog ​​Dahei...it always eats shit! The meat must not taste good, it stinks, so don't even think about it!"

Li Che: . . .

Yue Yun and several of his personal guards behind him couldn't help but tremble their shoulders and tried hard to hold back their laughter.

Li Che was also at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

He was the king of a country, but in the eyes of this shepherd boy, he looked like he was trying to steal his dog to eat his meat?

He just thought the dog was good-looking and intelligent, so he wanted to take it back to the army to be raised as a hunting dog or a guard dog.

But seeing Gou Wa resisting so nervously, almost crying while hugging the dog, Li Che had to give up. He would not rob people for a dog.

He coughed lightly and changed the subject: "Okay, okay, I won't steal your dog."

"We're a little tired after marching here, and we'd like to find a place to rest. I heard you can take us to Mr. Gao's house?"

Seeing that he didn't mention the dog anymore, Gou Wa finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then he said with embarrassment, "Master Gao has a lot of houses, big brick and tile houses, big and bright...but there are too many of you, I'm not sure if Master Gao will let you stay..."

"It's okay." Li Che smiled and rode his horse down the slope.

When passing by Gou Wa, he wanted to pat his head, but Gou Wa shrank his neck and dodged.

Li Che didn't mind and said with a smile: "Just take us there, I will talk to Master Gao myself."

Gou Wa mumbled something that no one could hear clearly, probably complaining about how troublesome these soldiers were.

Then he held the lamb, called out to Dahei, and ran to the front to lead the way: "Follow me, it's in the big farm at the foot of the mountain."

Li Che looked at the little kid running away and found it interesting. He couldn't help but raise his voice and tease him: "Hey, kid, are you going to sell these sheep?"

The dog boy in front stumbled and nearly fell, and without turning around, he shouted, "Not for sale! Not for sale!"

After saying this, he ran even faster, as if he was afraid that Li Che would really take away his flock of sheep.

The guards burst into good-natured laughter.

After Li Che finished entertaining the child, Yue Yun rode his horse over from the side and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty?"

Li Che's smile faded, and he said softly, "The situation in Chang'an City is unclear and difficult to predict. If the army approaches rashly, it will easily cause unnecessary panic."

"We need a local tyrant who is familiar with the local situation and has some foundation. First, we need to understand the city's strengths and weaknesses and the attitudes of various factions."

He paused and gave the order: "Have the army find a secluded place outside the city to camp and rest, and remain vigilant."

"Pick fifty skilled and clever men and go with us to meet this Master Gao."

"Yes!" Yue Yun clasped his fists and accepted the order. Just as he was about to make arrangements, he was stopped by Li Che again.

After Li Che finished speaking, he glanced at Yue Yun and the guards behind him, all of whom were wearing standard Fengtian Army armor.

Although Yue Yun did not wear his signature white robe and armor in order to be less conspicuous, this outfit was still too eye-catching in the countryside.

"Wait," Li Che added, "tell the brothers to cover up their armor, change into ordinary clothes, and put on a robe over the outer armor to cover it up."

"Hide your weapons properly so as not to disturb the local people. We are going to explore the way, not to disturb them."

"Understood!" Yue Yun agreed again and immediately turned around to convey orders and select personnel.

Soon, a team that looked much simpler but still showed its toughness broke away from the main force and followed the little shepherd boy in front of them, heading towards the village at the foot of the mountain where smoke was curling up.

The group followed Gou Wa down the loess slope. The closer they got to the village, the more desolate the scene became.

There are dozens of adobe huts scattered around, and there are few pedestrians on the village road. Only a few skinny dogs are barking weakly.

It was almost dusk, the time when farmers should have been returning home and smoke from cooking fires rising, but the village was unusually quiet.

In sharp contrast to this desolation is a house located at the east end of the village.

The blue brick wall is obviously much higher than the surrounding adobe houses, and you can see the tiled roof inside.

Although it is not very luxurious, it stands out from the crowd in this remote area.

Li Che understood in his heart that this was probably the Mr. Gao’s house that Gou Wa mentioned.

Judging from the scale, Mr. Gao was at most a rich farmer and landlord with some land and money within a dozen miles. His ancestors might have had one or two scholars or minor officials, but he was far from being a noble family.

However, it is precisely these people who represent the existence of the "people" in court memorials and the mouths of local officials.

They are good citizens who have permanent property, household registration, can pay taxes and perform labor service.

And people like Gou Wa, who have no land or property and depend on others for survival, are not even considered human beings.

What I am doing is not to overthrow people like Mr. Gao and divide up their property, as that will only bring greater chaos and poverty.

My real goal is to give every child like Gou Wa in the world the opportunity to live a stable life like Gao Yuanwai's family through their own efforts.

Just as his thoughts were swirling, Yue Yun beside him suddenly frowned.

With a light click, he had already drawn his short-handled musket from his waist and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, there's movement!"

Li Che instantly withdrew his thoughts and glanced sharply forward.

At this moment, they had already walked to the stone mill at the entrance of the village, and there was still no one around.

Farther away, behind the half-man-high straw stacks in the fields, there were obvious figures moving around.

"Friends hiding there." Li Che said clearly, "Don't hide anymore, come out."

After he finished speaking, there was silence for a moment.

Then, an old man wearing a dark official's suit and a square scarf on his head stood up tremblingly behind the straw stack.

The old man's face turned pale and his beard trembled slightly, obviously he was very scared.

As he stood up, dozens of farmers holding dung forks, hatchets, axes, and even carrying poles appeared one after another from behind the ridges and earthen walls.

They all looked nervous, as if facing a great enemy, and pointed the "weapons" in their hands at Li Che and his group.

That old man must be Mr. Gao.

He suppressed his fear and bowed to Li Che, his voice trembling: "This... noble man... My surname is Gao, and I am a squire in this village with a small fortune."

He glanced at the dazed Gou Wa standing beside Li Che and continued, "The child beside you is called Gou Wa. He is a farmhand hired by my family. He is a poor orphan whose parents died young. He knows nothing and is of no use to you, General."

He paused, as if he had made up his mind, and pointed at the flock of sheep: "If you, a nobleman, pass by here and are short of food and fodder, these sheep... you, you can take them."

"I only beg the General to show mercy and spare this poor child. Please give him a chance to live!"