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

In the inner hall, the smell of gunpowder and blood mixed together.

The painful groans of the Prince of Longxi on the ground were like a heavy hammer, hitting the hearts of those relatives who were still holding on to hope.

The Prince of Longxi couldn't understand why he was the one who got hurt when it was someone else who provoked Li Che?

Ironically, these clan members were once quite dissatisfied with Emperor Qing, thinking that he was too ungrateful and that no emperor in history had ever treated clan members so harshly.

And today, the clan members finally saw what true harsh treatment meant.

He really dares to kill his own family!

He doesn't care about his reputation at all. Anyone who stands against him will be shot, no matter if they are relatives or from a noble family.

The Prince of Huai'an was the first to come to his senses.

But he took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the crowd.

Li Che looked at him and smiled kindly: "Uncle Huai'an."

The Prince of Huai'an nodded slightly, then kowtowed with both hands: "Your Majesty, I, Prince of Huai'an Li Yu, pay my respects to His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, restoring order to the chaos is truly a blessing to all the people. I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse, even if it means death!"

With him taking the lead, several other members of the royal family who were already loyal to Li Che also swore allegiance.

"Your Majesty, we are willing to be loyal to you! We respectfully welcome you to Chang'an!"

Li Che smiled and helped the Prince of Huai'an up: "Uncle Wang, there is no need to do this. You and the Emperor are like brothers, and I have admired you for a long time."

"The late emperor's vision was not wrong." Prince Huai'an looked at Li Che with satisfaction, "You are a true dragon and phoenix."

Seeing this scene of loving uncle and filial nephew, the relatives who followed the lead of Prince Longxi all looked pale and looked at each other in confusion.

Dozens of black gun muzzles were pointed at them, and the Prince of Longxi was still lying on the ground bleeding profusely. The last bit of courage for resistance among the clan members had completely disappeared.

In the face of absolute force and the threat of death, the so-called royal dignity seems vulnerable.

They knelt down sparsely, echoing in dry voices: "We are willing to obey your majesty's orders..."

Li Che watched all this indifferently, without any smug expression on his face.

He gently put Li Ji down from his arms and handed him to Li Xuan beside him to hold. He whispered, "Take your brother to the back to rest. It's dirty here."

Li Xuan nodded sensibly, held his brother's hand tightly, and walked quickly towards the back hall under the guidance of a Fengtian Army soldier.

After the two children left, Li Che's eyes became sharp again.

He glanced at the royal family members kneeling on the ground and said to the Prince of Huai'an and Du Fuji, "Uncle Prince of Huai'an, Lord Du."

"I'm here!" The two of them responded immediately.

"Take these..." Li Che casually made a circle with his hand, including all the kneeling royal family members, "whether they are sincere or not, those who are willing to submit to me for the time being, take them to the side hall for custody."

"The rest of those who are stubborn and have colluded with the Prince of Longxi will be held in solitary confinement and strictly guarded. I will make my final decision after I have dealt with this matter!"

Li Che said this lightly, but it made those clan members who had just been forced to kneel down shudder and feel very nervous.

The new emperor's methods were too harsh, and they were not sure what the word "sentence" meant.

"I obey your order!" Prince Huai'an and Du Fuji immediately accepted the order.

Du Fuji waved his hand, and the Du family's trusted guards who had been waiting outside the hall immediately stepped forward and began to separate and escort these relatives.

None of the clan members who were once high and mighty dared to resist and could only be taken away dejectedly.

Soon, the noisy hall became empty.

Only Li Che, Prince of Huai'an, Du Fuji and a handful of other clan representatives who had been screened and were considered more reliable were left.

Li Che walked to the main seat and sat down. Without any greetings, he got straight to the point: "Uncle Wang, Lord Du, how many troops can you guarantee to mobilize in Chang'an City now?"

Du Fuji and the Prince of Huai'an exchanged a glance, and Du Fuji spoke first: "Your Majesty, the troops in the city are mainly divided into three parts."

"The first is the former Chang'an Prefecture's city defense battalion, approximately 5,000 men, but their combat effectiveness is average and their internal factions are mixed. I can influence approximately 2,000 of them, primarily several captains in the South and West City divisions."

"The second is the private armies of various royal families and noble families. They are numerous but not under the same command. Now that the Longxi County Prince's family has fallen, their troops are leaderless, and they may be able to be coerced or bribed."

"Third, there are some of His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin's former subordinates. There are approximately 3,000 elite soldiers, scattered across several manors outside the city. They have always been feared by the imperial court and the aristocratic families. Their generals can be won over."

The Prince of Huai'an added, "Among the nine gates, the commanders of Mingde Gate and Qixia Gate were once my old subordinates. They are loyal to Your Majesty, and I am confident that I can make them obey my orders."

"The guards at Anhua Gate and Yanxing Gate have an ambiguous attitude, but most of their family businesses are in Chang'an, so perhaps they can be explained by their own interests."

"The most troublesome are the Jinguang Gate and Jingyao Gate in the north. The commanders are from the Wei family and are die-hard members of the family. There is absolutely no way they will surrender."

Li Che listened while calculating rapidly in his mind.

After a moment, he looked at Du Fuji and the Prince of Huai'an and said, "Send people immediately to contact all the generals and lieutenants you think can be won over, especially those who served under the King of Qin."

Then, he lowered his voice and said, "Tell them to pay attention to the signal from inside the city at midnight tonight."

"Once you see my main army appear outside the city, or hear a large-scale commotion inside, tie a red cloth on your left arm as a mark of recognition."

"Then, eliminate the stubborn elements around you, open the city gates they can control, and welcome the army into the city!"

"Red ribbon, I understand." Du Fuji immediately wrote down this simple but effective mark.

The Prince of Huai'an asked, "Your Majesty, where are those guards with ambiguous attitudes?"

"Don't worry about them. I can't save so many people." Li Che shook his head indifferently. "After the incident, if they can survive, we will send people to fight for them."

"I understand!"

Both Du Fuji and Prince Huaian felt a chill running down their spines, but at the same time they also felt a strong excitement.

The young emperor's methods were ruthless and decisive, without any hesitation.

"Go ahead." Li Che waved his hand. "Time is running out. I'll wait for your news here."

"Remember, what I want is for Chang'an City to return to me as intact as possible. A few casualties in the process are a necessary price to pay. The bottom line is that no harm or looting of the people can occur."

The two men bowed and accepted the order, then immediately turned around and left quickly.

The hall fell silent again, leaving only Li Che and Yue Yun and others behind him.

Li Che walked to the window, pushed it open a crack, and looked at the quiet Chang'an City outside.

He whispered to Yue Yun behind him, "Send a message to Prince Yan and Yang Xuan outside the city, and have the vanguard camp prepare."

"At midnight, upon receiving the signal, enter through Mingde Gate and Qixia Gate immediately, then storm Jinguang Gate and Jingyao Gate!"

"Yes!" A gleam flashed in Yue Yun's eyes, and he took the order and left.

Li Che nodded, sat back in the main seat, and closed his eyes to rest.

Tonight, Chang'an must change hands.