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

Since Li Che accepted Du Fuchen's advice, he decided not to delay any longer and to attack the remaining cities north of the Yangtze River with all his strength.

After the intense summer heat, the Fengtian Army mobilized again, dividing into three groups:

The eastern route was led by General Wang Sanchun, who set out from Dingtao, Yanzhou, and advanced eastward along the Sishui River, sweeping through the northern part of Xuzhou.

The central route was led by General Chen Pingzhi, who marched south from Rencheng in Yanzhou and directly into the heart of Xuzhou.

Li Che personally commanded the main force of the Fengtian Army in the west, marching eastward from Luoyang, first capturing Xuchang in the heart of Yuzhou, and then began to gather troops and stockpile supplies.

At one time, more than 100,000 troops were assembled inside and outside Xuchang City, and hundreds of warehouses were filled with food, fodder, military equipment and supplies.

Dozens of Fengtian Army generals or founding military heroes, including Li Lin, Yue Yun, Yang Xuan, Yelu He, Ma Zhong, Duan Rui, Zhu Chun, Hu Xian, Hu Qiang, Qiu Bai, and Ying Bu, gathered in one city, each with their own troops under their command.

There were also royal family members and civil officials accompanying him, including Du Fuchen, Chen Gui, Prince of Jin, and Prince of Huai'an.

Such a luxurious team is only for taking over Xuzhou, a place that has been fought on four occasions.

This time, Li Che changed his strategy of attacking the hearts and minds, and issued a military order to the entire army:

When we encounter a city, we will order it to surrender. Those who take it at the first blow will not be harmed. Those who hesitate will be given half a day to surrender. Those who stubbornly resist will have their heads beheaded and hung at the gate when the city is broken!

As soon as the military order was given, the Fengtian Army, with the power of a great victory, was in high spirits.

Along the way, the defenders of many cities had already seen the big flags with the word "Feng" on them and almost surrendered.

Occasionally, some who relied on their own strength or were held hostage by aristocratic families and attempted to resist stubbornly were immediately met with the Fengtian Army's merciless firepower attack.

For the first time, artillery fire demonstrated its pure destructive power on this land.

Solid bullets roared as they slammed into the city walls, while shrapnel shells exploded into balls of fireworks in the densely populated areas on the city walls.

The fortified cities that once required dozens of days or even half a year to besiege would have their walls crumble in an instant under the intense bombardment of concentrated firepower, and several envoys would often end up in the city's siege.

Fear spread rapidly across Xuzhou as the Fengtian Army advanced rapidly.

The Fengtian Army swept through the country with unstoppable force!

Wang Sanchun captured several cities in succession on the eastern route and his troops reached the north of Pengcheng.

Chen Ping's central route broke through numerous passes and allowed his horses to drink water from the Si River.

In just over half a month, the three armies of the Fengtian Army finally met outside Pengcheng, an important town in Jiangbei!

Look outside the city: flags cover the fields, armors are bright, swords and spears are like forests, and cannon muzzles are sharp.

150,000 elite Fengtian troops surrounded Pengcheng tightly, and the murderous atmosphere reached the sky.

Li Che did not say much to the Pengcheng defenders, and sent someone to deliver a big gift that day - seventeen heads that had been simply processed and whose faces were vaguely recognizable!

Those are the heads of all the generals defending the city who chose to fight to the end since the troops were dispatched!

. . . . . .

In Pengcheng, inside the government office, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.

A group of generals had just witnessed the seventeen bloody heads from the top of the city wall. Now they were sitting together in silence.

As the largest city in Xuzhou, Pengcheng has two highest defenders.

One of them was named Liu Qing, who came from the Liu family, a local wealthy family in Pengcheng. They had been entrenched in this place for many years and had deep roots.

The other was Mi Wei, a general who had been transferred from the Southern Army to provide support and represented the authority of the court.

One is a local force and the other is an airborne force. Naturally, the relationship between the two cannot be described as very good.

But now that the Fengtian Army is at the gates of the city, the two have become brothers in distress.

The two looked at each other and saw the same thoughts in each other's eyes, but no one spoke first.

The government office was dead silent, with only the heavy breathing of the crowd and a few sighs from time to time.

After an unknown amount of time, a lieutenant finally couldn't help but speak, breaking the silence: "Has anyone just counted the number of Fengtian troops outside the city? How many are there?"

A man nearby replied sadly, "It blocks out the sun and the sky, the camp stretches for dozens of miles, and the flags are as numerous as a forest. How can we count them all?"

"I'm afraid the combined number of combat troops and auxiliary troops is no less than 300,000, most of whom are the main force of the Fengtian Army that followed Prince Feng out of the pass."

Another person spoke up, "What about us? At most, there are only 50,000 defenders in the city, right?"

"That's right. Moreover, the Fengtian Army has so many artillery, firearms, and explosives, and their armor is far superior to ours... How can we fight this battle?"

These words expressed the thoughts of everyone present, and the sighs in the hall became even heavier.

Liu Qing suddenly raised his head, his eyes piercing the general who had just spoken: "Do you mean to stop fighting, open the city and surrender, and become a traitor seeking glory by betraying your master?"

The lieutenant was frightened and quickly lowered his head, not daring to say another word.

At this moment, another general from the Southern Army, Mi Wei, spoke.

He swept his gaze over the crowd, finally landing on Liu Qing. "General Liu, calm down. Although this statement may be discouraging, it may not be without reason."

"With only 50,000 soldiers left, trying to fight against King Feng's army of 300,000 strong is truly... like trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm."

Liu Qing sneered upon hearing this and turned his attention to Mi Wei: "Oh? What do you mean, General Mi?"

"You are not from Pengcheng, and none of your family or relatives are here. But do you intend to surrender to the king?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the local generals of Pengcheng in the hall all glared at Mi Wei.

His hand unconsciously reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

I've known for a long time that the Confederate Army and we are not on the same page. But now, before the battle even starts, you're already thinking about surrendering to save your life?

Mi Wei's face changed, and he immediately retorted, "Liu Qing! Stop slandering me!"

"I am loyal to Your Majesty, as heaven and earth bear witness. When have I ever said I would surrender? How dare you slander me!"

The Southern Army generals behind him also stood up with their swords drawn, glaring at the local generals.

The two sides already had some differences due to their backgrounds, and now they were provoked by the words of their leaders, and immediately became enemies.

It seemed that they were about to draw their swords against each other and engage in an internal conflict inside the government office.

At this moment, Liu Qing suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahahaha!"

"General Mi, don't be angry, I was just joking!"

After saying that, he smiled and waved his hand, signaling the local generals to sit down.

Mi Wei and the Southern Army generals were stunned, but when they saw the local generals sit back down as they were told, the tense atmosphere eased a little.

Mi Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "General Liu, this joke is a bit too much."

Liu Qing's smile faded, and a serious expression took on his face. "So, General Mi is determined to fight alongside us and live and die with Pengcheng?"

Upon hearing this, all the generals looked towards Mi Wei.

Mi Wei immediately straightened his back, his face filled with passion, and replied righteously, "Of course!"

"I, Mi Wei, have been deeply indebted to the state. I am a loyal servant of the emperor and will serve him faithfully! I will shed my last drop of blood for your majesty and for Daqing! I will live and die with Pengcheng!"