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

After the fall of Pengcheng, 150,000 elite Fengtian troops were stationed in this Jiangbei hub.

The people did not welcome them warmly, but they were not too afraid of the Fengtian Army either.

After all, the Fengtian Army had been killing their way here, and most of the people who wanted to escape had already fled. The ones who remained had almost all heard rumors about the Fengtian Army and knew that they would not harm the people at all.

Li Che implemented the same strategy he had implemented in Luoyang in Pengcheng almost exactly:

Liquidate the recalcitrant families, confiscate their land and businesses, distribute grain to reassure the people, reorganize the surrendered troops, and establish a new ruling order...

As for the remaining cities in Xuzhou that had not yet been attacked by the army, Li Che adopted a more efficient method - to conquer them by issuing an order!

He sent a fast messenger with an official announcement of the fall of Pengcheng and a head sealed with lime.

The content of the manifesto is simple and direct: those who obey will live, those who disobey will die.

In the face of this naked threat of force, no matter how stubborn the defenders of the cities in Xuzhou were, it would be useless.

They wanted to fight, but the generals under their command did not want to fight.

In just half a month, the remaining cities in Xuzhou sent envoys to Pengcheng to hand over their military seals and welcome the royal army.

At this point, Li Che incorporated Xuzhou into his territory almost without bloodshed.

Afterwards, Li Che issued orders to all the troops, asking the commanders of the Fengtian Army to gather at the Pengcheng government office.

Even He Conglong, the commander-in-chief of the rear army who had been stationed in the rear and in charge of the transportation of grain and fodder, rushed to Pengcheng exhausted.

Since ancient times, Xuzhou has been a strategic point between the north and the south and a transportation hub.

The Fengtian Army's advance to this point meant that the supply lines in the rear had become relatively stable.

As long as He Conglong can firmly hold the Pengcheng node, food and grass from Fengguo, Jin and Qin can be continuously transported to the front line through water and land channels.

. . . . . .

In the lobby of the government office, many generals gathered together.

Li Che stood in front of the huge Jianghuai map, his eyes sweeping over the familiar faces below:

He Conglong, Wang Sanchun, Chen Pingzhi, Yang Xuan, Zhu Chun, Yue Yun...

It is truly a gathering of wise and brave generals!

The generals were chatting and laughing, and there was some excitement in their words.

The same is true for Li Che.

He held the strongest army in the world and was about to conquer the world. A sense of heroism surged in his heart.

He gently patted the map behind him and said slowly, "Alright, everyone, be quiet."

Everyone's eyes were focused on Li Che.

Li Che turned around and tapped the map with his finger: "Since ancient times, to defend the Jiang, one must defend the Huai River, and to defend the Huai River, one must defend the Xu River!"

"Xuzhou is the gateway to the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, a key location. The pseudo-imperial court was short-sighted and failed to station a large number of troops here. Now it is completely in our hands!"

When the generals heard this, they all looked happy.

Xuzhou, the place where four battles were fought, may not be a good base, but if you want to unify the world, you can't avoid it.

The imperial court was so defeated that it actually sent two cowardly generals to guard this place.

Now that Xuzhou has fallen into the hands of the Fengtian Army, the difficulty of moving south has been greatly reduced.

Li Che's finger moved southward, crossing the Huai River: "Next, there is only one thing we need to do..."

"That is, to capture the Huaihe River defense line!"

The expressions of all the generals were shocked, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn and murderous.

Qiu Bai, who was in charge of intelligence, stepped forward at the right moment and added, "Your Majesty, according to reports from scouts and night watchmen, the enemy general Zhai Yan is no mediocre man. He does have some foresight."

"He has assembled the Beijing Camp, the Southern Army, and part of the Southwestern Army. He claims to have 200,000 troops, but the actual number should be around 150,000."

"The rebels are currently constructing a defense line along the southern bank of the Huai River, focusing on Shouzhou, Haozhou, Sizhou, and Chuzhou. They intend to use the natural barrier of the Huai River to block our advance southward."

Li Che nodded slowly, not surprised by the news.

The rebels had already lost Xuzhou and it was impossible for them to give up the Huai River.

Although the Yangtze River is a natural barrier, it is too long. The rebels do not have enough troops to defend such a long river, and they can sneak south from any location.

The Huai River is densely covered with waterways. By defending the Huai River, the waterways can be used to slow down the Fengtian Army's attack, while cavalry can be sent to harass them.

On the contrary, if the Fengtian Army took over the Huai River, it could quickly transport food and supplies to the front line through the waterway, doubling the pressure on the South.

If the North takes control of the Huai River, the South cannot protect itself, while if the South takes control of the Huai River, it is enough to resist the North. This is the origin of the saying "To defend the Yangtze River, one must defend the Huai River."

Li Che walked back to the main seat and sat down, leaning forward slightly: "So, now the only thing standing between us and Di An is Zhai Yan's 200,000-man army."

"Defeat them, and our army will be able to drink from the Yangtze River and march to the gates of the pseudo-imperial capital!"

He paused, then turned his tone to one of inquiry: "This is the situation. If you have any opinions, please feel free to express them. There's no need to be restrained."

After a brief silence, Chen Pingzhi spoke first: "Your Majesty, if our army attacks the Huai River defenses head-on, the chances of victory are quite high, but Zhai Yan, relying on the water network, will certainly resist stubbornly, and the casualties will probably be heavy."

"Or maybe... consider another approach?"

"Oh?" Li Che knew that this ghost general was going to come up with another trick, so he asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Chen Pingzhi pointed to another point on the map, south of the Huai River. "For example, we could split our forces and march south to capture Hefei first."

"If we can control Hefei, we can use it as a springboard to cross the river, threaten the pseudo-emperor's flank, or even march directly to the imperial capital."

Li Che's heart was moved when he heard this.

Then I remembered the famous historical story about "Sun Shiwan".

Hefei is indeed a strategic location, but precisely because of its importance, the enemy may not be unprepared.

Moreover, the terrain here is complex and not an easy place to attack.

Before he could even open his mouth, veteran General Zhu Chun shook his head and retorted, "General Chen's proposal is inappropriate."

"Although our army is strong, if we divide our forces and send them south to Hefei, our strength for attacking the Huai River defenses head-on will be weakened."

"Zhai Yan is no mediocre man. If he sees me dividing my forces, he will probably concentrate his forces to defeat my frontal army first."

"By then, the army heading south will be isolated and the enemy defending the Huai River will not be destroyed. Our army will be in a dangerous situation where we can't take care of both ends. The risk is too great!"

Upon hearing this, most of the generals nodded in agreement.

Dividing troops is a major taboo in military strategy, especially when the enemy's main force is still intact.

At this time, Hou He Conglong, who had been listening silently, raised a key question: "Your Majesty, I have a question: Where is the navy of my country now?"

The question asked by He Conglong instantly attracted everyone's attention.

Yes, the Fengtian Army does not only have the Lu Division.

Where is now the powerful navy that conquered Japan, controlled the distant seas, and was tempered in battle?