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

The Fengtian Army flag was finally planted on the south bank of the Huai River.

Surrounded by a group of generals, Li Che walked across the reinforced pontoon bridge and set foot on the land that had just experienced the baptism of artillery fire.

Under my feet was charred soil mixed with broken wood chips.

In addition to the pungent smell of saltpeter, there was also a faint smell of burnt meat in the air.

Li Che walked leisurely, his eyes sweeping over the devastated rebel camp.

His sight finally stopped at the wreckage of a cannon that had been twisted and deformed by the explosion not far away.

He walked a few steps closer with interest, walked around the pile of scrap metal again, and sighed softly.

Then he turned his head and looked at Huo Duanli who was following the civil servants.

"Mr. Huo." Li Che gently tapped the remains of the cannon with his whip. "Did you build this thing for them?"

Huo Duanli became nervous when the emperor mentioned his name. "Your Majesty, this is indeed one of the several types of artillery that I copied when I was working at the Gunpowder Bureau."

"It's just that I'm stupid and haven't grasped the essence of it. My smelting and casting skills aren't as good as Fengguo's, so I can only produce this crude and crude appearance. Your Majesty, please forgive me for making a fool of myself."

Emperor Qing obtained the gunpowder formula from Feng State in the past, and later asked Li Che for the blueprints and asked Huo Duanli to imitate it on a small scale.

Of course, the drawings Li Che gave were several generations behind.

The only person in Daqing who could manufacture artillery was Huo Duanli. Now that Huo Duanli was with Li Che, the imperial capital had long lost the ability to manufacture firearms and was now just relying on its past achievements.

Li Che patted Huo Duanli's shoulder and said in a relaxed tone: "Don't belittle yourself. You don't have the resources of Fengguo, but you can create this. It's already very good."

"I see the thickness and structure of this gun barrel. It looks quite realistic. If you had truly mastered the essence of it, wouldn't the rebels have just fired a cannonball at my head?"

These words made the generals laugh, and Huo Duanli even said "I dare not".

After Li Che finished laughing, he turned to look at Chen Gui and asked, "What is this boy's talent in firearms?"

Chen Gui carefully examined the useless cannon, pondered for a moment, and objectively commented, "Your Majesty, although the cannon's shape is simple, its structure is generally correct."

"To be able to achieve this level of imitation shows that this boy is indeed quite talented in craftsmanship."

For Huo Duanli, receiving Chen Gui's evaluation of "acceptable" was already a high compliment.

The Huo family really has strong genes. Not to mention Huo Duanxiao, Huo Duanli is also a genius in science.

The eldest son, Huo Duanren, was an outstanding general. He captured many cities during this southern expedition.

Including Huo Tao, this family has at least two SSRs and two SRs!

Li Che nodded with satisfaction and instructed Chen Gui: "Since it's okay, then you should take care of him more often in the future."

"As our Feng Kingdom expands its territory, wars will become more frequent, and the demand for firearms will increase."

"If this boy can receive your guidance, he may become another gunpowder master in the future."

Chen Gui bowed and replied, "I obey your command."

Huo Duanli, listening to this, was overwhelmed with emotion. He bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, I, Huo Duanli, thank you for your great grace! I will do my utmost to follow Mr. Chen and study diligently to repay your majesty's kindness!"

Li Che smiled and asked him to stand up, looking at the river.

The auxiliary soldiers were busy working, and the originally simple pontoon bridge was becoming wider at a speed visible to the naked eye.

With the Fengtian Army's strong infrastructure and logistical capabilities, it was only a matter of time to reinforce this pontoon bridge to a level sufficient for baggage wagons to pass through.

"That's it," Li Che said with a smile to the generals surrounding him, "As long as our army can hold this bridge, our main force and logistics can continuously cross the river and head south."

"By then, the navy will control the river, and the infantry and cavalry will sweep across the land. Then, the various prefectures south of the Huai River can be conquered with a single order!"

Upon hearing this, the generals were filled with emotion and immediately bowed and clasped their fists, "Congratulations, Emperor!"

. . . . . .

A few days later, under the attack of the Fengtian Army by land and sea, the city walls of Shouzhou were ultimately unable to withstand the impact of the tide of the times.

Accompanied by a deafening roar, a section of the city wall finally collapsed, and smoke and dust rose into the sky.

"The city wall has been breached! Charge in!"

"His Majesty has decreed that the first person to reach the city wall will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and promoted three ranks!"

"Under the might of the Fengtian Army! Kill—"

The Fengtian Army soldiers, who were ready for battle, rushed in through the gap, and artillery and crossbows from the rear continued to fire.

After the outer positions were lost, the defenders continued to put up fierce resistance in the streets and alleys.

But in the face of the Fengtian Army's absolute firepower advantage, all resistance quickly collapsed like ice and snow meeting the sun.

The resistance gradually faded and eventually disappeared.

Half an hour later.

Under the strict protection of his personal guards, Li Che stepped over the still smoking ruins and slowly rode his horse into the Shouzhou city gate.

Teams of Fengtian troops wearing armor and carrying muskets patrolled back and forth in the streets.

The streets in the city were lined with surrendered soldiers who had thrown away their armor and weapons and looked ashen-faced, while the people closed their doors and hid in their homes.

Seeing Li Che enter the city, the cheers of "Long live the emperor" echoed over the city for a long time.

Li Che's eyes swept over the surrendered soldiers calmly, without much joy on his face.

He raised his whip and casually pointed at a surrendered soldier kneeling in the front row of the crowd, and slowly asked, "Where is your general Liu Renzhan?"

The man was named by the emperor himself, and he trembled with fear. He subconsciously turned around and looked at the crowd behind him.

As if they had received an order, the surrendered soldiers separated to both sides like a tide, silently making way for a passage.

Li Che looked along the passage and frowned.

At the end of the passage, a middle-aged general covered in blood was kneeling on the ground with his head lowered.

The sword in his hand had slipped to the ground and fell into a pool of blood.

On this person's neck, there was a wound with the skin and flesh rolled up, so deep that the bone was visible.

Obviously, this man had drawn his sword and committed suicide when the city was broken, and he was already dead at this moment.

Even though he was dead, his body still remained in a kneeling position, facing the direction of the imperial capital.

This person was none other than the garrison commander of Shouzhou, Liu Renzhan.

Seeing this scene, the joy that arose in Li Che's heart because of breaking through the city instantly dissipated, and an indescribable complex emotion surged in his heart.

He looked at the corpse in silence and couldn't help but sigh softly.

Li Che turned his head and said to the generals with a bit of regret in his tone:

"He's a man of steel, but unfortunately... he's a foolishly loyal person. He's wasting his talent."

Along the way from north to south, Li Che met many rebel generals.

Some fled at the sight of the enemy like Zheng Mao, some rushed to surrender like Liu Qing and Mi Wei, and some died on the battlefield like Dugu Hong.

But Liu Renzhan was the first person to resolutely choose to commit suicide after being defeated.

Thinking of this, Li Che couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

This war was ultimately a civil war in Daqing, and those who died in the war were all citizens of Daqing, and they were all potential talents.

Take Liu Renzhan for example. Judging from his deployment of defense and command, he is indeed a talented general.

If they can surrender, given time, they may become pillars of the border army guarding a region.

Now, for the sake of an aristocratic family and a false emperor, his life has been wasted in the quagmire of civil war. How can one not sigh with regret?

After a moment of silence, Li Che collected his thoughts and spoke again: "Death forgives sins. He has already sacrificed his life to show his loyalty. I will fulfill his integrity."

He looked at Qiu Bai and ordered, "Collect Liu Renzhan's body, find a good coffin, and bury him properly."

"In front of his tomb, a stele was erected with the inscription 'Tomb of Liu Renzhan, the Former Guardian General of Shouzhou, Daqing'."

"I consider this as a reward for his foolish loyalty, and also a reminder for those who come after me."

"I obey your command!" Qiu Bai bowed quickly and accepted the order.

When the generals heard this, they all felt emotional.

For an opponent like Liu Renzhan, they can defeat him, they can kill him, but they also have to give him a certain amount of respect.

The most honorable ending for a general is to die on the battlefield.

Li Che no longer looked at Liu Renzhan's body. He rode his horse slowly forward, his gaze cast into the deeper part of Shouzhou City.

After taking Shouzhou, the gate to Huainan was wide open and drinking water from the Yangtze River was just around the corner.

But the road to the imperial capital is destined to be paved with blood and lives, including those of the enemies and perhaps our own people.

But this heavy burden is what he must bear as an emperor.