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

The imperial capital, which had just been immersed in the joy of the new emperor's ascension to the throne, soon became lively.

The common people on the street witnessed with their own eyes that the general who always accompanied His Majesty personally led the soldiers and violently broke open the doors of the mansions.

The families of the once awe-inspiring officials were escorted out one by one, and all the property in their mansions was counted, moved, and sealed.

When the people saw this scene, they naturally cheered.

Although they did not receive any share of the confiscated property, seeing those who were once high and mighty now end up like this was enough to make the people happy. This was human nature.

Not only were the officials who were caught on the spot in the court liquidated, but those officials who fled south with the false emperor were also unable to escape.

Even though the person may run away, the property cannot.

One mansion after another was confiscated, and countless gold, silver, antiques, calligraphy and paintings that could not be moved in time were stuffed into the national treasury.

The vacant mansions were sealed and temporarily left idle.

Li Che already had a plan in mind. These high-quality properties in the core area of ​​the imperial capital were the perfect resources to reward his meritorious civil and military officials, and it could also be considered a benefit for his brothers.

However, for Li Che today, such a small matter of confiscating property and exterminating the clan would not attract much of his attention.

Most of his attention had long since left the imperial capital and turned to the war in the south.

Within a few days, important cities around the imperial capital, such as Zhenjiang and Yangzhou, had been conquered and submitted their surrender one after another.

The few cities that resisted stubbornly quickly collapsed under the attack of the Fengtian Army.

The pseudo-emperor and his entourage are still fleeing like lost dogs, and the night watchmen are still stepping up their investigation into their whereabouts.

Li Che initially judged that there were not many places they could go.

Either go west to the easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack Shu area, or go south to Hangzhou or even further to Fujian and Guangdong.

After all, the south is the base camp that the aristocratic families have operated for many years. It has crisscrossing rivers and rolling mountains, unlike the flat land of the Central Plains.

There are also natural barriers like the Shu Road, which will increase the difficulty of the subsequent attack both tactically and strategically.

Li Che knew that this battle for unification would be more difficult and more intense.

It was also impossible for him to lead the army in person as he had done in the past. Reaching the imperial capital was already his limit, and the court officials would not agree to let him fight the entire battle.

As an emperor, he needs to stay at the center and stabilize the overall situation.

The most urgent task is to select a capable general who can take charge of the overall situation and go south to lead the governor.

The first name that came to Li Che's mind was Yang Zhongsi.

As early as when he captured Luoyang, he had sent fast horses to Fengtian to recall important officials such as Yang Zhongsi, Huo Duanxiao, and Zhuge Zhe, ordering them to rush to the imperial capital as quickly as possible.

In the following days, Li Che stayed in the imperial capital, immersed in government affairs.

Until late autumn, when the cold wind began to blow, the ginkgo leaves inside the palace walls were dyed golden.

Yang Zhongsi and his two companions finally arrived at the imperial capital.

After entering the city, the three of them rode non-stop and headed straight for the imperial city.

Li Che now followed the old custom and set up the place for daily living and handling government affairs in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty, the three elders and ministers have arrived." Feng Gong, who was standing aside, reported softly.

Upon hearing this, Li Che immediately put down the memorial he was reviewing and looked out of the hall: "My right-hand men have finally arrived! Hurry and announce them! No..."

Halfway through his words, Li Che actually stood up and said, "I'd better go out and greet them!"

As he spoke, Li Che strode out of the hall.

As soon as he reached the porch of the palace, he saw Yang Zhongsi, Huo Duanxiao and Zhuge Zhe walking in front, followed by a group of civil and military officials serving the country.

Seeing the emperor personally coming out to greet them, everyone was frightened and hurriedly stepped forward, bowing and about to pay their respects:

"Your Majesty, I cannot do this! You are embarrassing me!"

As the saying goes, times have changed. When Li Che was still the King of Feng, he personally welcomed him, which was considered a courtesy to the wise and virtuous.

Now that he has ascended the throne and is in the imperial palace, if the emperor personally welcomes him and the ministers accept him calmly, it would be a great act of usurpation.

Some rules cannot be broken, and no one present is someone who will become arrogant because of their favor.

However, Li Che's subconscious action still made them feel warm.

They feel that although Your Majesty has ascended the throne, your reliance on and closeness to them has not changed despite your elevated status.

Li Che glanced at the dusty old ministers in front of him, then looked behind them.

Fengtian’s core team was almost all present, including important officials such as Wen Zaiyin, Wang Xizheng, Wang Chongjian, and Wang Xi.

Huai En also arrived safely with Chang Xue Ning and several other concubines.

When everyone saw Li Che, they bowed respectfully and shouted "Long live Li Che".

"I've been waiting for you for a long time." There was obvious joy in Li Che's voice.

He was really happy.

Compared to fighting on the battlefield, Li Che's talent in government affairs is much worse. He feels overwhelmed these days dealing with government affairs.

Now that the think tanks have arrived, I can relax a little.

Yang Zhongsi, as the representative, quickly replied, "Your Majesty is urging us on horseback. We dare not delay even a moment. We will leave immediately after handing over the urgent matters at hand."

Li Che smiled bitterly and waved his hand: "The more territory I conquer, the more chores I need to deal with. Without your assistance, I would be unable to move forward and would be overwhelmed."

"Fortunately, Fengguo has you here to command, so I can rest easy on the front lines. You are more responsible than I am for unifying the country."

Huo Duanxiao said solemnly, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is our duty. How dare we not do our utmost?"

"Okay, enough polite talk," Li Che said with a genuine smile on his face, "Come on, come on, follow me into the palace and have a good chat."

He then instructed Huai En behind him, "Huai En, settle Ning Xue and the others, then come and serve. You still need to be familiar with the Yangxin Palace."

"Yes." Huai En responded respectfully.

Li Che turned around and led everyone into the Yangxin Palace.

Yang Zhongsi followed behind, looking at the emperor's tall back, and was a little dazed for a moment.

When I first met Li Che, he was still a poor prince who was ostracized and exiled to a cold and bitter land.

If he had not considered that he was of royal blood of the previous dynasty and had a bond with him, he might not have chosen to be loyal to him and entrusted the Huan Guo army to him.

When they met again, Li Che had already begun to show his prowess outside the Great Wall.

The Fengtian army trampled on the Khitan king's tent, swept through the Shiwei tribes, and shocked the tribes outside the Great Wall.

It was from that time that I began to realize that this young monarch might really be able to accomplish something far beyond my imagination.

Today, the once impoverished prince has grown into a powerful ruler who rules the world.

How can one not feel emotional about the vicissitudes and great changes that have taken place?

What a pity, I should have persisted a little longer.

If we could convince His Majesty, the great cause of restoring the country would have been accomplished.

But it doesn't matter. Now he is loyal to Li Che.

In comparison, does it matter whether Li Che is the emperor of Huan Guo or the emperor of Daqing?