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

In the Xuanzheng Hall, Huai En continued to read:

"I and the Eighth Prince have experienced life and death together, and have built a legacy together."

"I hope you will maintain your success, uphold your original aspirations, assist the state, and work together to maintain peace."

The eight people stepped out at the same time and responded in unison:

"We will devote all our energy and swear to be loyal to Your Majesty until death!"

Li Che smiled and soothed him, "You are my right-hand men, no need to be polite."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

These eight people will become the pillars of the country in the future, and their status and position will be second only to Li Che. Even the cabinet ministers and the prince cannot force their orders.

But Li Che was very confident in them. The eight of them were not arrogant or untrustworthy people, and they could serve as role models for other generals.

After the eight people accepted the Duke's clothing and seal handed to them by the eunuch, they thanked him again and then left.

Huai En looked behind him silently. Li Che nodded slowly, and then he continued to sing:

"Now I will recount the achievements of the eighteen marquises to honor their heroic spirit."

The civil and military officials all looked solemn, knowing that the marquisate was about to be announced.

Although the Dukes hold high positions and great power, their numbers are limited after all. The candidates who can make the list are basically limited, and no one has much hope.

Moreover, the Duke is already the pinnacle of the nobility, and any further military achievements would simply mean a better title.

The marquises are different. They are also the backbone of the court and have great potential in the future.

"Qiubai, come forward and listen to the order."

"My confidant, the pillar of the Imperial Guard; he handles confidential matters, working tirelessly day and night; he has repeatedly protected the Emperor, never shirking the dangers."

"Loyal, diligent, and intelligent, he is worthy of being the leader among all the dukes!"

"Marquis Cheng'en!"

Li Che kept his promise and appointed Qiu Bai as the first marquis.

Cheng'en means receiving the emperor's favor, which is usually granted to relatives or favored ministers.

But Qiubai, the Marquis of Cheng'en, is different. He is the head of all the marquises, and no one would be stupid enough to really treat him as a favorite.

Qiu Bai's eyes were filled with tears as he bowed to express his gratitude.

Huai En continued, "Yang Xuan, come forward and listen to the order."

The only female general in the hall, dressed in a red robe and red armor, walked forward silently.

Seeing that it was a woman who came up, all the Daqing officials looked surprised and frowned.

But looking at the civil and military officials of Feng State, their expressions were calm and even showed admiration.

Some quick-tempered generals, seeing the unfriendly expressions on the faces of the civil officials, glared back.

What are you looking at me with?!

Don’t we, the generals, know whether General Yang is qualified or not?

Although Yang Xuan is a woman, she is definitely among the top five Fengtian Army generals in terms of military achievements, and it is more than enough for her to be awarded the second-ranked marquis.

As for the fact that there was no previous example of a woman being granted a title of nobility, so what?

Isn't what our Majesty has been doing unprecedented in history?!

What's more, Your Majesty and General Yang...

But I heard Huai En read out the praise word by word:

"Women are the best, and they are no less capable than men."

"Wherever my two swords pointed, I slew twenty-nine enemy generals in a row; wherever my flags pointed, I conquered the land a thousand miles beyond the pass."

"In the campaign against the Mohe, he single-handedly led a small army to defeat the enemy; in the battle against the Khitan, he personally led the elite troops into battle."

"I will sleep in the open air and eat the food without hesitation, and drink my blood instead of rouge. There are so many extraordinary men in the world, who are willing to travel thousands of miles to the battlefield!"

"Red makeup and iron armor are auspicious signs for the country."

"Confer the title of Marquis of Jingning!"

After hearing the decree, all the generals smiled.

Listening to this eulogy, it is obviously different from those of others. It is likely that His Majesty wrote it after thinking hard for a long time.

With such great kindness, can't those civil servants see anything?

Yang Xuan thanked him solemnly, and Li Che nodded with a straight face. Their eyes did not meet, as if they were afraid of losing their composure in the blink of an eye...

Huai En's mind was as clear as a mirror, and he quickly stepped forward and read:

"Wang Hu, come forward and listen to the order."

The burly Wang Hu grinned and walked forward steadily.

"A brave general on cavalry, a vanguard in breaking through the enemy lines."

"When conquering Goryeo, he broke through three camps in a row as if entering an empty territory. When pacifying Liaodong, he repeatedly quelled border conflicts, demonstrating his demeanor as a great general."

"Single-handedly cut down the flag, defended the city alone, showing the true qualities of a loyal general!"

"Appoint him as Marquis of Zhangwu!"

"Zhang" means to show, and "Zhangwu" means that his martial arts are widely praised and famous.

As the second-ranked cavalry general in the Fengtian Army and a veteran, it was natural for Wang Hu to be ranked third among the marquises.

The top three marquises were announced, and the generals felt the atmosphere became more solemn, with everyone's attention focused on Huai En.

Huai En had also seen big scenes with Li Che, so he was not at all confused, and his tone became more and more stable.

"Xue Zhen, come forward and listen to the seal."

"The pillar of the border, the hero of defense."

"For ten years I have guarded Shanhaiguan, and no barbarian horse dared to attack; I have fought hundreds of battles, both large and small, and my loyalty has never been doubted."

"The false emperor rebelled, but he defended the isolated city alone; the Fengtian Army returned north and opened the gates to welcome them."

"Emperor Yingsu!"

"Ying" means talented and "Su" means majestic, which describes a general with outstanding talents and rigorous style, which is quite consistent with Xue Zhen's style.

As the commander of Shanhaiguan who had placed his bets on Li Che early on, Xue Zhen did not have many military achievements, but he was definitely a benchmark of political correctness.

If someone else were to take over, Li Che would always have to be careful of being backstabbed, and Feng State would not be able to develop rapidly.

Therefore, although he did not have many military achievements on the surface, Xue Zhen's actual role was definitely worthy of this position.

"Jie An, come forward and listen to the seal."

Xie An, the eldest of the three brothers of the Xie family, stepped forward.

"The Great Wall of the Northern Frontier is accessible by land and water."

"Guarding the border and repelling the Khitan invasion, commanding the fleet and destroying the invading Japanese ships."

"The Black Water holds back ten thousand cavalrymen, the Yellow Sea captures the enemy chieftain."

"Fortitude, loyalty and bravery, awe-inspiring across the borders."

"Confer the title of Marquis of Zhongwei!"

As a general who switched from the army to the navy, Jie An is definitely a qualified commander.

Moreover, he is the eldest son of the Xie family, so his title naturally cannot be too low.

Before Jie An walked away, Huai En sang again: "Jie Ming, come forward and listen to the seal."

Jie Ming immediately stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother.

"The sharpness of the surprise attack, the merit of the service."

"When I first came to power, I came alone; I would always go to battle, and I would always use my unusual tactics to win."

"To conquer the Khitan, we marched three hundred miles on a snowy night, and to conquer the Japanese, we cut off the food supply of seven large camps with our light cavalry."

"Make good use of dangerous troops and often achieve extraordinary feats.

"Confer the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery!"

As the youngest of the three brothers of the Xie family, Xie Ming actually did not have any outstanding military achievements, but who made him the first person in the National Protection Army to join Li Che?

Without Jie Ming, Li Che would not have been able to establish contact with Yang Zhongsi, let alone obtain the elite troops of the Huan State Army.

Based on this alone, Jie Ming's title is higher than Jie Quan's.

After Jie Ming stepped forward, he did not rush down.

As expected, Huai En did not pause and immediately said:

"Jie Quan, come forward and listen to the seal."

"A brave warrior with a heart of steel and blood."

"He was always the first to mount the stage in every battle, and was wounded over twenty times; he never retreated in the face of danger, and survived a hundred dangers."

"In the Battle of Xiangping, eight hundred cavalrymen attacked one hundred thousand at night, narrowly escaping death."

"Confer the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Victory!"

Jie Quanduo fought as a deputy general, and his military achievements were even weaker.

But in the Battle of Xiangping, the record of 800 cavalrymen attacking an enemy camp of 100,000 at night was simply too dazzling.

Especially those who were not afraid of life and death after being captured, this kind of loyal and brave general Li Che liked the most.

Moreover, Li Che has a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Since the three brothers came together, their titles should naturally be put together.