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

That evening, the afterglow of the setting sun painted the imperial garden of the palace a warm golden color.

Li Che sat on a stone bench, holding his frightened children in his arms and comforting them softly.

The eldest son, Li Chengze, straightened his little body, stood in front of his father, and clearly and logically recounted the entire incident of the attack on the official road today.

After listening to Li Cheng's story, Li Che's face showed no joy or anger, he just nodded slightly.

After a moment, his gaze fell calmly on his eldest son and he asked:

"Do you know you are wrong?"

Li Cheng bowed without hesitation and replied, "Father, I know I was wrong."

"Oh?" Li Che said calmly, "What's wrong?"

Li Cheng answered honestly, "I shouldn't have taken my younger siblings away from the escort team just because my younger brother needed to go to the bathroom, putting them in danger."

Li Hao in his arms lowered his head in shame.

Li Che slowly shook his head, his tone still gentle: "You love your brother and care about his needs. This is brotherly love. What's wrong with that?"

"I shouldn't have taken them on the journey first just because my younger brother was anxious to see the Emperor."

Li Che smiled and shook his head: "This is also a way of doting on your younger brother, what's wrong with that?"

Li Cheng was slightly startled, a hint of confusion on his face. He looked up at his father and said, "Then your Majesty..."

Li Che looked at his confused little face and guided him softly:

"Your mistake was that when you didn't have enough ability to protect your brothers and sisters, or even yourself, you took them into danger out of your love for them."

"As a man, you should not only love and care for your family, but also have a clear understanding of your own abilities."

“To do something even though you know you are unable to do it is not bravery, it is recklessness.”

When Li Cheng heard this, a thoughtful look appeared on his little face, and it was obvious that he had taken his father's words to heart.

Li Che did not delve into it further. After all, Li Cheng was just a child. It was already amazing for a child to achieve this.

If I were his age and encountered such a thing, I would probably not be able to do anything except fall asleep.

However, as a new father, he couldn't help but preach a few words. From the perspective of later generations, this move was a bit greasy.

It’s over. I’m only in my twenties, why am I already looking like an old man?

Li Che laughed dumbly and turned to look not far away.

Right in the open space of the Imperial Garden, a tiger and a bear were chasing and playing with each other, like a 500-pound baby and a 1,000-pound baby.

Seeing this scene, Li Che couldn't help but show a soft expression.

Fortunately, I have these two guys here, otherwise my three children might really be in danger today. They are truly the guardian beasts of the country!

Should we try to confer titles on both of them?

"Okay, thankfully it was just a false alarm, you're all fine." Li Che patted the backs of the two children in his arms and nodded to Li Cheng, "Go find your mother. You were frightened today, so go to bed early."

"Yes, I'll take my leave." Li Cheng bowed respectfully.

The two younger children hurriedly followed their brother's example and saluted Li Che.

Yang Xuan, who had been standing by, nodded to Li Che, walked forward, gently took the three children's hands, and slowly walked out of the imperial garden.

After the children left, the gentleness on Li Che's face gradually faded.

He pondered for a moment and turned his gaze to Ma Zhong and Xue Zhen who were standing solemnly and nervously beside him.

"Marquis Jiayou," Li Che said, a faint smile on his face. "Thanks to you for arriving in time, you saved my son and daughter once again."

Upon hearing this, Ma Zhong quickly clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I dare not take any credit for it!"

"Even if I hadn't arrived, with your Majesty's two divine beasts here, that rabble wouldn't have been able to harm the three of you in the slightest."

Xue Zhen, standing on the other side, spoke shamefully, "It is my fault for not conducting adequate patrols that such large-scale military activity has occurred near the imperial capital, disturbing Your Highness's presence. Your Majesty, I beg you to punish me!"

He was filled with fear. Today's matter could be big or small, but when it came to the prince, there was no such thing as a small matter.

As the chief officer in charge of defending the imperial capital, he could not afford to bear the blame if His Majesty held him responsible for negligence in defense.

Li Che waved his hand without comment.

Now is not the time to reward people for their contributions or to hold people accountable; he is more concerned about practical issues.

"Are there any survivors left at the scene?"

Ma Zhong nodded quickly: "Your Majesty, yes!"

"We captured seven or eight wounded but not dead men. After preliminary interrogation, we confirmed that they were deserters from the Southern Army, gathered by a squad leader with the intention of robbing houses and robbing people. Once they had enough money, they planned to find a place to live and become bandits."

"I didn't expect... that the first vote would go to the three highnesses."

Li Che frowned: "How many bandits and rebel soldiers like this are there around the imperial capital?"

Xue Zhen pondered for a moment and then reported truthfully, "According to the information I have currently gathered, there aren't many pure bandits left. Most of them have been eliminated and dare not show up."

"But after the Southern Army was defeated, there were indeed quite a few scattered soldiers hiding."

"However, most of these people are like frightened birds, only daring to hide in remote places or act in small groups. Only a few dare to blatantly intercept the team on the official road like today. So far, we have only discovered this group of people who are so daring."

Li Che nodded when he heard this, but his brows did not relax.

"This won't do..." He muttered to himself, "The imperial examination is approaching, and talented people from all over the world are flocking to the imperial capital."

"If they were to encounter something like this on the road, even if one of them got hurt, it would be a loss to the country, and I would have failed in my duty."

Li Che sighed slowly, "With the chaos of war and banditry raging everywhere, how can we reassure the scholars? How can we demonstrate the spirit of the new dynasty?"

The imperial examination was the most important event of the new dynasty, and it was also the first thing Li Che did for the people of Daqing after he ascended the throne. It must not be disrupted by those chaotic soldiers and bandits.

When Xue Zhen and Ma Zhong heard the emperor's question, they immediately straightened their backs and asked solemnly, "What does your majesty mean?"

Li Che's expression straightened, and it was clear that he had made up his mind: "Since there are bandits, we must eliminate them! This matter cannot be delayed. I order the two of you to take charge of it immediately."

"Appoint Xue Zhen as the commander-in-chief, Ma Zhong and Xue Wei as deputy commanders. Dispatch some of the regular troops guarding the imperial capital, and coordinate the defense forces of the surrounding prefectures, states, and counties. Completely eliminate all the bandits and insurgents within the imperial capital!"

"Not just around the Imperial Capital, but also along all the major official roads leading to the Imperial Capital, extending outwards. Search every inch of land for me."

"Before the imperial examination begins, we must restore peace and tranquility to the people of the world!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Zhen and Ma Zhong both knew the weight of their responsibility and bowed in unison, clasping their fists: "I will obey your command!"

Li Che's face showed a trace of helpless bitter smile. He sighed softly: "Since I ascended the throne, I have been thinking about giving the people a rest and promoting civil governance."

"But I never thought that if I wanted to cultivate literature and education in peace and stability, I had to first protect my pen with the handle of a knife and clear out those evil spirits."

"If you want peace, you have to start a war first."

When Xue Zhen heard Li Che's words, a look of embarrassment appeared on his face.

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke again, "Your Majesty, it is a difficult task to suppress bandits. These bandits are very cunning. They will retreat into the mountains and valleys at the first sign of trouble, breaking up into small groups."

"When large groups of soldiers arrived, they disappeared without a trace; when the soldiers withdrew, they emerged again to continue causing trouble."

"This recurring pattern is difficult to eradicate, consuming enormous amounts of money, food, and manpower, yet often achieving little success."

What he said was indeed true, especially in ancient times when transportation and communication were inconvenient and grassroots control was limited. Suppressing bandits was indeed a difficult problem that was a headache for dynasties throughout history.

Therefore, when bandits were rampant in the Song Dynasty, the government's first reaction was often not to suppress them, but to recruit them.

Since there was nothing they could do with the surrendered bandits, they were stuffed into the army, causing the composition of the Song Dynasty army to become increasingly complex and its combat effectiveness to decline, forming a vicious cycle.

After listening to this, Li Che slowly shook his head and said, "General Xue, you are going in the wrong direction. The key to suppressing bandits has never been about who can get into the mountains better, but who can win the hearts of the people."

He stood up, walked over to the two men, and said in a deep voice, "Why is the bandit problem so persistent? The fundamental reason is that when the people were oppressed by the bandits, the government troops didn't show up immediately to help them!"

"The people suffered and reported the crime to the authorities, but their reports fell on deaf ears. By the time the government troops finally arrived, the criminals had already fled."

"Over time, the people lost confidence in the government and felt that the government troops were unreliable. To protect themselves, they could only choose silence, and were even forced to feign complicity with the bandits, and would not provide the government with any information about the bandits' whereabouts."

"As a result, the officers and soldiers became deaf and blind, and could only search blindly in the vast mountains and wilderness, which naturally resulted in half the effort and twice the result."

Li Che changed the subject and ordered, "The first thing you have to do is not to rush into the mountains to search and suppress, but to mobilize the people."

"Post notices widely and send people to towns and villages to publicize the imperial court's determination to suppress the bandits."

"It is imperative to inform the people that anyone who provides accurate information about bandits or rebels, no matter how big or small, will be rewarded generously after verification!"

"We must guide the people and encourage them to stand up and expose the atrocities of the bandits and point out where they are hiding."

Xue Zhen was a little stunned after hearing this.

He was used to the traditional military clearing strategy, and he found it difficult to adapt to this strategy that focused on mobilizing the civilians. He still had a confused look on his face.

Seeing him like this, Li Che knew that it was indeed difficult for a pure military general to implement such a strategy.

I could not help but wave my hands helplessly: "Forget it, it is really difficult for you to handle this matter alone."

"So, when you return, immediately go to the Military and Political Department to find a few political commissars and inform them of this strategy in detail."

"Leave all the mobilization of the people and policy propaganda to them. The three of you will focus on leading the army and eliminating the bandits based on the intelligence provided by the political commissars. Do you understand?"

Xue Zhen suddenly felt relieved, and his voice became much louder: "I understand!"

"Go." Li Che waved his hand.