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

Chapter 836: Air Force Breaks Defense

Li Che slapped his thigh and said, "Pingzhi's plan is brilliant!"

"The first is to attack the enemy, then the second is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the army, and the third is to attack the city."

"I'm not happy that Pingzhi took the city, but I'm happy that he ruthlessly killed the rebels!"

The generals passed the military reports around, all with happy expressions on their faces, except Zhu Chun, who had a worried look on his face.

Seeing him like this, Li Che couldn't help but ask, "Does the old Duke have any doubts?"

Zhu Chun hesitated for a moment, then bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, General Chen's move was a brilliant one, but he did release the enemy commander without authorization. This matter..."

Upon hearing this, Li Che laughed and said, "Old Duke, you are wrong. I always say that no matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it can catch mice, it is a good cat."

"General Chen is using a psychological warfare strategy. Letting the rebels go will cause a lot of trouble. How can we talk about releasing the commander privately?"

"As for that loser Zheng Mao, even if there were ten or a hundred of them, they wouldn't be as good as one Chen Pingzhi!"

When Zhu Chun heard what Li Che said, he just bowed and said no more.

However, in his heart, he had a deeper understanding of Li Che's character.

He was unconventional and dared to delegate power, acting like a heroic ruler. Even when the late emperor was young, he did not have such a broad mind.

It was truly the blessing of our ancestors that not only did they give Daqing a great founding ruler, but they also gave it an even wiser successor ruler.

Li Che smiled and turned to look at the generals: "Okay, let's read the battle report on the way. Let's hurry up and set off."

They said goodbye to Du Fuji and Prince Huai'an who stayed in Chang'an, and then set out on their journey.

To get from Qin to the Central Plains, one had to go through Tongguan and take the Hangu Road. This road had both dangerous mountains and rivers as well as the Yellow River mudflats.

The first river the Fengtian Army passed through was the Wei River.

In early summer, the banks of the Wei River have shed their springtime softness and are now dressed in rich green. The river sparkles in the sunlight, flowing abundantly eastward.

The weeping willows along the shore grew ever more luxuriant, like a young girl's hair, gently ruffling the water's surface in the breeze. In the fields, the winter wheat had already begun to ear, a sheen of green and yellow, foreshadowing a bountiful harvest to come.

As the weather grew hotter, Li Che's army marched along the official road for hundreds of miles and then turned to an old road closer to the north bank of the Wei River.

Although the road is a bit narrow, it is quiet and there are dense trees along the way, which shield the marching soldiers from the increasingly scorching sun.

The team of black armor and red flags was like a silent dragon, flowing slowly through the green valley.

That morning, the sky was slightly bright, and a layer of gauze-like fog was still covering the surface of the river.

Li Che did not ride in a carriage, but rode his exclusive mount Black Wind like an ordinary general, and walked slowly along the river surrounded by his personal guards.

It was not only to personally check the situation ahead, but also to take a breath and think about the battle situation in Yanzhou.

Suddenly, his eyes were attracted by the scene by the river.

I saw an old fisherman, hunched over, struggling to push an old, seemingly aged fishing boat into the water.

The boat seemed to be extremely heavy, or the mud on the river bank was too sticky. The old fisherman tried to push the boat several times, but the boat only shook a few times and sank even deeper.

The old fisherman was exhausted and panting, his bronze face was covered with sweat, and his eyes were full of anxiety.

Early morning is the best time to cast nets to catch shad. If you miss the opportunity, the fish will pass by and your livelihood for the day may be ruined.

Li Che reined in his horse and watched quietly for a while.

He then raised his hand and signaled to the guards behind him.

Qiu Bai beside him immediately understood and pushed Hu Qiang who was chewing a bun beside him.

Hu Qiang looked over with a puzzled look on his face.

Qiu Bai had no choice but to say bluntly: "Your Majesty asked you to help push it."

Hu Qiang said nothing more, dismounted immediately, and silently walked to the riverside, extending his large hand like a palm-leaf fan to the old fisherman...

The old fisherman was startled, and Qiu Bai was even more frightened. He quickly said, "I told you to push the boat, not push people!"

Hu Qiang scratched his head: "If you don't explain clearly, how should I know?"

After saying that, he bent down and leaned against the side of the boat, let out a low shout, and exerted force gently.

The small boat, which was extremely heavy for the old fisherman, was as light as a feather in front of Hu Qiang. He pushed it into the water easily, and the bow of the boat briskly broke through the calm river surface.

The old fisherman came to his senses, turned around and saw the giant man dressed as a military officer, and then saw Li Che and his entourage riding on horses not far away. He was suddenly at a loss.

Grateful and fearful, he bowed quickly and said, "Thank you so much, I thank you all for your help, old man... old man..."

Seeing that he looked so frightened, Li Che rode his horse closer and said to him in a calm and soothing tone, "Don't be so polite, old man. It's just a small favor."

"The sun has just risen, and you are already working so hard this morning?"

The old fisherman felt a little relieved when he saw that the leading general had a gentle tone and no ill intentions.

He wiped his face with the sweat towel hanging around his neck and sighed, "Alas, General, you don't know that I rely on this river water to make a living."

"The shad are really fat these days, so we have to get up early to catch them... I'm old and useless now, and I almost missed the boat. Thank you so much, soldiers..."

Li Che nodded, his eyes sweeping over the old fisherman's hands, which were white and cracked from being soaked in water, and asked, "How are things now? Are the fish you catch enough to pay taxes and support your family?"

The old fisherman's face turned bitter as he heard this and he shook his head. "Taxes...sigh, they get heavier every year, with so many different types of taxes, yet the price of fish never goes up."

"Life is already difficult. It was relatively stable a while ago, but now I hear there's going to be another war. I'm afraid it will be even more difficult."

"Fortunately, there are a lot of fish in the river this year. I just hope I can catch more so I can save enough money to buy some eggs for my grandson..."

He talked on and on, as if he hadn't found anyone to talk to for a long time.

Li Che just listened silently without interrupting.

The tax increase in the north is already so serious, what about those areas in the south that are controlled by the aristocratic families?

Li Che suddenly realized that he had been busy consolidating new territories these days and had become somewhat detached from the masses.

The people are the foundation of the country. We should get closer to the people and listen to what they think.

As the old fisherman was speaking, he seemed to remember something and quickly pulled out a fat and lively shad from the cabin that had just been pushed into the water.

He pierced the gills with a straw rope and offered it with both hands: "General, you are kind-hearted and have helped me a lot. Last night, I only caught this big fish. I give it to you to try. I hope you don't mind it!"

Li Che looked at the fresh fish, then looked at the old fisherman's sincere eyes, pondered for a moment, and nodded: "Okay, thank you very much, old man."

The personal guard stepped forward and took the fish from the old fisherman.

The old fisherman suddenly smiled, as if a big worry had been solved.

He hesitated for a moment, then pointed downstream enthusiastically: "Master, are you going east?"

Li Che nodded: "Exactly."

"Not far ahead, where the river bends, there's our little village called Shiwan Village. There's a big locust tree at the entrance, so it's easy to spot!"

"Although our village is poor, we have clean water to drink, which is a place for you generals to rest. If the general doesn't mind, he can go and rest for a while."

Li Che looked in the direction the old fisherman pointed and nodded slightly: "Okay, thank you for your guidance, old man."

The old fisherman was satisfied. He held up the bamboo pole and the boat swayed towards the center of the river.

Li Che watched the old fisherman walk away before instructing his personal guards to hand the fish over to Qiu Bai. He whispered, "When you pass by that village later, if there's a teahouse where you can rest, ask about the old fisherman's residence. Find a way to supply him with ten times the market price."

Qiu Bai immediately replied, "Yes."

Li Che stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the riverside, silent for a while.

Qiu Bai only spoke to comfort him when he was worried about taxes: "Your Majesty, don't worry. Once you have pacified the country, you can reduce taxes for the people."

Li Che shook his head: "You said...are there many fish in this river?"

Qiu Bai was stunned: "Huh?"

"Anyway, the army won't arrive until later, so there's still time." Li Che suddenly became interested. "This fish is not enough to eat. I will catch a few more for you myself."

"Go, get some branches and bamboo and make some fishing rods!"

Qiu Bai was at a loss whether to laugh or cry when he heard this. All the generals looked at each other in bewilderment. Their Majesty really acted on impulse.

But since the army is still disembarking, Your Majesty can go fishing if you want during this rare leisure time.

Qiu Bai called several personal guards to find suitable branches and bamboo poles, and asked someone to remove some thin threads from armor to make simple fishing rods.

Li Che had already sat down by the river with great interest, and the accompanying generals each held a cigarette and sat down on Li Che's left and right.

The emperor of Daqing and a group of top military generals sat in a row together, disregarding etiquette and fishing. If people saw it, they would probably be shocked.

Only a moment later, Li Che heard a 'thump' sound next to him.

Ma Zhong said excitedly, "Hahaha, Your Majesty, I've caught a fish!"

Li Che looked in the direction of the sound and saw Ma Zhong catching a silver fish from his fishing rod. He couldn't help but smile and praise, "As expected of my God-like General, he's also a master at fishing!"

Just as he finished speaking, there was another plop.

However, Duan Rui, the one Ma Zhong had just recruited, raised his fishing rod with a shy look on his face and said, "Your Majesty, I am here too."

Li Che smiled and said, "General Shenpo has a good eye. You are also a lucky person. Keep up the good work."

After saying that, he turned around and looked at his fishing rod intently.

A quarter of an hour later.

thump--

"Your Majesty, this is another one!"

"Not bad, keep up the good work."

"Your Majesty, look at this one, it's so big!"

"it is good!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this fish is so fat!"

"Ah."

"Your Majesty, look..."

"Shut up! You must be so loud that you scared away my fish!"

Ma Zhong: ...

Half an hour later, Li Che looked at the calm water and then glanced at the empty fish basket beside him.

Finally, he couldn't hold it any longer and threw the fishing rod in his hand:

"It's boring, I won't fish anymore!"