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

Chapter 1152 Current Status of the Sandbar

Walking down the street, Li Che saw that the street entrance was narrow, the houses had rammed earth walls, and the roofs were mostly thatched with only a few broken tiles.

In this land of the Western Regions, it's already a miracle that houses can be built at all; naturally, they're not very sturdy.

Pedestrians were few and far between, and their faces were pale and sickly, their lives even worse than those of the people living on the northwestern border.

Li Che sighed inwardly and said to Zhang Yi beside him, "You've persevered for so long, you've worked hard."

Zhang Yi shook his head: "It's all our duty. Our fathers came here on a mission, never expecting to stay this long..."

Li Che also felt a pang of regret.

This is the reason why conquering the world is easy, but maintaining it is difficult.

The Western Regions are rich but remote. Taking them is easy, but controlling them is extremely difficult.

There are many ways to completely solve this problem, such as building roads...

Of course, that's a story for later; the immediate goal is to subdue a group of people.

As I turned the corner, I heard muffled coughing coming from ahead.

Inside a courtyard with a half-collapsed earthen wall, several Qing army medical officers were busy at work.

There were some felt blankets on the ground, and more than ten people were lying there.

There were soldiers who had lost arms or legs, their wounds wrapped in strips of cloth whose color was indistinguishable.

There were elderly people who were as thin as skeletons, their chests heaving rapidly.

There was also a child, no more than five or six years old, with a burning hot forehead and a flushed face, being held tightly by an equally thin woman who patted the child's back repeatedly.

A Qing army medical officer was kneeling in front of an old soldier, carefully cutting away the dirty cloth that was tightly stuck to the skin and flesh on his calf.

The pus, blood, and rotting flesh were exposed, and the smell was pungent.

The old soldier had a full head of sparse white hair, his eyes were tightly closed, and his teeth were clenched so tightly that they made a creaking sound. He didn't utter a single word.

His bare arms were crisscrossed with scars, and the thumb and forefinger of one hand were missing, the result of long-term pulling of a hard bow and being worn down by inferior arrowheads.

Li Che stopped and watched quietly.

The old physician was skilled at cleaning the wound, applied a pale yellow medicinal powder, and then re-bandaged it with boiled linen.

Throughout the entire process, the white-haired veteran only occasionally twitched his brow.

After the bandaging was finished, the medical officer wiped his hands and gave a few instructions to the medics assisting him.

The veteran slowly opened his eyes. His cloudy gaze first fell on the brand-new, clean white bandage on his leg, then slowly lifted to see Li Che and his group standing not far away.

His gaze lingered on Li Che's face for a moment, as if he didn't recognize him.

Then, he saw Zhang Yi standing next to Li Che.

The veteran's chapped lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only nodded slightly and closed his eyes wearily again.

Zhang Yi's Adam's apple bobbed as he whispered, "That's Old Han. He was among the first batch of soldiers to guard the border in Shazhou... He's been guarding it for almost forty years."

"Last autumn, during the defense work, my leg was broken by a stone thrown by the Tibetans, and it has not fully healed since."

Li Che remained silent, his gaze sweeping over the other injured patients in the courtyard.

There are so many wounded soldiers in the city, but less than one-tenth of them are here.

Those shocking scars were so horrific that even Li Che, who had fought for many years, couldn't bear to look at them. Heaven knows how they had endured so many years of suffering.

Li Che summoned the physician, gave him a few instructions, and then left the medical office. The group then walked onto the main street.

They walked through the empty, rudimentary market and past the long lines of people beside the well.

A group of Shazhou soldiers, who had just been ordered to relieve themselves, spontaneously gathered at the foot of the dilapidated city wall, wiping the dull blades of their swords and spears.

The soldiers were also dressed in rags, many of them missing their armor, but they still maintained a sense of discipline in their sitting and lying down.

When they see Zhang Yi, they instinctively straighten their backs and bow.

His gaze then fell on Li Che, his expression complex and difficult to describe.

Li Che observed very carefully, but asked very few questions.

He only occasionally asked questions, and Zhang Yi always answered seriously, his tone becoming increasingly somber.

Every dilapidated spot is the most naked testament to the steadfastness of these twenty years, now laid bare before the emperor.

Finally, they climbed up a section of the city wall.

Looking out, there is a vast Gobi Desert outside the city, and low, gray houses inside the city.

The wind was strong, whipping up sand and gravel that stung my face.

Li Che leaned against the edge of the battlements, remaining silent for a long time.

Zhang Yi stood half a step behind him, gazing at the land he had guarded for half his life, his heart churning with indescribable emotions.

"General Zhang," Li Che suddenly spoke, "you have had a very difficult time, even more difficult than I imagined."

Zhang Yi's nose suddenly stung with tears, but he forced them down and said in a hoarse voice, "It is my duty, but it has caused suffering to the people and the loss of many good brothers."

Li Che turned around and looked at his face: "All of that is in the past. From now on, I will not let Shazhou lack a single grain of food, nor will I let the soldiers be without medicine to treat their wounds."

He paused, then said with unwavering resolve, “I will make this city more prosperous than it was twenty years ago. The families of the dead will be generously compensated, and the survivors will have new houses, ample food and clothing, and will receive all the rewards they are entitled to.”

Zhang Yi's chest heaved, and he clenched his fists tightly, everything understood without words.

Below the city, wisps of smoke rose from several newly set up porridge stalls, and the aroma of rice wafted up on the breeze.

That was the first time in twenty years that such a rich aroma of grain filled the air in Shazhou City.

. . . . . .

In the following days, more and more Qing troops moved in, and Shazhou City quickly began to function.

The Qing army began to reinforce the damaged city walls, repair the city gate winches, and add corners and arrow towers at key locations.

Squads of Qingjun cavalry scouts frequently went in and out, bringing news from further west, and then disappearing into the Gobi Desert with new orders.

Food, military equipment, and medicine are being transported in steadily from the direction of Liucheng and are being piled up in warehouses that have been temporarily cleared out in the city.

The garrison of Shazhou was incorporated into the Qing army in batches and was responsible for guiding the Qing army to familiarize themselves with the surrounding terrain.

Li Che met with all the generals of the Shazhou army.

The emperor was calm and composed, and his words were not aloof or distant. On the contrary, he often managed to pinpoint the crux of the matter.

This kind of private, almost comrade-in-arms communication gradually melted away most of the grudges in the hearts of many Shazhou generals who originally harbored resentment.

But as the days went by, the emperor showed no sign of setting off.

Qingjun is reinforcing the city's defenses, stockpiling supplies, and consolidating the army every day... This clearly shows that he intends to manage Shazhou for the long term.

The soldiers of Shazhou were initially immersed in joy, but once their homesickness had an outlet, it grew wildly like weeds.

Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor had turned Shazhou City into an impregnable fortress, yet remained silent about when he would send them home, the crowd gradually grew suspicious.

But they didn't dare to ask directly, so they could only find Zhang Yi.

"General, does His Majesty not intend to leave?"

"Yes, I'm over sixty this year. My parents have probably passed away long ago. If I don't go home soon, I won't even be able to see my son again."

"General, I'm not confident."

"They can't... possibly send us to fight a war again, can they?"

Zhang Yi certainly had his doubts.

He reassured his subordinates, pondered for a long time, and finally decided to go and find out the truth for himself.

Upon arriving at the temporary headquarters, Li Che was discussing matters with Luo Yueniang, Xu Jiezi, and others.

Upon seeing him enter, they gestured for the others to wait.

"Your Majesty," Zhang Yi bowed and spoke cautiously, "This humble general has noticed the large-scale troop movements in recent days. Does Your Majesty intend to maintain a long-term presence in Shazhou?"

Li Che put down the document in his hand and nodded frankly: "Indeed, this place is strategically important. After your years of management, the foundation still exists. With a little renovation, it will become an excellent base for westward expansion. General Zhang has built a good foundation."

Seeing how readily he admitted it, Zhang Yi was momentarily speechless.

After hesitating for a moment, he still braced himself and said, "Your Majesty is wise. The soldiers of Shazhou have been away from home for a long time and are eager to return."

"Now, thanks to Heaven's grace, we have escaped this great calamity, and all eagerly await our return to our homeland..."

Li Che looked at him and smiled, but there was no displeasure in his smile: "I understand. After twenty years of waiting, all that haunts your dreams is the word 'home.' This is only human nature. How could I blame you?"

Zhang Yi felt relieved and was about to bow in gratitude when Li Che changed the subject:

"However, I cannot leave yet."

Zhang Yi was taken aback: "Your Majesty?"

Li Che stood up, walked to the hanging map of the Western Regions, and traced the vast area west of Shazhou with his finger: "In the past, the countries of the Western Regions were all vassals of China, sending envoys to pay tribute, and the exchanges were endless."

"Now they mostly ally with Tibet, outwardly complying but inwardly disobeying, forgetting their former masters."

"Tibet has been operating in the Western Regions for a long time, with troops, tax collectors, and trading posts everywhere, which is one of its lifelines."

He turned around and looked intently at Zhang Yi: "And the Tubo main force, which besieged Shazhou for twenty years and killed countless soldiers and civilians."

"General Zhang, before you lead your troops home, don't you want to... personally avenge this blood debt?"

Zhang Yi's breathing suddenly quickened.

Revenge? Of course he wanted it!

Countless comrades fell in the sands of the Western Regions, and countless civilians died from famine and war. This deep-seated hatred gnawed at the hearts of every survivor in Shazhou day and night.

In the past, survival was already difficult enough, so how dare I speak of revenge?

Now that Li Che had pointed it out, he suddenly felt a long-lost surge of passion rush to his head.

Li Che took in his expression and said slowly, "You don't need to make things difficult for yourself, nor do you need to force your subordinates. I will give all the soldiers of Shazhou a choice."

He walked back to the desk and said solemnly, "Within three days, I welcome anyone under the age of thirty-five who voluntarily stays to accompany me on my western expedition."

"I will incorporate these people into my personal guard, and they will enjoy the same treatment as my personal guards. They will be treated equally."

"Those who wish to return to their hometowns in the east, regardless of their reasons, I will not blame them. Three days later, they will be organized into a unified force and escorted by the royal army back to Daqing safely, where they will be settled and rewarded."

"Your decision to stay or leave is entirely voluntary; I will never force you."

Upon hearing Li Che's words, Zhang Yi's chest heaved, and countless thoughts raced through his mind.

The emperor said that staying or leaving was up to the individual, so naturally he would not go back on his word; he had already done everything he could to be benevolent.

While most soldiers were eager to return home, there were certainly those who wanted to make further contributions.

Moreover, many people's fathers and brothers died at the hands of the Tibetans. Don't they want revenge?

He immediately clasped his hands in a deep fist and said, "Your Majesty's consideration is thorough. On behalf of the entire army of Shazhou, I thank Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

"This humble general will immediately convey His Majesty's decree to the entire army!"

Li Che nodded: "Go, and make it clear to your brothers that whether you stay or leave, you are all good sons of China."

"Here."