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

Chapter 1114 Taking Over Chuimacheng

Li Che smiled helplessly, then said to Qiu Bai, "Order all departments to control the main roads, treasuries, granaries, and military camps within the city, and eliminate the remaining enemy forces."

"Those who surrender will not be killed; those who resist will be executed on the spot."

Qiu Bai bowed and accepted.

Li Che then said to Ma Zhong, "Take this man away, give him some medical treatment, and I will question him."

The defender was captured, and the remaining resistance in the city quickly collapsed.

In less than two hours, this important town in the eastern border of Tibet officially changed hands.

Even now, Dorje Tsering is still somewhat dazed.

Qingjun moved too fast, so fast that he didn't even have time to react.

Just two hours ago, he was a high-ranking garrison commander, but now he is a prisoner with his life in the hands of others.

By the time he came to his senses, his gag had been removed and he was taken to a side hall of a government office.

The general who led the charge into the city sat in the hall, with the other generals on either side of him.

Clearly, this Qing army group was led by this person.

Dorje Tsering's face still bore the marks of being dragged, and his hair was disheveled, but his eyes remained defiant.

He glared at the young general sitting on the platform and cursed in broken Qing language mixed with Tibetan: "Qing dog! Kill me if you want! If you even flinch, you're no longer a majestic eagle of the plateau!"

Ma Zhong, who was standing to the side, was furious when he heard this and raised his foot to kick, but was stopped by a look from Li Che.

Li Che put down the grain register of Chuimacheng that he was reading, looked up at Dorje Tsering: "It is rare for a defeated general to still have such spirit."

"Dorje Tsering, the garrison commander of Chuma City, comes from a subordinate tribe of the Gar family. Am I correct?"

Soldiers fluent in Tibetan were already on the side translating for them.

Dorje Tsering was taken aback, not expecting the opposing commander to know him so well.

He stubbornly retorted, "So what if it is? Falling into your hands, all I'll get is death!"

Li Che shook his head slightly and said slowly, "Killing you would be as easy as turning my hand, but have you ever thought about what the consequences would be for your family if you died?"

Dorje Tsering scoffed, "Why must you kill me and destroy my spirit? Although I lost the city, I died here in battle. At least I can preserve my family's honor, and my descendants may not be too implicated..."

"Really?" Li Che interrupted him. "Chuma City is a crucial grain storage town, the key to the eastern border of Tibet. If you lose this city, won't someone among the Tibetan nobles have to bear this enormous responsibility?"

Dorje Tsering lowered his head and remained silent.

"Do you think they'll spare your tribe just because you died in battle?" Li Che continued to threaten.

“They will say that Dorje Tsering was incompetent and stupid, which led to this defeat, and that his clan should have their grasslands reduced, their livestock confiscated, and the men enslaved and the women made maids, as a warning to others!”

Upon hearing the soldier's translation, Dorje Tsering's face turned pale instantly, and his lips trembled.

Although Li Che's words were a blatant threat, they also laid bare the truth he was unwilling to face.

How could he not know the cruelty of Tibetan upper-level politics?

These people may appear to be generals, but in front of those nobles, they are no different from cattle and sheep.

What's killing the whole family? As long as it appeases the esteemed person, I can even grind them to dust and condemn them to eternal damnation.

"What if I let you go?" Li Che continued to ask, "If you return alone with news of the lost cities and territories, would your fate be better than dying in battle?"

Li Che shook his head: "I'm afraid it will implicate the family even more."

Dorje Tsering swayed, and the arrogance in his eyes was gradually replaced by fear.

He found himself with no way out; whether he died in battle or fled, he was destined to bring disaster upon his family.

Li Che's voice softened as he said, "If you want to save yourself and leave a chance for your family, the only way is to surrender."

Dorje Tsering, as if he had heard the most absurd thing, retorted in a hoarse voice, "Surrender? Then I would immediately be a traitor and die an even more miserable death!"

"If you sincerely surrender and help my army stabilize this city and take over the warehouses, I can make a promise to you."

Li Che leaned forward slightly, looking into his eyes: "Once this war is over, I will try my best to bring your family out of Tibet through prisoner exchange."

"Perhaps the entire clan cannot be spared, but I will do my best to protect your wife, children, and parents."

Dorje Tsering was completely stunned, his mouth agape, unable to utter a sound for a long time.

He had expected humiliation and torture, but he never imagined that the commander of the Qing people would be willing to recruit him in this way.

"You...who exactly are you..." Dorje Tsering's voice was hoarse.

Ma Zhong, standing to the side, raised his head and shouted, "Insolence! This is the Emperor of Daqing, leading his army in person!"

Dorje Tsering was struck dumb, staggered a step, and stared at Li Che in disbelief.

emperor?

The emperor of Qing actually led a small army and captured Chuima City?!

This shocked him even more than the loss of the city itself.

After all, how could someone as high and mighty as the emperor personally venture into dangerous situations?

The emperor of Qing was such a hero; in contrast, look at Tibet...

Li Che patiently persuaded him, "I know you have doubts, but this is your only chance to survive right now."

"If you die fighting for Tibet, your family will be disgraced and punished; if you serve me, you will at least have a chance to see them again."

The choice is yours.

The hall was silent.

Dorje Tsering was struggling internally, and the muscles on his face twitched.

Ma Zhong, watching anxiously from the side, couldn't help but whisper, "His Majesty's words are law; when has he ever lied to anyone?"

"How long are you going to hesitate, you scoundrel? Do you really want to wipe out your whole family?!"

These words were like the last straw, breaking Dorje Tsering's already crumbling mental defenses.

He recalled the earth-shattering collapse of the city walls and the incredible battle, which was personally commanded by the Qing Emperor.

This Qing emperor possessed a courage that was beyond his comprehension.

Perhaps, following such a strong person is truly the way to survive in desperate situations.

Dorje Tsering's Adam's apple bobbed, and all his strength dissipated with a long sigh.

He took a few steps forward and knelt down slowly towards Li Che with the most solemn Tibetan etiquette, his forehead touching the ground.

"This guilty general is willing to surrender, and humbly begs His Majesty the Emperor to spare his family."

Li Che looked at him and nodded slightly: "Granted."

He then looked at Ma Zhong and said, "Ma Zhong, take him down. He will assist our army in taking over the city's defenses and taking inventory of the treasury later."

"I will obey your command." Dorje Tsering kowtowed again.

Li Che ignored him completely.

The reason Dorje Tsering was persuaded to surrender was not because he was a talented person, but entirely out of self-interest.

It's already a great favor that I personally went to persuade them; there's really no need to expend any more energy.

With Dorje Tsering's surrender, most of the captured Tibetan garrison troops chose to submit, and Li Che quickly took over the city.

. . . . . .

The temporary central command tent set up by the government office was brightly lit.

"Your Majesty, the warehouses have been preliminarily inventoried, and the amount of grain, fodder, and military equipment is quite abundant, enough for our army to use for several months."

Yue Yun's face showed little joy: "However, this place has become an isolated city, and Tibet will never sit idly by and watch it be lost."

"I know," Li Che said calmly. "Before, when we harassed the rear, we could hit and run. Now that we have occupied the city, we are openly forcing them to fight. The only option now is to confront the Tibetan army head-on."

He raised his head and glanced at the generals in the tent.

Ma Zhong, Luo Yueniang, Ying Bu, Qiu Bai, and the others still had the excitement of the fierce battle on their faces, but their expressions gradually became solemn.

"Ma Zhong," Li Che ordered, "Immediately dispatch all scouts to find other infiltrating troops and order them to move towards Chuima City at all costs!"

"Yes!" Ma Zhong clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

"Qiu Bai, select the fastest horse to leave the city overnight and go to Lanzhou to inform Ma Jing of the situation here, and order Wang Sanchun's troops to come to the rescue as quickly as possible."

Qiu Bai's expression turned serious: "This subordinate will personally make arrangements to ensure the message is delivered!"

Li Che nodded, his gaze falling on the damaged southwest corner of Chuima City on the map: "The city wall is our lifeline, and it must be repaired as soon as possible."

"Ma Zhong, your unit has made the greatest contribution in this battle. Take a few days off."

"You will be in charge of supervising the construction these next few days. Use the prisoners in the city and conscript laborers to repair the city walls immediately."

"The collapsed area does not need to be completely restored to its original state, but it needs to be rammed with wood and stone to at least withstand arrows. In particular, the gap should be built into a gentle slope that slopes inward to facilitate our army's defense and counterattack."

Furthermore, "the captured ballistae and catapults will be prioritized for deployment on the repaired sections and newly established watchtowers."

Ma Zhong scratched his head: "Your Majesty, in this weather, the soil is frozen solid, I'm afraid it will be difficult to ram it..."

Li Che interrupted him: "Then pour water to make the soil freeze more solid, demolish the unimportant buildings in the city, and take the bricks, stones, and timber."

"I don't care what method you use, within three days, the walls of Chuima City must be able to withstand attacks and hold off any threat!"

"Yes, sir!" Ma Zhong dared not say another word.

"General Luo, Ying Bu," Li Che continued, "you two are responsible for patrolling the city, dividing the defense zones, setting up sentry posts, clearing out any remaining Tibetan spies, pacifying the surrendered Tibetan soldiers in the city, and distributing rations."

"Anyone who makes any unusual move will be killed without mercy!"

"At the same time, we organized manpower to move the grain, fodder and weapons to the core area of ​​the city and store them in warehouses to prevent the outer perimeter from being lost."

"The last general takes command!"

Li Che slowly exhaled, his eyes calmly fixed on the map.

"Now that everything is ready, we'll see how the Tibetan army makes its next move."