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

Chapter 520: Surrender Ceremony

"Oh?" Li Che raised his eyebrows and asked curiously, "Who did the general recommend?"

"Yue Yun, General Yue." Chen Pingzhi said quickly.

"It's Zilong..." Li Che frowned slightly and fell into thought.

As for how to use Yue Yun, Li Che has always used Zhao Yun as an instruction manual, completely referring to the role of this fierce general from Shijiazhuang.

Generally, Yue Yun would accompany him on his expeditions, usually leading armored cavalry to guard the central army. When a major battle came, he would serve as a surprise force, charging into battle.

Compared to leading cavalry charges, Yue Yun has never led an army alone, and his command ability is completely unknown.

This battle was a completely solitary one, and he needed to lead his troops deep into the grassland. Any mistake would lead to eternal damnation. Li Che was really hesitant.

This shows how courageous Emperor Wu of Han was. At that time, Huo Qubing had just emerged and his military achievements were not as good as Yue Yun's today, but he was entrusted with important tasks by Emperor Wu.

This king and his minister were a perfect match. One dared to go, and the other dared to use them. As a result, they really defeated the Huns.

Perhaps, they were truly the children of destiny of that era.

"Don't worry, Your Highness," Chen Pingzhi said. "General Yue's strategy is no less than mine, and he acts decisively. He is the most suitable person for this battle."

"Yeah." Li Che nodded slightly and made up his mind.

Emperor Wu of Han dared to employ the fledgling Huo Qubing. Although I am not as good as Emperor Wu of Han, I still have the courage to try and fail.

"Then let Zilong go," Li Che said decisively. "But you can't bring armored cavalry with you. Armored cavalry are too heavy and require auxiliary troops to support them. It will be difficult to maintain logistics behind enemy lines."

"Select several thousand elite soldiers from the cavalry camp, and have Jitaihan lead the Soran warriors. With their bravery, they will be more than enough to roam the grasslands."

Chen Pingzhi bowed and said, "Your Highness is wise."

Formulating a strategy for the grassland solved one of Li Che's worries, and he immediately felt a lot more relaxed.

Walking down the city wall, the surrender ceremony has begun.

This ancient system of accepting surrender was passed down from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. At that time, there were constant wars and many countries were destroyed, and as the wars went on, rules were established.

The main etiquette for a king who destroyed a country included having his face tied, holding a jade disk in his mouth, exposing his body, leading a sheep, etc.

As for the officials and scholars below the rank of princes, they were further divided into several categories: mourning clothes, bare clothes, and bier.

The Liao Dynasty, once established by the Khitan, was deeply influenced by the Central Plains culture. In terms of etiquette, it was not inferior to Daqing, and the surrender ceremony was also inherited.

Under the royal city of Shangjing, the Qing army was lined up in a black mass, wearing iron armor and full of murderous intent.

Emperor Qing had already changed into a dragon robe, a crown with twelve tassels on his head, and was sitting upright on the high dragon throne.

Behind him were the civil and military officials of Daqing, each of them holding their heads high and chests puffed out, the arrogance and contempt of the victors on their faces difficult to conceal.

The city gate slowly opened, and a group of people walked out, led by the young Khitan prince Yelu Yuan.

He was dressed in plain white clothes, and his face was full of fatigue.

The civil and military officials of the Liao Kingdom who followed behind him all had pale faces and empty eyes. Their former glory and pride had long been wiped out by the cruelty of war.

Li Che walked up to the Daqing civil and military officials and looked at them with interest. It was the first time he saw this set of etiquette.

But Yelu Yuan turned over and dismounted, walking towards the Daqing army formation step by step.

The Khitan people gathered around just watched in silence.

Being stared at by his former subjects made Yelu Yuan feel even more humiliated. It became difficult for him to breathe and he had to rely on his willpower to hold on.

Every step seemed to step on his heart, and every step made him feel endless shame and grief.

"Yelü Yuan, the guilty minister, pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor of Daqing."

Yelu Yuan finally walked in front of Emperor Qing, knelt on his knees, and kowtowed.

"Get up." Emperor Qing said lightly, without any joy or anger in his tone.

"The ceremony begins!" Huang Jin shouted behind him.

Yelu Yuan slowly stood up and began the "face-binding" ceremony according to the pre-arranged steps.

An attendant came forward and tied Yelu Yuan's hands behind his back, so that only his front could be seen, implying that he was tying himself up to plead guilty and leave himself to be dealt with as he pleased.

Then came the "holding the jade disk" ceremony, which required Yelu Yuan to hold the jade disk in his mouth and kneel down to present it.

This jade disk symbolizes the territory and power of the Liao Kingdom, but now it has to be handed over to Emperor Qing personally.

Yelu Yuan took a deep breath, suppressed the grief and humiliation in his heart, took the jade disk from the servant's hand, and held it in his mouth.

Emperor Qing shook his sleeves and walked forward, took the jade disk from Yelu Yuan's mouth, and a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Li Che looked at the jade disk that still had Yelu Yuan's saliva on it, and felt a chill in his heart.

Fortunately, it was Emperor Qing who received the gift. If he had to take the saliva-stained jade disk, he would probably get goosebumps all over his body.

Next, it is the "naked" ceremony.

"Routan" does not mean bare-chested, but refers to half of the shirt being taken off, just like Lian Po carrying a bundle of thorns to apologize, which is related to the structure of ancient people's clothes.

Finally, there is the ceremony of "leading the sheep".

A white sheep with its limbs tied was led over. With trembling hands, Yelu Yuan led the sheep to Emperor Qing and knelt down to present it to him.

Looking at Yelu Yuan's body trembling with humiliation, Li Che curled his lips without any sympathy.

In his opinion, this little humiliation was nothing.

At least Yelu Yuan performed the Spring and Autumn Period's ritual of leading a sheep, which was just a sheep-leading ceremony of surrender.

In different times and spaces, the Jin Dynasty also had a sheep-leading ceremony.

The captives were required to be shirtless, covered with sheepskin, with a rope tied around their necks, and led like sheep, which also meant that they were at the mercy of others like sheep.

For the defeated generals of the Song army at that time, this sheep-leading ceremony was extremely insulting, and some people often committed suicide because they could not bear the humiliation.

If Li Che had not defeated Yelu Dahe, perhaps he would be the one suffering humiliation today.

After the sheep-leading ceremony, Huang Jin shouted "The ceremony is over", and the Liao Kingdom's surrender ceremony was completed.

Emperor Qing looked at Yelu Yuan who was kneeling before him, then slowly stood up and spoke condescendingly:

"Today I accept your surrender and bring your people of Liao under the rule of Daqing. From now on, there will be no more Liao in this world!"

Yelu Yuan's body trembled slightly, and he bowed again: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."

Emperor Qing waved his hand, stepped forward to help him up, and said with a pleasant face:

"You have abandoned darkness and joined the light, and I am very pleased. I will make you the Marquis of Guiming, and you will enjoy the position of a prince. I will also marry your sister to King Feng."

Yelu Yuan felt bitter in his heart, but he could only force a smile:

"Your Majesty, I accept your command and thank you."