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

Shi Yong was dragged out of the house in a miserable state by Jie Ming amid his father's scolding.

After dodging the stinky shoes thrown by his father, Shi Yong turned around and saw Jie Ming's half-smile, and immediately looked embarrassed:

"Brother Jie, I'm sorry. Ever since His Highness came to Chaoyang City, my father has become like this."

"Not only at home, but also outside, I cannot bear to hear anyone say a bad word about His Highness."

Jie Ming smiled and said, "It's okay. Uncle Shi was like this when I was a kid. He was a straightforward person who clearly distinguished between love and hate."

"Brother Jie, you are under the command of His Highness. You should know whether His Highness is really so wise?" Shi Yong asked curiously.

After hearing what his childhood friend said, Jie Ming understood his curiosity.

Not only Shi Yong, but also the brothers in the National Protection Army often asked themselves what kind of person His Highness was.

It's more of a fear about the future than curiosity. After all, they are not the first direct descendants to follow His Highness.

Jie Ming thought for a moment and patted Shi Yong on the shoulder: "Your Highness's actions are beyond the comprehension of us, the unsophisticated. Instead of asking me, why not go and see for yourself?"

Before Shi Yong could figure it out, he heard Jie Ming say:

"But in my opinion, the biggest difference between Your Highness and those officials is," Jie Ming sighed, "Your Highness treats us as human beings."

Hearing this, Shi Yong nodded in agreement.

After His Highness came to Chaoyang City, the biggest change in the lives of the lower-class people was that they gained dignity.

We recruited migrant workers to build the city wall, and the daily salary was never bad.

The people could use this wages to buy low-priced grain and meat from the palace.

In this way, the famine in Chaoyang City was completely solved invisibly.

Unlike other officials of this era who provided disaster relief by hypocritically opening granaries to distribute grain, the porridge they distributed consisted of half stale rice and the other half water, and the remaining grain was pocketed by the officials.

They also have to look at the victims with disgust, so that they will be grateful for such charity.

While they were talking, the two had already walked onto the streets of the outer city.

The streets were bustling with people walking by with laughter and joy. It was completely different from the dead Ninggu County City a few months ago. Chaoyang City was just like its name, full of the vitality of life.

Shi Yong even saw several seriously ill women in the city who were barely hanging on to their last breath appear before him.

They held a broom and cleaned the filth and garbage on the street while talking and laughing loudly.

"Shi Tou hasn't been out for a long time, right?" Jie Ming said with a smile when he saw Shi Yong's surprised look.

Shi Yong nodded. "His Highness went on a spring hunt a while ago, and then closed Phoenix Mountain. Since I couldn't hunt anymore, I haven't left the house."

"Don't blame your highness. Closing the mountain was the right decision." Jie Ming heard the faint resentment in Shi Yong's words. "Your highness said that spring is the breeding season for animals. If we hunt wild animals extensively in spring and drive away all the young, there will be no prey in this mountain. What will the people eat?"

Old hunters all know that they don't kill cubs when hunting animals because they are afraid that there will be fewer and fewer animals in the forest in the future.

Shi Yong thought about it for a moment and quickly figured it out. He asked in surprise, "Your Highness also understands our hunters' affairs?"

Jie Ming sighed and said, "Sometimes I feel like Your Highness seems to know everything, and I don't know where he learned it from."

"But think about it, Your Highness is not an ordinary person. Perhaps these principles are a gift from heaven, taught to Your Highness by fairies from heaven."

Jie Ming was half right. The person who taught Li Che knowledge was not a fairy, but a woman...

Shi Yong nodded, not quite understanding, but suddenly stopped and looked in surprise at a toothless old woman in front of him:

"Isn't that Aunt Yu? I remember she was paralyzed in bed last year. Now she can even walk?"

Jie Ming took a quick glance and didn't recognize him, but he still said, "He must have been saved by the doctor sent by His Highness."

"Your Highness saw that these old women had nothing to do, so he found them a job sweeping the streets, paying them twenty coins a day."

"Your Highness also gave them money?"

"Of course." Jie Ming gave him a strange look. "You're so old, are you still asking me to work for you for free?"

Twenty cents is not a lot. In modern times, one cent has a purchasing power of about 0.5 yuan.

But you have to know that in ancient times, elderly women were completely unemployed and were a burden to the family.

If the Chinese people did not adhere to filial piety and if there were no such restrictions in the secular world, I wonder how many families would abandon their elderly people in the mountains.

Li Che's move not only provides these old ladies with an opportunity to find new jobs, but also provides these families with additional income.

True good governance lies in the details of life, not in grand regulations.

The two continued walking towards the inner city gate. Since today was the day for distributing seeds and renting farm tools, there were a lot of people on the street.

Shi Yong often saw someone happily carrying a strange-looking plow.

The appearance of that plow was very different from that of an ordinary plow. The plow shaft was curved, and a plow disc that could rotate freely was installed on the shaft head.

Compared with ordinary plows, they are also smaller in size.

"This is a curved plow, invented by His Highness. The plow body can swing, making it easier to plow deeply. These curved plows are in limited supply and are only being distributed to certain families on a trial basis. If you would like one, I can find one for you."

Shi Yong felt embarrassed to trouble Jie Ming and subconsciously wanted to refuse.

But when I think about the fact that this is a major matter related to grain production and there are more than a dozen mouths at home waiting to be fed, I can't help but feel conflicted.

Seeing him like this, Jie Ming immediately laughed and scolded him, "Don't bother trying to be nice to me. I'll just go tell the Agriculture Department later. Military families are always given priority."

As we continued walking towards the inner city, we saw more and more people on the road, and some of the small paths were even a bit crowded.

Shi Yong suddenly felt a little emotional. Compared with a month ago, this city really seemed to come alive.

After passing through the inner city gate, security has become much stricter, and ordinary citizens must show their credentials before being allowed to pass.

Even Jie Ming had to show his badge. The Chaoyang Army was in charge of defending the city, and they were not familiar with Jie Ming, so facial recognition could not be used for verification.

The Chaoyang Army was taken from Chaoyang City. Its duty was to serve as the city defense force, and the proportion of new recruits in the army was relatively large.

After entering the inner city, the scene is completely different from the outer city.

The high walls and deep courtyards of the once aristocratic families now had their gates open, and craftsmen and officials were constantly walking back and forth.

Led by the soldiers, the people lined up in an orderly manner.

In the inner city, it can be seen that Jie Ming's status is not low. He can move freely among the crowd, and officials often greet him and soldiers salute him with their fists.

"That's the ironworks, that's the farm implement shop, that's the weapons department... Don't go near that yard, that's the gunpowder department."

Jie Ming patted Shi Yong's shoulder and pointed to a tall building: "This is the government office. His Highness works inside. I'll take you to meet His Highness later."

Shi Yong suddenly became nervous: "Do you want to see His Highness?"

"Of course, His Highness must approve anyone who wishes to join the Military Supervision Department," Jie Ming said soothingly. "Don't worry, I recommended you. His Highness won't do anything to you."

"Besides, His Highness is a gentle and refined man, and treats us subordinates very kindly."

As he was speaking, Jie Ming had already shown his badge and was led into the government office by the personal guards.

After walking through a long corridor, although Shi Yong received Li Ming's assurance, his heart still couldn't stop pounding.

At this moment, a roar like a tiger's roar suddenly came from the government office:

"They still dare to ask me for someone, I want him, Mara Gobi!!!"

"Tell that stupid Khitan leader of the Songmo tribe that I chopped off his envoy, castrated him, and ate him!"

"His body has been made into a chair, his butt has been fed to dogs, and his head has been pickled by me, waiting to be used as an offering fruit at his mother's grave!"

"If the Khitans refuse to submit, they can send troops to fight. I will station three armies in Chaoyang City, awaiting his arrival!"

"He's so early, coming to my territory to ask for someone. Do you think Chaoyang City is ruled by those clueless aristocratic families?"

The roars grew louder and louder, and the anger of the owner of the voice could be heard from a long distance away.

Shi Yong looked at Jie Ming with respect, "Which general is speaking? He's so brave, he must be a fierce general, right?"

Xie Ming replied expressionlessly, "It's our gentle and refined prince."