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

In just one month, the news of the Xiangping victory spread throughout Daqing, and officials and people from all over the country cheered.

For a time, Li Che's name became a household name.

Emperor Qing established his country through military force, swept away many rebel forces, and only then was he able to seize the world.

Therefore, the status and welfare of Daqing soldiers are very high, which leads to a martial spirit in Daqing and the people are happy to hear about war.

Winning a battle is the best way to gain fame. Governing a region only benefits the people there. Even if one has outstanding achievements, it is difficult for his reputation to spread to other places.

War is different. The Chinese people have always been a martial nation.

Giving sashes stained with the blood of fallen soldiers to children as young as seven or eight to carry on their legacy, no matter which fantasy world they are in, they are definitely a nation of war-crazed people.

And during this month, Li Che was not idle either.

After sending the letter to the imperial capital, Li Che stayed in Liaoyang City for a few days and then began to return with his army.

During this period, he passed by Guangning City and met Li Leshi.

In the Battle of Xiangping, he lived up to Li Che's high expectations. Although Khitan tribes continued to attack Guangning City in an attempt to cut off Li Che's retreat, they were all repelled by Li Leshi.

He commands properly and remains fearless in times of danger. He has the demeanor of a qualified general and is considered a man of ability who can stand on his own.

Li Che remembered his great contribution and promoted him to the rank of general, allowing him to lead the army independently.

Guangning City was renamed "Beizhen City", with Political Commissar Shi Yong as the magistrate and Li Leshi as the general, leading 2,000 soldiers to garrison.

Beizhen City’s geographical location is also very important. It is located between Liaoyang City and Chaoyang City. It will be a very important midpoint station for Feng State in the future.

Li Leshi was born in the Criminal Camp and was a direct descendant of Li Che's direct descendants. Li Che was very confident in handing over the defense to him.

The army then continued to move south and finally returned to Chaoyang City.

It was already late summer, the weather was getting hotter, and the crops outside the city were gradually starting to grow.

Newly cleared wasteland is not suitable for growing crops directly. It is best to plant beans because beans have the effect of nourishing the soil, and it will become fertile land next year.

Therefore, the farmlands outside the city are basically filled with bean seedlings, with only a small amount of semi-wasteland planted with other crops.

Soybeans, also known as yellow beans, were called "shu" in ancient times. They originated in China and have a history of thousands of years.

Beans are a good thing. They were the staple food during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. They can be used to extract oil, make tofu, and brew soy sauce.

The remaining bean dregs can be made into bean cakes, which can be used to feed pigs and chickens.

The Northeast region belongs to the northern spring soybean area with a cold climate. Beans are planted in late April and can only be harvested in mid-to-late September.

This created some free labor, and Li Che had enough manpower to do other things.

The royal army returned and won another victory. Needless to say, the people lined the streets to welcome them and cheered.

After Li Che returned to the palace, Uncle Yang, Huai En and others came to greet him excitedly.

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on your triumphant return!"

"Hahaha!" Li Che rubbed Qiuwen's head and reached out to take Xiaosong from her arms.

The little tiger grew very fast, and it was already very difficult for Qiu Wen to hold it. However, Li Che's strength was getting stronger and stronger, so he could hold it easily.

Dasong was a heartless tiger. When he returned home, he did not get close to his son. He walked into the house by himself and ran to his exclusive place in the backyard to bask in the sun.

However, Xiaoqing on Li Che's shoulder flapped her wings nervously and silently distanced herself from Xiaosong.

Xiaosong grew bigger and bigger, and had already exceeded the size that Saker Falcon could handle, which made Xiaoqing, who had always bullied it, a little uneasy.

Li Che returned to the palace, took a comfortable bath with the help of Qiu Wen and the maids, and then took a nap on Dasong's belly.

When they arrived at the government office, Zhuge Zhe, Qian Bin and others had been waiting for a long time.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Everyone said in unison.

"Hahaha, no need for formalities." Li Che smiled heartily and looked at everyone. "I have been away on the expedition for over a month. I miss you all very much."

Everyone was deeply moved and hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Highness, we are deeply grateful for your kindness."

"There will be a banquet at the palace tonight. I have brought a lot of food from the north, including a few pairs of bear paws. They are very delicious, and you must try them."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After the pleasantries, Li Che stopped being polite and got straight to the point: "How is Chaoyang City after I left? Has anything big happened?"

Zhuge Zhe and others looked at each other, then stepped forward one by one to report.

Zhuge Zhe stepped forward and said, "The sowing outside the city has ended. The people are now idle, so I have arranged for them to work in factories and mines. However, there are only a limited number of jobs in these places, and there are still many unemployed workers."

Li Che nodded gently: "I already know about this matter, it's okay, I will have something to do in a few days."

Wang Chongjian, the director of the Ministry of Works, stepped forward and said, "Everything is going smoothly at the factory. All the factories and departments have moved out of the city. Except for the Gunpowder Department, which makes some noise every now and then, which everyone is quite dissatisfied with..."

Li Che looked at Chen Gui in the team and felt a little headache: "Didn't you accompany me to the battle? Why is the Gunpowder Department still exploding every day?"

Chen Gui cupped his hands and said, "The Gunpowder Department's duty is to continuously improve black powder and explore its uses. This only proves that the craftsmen are dedicated to their duties."

Li Che looked at Wang Chongjian helplessly, saying that he had no choice.

This is why scientists have a transcendent status. They devote themselves to science and do everything for the public good.

As long as the gunpowder department doesn't explode, no one can find fault with them.

Wang Chongjian sighed and continued, "The first batch of samples of the glass Your Highness mentioned earlier have already been produced."

"Oh?" Li Che's eyes lit up, "How's the quality?"

"This material is indeed more translucent than colored glaze, and the cost is extremely low. The only drawback is that there are often many bubbles in it, and the craftsmen are trying to find a way to solve this problem."

Li Che nodded. Glass bubbles are mostly man-made and are the most common and difficult to solve defects.

"Send us a batch of good quality goods. It's time to trade with the interior of the country." Li Che said.

Wang Chongjian bowed and replied, "Yes. There is one more thing. The iron ingots in the city are piled up like mountains. Now that it is the slack season, many farmers have gone to the mines, resulting in an increasing amount of iron ore."

"With so many iron ingots stored in the warehouse, it would be a shame if they rusted due to improper storage."

Li Che smiled helplessly. This was truly a happy trouble.

In the past, in Ninggu County, every household did not have a single piece of ironware, not even farm tools.

But in Chaoyang City now, there are so many iron ingots that they can’t be used up.

"Stop making weapons and farm tools." Li Che rubbed his temples with a headache. "We captured hundreds of thousands of weapons during this expedition. We definitely don't have a shortage of ordinary weapons."

With the continuous development of gunpowder technology, the demand for cold weapons will continue to decrease, and iron will no longer be a simple strategic material.

"There's no need to use refined iron for farm tools. Melting down defective weapons will be enough to make farm tools."

"As for the pile of iron ingots... let me think about it."

Iron can do so many things, but if it were just iron, there wouldn't be much it could do.

The Industrial Revolution required a variety of materials, and iron was just the foundation of the foundation.

We can only sell a part of it first. We definitely cannot sell it to the barbarians and Goryeo, as that would be aiding the enemy.

I still have to sell it to my cheap father. The quality of Fengguo Railway is definitely far ahead of the rest of the country, but I don’t have to sell it too expensively. After all, I am a filial son.

"Keep some for casting armor, and sell the rest to the court. I'll write a letter to my father." Li Che waved his hand, "We won't take more than we deserve. Let's set a small goal and sell it to him for 100 million taels first!"

"Ah?!" Everyone was stunned.

"Just kidding, just kidding." Li Che laughed, "Please, Master Qian, please set a price. Our iron is of good quality, so the price should be higher than the official iron, but it doesn't have to be too much higher."

"Yes." Qian Bin bowed in response.

He Conglong stepped forward last and said, "The defense of the city is normal. The new recruits of the Chaoyang Army have completed their training and are ready to go to the battlefield at any time."

Li Che nodded slightly. His original intention was to train the Chaoyang Army as a city defense force.

But He Conglong was really good at training soldiers. He used the military training methods he learned from Li Che in his previous life to train a group of new recruits until they screamed.

Li Che saw it all when he entered the city. The soldiers guarding the city were in neat uniforms, with sharp eyes. They were wearing heavy armor and were basking in the sun, without shaking at all.

Such soldiers already have discipline and obedience, and after experiencing a few actual combat battles, they can immediately transform into elite soldiers.

"Our army suffered heavy losses in this battle, and we have also allocated a portion of our troops to defend Liancheng. Right now, the number of barbarian soldiers is almost exceeding that of the Qing people."

Li Che said, "Incorporate the soldiers of the Chaoyang Army into the Ninggu and Huguo Armies, and recruit a group of new soldiers. The number will be set at 20,000 initially."

"He Conglong has made great contributions in training soldiers. The Chaoyang Army has such a good style and discipline, but he is a bit of a waste of talent as a city defense force."

"Chaoyang means the rising sun in the east, and the new recruits are the fresh blood of the Fengtian Army, which is exactly what 'Chaoyang' means."

"From now on, the Chaoyang Army will be responsible for training new recruits. Only after completing training in the Chaoyang Army and becoming a qualified Fengtian Army soldier can you go to the battlefield."

He Conglong's heart was moved, and he bowed and said, "On behalf of the 10,000 soldiers of the Chaoyang Army, I thank Your Highness!"

The Chaoyang Army rises in the east ten days later. All the new recruits of the Fengtian Army will come from the Chaoyang Army. The status of this army will inevitably rise.

Although it is not a main force like the Ninggu and National Protection Armies, it is absolutely irreplaceable.

Li Che looked around: "Everyone, is there anything to report?"

None of the ministers came forward.

During the month that Li Che was away, Chaoyang City was relatively peaceful and developed steadily, with no major incidents occurring.

"Then it's my turn." Li Che's eyes grew serious. "In this battle, our Fengtian Army conquered a large area of ​​land, but the swamps outside the Great Wall make it difficult to travel, making it difficult to actually control these lands."

"I want to build a highway between Liaoyang, Beizhen, Chaoyang, and Shanhaiguan, closely connecting these four places, and then control all the land of Fengguo!"

"This is the way to get rich. Even if it's difficult, you have to do it!"

"I have finished speaking. Do you have any objections?"