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

"Ten feet..." Du He suddenly thought of something, "I understand, Prince Feng is not practicing Taoism, but building a road, a road that can transport troops!"

In ancient times, "Dao" and "Lu" together meant road.

However, Tao is Tao and road is road, and there is a big difference between the two.

A road where two carriages can pass at the same time is called a "road", for example, Bai Juyi has a poem called "Distant fragrance invades the ancient road".

A road is one that can accommodate three carriages, such as Lu You's "Mountains and rivers are so steep that I doubt there is a road."

For a prince, building a road that is convenient for travel within the fiefdom is already a great good deed that benefits the people's livelihood.

Du He couldn't understand why the King of Feng would build a road to transport troops in this remote place outside the Great Wall?

Could it be...

Du He recalled Li Che's battle record and looked at the elite guards around him who looked ferocious.

Hiss... Prince Feng probably has great ambitions.

As the migrating group approached the main road, the workers had just started working.

The sun hung in the sky like a blazing fireball, mercilessly scorching the land.

The refugees saw a group of disheveled laborers appearing before them, their faces covered with dust and sweat, making their original appearance almost unrecognizable.

Soldiers in leather armor wielded long whips and mercilessly whipped the laborers. Shouts and the whistling of whips filled the air.

The refugees immediately showed expressions of horror. Were the people under the king's rule to be subjected to such cruel hard labor?

This shouldn't be the case. Yesterday, King Feng was very kind to everyone. He didn't seem like such a cruel person.

The refugees kept approaching, which also attracted the attention of the workers.

They raised their heads, their eyes filled with fatigue and numbness, but when they saw a group of similarly ragged people approaching, their expression turned into a kind of gloating pleasure.

However, as the refugees got closer, the workers saw their clothes clearly and recognized their Qing people, and this pleasure turned into jealousy again.

On the contrary, the soldiers who whipped the laborers showed curiosity when they saw the refugees.

The soldiers put away their whips, walked towards the team, and were about to speak.

One refugee was so frightened that he sat down on the ground, mumbling incoherently, "I can work, don't hit me, don't hit me!"

The Ninggu Army soldier at the front looked puzzled and hurried forward to help him up: "My fellow villager, what are you talking about? How could I possibly hit you?"

"Aren't you beating them? I work hard and don't slack off. Just give me some food. Please don't beat me, sir."

The soldier was at a loss for words: "You're wrong. I didn't beat the civilians of Fengguo, I beat the war criminals."

"War criminal?" The refugee bravely opened his eyes.

"Yes, fellow, look! Their side hair and temples are tied into two tufts. This is called 'Kun' (a traditional Chinese haircut)." The soldier supported the refugee and explained carefully, "Who among us from Daqing would have such a hairstyle? They are Khitan war criminals!"

Upon hearing this, the other refugees around stretched their necks to look over, and then started discussing it enthusiastically.

"Is that true? This hairstyle is ugly. People in Qing don't have that style."

"If Qingren really had hair like that, his parents would probably slap him to death!"

"Khitans? I've heard that they're very fierce, but now they don't seem that scary."

There were also some brave ones who approached the Ninggu soldier and whispered, "Sir, the war criminals are all here to do hard labor, what about the people of Fengguo?"

"We are also working, but this is not called hard labor, it is called work." The soldier said with a smile.

Just then, a few Fengguo civilians walked out of a tent on the roadside. The soldier pointed at them and said, "Look, they are the people from Chaoyang City."

The refugees all turned around and saw a group of people in sackcloth walking towards them, holding baskets. They had rosy complexions, shiny hair, and smiles on their faces.

Suddenly someone was surprised and said, "Are these ordinary people? Why don't they look pale? I would have thought they were officials!"

In ancient times, it was easy to distinguish between the common people and the nobles.

He has a pale face, a thin body, and a timid look in his eyes. He must be a commoner.

If a person has a ruddy complexion, a well-proportioned or fat body, and high-set eyes, he is an official or a noble.

Although these people coming out of Chaoyang City were wearing linen clothes, their rosy faces and confident and peaceful eyes made them look nothing like ordinary people.

"Hey, there's a newcomer."

When the people of Chaoyang City saw the migrating team, they also came over curiously.

Someone even grabbed a man and asked, "Where are you from?"

Yang Dazhu looked down at his clothes full of holes, and then compared them with the people of Feng State in front of him, and immediately lost some confidence.

He couldn't help but whisper timidly, "I'm from Penglai."

"Penglai, what a wonderful place, with outstanding people and beautiful scenery." The commoner praised it generously. "I remember Wang Xiao is from there, maybe you know him."

"Wang Xiao! Wang Xiao! Over here... come here!"

Yang Dazhu looked to the side and saw a dark-skinned man running over with a smile: "From Penglai? Me too, where are you from in Penglai?"

"From Yang Village, Penglai." Yang Dazhu replied.

"I'm from Lijia Village, not far away, so we're half from the same hometown!" Wang Xiao warmly embraced Yang Dazhu, "Don't say anything more. You must come to my house later. Your brother-in-law and his wife's pancakes are delicious."

Seeing how welcoming this fellow villager was, Yang Dazhu's fear of arriving here was mostly gone.

At this time, more and more Fengguo people came out, greeted the refugees warmly, and took bottles of water to distribute to people.

Although the people of Feng State are tough, they are also simple and warm-hearted.

Even Du He saw this scene, and a hint of emotion flashed in his eyes.

Along the way, the local people looked at them with a look of alienation and vigilance.

Not to mention the warm hospitality from the people of Feng State, if it weren't for the imperial guards following them, they would have probably chased them away.

"How could the people of Fengguo be so simple and honest?" Du He sighed. "We've been looked down upon many times along the way. The people along the way hate us like snakes and scorpions."

Huo Duanxiao heard this and shook his head slightly: "Simplicity or not has nothing to do with the region."

"Oh?" Du He looked at him in surprise.

"Your Highness once said: 'When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they have enough food and clothing, they know honor and disgrace.'"

Huo Duanxiao smiled and said, "The reason why the people of Feng State are so simple and warm-hearted is because Your Highness has ensured that they have enough food to eat and can cultivate their fields. Even if more people come, they won't be able to take away their jobs."

"And the people on the road are avoiding you like the plague because they already don't have enough to eat and they're worried that you'll come and steal their little food."

“This is the difference!”

Poverty is by no means noble; it also makes people indifferent.

Du He curled his lips and said, "As you said, if everyone can have enough to eat, wouldn't the world be full of saints?"

Li Che, who was passing by, heard this and said, "It's probably not enough just to ensure everyone has enough food."

The two men hurriedly saluted, and Li Che stretched out his hand to suppress them: "If we want the people of Fengguo to be like dragons, we still need to do three things."

Huo Duanxiao asked, "I wonder what three things Your Highness is talking about?"

Li Che smiled slightly: "Fair, fair, it's damn fair!"