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

This was the first time that Li Che issued a landing order at a non-port location since the fleet set out.

The crew attached great importance to it. The fleet slowly stopped in a guard formation, and small boats and speedboats quickly crossed the water, leaving dozens of white lines outside the island.

Soon, the lookouts reported that the beach here was too shallow to accommodate warships, let alone a large-tonnage dragon boat like the Dingyuan.

Even Li Sheng said that the island looked uninhabited and there was nothing worth exploring, implying that he hoped Li Che would give up landing on the island.

Li Che did not question it. If the big ship could not get close, he would send a small boat to pick it up.

Except for a small number of naval soldiers who stayed behind, everyone landed on the island!

He would not be wrong, and it was impossible for him to be wrong. This seemingly ordinary island was, in the past life, the island that had caused decades of disputes between China and Japan, and was an island that the 1.3 billion people across the country could not forget.

That is the famous Diaoyu Island!

This island has been Chinese territory since ancient times. It was not until after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 that the Qing government was forced to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which seized Taiwan and the affiliated islands of Diaoyu and Diaoyu Islands.

In 1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally. According to the Cairo Declaration, all Chinese territories occupied by Japan by force must be returned.

However, the US military took over the trusteeship of Okinawa at this time and secretly included the Diaoyu Islands into the territory of Okinawa. Since then, conflicts have occurred frequently over this island for decades.

When Li Che was in junior high school, the dispute was at its most intense. Countless patriotic students took to the streets to protest, and Li Che even joined the parade.

Although it happened more than ten years ago, I still have an obsession in my heart.

Fate had brought him to this island, and he had to leave a mark on it to prevent it from being robbed by those two shameless humanoid robbers.

Diaoyudao is composed of a series of islands, including the main island, Huangwei Island, Chiwei Island, etc., with a total area of ​​6.3 square kilometers.

The largest of them is the main island, with an area of ​​4.3 square kilometers. The middle part is traversed by mountains, and the northern part is relatively flat, making it most suitable for landing.

Li Che sat on the small boat, letting the sea breeze blow his cloak behind him, looking at the shore that was getting closer and closer.

Looking down, the sea water is as clear as a mirror, and you can clearly see the fish passing by below.

The island is rich in fish resources. In the short distance of a few hundred meters on the island, Li Che saw more than one large school of fish passing by.

This is also the origin of its name. This island was originally a fishing ground for Fujian fishermen.

These fish and the freshwater resources in the island's streams can support thousands of people living on the island and make them self-sufficient.

Of course, the reason why Xiaozi coveted this island was not just for the fish.

There are rich oil and natural gas resources around the island. The oil reserves alone are as high as 80 billion barrels. If all of them can be mined, it will be enough for China to use for hundreds of years.

The reserves of natural gas resources are even more terrifying, with a content of about 100 billion square meters, which is eight times the reserves of Saudi Arabia!

In the energy age, such a gold nugget will naturally attract the covetousness of the evil wolf like Xiao Rizi, who is "small courtesy but no great righteousness".

The boat docked on the shore, and Li Che couldn't wait to board the island.

Li Che felt a little uncomfortable because he hadn't stepped firmly on land for a long time.

But he quickly adapted and immediately began to circle the island, measuring every inch of land with his legs.

Looking up, a high mountain lies before your eyes, and the sound of birds singing can be heard, creating a completely natural beauty.

Diaoyu Island not only has rich fish resources and oil and natural gas resources, but also the main peak of the island, Gaohua Peak, is home to various plants, and produces precious Chinese medicinal materials such as camellia, palm, cactus, and sea hibiscus. It is also home to a large number of seabirds.

"I've changed my mind!" Li Che stopped and said to Huai En beside him.

Huai En was slightly startled: "Your Highness?"

"I originally wanted to carve a few large characters on the mountain, something like 'This island is an integral part of China's territory.'"

Li Che paused, then shook his head and said:

"But no matter how hard the stone is, it will eventually turn to powder, and no matter how deep the writing is, it will be washed away by rain."

"Instead of doing these superficial things, it would be better to settle here and build a city, and completely bring it under the rule of Fengguo!"

Wen Zaiyin and Li Sheng, who had just arrived, looked at each other and frowned when they heard this.

"Your Highness, please forgive me for speaking frankly, but occupying this place will do us no good and will only delay our voyage," Wen Zaiyin advised bluntly. "If Your Highness truly desires this place, please inform the governor of Fuzhou and have them send someone to erect a monument."

"No benefit?" Li Che asked, "This place is our Daqing territory!"

Wen Zaiyin remained calm and said, "It's just a remote island."

"A remote island?"

Li Che looked at him deeply, and once again realized the limitations of the ancients' thoughts. Even a wise man like Wen Zaiyin found it difficult to escape from it.

This island is not remote, but it is true that it is not valued.

Not to mention a small island, in the eyes of ancient emperors and rulers, the nearby Hainan Island and Taiwan Island were nothing more than barbaric wastelands.

The even farther Lusong, Guangnan, and Siam are like corners far away on the horizon, as if they can be discarded at any time.

Even when small countries voluntarily submitted, the government often dealt with it perfunctorily, allowing them to govern themselves and pay tribute, without ever thinking about consolidating rule or actual control.

Admittedly, these places might not have brought much benefit to the country at that time.

Little did they know that after hundreds of years, these lands that were despised by the previous monarchs would have to be taken back by their descendants at a price hundreds or even thousands of times higher.

It's just a small island of a few square kilometers, but people with ulterior motives can still make a big fuss about it and use it to suppress us in terms of public opinion and situation!

Li Che didn't want this to happen. There were already many people in Daqing, and after he got his high-yield seeds back, the number would only increase.

No matter how remote the land is, it should be fully incorporated into the territory so that the seeds of China can take root and sprout there.

Diaoyu Island is just the first one, and more islands and more territories will be occupied in the future.

Who says that expanding territory can only be achieved through war? The struggle between man and nature, overcoming the harsh natural environment, is what makes the Chinese nation strong!

Wen Zaiyin and others could not guess Li Che's thoughts, but they would not disobey Li Che's orders.

The shipbuilders and soldiers immediately took action, cutting down trees and building rows of wooden houses on higher ground.

At the same time, the flag of Feng State was also raised over the island.

Li Sheng looked at the bustling construction site, then looked at Li Che who was staring at the nautical chart, and made up his mind to persuade them again.

However, he was not Wen Zaiyin, and he had only known Li Che for a short time, so he could not give him direct advice.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke, "Your Highness, if we want to develop the people's livelihood here, leaving only a few dozen people is probably not enough. If we leave too many, I'm afraid it will affect the fleet."

Li Che raised his head and smiled: "Who said that we should station our people here?"

Li Sheng suddenly realized, "So you plan to relocate the people from Fuzhou? I'm afraid that won't work. Fuzhou isn't a densely populated place..."

"Not really." Li Che shook his head and interrupted, pointing to the sea chart, "Next stop, let's go here. There are fruits, fresh water... and manpower that we urgently need."