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

The Fengtian army was like a gust of wind sweeping across the South Pacific, completely defeating the Portuguese colonists who had been operating on Luzon Island for many years.

Now that the smoke has cleared, Luzon Island has become a different place.

Li Che knew very well that it was not enough to conquer by force alone. Only by truly winning the hearts of the people could he firmly grasp this land in his hands.

For this reason, he had to change his plan and stay in Luzon for another month.

The first thing to be solved is the people’s livelihood issue.

Luzon has fertile land and a pleasant climate, but local grain production has always been low.

Li Che allocated 20% of the sweet potatoes from the Portuguese fields and distributed them to the residents on the island.

This easy-to-grow and high-yielding crop quickly took root on Luzon Island, solving the islanders' most basic problem of food and clothing.

Moreover, the indigenous people of Luzon have few houses, and a family often lives in a small, dilapidated house of less than ten square meters.

Li Che also asked the fleet's craftsmen to help them build a number of simple houses. There were many trees on the island, so it was not difficult.

Let’s not talk about the gratitude of the indigenous people for now.

Li Che's vision goes far beyond this.

He knew very well that to completely change the future of Luzon Island, he had to start with education and culture and do what the First Emperor had done.

To this end, he set up a large number of schools and hired Xia immigrants from the Central Plains as teachers to teach children the Xia language.

In his view, writing is the carrier of culture and language is the bridge of communication. Only by mastering writing and language can one truly integrate into the system of Chinese civilization.

At the same time, Li Che also took a series of symbolic measures.

He ordered the demolition of the churches on the island that symbolized colonial rule, and instead established Confucius Temple and Mazu Temple in their place.

The Confucius Temple is for promoting Confucian culture and educating the people, while the Mazu Temple is for praying for safe sea transportation and blessing fishermen.

On the one hand, these measures were aimed at eliminating the influence of Portuguese culture, and on the other hand, at rebuilding the spiritual beliefs of the islanders.

Li Che also carried out drastic reforms in the political system.

Instead of abolishing the King of Luzon directly, he adopted a more subtle strategy:

The Lichang system was established throughout Luzon, allowing local indigenous people to govern themselves. Elected by the islanders, Lichang was responsible for handling daily affairs, mediating disputes, and maintaining public order.

The King of Luzon was naturally unwilling and even found Li Che for this purpose.

Li Che didn't say much to him, and didn't even meet him.

Just invite him to the hall, release Xiaosong, and meow at him gently a few times, and the old king will immediately compromise.

You don't need to say much, the Siberian tiger, the world's largest cat, weighing 500 kilograms and 3 meters long, the king of the jungle, will speak for you!

Through the village head system, Li Che returned most of the power to the people, further weakening the ruling power of the King of Luzon, while also cultivating a group of local forces close to him.

The people are not stupid either. They can tell who is truly good to them.

Compared with the brutal Portuguese colonists and the foolish and incompetent King of Luzon, King Feng from Daqing is the ruler that the people yearn for.

Li Che's series of reforms seem mild, but in fact they are somewhat insidious and have considerable hidden dangers.

He used sweet potatoes to solve the islanders' food and clothing problems, used schools to spread Chinese culture, used Confucius Temple and Mazu Temple to rebuild the islanders' spiritual beliefs, and used the village head system to weaken the ruling power of the King of Luzon.

The core problem of Luzon is that the military is not strong enough, the people do not feel safe, and national self-confidence is seriously damaged.

Once the Portuguese returned, they still did not dare to resist.

However, this was the best way Li Che could think of to consolidate his rule in a short period of time.

Li Che knew that people's hearts were the greatest politics, and he proved with his actions that he was not just a conqueror, but a true builder.

He hoped to build Luzon into a prosperous and culturally rich paradise, and make it one of the transit points on Fengguo's great maritime routes.

To this end, he appointed Zhang Jun as the Admiral of Luzon, in charge of all affairs on Luzon Island.

As Li Sheng's deputy, Zhang Jun has extensive experience in naval warfare and can be considered steady and reliable.

He has no experience in administration, but that doesn't matter. After returning to Fengguo, Li Che will send civil servants to take over the political affairs of Luzon.

As for Fu Liang and Li Sheng, Li Che had other important roles for them.

. . . . . .

A month later.

The sun climbed above the treetops, and more than thirty warships were lined up at the dock.

The sailors laid layers of seawater-soaked straw mats into the cabin, sprinkling volcanic ash, a specialty of Luzon, between each layer.

The soldiers were about to board the ship carrying the muddy sweet potato vines, but were stopped by Li Che:

"Be careful and put it in the bottom layer where it can't be hit by wind and waves."

The soldiers responded in unison, and Li Che looked at the three people behind him.

Li Sheng, Fu Liang and Zhang Jun are the only three people in Fengguo who can be called naval commanders.

"These ships will be divided into three groups, and each of you three will lead one group."

Li Che first looked at Li Sheng and continued, "Originally, I was going to go to Champa myself, but now I have sweet potatoes, which are much more valuable than Champa rice. I feel uneasy if I don't personally escort them back to Fengguo."

"So, Champa is now yours. I'll give you two large sailing ships, four medium-sized sailing ships, and four Fujian ships."

Li Sheng immediately bowed and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will definitely fulfill your mission!"

Li Che patted his shoulder and said kindly, "Come back quickly after getting the rice seeds. There's no need to clash with the indigenous people. Although sweet potatoes have a very high yield, they are not suitable as the only staple food. Champa rice is still very important."

The biggest disadvantage of sweet potatoes is that their nutritional content is extremely deficient.

Sweet potatoes are rich in carbohydrates and dietary fiber, but their protein content is very low, not as good as cereals and beans, and in particular they lack some trace elements such as zinc, iron, and calcium.

Eating sweet potatoes as a staple food for a long time will lead to malnutrition and cause bloating and acid reflux.

In addition, sweet potatoes are difficult to store and can only be used for emergency purposes or to provide relief to disaster victims to ensure that people do not starve to death.

"I understand." Li Sheng said seriously.

Li Che nodded slightly and looked at Zhang Jun beside him: "I have seen your performance along the way. Luzon needs a brave and tough general to guard it. I believe you can take on this important task."

Zhang Jun's relationship with Li Che wasn't as close as Li Sheng's, so he looked even more respectful. "Your Highness, I will do my utmost to fulfill my mission!"

"Don't be nervous. I've left you eight lucky ships and two medium-sized sailing ships, a total of ten warships. Reinforcements will arrive in a little over a month, and at most two or three months."

"If we take Luzon, we control Southeast Asia. This place is particularly important. You must unite the indigenous people to prevent the Portuguese from launching another surprise attack."

"Here."

Li Che nodded and looked at Fu Liang: "General Fu, please return to Feng State with me. I appoint you as the deputy commander of the fleet and take charge of all matters related to the fleet."

Fu Liang looked excited and bowed down.

In the end, he got the position, and he couldn't help but feel a little sad.

"Alright, there's no need to see me off. I'm going back now." Li Che looked up at the Dingyuan in front of him, "We'll meet in Fengguo!"