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

The Feng State fleet was extremely fast and arrived at Dalian Port at the end of the month.

Today's Dalian Port is no longer what it used to be. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the largest port in the world with the highest throughput.

Countless merchant ships came and went, and there were hundreds of large ships flying the Fengtian flag alone.

There were also merchant ships coming from Baekje, Luzon, Iju, and Jiangnan. Although they could not compare with the scenes of thousands of boats competing in the current in later generations, they were still shocking enough.

Li Neng had never seen such a scene before, and he couldn't help but run to the deck, leaning against the railing and shouting.

"Wow!!!"

"What a huge city! It's even bigger than Fuzhou!"

Li Che and Li Lin followed behind him, and couldn't help but smile when they heard him shout like that.

The prosperity brought by Dalian Port will naturally drive the development of the local economy and infrastructure. Dalian City is no longer the small fishing village it was five years ago.

The cement and bricks produced in Feng State are in endless supply, enough to build a large city in a very short time.

Today, the size of Dalian City can even rank among the top three cities in the entire Feng State!

"Tenth brother, be careful and don't fall down." Li Lin said with a grin.

Although Li Neng boasted that Dalian City was the territory of Feng State, he still felt a sense of honor.

Over the past three years, the relationship between Feng and Yan has become increasingly close, almost becoming one country. There are rumors among the people and the court that "Feng and Yan are one family."

Li Neng obediently shrank back, but his eyes were still shining.

"Fourth brother, Sixth brother, look, there are so many boats!"

Seeing the Dingyuan docked at the pier, Li Neng's pupils shrank again.

"Is that the Dingyuan? It's really that big!"

Li Che walked up to him, smiled, and patted his head: "Don't you like carpentry, Tenth Brother? How about I ask Qi Fang to come over in a few days and teach you how to build a boat?"

"I'm serious!" Li Neng's face was full of surprise.

"Is that true?" Li Che smiled slightly. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if my tenth brother could ride on the ship he built and travel the world and conquer other continents?"

Li Neng was so excited that he almost jumped up.

But he suddenly thought of something, and his expression became depressed again: "Father will not agree."

Li Che smiled and shook his head. That's not necessarily true.

When Li Shen grew up to be able to lead the fleet far away, the person who had the final say might not be his father.

Of course, this kind of talk is definitely not suitable to be said to children. Li Che chatted with the two of them for a few more words, then turned to the bridge to command the fleet to enter the port.

After resting for three days in Dalian, we decided to travel by land.

"Tenth brother." Li Che said gently, looking at the eager boy, "For the rest of the journey, shall we ride on horseback or in a car?"

"Ride...on horseback?"

Li Neng came back to his senses, his face showing excitement and nervousness.

In Fuzhou, he mostly traveled by carriage and had few opportunities to ride a horse.

Li Lin saw what he was thinking and laughed, saying, "Of course it's horseback riding. This is a good opportunity for my tenth brother to practice. How can a man from our Li family not be good at horseback riding?"

Soon, the three people's mounts were brought over.

Li Che's was an exceptionally majestic black horse named 'Moyun', while Li Lin's was a famous fiery red horse named 'Chiyan'.

What was prepared for Li Neng was a docile and strong chestnut horse.

Feng State has no shortage of good horses now. After all, the entire grassland is Feng State's horse breeding ground. Even Hu Qiang, with his physique, can find a mount that supports him.

The three of them mounted their horses and, under the protection of the Royal Guard Battalion, left the bustling city of Dalian and set foot on the official road leading to the heart of Feng State.

As soon as he stepped onto the wide and straight road, Li Neng couldn't help but exclaimed "Huh".

"Fourth brother, is this a cement road?"

He looked down at the road, then looked up at the flat road in the distance that seemed to have no end, his face full of disbelief.

In Fuzhou, the best official roads are nothing more than rammed earth, which is muddy on rainy days and dusty on sunny days.

Have you ever seen a road as hard as stone, smooth and flat?

Li Lin chuckled, with a bit of understanding from someone who had experienced it:

"That's right. Within Fengguo, all important roads and roads connecting prefectures are paved with cement. Not only are they smooth, but they are also extremely durable and impervious to rain and snow."

Li Neng seemed to understand what he was saying. He couldn't help but urge his horse to trot a few steps, feeling the crisp and steady echo of the horse's hooves on the road, and turned back excitedly and said:

"Fourth brother! This road is so fun to run on!"

Li Che looked at the glint in the boy's eyes, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

That’s right, young people should have the vitality of youth.

The three of them rode side by side, with the Royal Guards forming a fan shape to guard them in front and behind.

Li Neng's sense of novelty surged like a spring, and he kept having questions along the way.

After walking for less than half an hour, the outline of a city appeared on the horizon ahead.

As the distance got closer, Li Neng gasped at the scale of the city.

"That...that is Hecheng?" Li Neng pointed to the front, his voice trembling slightly.

In his limited knowledge, Fuzhou City was already a huge city in the southeast, with high and thick city walls and a large population.

However, just looking at this city from a distance, the height of its city walls is almost the same as that of Fuzhou.

Not to mention the dense fortifications on the city walls and the huge caravans at the city gate.

Li Lin reined in his horse and pointed at the towering city.

"That's Jinzhou City, a new city built to guard key sea and land routes, and also to protect Dalian Port."

"Acropolis?" Li Neng was incredulous. "How could an Acropolis be so grand and solid?"

"If this scale were placed in the Central Plains, it would at least be a county town, or even comparable to some lesser provincial capitals."

In his opinion, the Acropolis was a garrison and was limited in size. How could it be compared with a large provincial city?

Li Che calmly explained, "Jinzhou is on the coast, so it needs a strong city wall. The walls are all made of stone as the foundation, covered with huge bricks, and filled with cement. Cement is also used to reinforce key areas."

He paused and added, "There are no less than twenty such acropolises within the territory of Feng State."

"Twenty seats?!" Li Neng screamed in shock and almost fell off his horse.

One Jinzhou Acropolis is so terrifying, twenty of them?

The national strength of Feng State... He didn't dare to think about it too much. He just felt a chill rising from his spine, followed by an indescribable awe.

When he looked at Li Che again, his eyes became extremely complicated.

What kind of terrifying country did this Sixth Prince build in this northern land outside the Great Wall?

Instead of entering the city, they went around it along the wide official road.

Even so, one can still feel the majestic momentum of this important military town.

On the road, besides their group, there were many other vehicles.

Four-wheeled carts loaded with grain, cloth, and ironware, pulled by two or even four strong draft horses, ran fast and steadily on the cement road.

"My brothers," Li Neng said, looking at the huge four-wheeled carriages, "why are these carriages so huge? Their wheels are different from the ones we have in the Central Plains. Moreover, they can run so fast and carry so much, yet they don't damage the road surface?"

This time it was Li Lin who took over the conversation. He pointed at a truck that had just passed by on the road:

"Tenth brother, look, the joints inside this wheel are made of iron. It's called an 'iron-hooped wheel' and is ten times stronger and more wear-resistant than a pure wooden wheel."

"As for this car..." He pointed at the frame, "It uses bearings made of fine steel, so it naturally has a heavy load capacity, runs faster, and is more durable."

"The cement road is already strong, and with the iron wheels distributing the weight, it's naturally less likely to be damaged."

"This kind of cart can carry three times the weight of an ordinary horse-drawn carriage in the Central Plains, but it is much faster."

Li Neng was dazzled by what he heard and murmured, "Iron hoop wheels... bearings... I've never heard of them before."

He was originally a carpentry enthusiast, and when he saw this new thing, his eyes were full of curiosity when he looked at Li Che:

"Sixth brother, were these made by Fengguo craftsmen? How much did they cost?"

Li Che nodded slightly. "The Ministry of Works has gathered skilled craftsmen from all over the world, and scholars from Fengguo University are constantly improving it. It's certainly expensive, but the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages."

"Half of Feng's wealth comes from trade routes. With these routes and these vehicles, goods can be transported north, south, east, and west. Taxes are naturally plentiful, and this in turn feeds the construction of roads, bridges, vehicles, and ships, thus forming a cycle."

Li Neng only half understood what he said. His talent and interest were obviously in engineering, and he had no knowledge of business affairs.

After walking a little further, there was a fork in the road ahead. There were clear signposts on the side of the road pointing to cities in different directions.

What surprised Li Neng even more was that every few meters on the roadside, there was a small stone house, and there seemed to be someone guarding it.

"Sixth Brother, what are those little houses for? Post stations, but post stations shouldn't be so crowded together."

Li Che had long been accustomed to this walking 'hundred thousand whys' and patiently explained: "That's the 'Road Maintenance Station'."

"There are stations every 20 miles, with dedicated personnel responsible for inspecting the road surface, clearing debris, and repairing minor damage."

"In case of major damage or rain or snow, we will promptly organize manpower for repairs to ensure that the roads are unobstructed."

He pointed to a group of Korean workers in uniform cleaning the roadside ditches in the distance and said, "Look, those are the road maintenance workers."

Li Neng was completely shocked.

After all, the official roads in Daqing are broken, so they are broken. Unless it affects the passage of the army or the passing of court officials, the local officials will not bother to pay attention.

But I didn't expect to see such a meticulous and thoughtful maintenance system in Fengguo.

The unprecedented knowledge impacted Li Neng’s young mind.

The strength of Feng State far exceeded his imagination.

This strength lies not only in strong cities and powerful guns.

It is more about the well-connected transportation, the efficient governance system, and the vigorous vitality!

The three of them ran for dozens of miles in one breath before Li Neng's excitement subsided and he went to rest in the carriage.

After a short rest, he got off the horse excitedly and rode on.

We rested for one night in an Acropolis we passed by and continued our journey the next day.

Li Neng's excitement had not yet subsided. From time to time, he would run to the front of the team to lead the way, and when he had nothing to do, he would ride his horse to chase passing roe deer and hares.

Li Che also knew that he had been suppressed for a long time, so as long as it didn't go too far, he would let him go.

Suddenly, Li Neng rode back on his horse, his tone full of excitement:

"Fourth Brother, Sixth Brother! Is that huge city ahead the Chaoyang City?"

Li Che and Li Lin smiled at each other, their gazes cast towards the majestic city in the distance, whose outlines were becoming clearer and clearer as it bathed in sunlight.

"No, that's not Chaoyang City." Li Che's voice was calm. "That's the capital of Feng State, Fengtian Prefecture!"