Upon hearing Liu Cheng's words, everyone present changed their expressions.

Over the years, the emperor led his army and people to continuously expand the territory, and countless people moved away from their homeland to live thousands of miles away.

These migrants, besides seeking a better life, were mostly responding to the emperor's call to establish a safe haven for their descendants to thrive.

Therefore, the values ​​of the Han people today are to constantly explore and expand, and those who dare to abandon foreign lands will undoubtedly be regarded as deserters and forever nailed to the pillar of shame.

A young man surnamed Yang quickly explained, "Your Highness, we have absolutely no intention of abandoning this place. We are just a little..."

Liu Cheng glanced at them: "I know it's not that you dislike this place, you're just dissatisfied. You think your abilities are no less than others? Is that so?"

Everyone nodded silently: "Yes..."

"But have you ever considered whether you could have achieved what you have today without the support of your family?"

"cannot……"

Everyone lowered their heads again.

Looking around at everyone, Liu Cheng said loudly, "Everyone, whether you are the direct descendants of your families, in the eyes of the Emperor and the court, you are all the same. You are all meritorious officials of our Great Han."

If one day in the future, all people within the four seas are Han Chinese, then the names of you pioneers will be recorded in history.

We pursue a brighter future, not to prove ourselves or compete with others after achieving a little success!

"We have learned a great deal!"

Liu Cheng's words made everyone feel ashamed, but also further strengthened their resolve to continue exploring this area.

In fact, these people had heard Liu Cheng's sermons many times before from officials and students, to the point that they were tired of hearing them.

However, what you say depends on who you're talking to.

The same words, when spoken by officials and students, are nothing more than cheap slogans. They may listen, but they will certainly have other thoughts in their minds.

However, when it came from the mouth of Crown Prince Liu Cheng, the effect was immediately different. They would not only listen, but also do it without fail.

After calming these people down, Liu Cheng set off again the next day, heading towards Linhai City.

Along the way, Liu Cheng was warmly welcomed by the local people in every city he passed through.

In particular, those noble lords who had surrendered from their homeland tried every means to place their daughters in Liu Cheng's arms.

However, like his father, Liu Cheng treated all foreigners who had submitted to the Han Dynasty equally, but deep down he still harbored a sense of pride in the supremacy of the Han people.

Foreign women may be beautiful, but their blood must never be allowed to flow into the royal family.

Furthermore, Liu Cheng, who had already married Zhen Mi and the two Qiao sisters, really looked down on these women from other ethnic groups.

However, for political reasons, and also to reassure these local noble leaders to help the Han Dynasty, Liu Cheng accepted some women of good appearance and character and then bestowed them upon Zhou Yu, Sun Ce and others as concubines.

Like Liu Hong, since the ruler cannot intermarry with foreign tribes due to bloodline reasons, he can only ask his subordinates to make sacrifices.

However, judging from the joyful expressions on the faces of Guo Jia, Sima Yi, Sun Ce, and others as they embraced the beauties, it seems they were hoping for even more such sacrifices.

Even the usually straightforward Cao Zhang only understood why there were so many exotic women in his hometown after experiencing the charm of two beautiful women from different regions.

So this is what fatherhood brings!

Thinking of his father being surrounded by beautiful women from all over the country every day, Cao Zhang finally understood how his father felt when he was young.

For the local noble leaders, although their daughters did not become the women of the Crown Prince of Han, they were still content.

Those who can serve by the Crown Prince's side will surely be granted titles and high positions in the future. It would be a good prospect for my daughter to become a concubine of such a person.

January 15th, the 26th year of the Kaiyuan era.

As Liu Cheng and his party continued their journey, a palace with distinctive Han Dynasty architectural features rose up in the east of Linhai City.

Jian Shuo, Chu Qian, along with local officials, students, and estate owners, all eagerly awaited Liu Cheng's arrival.

As for the local people, under the urging of those officials and students, they also diligently studied Chinese.

Therefore, nowadays, people in Linhai City, whether locals or from elsewhere, can basically communicate in simple Chinese.

Half a month later, Liu Cheng and his party finally arrived in Linhai City.

Here, Liu Cheng once again received a grand welcome, not only from the locals of Linhai, but also from people from several surrounding cities and ports.

Having received the same treatment many times before, Liu Cheng was already used to it. He also knew that he could be said to be the first prince in the history of the Han Dynasty to be sent abroad as the crown prince, not to mention that he would have to stay here for several more years.

After moving into the palace, the first thing Liu Cheng did was to meet with officials, students, medical students, merchants, and estate owners from all over Yizhou who came to pay their respects, and to learn in detail about the political, educational, medical, and economic development of Yizhou.

The people of Illinois were full of praise for Liu Cheng, who quickly got back to work.

Subsequently, on Guo Jia's advice, Liu Cheng released all 400,000-plus laborers in Illinois.

These laborers were prisoners captured by Chu Qian and his men after defeating Parthia, as well as slaves sent by Parthia as compensation for the war.

The hard work and dedication of these laborers are a testament to Illinois's rapid recovery and development over the past few years.

Therefore, Liu Cheng also had these laborers registered in the Han nationality. While announcing the Han Dynasty's policy towards the Han people, he also arranged land and houses for them and gave them priority in factories and workshops in various places.

Think about it, now they have not only regained their freedom, but also obtained the Han Chinese identity they had always dreamed of. From now on, they only need to work hard to be well-fed and clothed. Compared with the life of forced labor in the past, they now have a bright future that they can see, and they will naturally be grateful.

Wherever there is a place, it is only natural that the strong live and the weak die. The Parthians who became laborers were very satisfied with the preferential treatment given to them by Liu Cheng, and naturally no one would miss the rule of the former Parthian king.

Of course, Liu Cheng would not only show his benevolent side. Having been educated by Liu Hong since childhood, he also knew that if an emperor is only benevolent and kind, then he will only be met with deception and betrayal.