Brother, just how powerful is our family?

The construction process was arduous.

There were no ready-made roads, no ready-made houses, and no ready-made factories.

Everything has to start from scratch. But the descendants of Yan and Huang are not afraid of hardship.

They have a lifespan of 30,000 years, physical qualities a hundred times greater than those of ordinary people, and powerful learning and creative abilities.

Give them a piece of land, and they can build a city.

Give them a city, and they can create a civilization.

In just a few decades, the Yanhuang civilization established hundreds of new nodal galaxies on the Orion Arm.

From the near-space region a few hundred light-years away from the solar system to the deep space a few thousand light-years away, the footprints of the descendants of Yan and Huang are found in every corner of the Orion Arm.

On every life-bearing planet, a blue flag with a golden dragon flies.

In each spaceport, spaceships of the Yanhuang civilization are docked.

Every communication line carries the language of the Yanhuang civilization.

The Orion Arm is becoming the backyard of the Yanhuang civilization.

Along with expansion, the birth rate is also accelerating.

Two hundred billion people is a drop in the ocean compared to the hundreds of millions of life-bearing planets in the Orion Arm.

With an average population of less than two thousand per planet, not even a decent community can be built.

The Yanhuang civilization needs more people, more labor force, more soldiers, more scientists, more engineers, and more people to develop those distant planets.

Therefore, childbirth has been elevated to the highest priority.

Every family is encouraged to have at least four children.

Families with six or more children are entitled to additional housing subsidies, education subsidies, and medical subsidies.

Families with ten or more children are awarded the title of "Heroic Parents" and enjoy lifelong honors and special treatment.

The policy has been effective.

Over the decades, the population of the Yanhuang civilization grew from 200 billion to 300 billion, then to 400 billion, and then to 500 billion.

Every newborn is the future of the Yanhuang civilization.

They will grow into geniuses through genetic optimization, learn knowledge in the education system, and find their place in the wave of expansion.

On a newly colonized planet deep within the Orion Arm, a young mother stands by the window, holding her newborn baby.

Outside the window is a primeval forest, with huge trees towering into the clouds and exotic birds flying among the canopy.

In the distance, the construction team's machines are roaring, and a new city is rising from the ground.

"You were born here," the mother whispered to the baby. "You are the first Yanhuang citizen on this planet. When you grow up, this planet will be your home. You will go to school here, work here, get married here, and have children here. Your children will continue to live on this planet, generation after generation, until this planet becomes another Yanhuang continent."

The baby opened its big eyes and looked at the world outside the window.

He didn't know what his mother was saying, but he could feel her love.

That kind of love transcends thousands of light-years, transcends time and space, and connects the past and the future.

Expansion and reproduction will be the main theme of the Yanhuang civilization for the next few hundred years.

However, expansion should not be blind, and reproduction should not be unlimited.

The Yanhuang civilization had a clear strategic plan: first occupy key nodes, and then gradually fill in secondary areas.

Develop resource-rich planets first, then develop planets with less favorable conditions.

First, establish a basic industrial system, and then gradually improve the level of science and technology.

At an academic institute conference, Qin Wanjuan proposed a bold idea: "We don't need to develop every life-bearing planet into a bustling metropolis. Many planets can serve as nature reserves, gene banks, or tourist destinations. We only need to establish sufficiently powerful outposts at key nodes to control the entire spiral arm."

His idea was approved by Qin Feng.

Expansion is not about spreading out like a pancake, but about weaving a net.

The mesh can be large, but the network cable must be strong enough.

Node galaxies are where network lines intersect, where power is concentrated, and where the radiation of civilization originates.

According to this concept, the Yanhuang civilization planned thousands of nodal galaxies on the Orion Arm.

The distances between them range from tens to hundreds of light-years, and each possesses a complete industrial system, scientific research system, and defense system.

The node galaxies are connected by a stargate network, enabling the rapid deployment of personnel and supplies in an instant.

From the node closest to the solar system to the farthest node, a distance of thousands of light-years can be traversed with just a few jumps.

This layout greatly enhances the presence of the Yanhuang civilization on the Orion Arm.

If any node galaxy is attacked, other node galaxies can send reinforcements instantly.

If any node galaxy discovers new resources, other node galaxies can instantly send out development teams.

The entire rotating arm was firmly held in the hands of the Yanhuang civilization.

In the decades following the extermination of the Qiong beast, the Yanhuang civilization entered a period of rapid development.

The population is growing, the territory is expanding, and technology is advancing.

One after another, blue flags with golden dragons have been raised on the life-bearing planets in the Orion Arm.

Those worlds that once slept in darkness were awakened by the footsteps of the descendants of Yan and Huang.

But expansion comes at a price.

Each new colonized planet requires a significant investment of resources.

Every spaceport requires the hard work of countless people.

Each stargate channel requires long-term maintenance by scientists and engineers.

Although the Yanhuang civilization was powerful, its resources and manpower were not unlimited.

The speed of expansion must match the rate of population growth and the speed of technological development; otherwise, haste makes waste.

Qin Feng pointed this out at a high-level meeting.

"Expansion is not a sprint, it's a marathon. We can't take over all the planets at once. We don't have that many people, we don't have that many resources. We need to take it one step at a time, steadily and surely."

His instructions were: control the expansion rate, prioritize the development of nodal star systems closer to the solar system, and gradually extend outwards.

At the same time, we will continue to encourage childbirth and accelerate population growth.

Once the population reaches a sufficient size, then accelerate expansion.

This strategy is called the "steady approach strategy".

It is not conservative, but steady. It is not retreating, but accumulating strength.

The Yanhuang civilization had enough time and enough patience.

Their lifespan of 30,000 years allows them to calmly plan for development over the next few hundred or even several thousand years.

Over several decades, the Yanhuang civilization established hundreds of node star systems on the Orion Arm and developed thousands of life-bearing planets.

Hundreds of billions of Chinese people live and thrive on these planets.

They planted seeds they brought from Earth, raised livestock they brought from Earth, and built structures they learned from Earth.

Every planet has become a miniature Earth.

Every descendant of Yan and Huang has become a pioneer.

On a planet deep within the Orion Arm, there is a newly built city.

In the center of the city is a square, where a blue flag with a golden dragon stands.

Beneath the flagpole, a stone tablet bears several lines of inscription—

"In the 4940th year of the Yellow Emperor's era, the Yanhuang civilization expanded to this place. This planet has since become the home of the descendants of Yanhuang. May future generations forever remember that though the starry sky is vast, wherever there is a flag, that is our homeland."

Beside the stone tablet was a young mother and her child.

The child was toddling towards the flag. The mother crouched behind him, arms outstretched, and called out with a smile, "Come here, come to Mommy."

The child took a few steps and fell. He didn't cry, got up, and kept walking.

He took a few more steps and fell again. He got up and kept walking.

Finally, he reached into his mother's arms.

His mother picked him up, kissed his cheek, and said with a smile, "You are a descendant of Yan and Huang. Descendants of Yan and Huang will not fall down; even if they do, they will get up on their own."

The child didn't understand the meaning of those words, but he remembered his mother's smile.

That was his earliest memory. That memory would stay with him for the rest of his life.

As the sun sets, the blue flag with a golden dragon flutters in the evening breeze.

On the construction site in the distance, the machinery was still roaring. Further away, the primeval forest fell silent in the twilight.

This planet is still young, this city is still young, this child is still young.

But they all have a future. A bright and boundless future belonging to the Yanhuang civilization.

The Orion Arm is becoming the home of the Yanhuang civilization.

And those more distant, more expansive star systems await.

We await the footsteps of the descendants of Yan and Huang, we await the raising of the blue flag with a golden dragon, and we await the next wave of expansion.