If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

"Feifei, how could I forget you? You're so important, of course you should be the last one!"

Zhou Wu only realized what had happened when he heard Zai Hongfei's voice; he had indeed completely forgotten about the other party.

"Hmph, don't give me that crap. Do you think I'm a child? So easily fooled?"

Zai Hongfei knew Zhou Wu all too well; how could he not see through such a small trick of his opponent?

"Look at what you're saying, I'm not lying to you. The construction of the South China Sea Island can't be done without your Medicine King Valley. The South China Sea Island is desolate and uninhabited, with snakes, insects, rats, and all kinds of poisonous creatures running rampant. If you don't send people, our construction work simply cannot proceed."

"Hmph, really."

"Realer than real gold."

"Since you speak so highly of yourself, then I'll have Yin Xue take some people with you."

"What, Yin Xue is going?"

When Zhou Wu heard that Zai Hongfei had actually sent his apprentice Yin Xue, he immediately panicked.

"What? Don't underestimate Yin Xue. She's inherited my true skills... in medicine."

"I don't mean to look down on Yin Xue, so let her be."

Zhou Wu knew that arguing with Zai Hongfei wouldn't change the outcome, so he simply let it be. Although Yin Xue was a bit crazy, her medical skills were indeed the true inheritance of Zai Hongfei.

. . . . .

The next day, Zhou Wu summoned Deng Yuanliang alone.

"Yuanliang, my initial plan is to build a city in the South China Sea, so we need a large number of workers of all kinds."

That's right, the most pressing issue in the South China Sea right now is the lack of labor.

"Sir, should we start building the city now? By the time the city is finished, we'll be all alone."

Regarding the labor force, Deng Yuanliang believed that as long as wages were paid, there would be as many workers as needed. His only concern was that Zhou Wu was taking too big a step, starting to build the city before even having any people under his jurisdiction, which would completely contradict his previous pace.

"Don't worry about that. Once the city is repaired, the people will naturally come."

In the past, land reclamation involved the imperial court exiling serious criminals to harsh and cold lands. Over time, the population gradually increased, eventually forming settlements, towns, and then cities.

Zhou Wu's move to build the city directly was indeed different from the past; it was too risky.

However, Zhou Wu was clearly not worried at all. As a modern man, he had many ways to attract people, so he was not concerned about the population problem.

"Since you have a solution, then I'll take care of the workers."

"Yuanliang, since the South China Sea is now my fiefdom, and I am now the Grand Commander of the South China Sea, I hereby appoint you as the Chief of the South China Sea (lower eighth rank), and give you full authority to oversee the construction work of the South China Sea."

"Ah~~~ Thank you very much, sir."

Deng Yuanliang originally wanted to pass the imperial examinations, but due to various unforeseen circumstances, he failed. Now, Zhou Wu has directly appointed him as the head of the South China Sea, which can be considered as fulfilling his wish. However, this is also what Deng Yuanliang deserves.

With his official position, Deng Yuanliang became even more motivated. He announced early on that he was recruiting workers, recruiting a large number of them. Since Niujia Town had also recruited a large number of workers when it built the city wall, and the wages were paid on time and the benefits were good, many people dropped everything and came to Niujia Town to report for duty as soon as they heard that Niujia Town was recruiting again.

"Gentlemen, the work location this time is not in Niujia Town, but on an island half a day's boat ride away from Niujia Town. But don't worry, the wages and benefits are the same as when we built the city wall last time. Moreover, there are boats going to and from Niujia Town every day, so you don't need to worry. Besides, everyone has witnessed the reputation of our Lord Zhou. Those who are willing to go, please line up and we will register you one by one."

As soon as the person in charge of recruitment finished speaking, the onlookers lined up on their own. Let alone an island that was only half a day's boat ride away, even if they were sent to Southeast Asia, as long as Lord Zhou guaranteed it, these people would do their duty without hesitation.

People from the surrounding areas of Qingyang County are flocking to Niujia Town because of Zhou Wu's reputation in Niujia Town, as well as the better benefits and treatment than other jobs. Moreover, the number of people needed this time far exceeds that of the last city wall construction, so it is definitely a big project. Naturally, everyone likes this kind of long-term work.

Within just three days, ships began continuously transporting workers to the South China Sea. The workers' task was to clear and level the city-building site enclosed by Zhou Wu. This work sounded simple, and it was indeed simple, though it was somewhat labor-intensive.

In this era without large machinery, all work had to be done by manpower, so efficiency was not high. Fortunately, there was strength in numbers, and a large number of workers were sent every day, and the progress of cleaning and leveling the ground was visible to the naked eye.

In addition to personnel, Deng Yuanliang also increased the procurement of grain from Southeast Asia. After all, with so many workers, the amount of grain consumed by each worker is considerable. Although the Great Dragon Empire now has potatoes and corn, the planting time is still relatively short, so there is not much surplus grain at present.

Moreover, the rice that Deng Yuanliang purchased from the Moon Man Kingdom was not expensive and the process was fast, so for the time being, purchasing from the Moon Man Kingdom was adopted.

Besides manpower and food, many other building materials were produced and sold locally on the South China Sea islands as much as possible. So before the city was even built, workshops of all sizes sprang up everywhere.

Sand and gravel workshops, brick and stone workshops, lumber mills, blacksmith shops, etc.

However, there are still some materials that cannot be produced locally, so they need to be purchased from various places. This has led to Niujia Town's trading ships not only going to Southeast Asia to purchase grain, but also buying building materials all over the Great Dragon Empire. At the same time, news of the South China Sea Island spread throughout the world.

Now, whether it's the Great Dragon Empire or Southeast Asian countries, everyone is discussing what makes the construction of the South China Sea islands so unique and why such a large-scale project is being undertaken.

The reputation of Nanhai Island had already spread even while it was still under construction, something Zhou Wu and his group hadn't expected.

. . . . . .

"Finally finished."

Zhou Wu stretched. These days, he had basically locked himself in his study, his purpose being to draw up the blueprints for the first city in the South China Sea.

Because he had no experience in architectural design, Zhou Wu looked at the blueprints of Chang'an City from the Tang Dynasty and said that he had seen them online by chance before and had some impression of them. He then made some modifications based on his own ideas, and now the blueprints are finally finished.

"Someone is coming."

"exist."

"Send someone to deliver these blueprints to Yuanliang."

"Yes, my lord."

Since Yuan Liang was put in charge of the entire city's construction, Zhou Wu naturally wouldn't interfere easily, only offering guidance in some important areas. In reality, Zhou Wu simply wanted to shirk his responsibilities.