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

“I had envisioned this from the beginning. The most important industries in the fiefdom are trade and fishing. I can’t put both of these in one basket, so I’ll have to choose one.”

Zhou Wu didn't hide anything. As a lord, his plans would definitely differ from those of these merchants, so he directly refused.

Seeing how decisive Zhou Wu was, the merchants stopped mentioning the matter.

Next, everyone offered many more ideas. In Zhou Wu's view, these opinions were a mix of good and bad. But to be honest, although the businessmen had their own selfish motives, it has to be said that these ideas did indeed greatly contribute to the development of the South China Sea islands.

For example, mining, forestry resources, rubber resources discovered by Zhou Wu, shipbuilding, and so on.

Zhou Wu adopted all the good suggestions and said that they would be implemented soon, but the implementation of many things was different from what the businessmen had thought.

Take mining as an example. In the past, merchants would simply pay a fixed price to buy the mines, and then the imperial court would have no say in the matter. But in Zhouwu, it was different. Instead of selling to you at a fixed price, it was a contract system. You would sign a three- or five-year contract, pay a certain contract fee, and Zhouwu would also take a certain percentage of the profits from the transactions during the contract period.

In fact, both sides felt they were at a disadvantage and it wasn't worth it. The businessman felt that this method yielded far less profit compared to before, and Zhou Wu was taking a cut without doing anything.

Zhou Wu felt he was losing out because he could have mined these minerals himself, but he didn't have the energy right now, and he resorted to this desperate measure in order to quickly make money.

However, the two sides eventually reached an agreement. After all, even a small profit is still a profit. In Zhou Wu's words, "You suffer a loss here, but I will make up for it in other places."

After spending time together, everyone has come to understand Zhou Wu. Although he is young, he is definitely steady and reliable in his work.

Moreover, unlike other officials who only summon merchants when they have value and dismiss them when they don't, Zhou Wu never does that. Just like the discussion we just had, if it's okay, it's okay; if it's not okay, it's not okay. He puts everything out in the open.

"Actually, I have another small idea that I'd like to discuss with everyone."

Just when everyone thought the meeting had come to a successful conclusion, Zhou Wu spoke up.

"Oh, sir, please speak."

The crowd quieted down, eager to hear Zhou Wu's different perspective.

“I think we certainly can’t give up traditional industries, but we haven’t made full use of the biggest advantage of the South China Sea islands.”

Zhou Wu kept everyone in suspense, which piqued everyone's interest.

"My lord, what is the greatest advantage of the South China Sea islands?"

Old Ge, still shameless, asked again.

"Nanhai Island, except for the extremely hot summer, is warm like spring in the other three seasons. Coupled with its unique coastal scenery, don't you all think it's a very suitable place to live?"

When Zhou Wu said that, everyone realized what he meant. When they first arrived at the South China Sea Island, they were full of praise for the climate and the scenery they had never seen before. However, after staying there for a while, they got used to it and didn't pay much attention to it.

However, as Zhou Wu said, the South China Sea is indeed a very livable place in terms of climate, scenery, and everything else.

"My lord, you mean real estate? But my lord, the South China Sea is just starting out in every aspect, and it's located at the southernmost tip of the Great Dragon. I'm afraid the real estate industry will be difficult to..."

This person put it very tactfully, and the others nodded in agreement. Although Zhou Wu's idea was good, it wouldn't be effective for the next few years.

Poor people can't afford it, and rich people can't possibly give up their existing businesses, networks, and jobs and move to your South Island.

At first, everyone thought Zhou Wu had some good ideas, but when they heard it was about real estate, they shook their heads in disappointment.

"I'm not talking about real estate, I'm talking about the tourism industry."

"Tourism?"

This is the first time the term "tourism industry" has appeared in people's ears.

"Sir, may I ask what the tourism industry is?"

Businessmen are the group most willing to accept new things. When Zhou Wu introduced a new term, everyone's eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge.

"Tourism, simply put, is about attracting people to visit our South China Sea islands."

"Come to play? What does their coming to play have to do with us?"

Most people didn't understand the profit model of the tourism industry, so they were somewhat disappointed. However, a small number of people fell into deep thought because they knew that Zhou Wu wouldn't say these things for no reason; there must be something that they didn't understand.

"I remember your family owns a restaurant in the South China Sea, right?"

Zhou Wu pointed to the person who had just asked the question and asked.

"Yes, my lord."

"If tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of tourists visit the South China Sea islands every year, where do you think they will stay?"

A very simple example: it left the businessman frozen in place, his eyes wide open like saucers.

"Do you own a restaurant?"

"Yes."

Is your home...?

Zhou Wu pointed his finger at them and asked questions one after another. Everyone present had a business that was somewhat related to the tourism industry, but they just hadn't had this concept before.

After asking around, everyone expressed great interest in the tourism industry, but there was also a very real issue facing them.

"Sir, tourism sounds good, but what makes us attractive to everyone? Our scenery is nice, but there are other places with equally good scenery."

Zhou Wu had already thought about this problem. Indeed, in this day and age, without all kinds of pollution, the natural scenery is not bad. Why would anyone come to your South China Sea island?

"Don't worry, everyone. Although there are similar landscapes elsewhere, we can offer something unique to other places to attract our guests."

"What are your thoughts?"

"I do have some ideas, but you might not be able to grasp them just by saying them out loud, so please allow me a few days to prepare. When the time comes, I'll definitely open your eyes."

. . . . . . .

"My lord, is this a delaying tactic, or do you truly have a good plan?"

After the businessmen left, Deng Yuanliang was the first to get restless. After all, he also valued the tourism industry that Zhou Wu had proposed. If what Zhou Wu said was true, the development of the South China Sea would definitely be rapid.

"You think I'm just talking big? Don't worry, you'll be worshipping me in a few days."

It's not that Zhou Wu is unwilling to talk about it, but rather that people simply can't grasp what he's thinking if he just says it out loud. So he plans to make a design drawing and some models, which might be more intuitive.

Zhou Wu instructed his servants to find some carpenters and painters. Since the city was under construction, carpenters were easy to find, but painters...