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

"Zhou Wu, seafood is indeed freshest when it comes from the sea."

When you come to the South China Sea, you have to eat seafood. Zhou Wu arranged a big table full of fresh seafood, all of which were selected from fishing boats that had just returned to port that day.

"If Your Majesty likes it, then eat more."

"What is this?"

"Your Majesty, this is taro, a large taro, a specialty of the South China Sea."

Among the table full of seafood, a plate of something unfamiliar suddenly appeared, and Li Tiancheng was immediately drawn to it.

"How do you eat this?"

"Your Majesty, it is steamed in plain water. It can be eaten directly, but it would be better if you dipped it in some white sugar."

Sure enough, next to the sliced ​​taro was a small dish of white sugar. Li Tiancheng picked up a piece, dipped it in the sugar, and put it in his mouth with a puzzled look. Whether it tasted good or not could already be seen from the expression on his face.

"It's so delicious! This stuff is sweet, soft, and chewy; it's truly a delicacy."

Li Tiancheng ate several pieces in a row.

"Your Majesty, don't eat too much of this, it will make you bloated."

"When I return to the capital, pack some for me, and remember to pay tribute on time in the future."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

In fact, this was exactly the result Zhou Wu wanted. Taro from the South China Sea is easy to grow and has a high yield. Each mature taro is the size of a strong man's arm. Although potatoes and corn are now grown in the mainland, it is always a good thing to increase the diversity of food.

Moreover, the South China Sea is rich in sugarcane, which is excellent for making sugar.

Sugar is now considered a luxury item in Dalong because Dalong itself doesn't produce much sugar. Almost all of it is transported from abroad by foreign merchants and sold there, so the price has always remained high.

Zhou Wu didn't want to make money from sugar; on the contrary, he wanted to bring down the prices of sugar and other inflated food items.

When will His Majesty return to the capital?

"What, you're kicking me out as soon as I arrived?"

"That's not what I meant. Your Majesty probably slipped out secretly this time, didn't you?"

"Uh... she's just smart, hmph."

If Li Tiancheng came to the South China Sea openly and honestly, then Zhou Wu, as the host, would certainly treat him well and show him all over the South China Sea without any problem.

The problem is that Li Tiancheng came out secretly. If he is discovered, it's fine, but if something unexpected happens, Zhou Wu will definitely be implicated.

I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning.

Fortunately, Li Tiancheng said he would be going back first thing tomorrow morning. As for the hot air balloon, it can be considered that Li Tiancheng's wish to fly has been fulfilled.

The next day, Li Tiancheng's imperial dragon boat set sail back, and of course, he extorted a lot from Zhou Wu, including a boatload of taro and various fruits. As for seafood, that stuff made the dragon boat smell fishy. Anyway, nowadays, ships from the South China Sea arrive in the capital every day or two, so it's not as difficult to eat seafood as it used to be.

"Zhou Wu, hurry up and improve your hot air balloon. And don't forget, you still hold the official position of Director of the Firearms Bureau."

Zhou Wu understood that Li Tiancheng was reminding him not to forget the firearms he had promised Li Tiancheng while developing the South China Sea.

Zhou Wu was sweating profusely. He had completely forgotten that he was still the director of the Firearms Bureau. At the beginning, he was doing a great job, asking the emperor for so many craftsmen. But now that he had a laboratory, he had completely forgotten about it.

. . . . . . .

As a lord, Zhou Wu was extremely dutiful, but as a subordinate, he was indeed very negligent.

Only after being reminded by the emperor did Zhou Wu remember that he also had a firearms bureau.

Standing at the entrance of the Firearms Bureau, Zhou Wu felt a pang of emotion; the last time he had come here was already the last time.

"Sir, you are here."

Huang Laosan saw Zhou Wu from afar. After several months apart, Huang Laosan's feelings upon seeing Zhou Wu again were indescribable.

When Zhou Wu first came to the South China Sea, he would go to the Ordnance Bureau every few days. But then he suddenly disappeared. This made Huang Laosan, who had experience in the workplace in the capital, wonder if he had offended his superiors again and was being neglected.

That's why when Huang Laosan saw Zhou Wu again, he was so excited that he couldn't speak properly.

"Haha, I've been so busy with things in my fiefdom lately, I haven't had a moment to spare. How's the firearms bureau doing lately?"

Zhou Wu could only make up an excuse to brush it off, but when these words reached Huang Laosan's ears, he felt much better.

It turns out that the adults didn't intentionally neglect me and the Firearms Bureau. It's just that the fiefdom is too busy. That makes sense. The fiefdom is so big, there must be a lot of complicated things to do. How could they have time to guard the Firearms Bureau every day? It's already good enough that they can come and visit often.

Having figured all this out, Huang Laosan regained his confidence.

"My lord, during this period, should we follow your instructions and increase the production of muskets, or should we improve the cannons? Currently, the improvement of cannons has made a major breakthrough. After repeated experiments, the stability of the synthetic metal cannons has been basically confirmed, and they have fully met the standards for mass production."

"Really? That's great, Lao Huang. You deserve the credit for the artillery incident."

"No, no, it's all thanks to your wise leadership, sir."

Why does this sound so familiar?

The materials for the cannons have been successfully prepared, and Huang Laosan has even cast several prototypes. In addition, the cannonballs are based on Zhou Wu's previous ideas, with several different models available.

"Let's go, fire a few shots and see."

At the artillery testing range, the latest type of artillery was brought up, and the soldiers began preparations for firing according to training requirements.

"Report, artillery firing preparations are complete."

"put."

"Boom~~~"

A deafening roar erupted; the naked eye couldn't keep up with the speed of the shells. All that could be seen was the distant stone target suddenly exploding.

"Excellent! The accuracy and range far surpass those of the original artillery."

Zhou Wu never expected that even without him, these craftsmen could achieve such results.

Originally, I came to the Ordnance Bureau just to make arrangements for the next steps, but I didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain.

Zhou Wu summoned everyone in the Firearms Bureau, gave each person a bonus, and arranged a dinner for everyone. Sure enough, this move immediately boosted the morale of the Firearms Bureau, which had been "neglected" for several months.

"Everyone has worked hard during this period, but with such achievements, I believe all the hard work has been worthwhile. His Majesty mentioned the Firearms Bureau a few days ago, and I didn't expect our Firearms Bureau to gain such great honor. I will submit a memorial to His Majesty tomorrow to request commendations for everyone."

"What? His Majesty has personally intervened in our Firearms Bureau?"

“We never had such a good thing back in the palace.”

"It seems that coming to the South China Sea has turned out to be a blessing in disguise."

Everyone chimed in, each offering their own opinion, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"Sir, what should our Firearms Bureau focus on next?"

Huang Laosan truly lived up to his reputation as a leader; even when everyone was completely absorbed in their own thoughts, he still remembered to ask Zhou Wu about work.