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

Originally, Zhou Wu was just taking these officials on a stopover in the South China Sea. However, after seeing the development in the South China Sea, these officials became more confident and expressed their willingness to follow Zhou Wu to make a difference in the easternmost region.

After spending a few days in the South China Sea, Zhou Wu led these officials to set off first. The supplies to aid Dongji would take time to prepare and would arrive later.

Upon arriving at the East Pole, the young officials, who had been brimming with enthusiasm, were completely dumbfounded.

"As the saying goes, even a broken ship has three thousand nails, but Dongji probably doesn't have even three nails."

"This is even poorer than my hometown."

"Sigh, as expected, we were too happy too soon."

It was called a dock, but it was really just a few wooden walkways. In the nearby village, there were scattered wooden shacks, which were considered better than nothing, as at least there was a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Most people just lay down by the roadside, using the sky as their blanket and the ground as their bed.

"Doesn't this better demonstrate our usefulness?"

Amidst a sigh, the same young man appeared again, his face showing no trace of sorrow, but rather excitement.

. . . . . .

Despite the difficulties, since we've already come this far, the work must continue.

Under Zhou Wu's bold and decisive leadership, construction work in Dongji began to slowly commence.

Countless supplies were transported from the South China Sea, and with the support of these supplies, the environment in Dongji has gradually improved.

The original Fusang people, now known as the Dongji people, were initially hostile to the arrival of these dragon people. However, they gradually discovered that these dragon people were not like the previous nobles who only knew how to exploit and wage war. They were genuinely engaged in development, and at least now they could eat two free meals of thin porridge every day, so they wouldn't starve to death.

"Sir, the purchased seeds have arrived. Shall we distribute them?"

Seeing that there was still a chance to catch up with the farming season, Zhou Wu knew that the local people would not be able to grow anything under normal circumstances. So he had already ordered people to purchase seeds in large quantities in Dalong, hoping to have a good harvest in the fall and at least solve the basic problem of feeding the people.

"Make arrangements immediately to distribute seeds to the people free of charge according to the amount of land they own. However, when distributing the seeds, tell them that the government will only be distributing them free of charge this time."

To prevent these people from becoming so hungry that they ate the seeds as well, Zhou Wu had to make the unpleasant point clear upfront.

Zhou Wu not only distributed seeds for free, but also provided farmers with some basic farming tools. This was actually a shameless act. The long-standing civil war in Dongji had left these people with almost nothing left. Almost no family owned ironware, and they used earthenware pots to cook.

However, it was precisely these actions that earned Zhou Wu and the Great Dragon Dynasty the strong support and endorsement of the people of the Eastern Pole. This was because no nobleman had ever genuinely cared about the people, and no one even cared about their lives. The nobles were always concerned with collecting taxes and conscripting soldiers.

. . . . . . .

Just when everything was progressing smoothly in the East Pole, an unexpected incident occurred.

"Sir, recently there have been frequent sightings of unidentified vessels at sea, seemingly monitoring Dongji."

Lin Niangzi is now the highest-ranking naval officer under Zhou Wu. In addition to being responsible for maritime security in Hainan, Dongji is also under her jurisdiction. Because Dongji is currently experiencing a shortage of supplies, transport ships frequently travel between Dongji, the South China Sea, and the inland areas of Dalong. Lin Niangzi also often takes the opportunity to visit Zhou Wu in Dongji.

Therefore, the unidentified ships at sea were discovered immediately, but each time they spotted Lin Niangzi and her companions, they immediately fled.

"Unidentified vessel?"

"Yes, it's a Raven-class."

"Another Raven-level enemy. Do you know which faction this is?"

"They don't fly any flags of any faction, so it's unclear."

When Zhou Wu and Lin Niangzi learned that the other party was a Raven-class warship, they already had their answer in mind. There were basically only a few forces that possessed Raven-class warships. The fact that the other party was closely monitoring them and running away whenever they saw them meant that they were enemies, not friends. They were probably pirates from Europe, and maybe even the same group of guys who came to cause trouble last time.

"How annoying flies are."

When these European pirates came to cause trouble, Zhou Wu was furious.

Since I didn't eliminate them completely back then, and now they still dare to have designs on me, then they shouldn't blame me for being ruthless. It's time to show the world the power of the Great Dragon.

In a few breaths, Zhou Wu made a decision: the Great Dragon could no longer lie low, nor was there any need for it to. With the Great Dragon's current strength, no independent country in the world could rival it.

"You were humiliated for nearly a hundred years in your past life, now it's time for you to pay your debts."

"Sir, what did you say?"

"nothing."

Madam Lin was certain that she had heard Zhou Wu muttering something, but since Zhou Wu was unwilling to say, she didn't press him for details.

. . . . . . .

In the afternoon, Zhou Wu became increasingly angry as he thought about it. Why was it always foreign invasions of our Great Dragon?

The Great Dragon Dynasty is now militarily strong and economically powerful, and could easily switch roles. Why can't the Great Dragon be the aggressor?

Zhou Wu immediately lay down on the table and wrote furiously. He wrote a secret letter to Li Tiancheng, directly telling the emperor his thoughts.

Li Tiancheng was a founding emperor, having helped his father establish the empire. Therefore, deep down, he still harbored a restless and violent streak.

He certainly agreed with Zhou Wu's idea. Not only could it promote the fame of the Great Dragon, but more importantly, Zhou Wu said it could also help the Great Dragon plunder more wealth.

However, Li Tiancheng thought more deeply than Zhou Wu. He knew that the civil and military officials would certainly not agree to such an invasion of another country, and it would also damage the emperor's reputation if word got out.

Zhou Wu remained silent for a long time after looking at the emperor's superstitious reply.

The problem Li Tiancheng mentioned is indeed the biggest obstacle at present. The officials will not agree to such an open and aboveboard invasion of another country, and the people will not understand it, thinking that the emperor is not a benevolent ruler.

"Oh, right, voyages to the West."

Zhou Wu quickly came up with a solution: he could emulate the voyages of the past, ostensibly promoting the Great Dragon and engaging in maritime trade, but who knew what might happen after they set sail?

Information within China is obtained through official channels. If a conflict breaks out, we can easily find an excuse to cover it up, such as claiming they are cunning and robbing a Chinese merchant caravan.

In this way, the emperor has both substance and face.

. . . . . . .

Zhou Wu's idea was perfect, and Li Tiancheng naturally agreed wholeheartedly. He immediately ordered Zhou Wu to begin arranging this expedition—no, it was an inspection tour—to promote the prestige of the Great Dragon Empire to the world.

When patrolling overseas, in addition to merchant ships, armed ships are naturally indispensable for escort. However, no one seems to have noticed that there are far more armed ships than merchant ships.

Not only Zhou Wu's fleet, but Li Tiancheng also transferred most of his newly formed royal fleet, hoping that these people could also gain experience together.

The scale of this patrol was unprecedented, with nearly two hundred ships of all types. Don't underestimate these two hundred ships; they are all large-tonnage warships, not just small sampans to make up the numbers.

The dock simply couldn't accommodate so many ships, and many had to anchor in the nearshore waters. The vast fleet filled Zhou Wu with confidence. He had already planned to sail along the coastline toward Europe. If the countries he encountered along the way were obedient, he would befriend them, have them become his subjects and pay tribute. If they were disobedient and wanted to rebel, then they couldn't blame him. Turning them into colonies of the Great Dragon would be their honor.

Of course, Zhou Wu's ultimate goal was to wipe out those European pirates. After all, he wanted to develop the East Pole, but the pirates were still eyeing it. He couldn't blame himself for not giving them a way out.

Zhou Wu personally led the invincible fleet of the Great Dragon on an expedition; it was time to plant the banner of the Great Dragon Dynasty throughout the world.