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

Chapter 62 Internal Affairs Construction of Niujia Village

"Scholar, the disaster situation has now stabilized, there are almost no more refugees, and the situation on all sides is stabilizing."

To be honest, Zhou Wu is basically in charge of Niujia Village now, but as the village head, Niu Ye still cares about all kinds of things in the village every day and is willing to assist Zhou Wu.

"Uncle Niu, how many people are there in our village now?"

Zhou Wu hadn't inquired about the village's situation for some time.

"Scholar, apart from the Qingyang Army, our village now has 2,328 people."

Niujia Village was almost at three thousand people, but the establishment of the Qingyang Army absorbed many young men, so Niujia Village has now returned to a population of just over two thousand.

"Has the village been facing any difficulties lately?"

"There are no problems at the moment. You arranged for people to renovate the village, especially the construction of houses. Although many newly joined villagers still do not have their own houses, the new houses are being built in an orderly manner. They are being allocated according to the order in which they joined Niujia Village, and no one has any objections. At the latest, everyone will be able to get a house before the Spring Festival."

"That's right, since everyone has more houses to live in, their hearts are also in Niujia Village."

Zhou Wu recognized Niu Ye's abilities. Unlike other older people who relied on their age, Niu Ye, though not having many ideas, truly had a heart dedicated to the villagers.

"Scholar, I have a question."

"Master Niu, please speak."

“Our village is getting bigger and bigger, and there’s not enough farmland to go around. Many people are still relying on the village for help.”

After struggling for a moment, Uncle Niu finally spoke up. He knew Zhou Wu had a lot on his plate and didn't want him to worry about it anymore, but this matter was indeed beyond his capabilities, and if it wasn't handled properly, it would be very troublesome.

"Yuanliang, don't you have six ships on your side now?"

"Sir, the sailors on all six ships were recruited from this village, but that still can't satisfy everyone."

Deng Yuanliang's answer left Zhou Wu speechless. He had thought that the fleet would solve some employment problems, but he didn't expect that they had already done it first.

"Brother Niu, roughly how much of a gap is left?"

"If we calculate based on the minimum number of able-bodied persons per household, there is still a shortage of about 300 people."

Zhou Wu understood that this was already the minimum standard. He rubbed his forehead, as this problem seemed to have stumped him as well.

"As the saying goes, those who live near the mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near the sea live off the sea. Our Niujia Village is located by the endless sea, so we can only find some ways to make a living from the sea."

“Scholar, everyone understands the principle, but Yuanliang’s maritime trade is already at full capacity. We can’t have all three hundred good people taking fishing nets to the beach to fish, can we?”

Niu Ye thought Zhou Wu was still after Deng Yuanliang, so he said a few words in Deng Yuanliang's defense, intentionally or unintentionally.

"Oh right, fishing, how could I forget that? I'm really looking for something else while I'm still using it."

"Scholar, are you really planning to send everyone to the beach to fish? There aren't that many fish to catch."

"Uncle Niu, the seaside can't possibly support so many people fishing, but we can go out to sea to fish."

"Fishing at sea? I've only ever heard of fishing in rivers and lakes, never at sea. Is that even possible?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Niu, I'll go to the shipyard to order a ship in a bit."

. . . . . .

"I hope you are well, sir. It has been a long time since you visited the shipyard."

After Deng Yuanliang bought the shipyard last time, it now belongs to Niujia Village. However, Deng Yuanliang still lets the original owner of the shipyard be in charge of the shipyard, only the owner has become the manager.

"Manager Gong, how have you been?"

"Lord Zhou, you're too kind. Please feel free to ask if there's anything you need."

Although Manager Gong has been a shipyard owner for many years and has not been able to make the shipyard a great success, his ability to navigate social situations skillfully is unparalleled.

"I came here because of shipbuilding, of course."

"What kind of ship does the master want this time? Is it still the Bull Demon King? Mr. Deng has already ordered five more, and the workers are working overtime to finish them."

Deng Yuanliang had reported to Zhou Wu about purchasing five more Bull Demon King ships, and Zhou Wu had agreed, so there were no surprises.

"This time, I'm asking you to order some fishing boats."

"Fishing boats? I still have some in stock, sir? Would you like to take a look?"

"Forget about your little sampans. They might work on inland lakes and seas, but they'd probably capsize on the same day they set sail."

Zhou Wu had seen those so-called fishing boats before, but they were just small sampans on freshwater lakes, which couldn't satisfy him at all. What Zhou Wu wanted was a large fishing boat of the Bull Demon King level, one that could stay at sea for at least ten days to half a month.

"Aren't all adult fishing boats like this? What kind of fishing boat do adults need?"

"It has to be at least at the level of the Bull Demon King, otherwise how could it set sail?"

"The Bull Demon King? Going out to sea? Does Your Excellency wish to go out to sea to fish?"

Gong Sheng was a little dizzy. It wasn't that he didn't understand, but the world was changing too fast. Back when he built the first Bull Demon King-class ship, no one wanted to buy it. If it weren't for Zhou Wu, it would probably have rotted at the dock.

Now, things have taken a turn for the worse. The Bull Demon King-class ship, which no one had high hopes for, has now become Zhou Wu's personal ship. Whenever someone wants to order a ship, the Bull Demon King is the minimum order standard. I can understand if you want this ship for trade, but is it really necessary to have such a big ship for fishing? How many fish can it hold? But right now, I'm just the manager of the shipyard, and the other party is the boss. Whatever the boss says goes.

"Sir, how many ships do you need?"

Faced with Gong Sheng's question, Zhou Wu thought for a moment and said that Niu Ye said there were about 300 people who needed a job to support their families. So, some people could be arranged to do logistics work at the dock, as well as transportation and trading. There would be about 200 people left. Each Bull Demon King-class fishing boat would need about 20 people, which means that at least 10 boats would be needed.

"Let's start with ten."

"What, ten ships?"

"has a problem?"

"No, no, of course not. You're the boss, I'll do whatever you say."

The trading fleet was built in batches, and there are still less than ten ships. Yet, a fishing boat has been built ten at once. The master is indeed extraordinary.

After the shipyard's work is arranged, we can take some time during the period when the ships are built to rebuild the dock. The previous dock could only hold two Bull Demon King-class ships at the same time, but now there are six trade ships alone. They have to take turns entering the port each time, which greatly reduces efficiency.

"I've already arranged things for Master Niu's fleet. Now I plan to recruit everyone to rebuild the dock. At that time, we will have at least twenty ships. The current dock is simply not enough. All the labor force will be recruited from this village. They will provide meals and wages every day."

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll go post the notice right away."

Uncle Niu happily went to prepare the recruitment notice.