This thin old man is the most prestigious gentry among the Andean people who stayed and did not flee, he once served as an official in charge of commercial affairs in the local government axe of Vito City, he originally had a good opinion on the Luzon political axe did not attach importance to the development of the North Luzon region, and several times he wrote to the central government of Luzon and did not hear from him, so he resigned and went home to do business wholeheartedly, becoming one of the largest grain and oil merchants in North Luzon, he maintained a very good relationship with the local Tang gentry and merchants, and his reputation in Vito City was also quite good.

Wu Feng had exchanged views with this person twice a few days ago, and the two sides also had a very good conversation, and their opinions and ideas were very consistent, and he also asked Wu Feng if he had a plan for regional adjustment, but Wu Feng said that he had not yet decided to perfunctory, and only said that he would give everyone a clear statement in the end.

Nodding slightly, Wu Feng replied, "Yes, I do mean that." To tell you the truth, my army had already taken control of the whole of northwestern Luzon ten days ago, including the westernmost Green Sea Marsh, and now it is stationed in Shuangduiji. Due to historical reasons, Northern Luzon has always been a multi-ethnic mixed region, with the city of Vito as the center in the east, and the Andean majority is the majority, but there are still a considerable number of Gaoyue, Tang, and a small number of Indians, and a large number of Gaoyue people have not been included in the management of the local government, which I cannot tolerate. ”

Unhurriedly, he picked up the waiter and brought the coffee. Taking a sip, Wu Feng continued to elaborate on his thoughts: "The west has a vast area and a more complex ethnic composition, with the Cooper and Priqi people accounting for about half of the local population, while the Andeans, Tang people, There is also a considerable proportion of the Indians, and there are several other smaller ethnic groups distributed near the Green Sea Marsh, such a fertile and rich large area of land still does not have a decent central city, which is not in line with my idea of the common development of all ethnic groups, so I decided to build a new city in Shuangduiji, making it the center of western North Luzon, so that there is Vito in the east and Shuangdui in the west, and the two sides promote each other and support each other, which can greatly promote the economic development of Northern Luzon, and this plan was also obtained by the Coopers, the Pritsy people, and other local nationalities. ”

Wu Feng's plan and design on the future direction of North Luzon immediately showed everyone present a beautiful and attractive bright future, all of whom are celebrities and giants with a huge net worth, and also represent their respective ethnic groups and social groups.

After a middle-aged man in a Chinese costume and Tang costume got up and saluted Wu Feng, he looked around at the people around him before he spoke: "My lord, as you said, our Northern Luzon has been lagging behind Southern Luzon and Central Luzon in economic development for a long time due to historical reasons. The city of Vito, and the size of the city is also the smallest in the whole Luzon region, and the geographical scope of North Luzon, if you add the eastern Hengduan Mountains, has greatly exceeded Southern Luzon, and the area of Central Luzon is comparable. Now that your Excellency has decided to divide Northern Luzon into two parts, and the western side is none of our business, I would like to ask a question of great concern to all of you, namely, what measures will be taken to stimulate and promote the economic development of the region after the establishment of the autonomous government, and will they be the same as those taken earlier when you governed the Northwest County of the Empire?"

Wu Feng was silent on the surface, but secretly happy in his heart, this Tang man was also a well-known gentry in Vito City, he was one of the largest tobacco merchants in Northeast Luzon, he owned several large-scale tobacco plantations outside the city, and there were standardized tobacco processing factories in the city; one of his brothers opened one of the largest private schools in Vito City, and many of the children of civilians of all ethnic groups in Vito City studied in his school, and his other brother ran a large transportation house and inn in Vito City, and the whole family had considerable influence in Vito City, and had a very good relationship with the Andean people in the regionIt is also one of the biggest Olympic reinforcements in North Luzon.

As soon as he said this, he already supported Wufeng's change of administrative region in disguise, and also vaguely implied that he recognized Wufeng's absolute control over this region.

"That's a good question, I think that's probably the most important question for everyone here. In this case, although the specific measures will be formulated and implemented by the officials who have made their own political axes, that is, some of the officials elected by all of you here, and the officials I have dispatched, I can talk about the plan in a rough way here. Wu Feng replied confidently.

"First, with the support of the Imperial Central Government, the transportation situation in Northern Luzon must be radically improved in a short time, secondly, the city of Vito will be further expanded until it reaches a scale commensurate with its location, and thirdly, the necessary adjustments in local taxes and duties will be made to facilitate the further development of the local economy. Wu Feng's words were vague, like scratching his boots, which was unsatisfactory.

An Indean merchant surnamed Anxious had already stood up in a hurry, hurriedly bowed and asked, "My lord, I would like to ask about the tariff, I wonder if you can explain it in detail?" He is a well-known salt merchant in Northern Luzon, and since Luzon does not produce salt, he imports a large amount of salt from Guide Province in the Northwest County every year, so he is particularly concerned about whether there is a change in tariffs.

Wu Feng replied with a smile: "The salt and tobacco of the Northwest County have been monopolized, but I do not advocate that North Luzon should do the same, in terms of tariffs, I think the tariffs in the territory under my management should be the same, I think the proportion of trade tariffs between North Luzon and the Northwest County should be reduced, and the specific situation should be coordinated by the financial department." ”

As soon as Wu Feng's words fell, he immediately won the warm applause of everyone present to show his welcome, you must know that the trade between the Northwest and North Luzon is frequent, and according to the current situation, it will definitely be further strengthened, whether it is the import or export of goods, tariffs are a considerable weight, Wu Feng's words came out, and it is natural that he has been supported by everyone.

As soon as the Indean merchant bowed and retreated in satisfaction, a middle-aged man dressed in Andean national costume stood up again and saluted and asked: " Lord Li, I am a cloth merchant, and every year I have to import a lot of silk and cotton cloth from all over the empire, but the condition of the road from the northwest to the city of Luvito is really bad, especially in the rainy season, and it is even more unbearable, every year I lose more than 10,000 gold coins due to the moldy cloth, and now that the road in the northwest has been repaired, I have just heard my lord say that we want to speed up the pace of road construction in North Luzon, I wonder if this road is included in the agenda?"

"Yes, the speed up of transportation construction that I just mentioned includes not only the road project from Vito City to Qingyang in the northwest, but also the road from Vito City to Shuangduiji and even to the Indean Kingdom. "Wufeng's plan is very ambitious, and it is not only considered in terms of commercial interests, but also has important military significance.

Wu Feng's words once again won the warm applause of everyone present.

"My lord, I have long heard that the adults are opposed to the slave trade, and we admire them very much. I wonder if you will be able to outlaw the slave trade in Northern Luzon after you take over the administration of Northern Luzon? We, the Anti-Slave Trade Alliance, will strongly support your lordship's decision. Another middle-aged scribe stood up and bowed in question.

Wu Feng was a little surprised, there would be someone asking this kind of question at such a time, and it seemed that he also knew his attitude very clearly, he looked at it, although the person who asked the question was very polite, but he couldn't hide a sense of arrogance, a thin face, a wisp of black beard on his chin, and a dark Andean robe.

This man Wu Feng had also heard of, he was the most famous antique and jewelry dealer in Northern Luzon, and he was also quite famous in the whole of Luzon as a jewelry and antique connoisseur, he was a staunch anti-slave activist, and he also invited some like-minded people to form a North Luzon Anti-Slave Trade League to oppose the legalization of the slave trade. Since the slave trade was legal and protected by law throughout Luzon, the slave trade business flourished, but it also aroused strong opposition from many of the gentry.

As soon as his words fell, another old man of the Tang clan also stood up and bowed in support: "Yes, the old man has also heard of Lord Li's anti-slave stance, and we strongly demand that the Lord declare it illegal in Northern Luzon, abolish the slave trade, and effectively protect the personal rights and interests of slaves." ”

This old Tang man Wu Feng also knew, he was a well-known paper merchant and bookseller in Northern Luzon, owned several paper and printing factories, and a large calligraphy and painting workshop, and was also a staunch anti-slave man.

As soon as the two of them spoke, a few people on the other side couldn't sit still, and some people immediately stood up and objected: "Today is to discuss the important matter of preparing for the establishment of a local self-government government, how can we talk about these insignificant issues, I suggest that we get down to business, do you say, Lord Li?" The spokesman had a humble smile on his face.

"How can this be said to be a trivial matter?Shahrika, you little man with slave blood on your hands, I think you are trying to obstruct Master Li from implementing the policy of legalizing the slave trade, right?!" The antique dealer immediately stood up and accused the other party, and the two sides immediately quarreled with each other.

"Alright!" Wu Feng raised his voice, and the venue immediately fell silent, although the two sides were still glaring at each other, but they were forced to sit back in place obediently.

"I didn't want to talk about this today, but since you have raised it, I will make it clear. To be honest, I'm not in favor of the slave trade. Wu Feng thought for a moment and put forward his own opinion, but as soon as these words came out, several opponents of the slave trade were immediately overjoyed, while several slave traders were dead-faced, but most of the delegates frowned, knowing that almost everyone here was using slaves in their homes and workshops, and Wu Feng's words might have a great impact on their business and life.

"However, I do not think it is practical to abolish the slave trade at this time, after all, the slave trade in Northern Luzon is now legal, and slaves are now essential in your lives. I don't advocate it, but in the Northwest County, the slave trade still exists, and as long as they pay taxes according to the law, they are legal, and of course the tax rate is higher than that of other goods. Wu Feng said carefully that it was necessary to take into account both the sentiments of the opposition and the interests of the slave traders.

"I suggest that the local self-government axe should follow the example of the northwest, but the tax rate is not necessarily exactly the same as that in the northwest, and the actual situation is different in different places, but I still want to warn everyone not to excessively infringe on the personal rights and interests of slaves, especially the atrocities such as arbitrarily killing and injuring slaves, which not only damage the image of the noble people here, but also the local political axe should also be questioned if the circumstances are serious, and I also welcome the supervision of such atrocities by those who oppose the slave trade alliance. ”

It's so easy, Wu Feng said these words impartially like walking a tightrope, and Ling Tianfang next to him just put down the stone in his heart, after all, both sides have considerable influence, and the slightest carelessness will damage the interests of one party, even Wu Feng himself feels that his words are quite level.

Wufeng's remarks made both sides feel very satisfied, and the opponents of the slave trade also knew that it was not realistic to immediately declare the slave trade illegal, after all, even the slave trade in the Northwest County had not been canceled, and it was rare to have such a big progress, at least Li Wufeng had expressed his disapproval of the slave trade on the spot, and he also clearly put forward the article to protect the personal rights and interests of slaves.

And the slave traders are also very satisfied, the slave trade is originally a profiteering business, the tax rate is higher and has nothing to do with the overall situation, as long as the business can continue, this cost is completely negligible, and Li Wufeng also made it clear that as long as the tax is paid according to the law, the slave trade is still protected, and the business can be expanded to the northwest county. As for the infringement of the personal rights and interests of slaves, killing and injuring slaves was also something that slave traders did not want to see, which was equivalent to damaging their wealth, as long as they paid a little attention.

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