The first brave group of locals from Nanhui Mouth, those willing to venture out to the island, boarded a Gao Family Village cargo ship and set sail for Zhoushan.
Once aboard, their anxiety gradually eased.
The atmosphere on the ship was completely different from anything they had known before.
The contrast between Gao Family Village's sailors and the imperial navy was stark. Imperial sailors rarely treated common folk as people at all, barking orders and looking down on them like livestock. Gao Family Village's sailors, however, called themselves "the people's soldiers" and genuinely lived up to the name.
They chatted casually with the locals, shared their meals, and during the voyage even taught them Gao Family Village's unique, spirited songs. The deck was often filled with rough but cheerful singing, laughter carrying across the waves.
Even so, the locals still had lingering doubts.
And when they learned that their destination was Zhoushan, those doubts deepened.
Zhoushan.
Everyone knew that name.
An island long abandoned by the imperial court, infamous as a pirate stronghold. Was it really safe to go there and build ports, docks, and factories? What if pirates attacked?
All such worries vanished the moment they arrived.
Before them stood forty-one enormous warships guarding the harbor, with dozens more sailboats supporting them. The sheer scale of the fleet was overwhelming. Any pirate force foolish enough to provoke it would be crushed instantly.
Even Zheng Zhilong, the most powerful maritime lord of the southeastern seas, would not dare confront such strength head-on.
With this sight alone, the locals let out a collective breath they did not realize they had been holding.
Only then did they truly feel at ease.
After disembarking, they immediately noticed a group of rough looking men with ugly faces, chopping trees, clearing land, and leveling ground under the watchful gaze of musketeers.
The locals asked cautiously, "Who are those people?"
The sailor escorting them chuckled.
"Those are the pirates from Zhoushan and Shengsi. We defeated and captured them. Now they're repaying their crimes through work. This is called Labor Reform."
It was the first time the locals had heard the term "Labor Reform," and they looked puzzled.
Someone asked, "Isn't that the same as us? Aren't they just working too?"
"No, no, not the same at all," the sailor said with a grin. "You are free workers. You earn wages and benefits. You can quit whenever you want, or take leave to return to the mainland and visit your families. And no one stands over you with muskets while you work."
"As for the labor reform inmates, they get no wages. If they don't work, they get beaten. If they don't work, they don't eat. And they certainly don't get to leave whenever they feel like it."
The locals laughed.
Although the term "labor reform inmates" sounded strange, when they thought about it, the pirates were being treated much like an old ox back home. When told to plow, it plowed. If it refused, it got whipped. There was no quitting, and no going home.
It sounded miserable, but then again, who told them to become pirates?
The locals exclaimed happily, "Wuagei! The pirates are wuagei!"
Young Master Bai, who happened to be nearby, was curious.
"What does 'wuagei' mean?"
The locals burst out laughing.
"It means 'they deserve it!'"
Everyone laughed together. This local dialect was truly sharp and satisfying.
Soon, the newcomers were settled on the island.
Blue Hat technicians from Gao Family Village arrived one after another, along with administrative staff and research personnel. Ships came in an endless stream. Anyone could tell that Dao Xuan Tianzun placed immense importance on the sea, no less than on the threat of the Manchus.
Zhoushan was to be developed with absolute seriousness.
Zhoushan Dinghai Port and the Zhoushan Shipyard, two massive projects, began construction simultaneously.
One month later.
The locals from Nanhui Mouth received their first month's wages.
For unskilled laborers, the base pay was two taels of silver. In addition, there was a five mace island living allowance, a five mace special bonus for being part of the first group, and a one tael risk allowance.
In total, they received four taels of silver.
The amount stunned them.
"Four taels of silver…" they muttered in disbelief. "How long would it take to save that much by catching crabs and picking shells on the beach?"
And this was only unskilled labor.
One local who had carpentry skills was assigned to build wooden walkways and structural frames for the docks. His wages were calculated according to the skilled worker standard.
His base pay alone was four taels. After adding the allowances, his total income reached six taels of silver.
The entire first group of island workers was completely dumbfounded.
Once the silver was safely in their hands, they immediately applied for three days of leave.
They boarded a Gao Family Village cargo ship and returned to Nanhui Mouth.
At first, they were nervous, worried that although they had earned the money, they might not be allowed to take it home. But reality proved their fears unfounded. Gao Family Village approved their leave without hesitation and sent them off openly, allowing them to return home in full glory.
The moment they reached their villages, they began boasting loudly to those who had been too afraid to go the first time.
"I made a fortune on the island! Hahahaha!"
After that.
The outcome was inevitable.
When their three days of leave ended, they returned to the coast to wait for a ship back to Zhoushan. This time, nearly all the young men from their villages followed behind them.
And the news spread.
From Nanhui Mouth, it reached Huating County, Shanghai County, and Qingpu County.
At the time, most of the common folk in Shanghai County lived in deep poverty. Many could barely afford food and survived by eating Yangcheng Lake's famous hairy crabs day after day. After eating too many, they had grown sick of them, feeling nauseous at the mere sight of a crab.
Now, hearing about such a lucrative opportunity, how could they resist?
After earning silver, wouldn't it be far better to buy fragrant white rice? They never wanted to see another hairy crab again.
As a result, waves of impoverished people from Shanghai, Huating, and Qingpu flooded toward Nanhui Mouth, waiting eagerly by the sea each day for Gao Family Village's cargo ships to arrive.
The moment a ship docked, the crowd surged forward.
"Imperial Merchant Sir, hire me!"
"I can work hard!"
"I won't talk about anything I see on the island, not a word!"
With manpower pouring in, the construction speed of Zhoushan Dinghai Port and Zhoushan Shipyard increased severalfold.
Before long, a town began to take shape on Zhoushan.
Once the workers were fully convinced of the island's safety, some returned to their hometowns and brought their wives and children with them. Zhoushan's population swelled rapidly, and the town grew livelier by the day.
As the population increased, new needs naturally emerged.
At first, these were met entirely by Gao Family Village's transport ships. Gradually, however, the locals began meeting those needs themselves.
Carpenters crafted furniture after work, which their wives and children sold at small stalls.
Blacksmiths forged kitchen knives and tools once their shifts ended.
Even a disabled man who could not perform heavy labor opened a small snack stall. To everyone's surprise, his business flourished.
Later, a "workers' children's school" for Zhoushan Dinghai Port and Zhoushan Shipyard was established, with teachers transferred from Gao Family Village standing at the lectern.
And it was amid this scene of growing prosperity and vitality…
That an envoy from Liu Xiang's pirate group arrived.