This thin old man was the most prestigious gentry among the Andes who remained and did not escape. He served as an official in charge of commercial affairs in the local government of Vito City. He had a good opinion of the Luzon government not paying attention to the development of the Northern Luzon region. He wrote several letters to the Luzon central government that had no news. So he resigned from his post and went home to do business wholeheartedly, becoming one of the largest grain and oil merchants in Northern Luzon. He maintained a very good relationship with the local Tang gentry and merchants, and had a very good reputation in Vito City.

Wufeng had exchanged opinions with this person twice a few days ago. Both sides had a great time and their opinions were very consistent. He also asked Wufeng whether there was a plan for regional adjustment, but Wufeng had not decided to pass it over, and only said that he would give everyone a clear statement in the end.

Nodded slightly, Wufeng replied: "Yes, I do have this meaning. To be honest, my army had controlled the entire northwest of Luzon ten days ago, including the westernmost green sea swamp, and now the army is stationed in Shuangduiji. Due to historical reasons, Northern Luzon has always been a multi-ethnic area with Vito as the center, with the Andes as the majority, but there are still a considerable number of Gaoyue people, Tang people and a small number of Indian Dean people, while the large number of Gaoyue people has not been included in the management of local governments. This is something I cannot allow."

He calmly picked up the servant and sent him coffee. After taking a sip, Wufeng continued to explain his thoughts: "There is a vast area in the west and the ethnic composition is more complex. The Coopers and Pritch people account for about half of the local population, while the Andes, Tang people, and Indians also have a considerable proportion. There are several smaller ethnic groups distributed near the Green Sea Swamp. Such a fertile and fertile land has not yet a decent central city. This does not conform to my idea of ​​common development of all ethnic groups. So I decided to build a new city in Shuangduiji to make it the center of the western part of Northern Luzon. In this way, Vito City in the east and Shuangdui City in the west, the two sides promote each other and support each other and compete with each other, which can greatly promote the economic development of the Northern Luzon. This plan was also warmly welcomed by the Coopers, Pritch people and other local ethnic groups."

Wufeng's future planning and design immediately showed everyone presenting a beautiful and attractive bright future. All of them were famous and wealthy people, and they also represented their own ethnic groups and social groups. When they heard Wufeng's outline, they immediately whispered to each other, obviously considering how feasible Wufeng's plan was.

A middle-aged man in Chinese dress and Tang Dynasty dress stood up and gave Wufeng a national ceremony. After looking around, he spoke: "Sir, as you said just now, our Northern Luzon has been lagging behind the Southern Luzon and Central Luzon for a long time due to historical reasons. In such a large Northern Luzon, there is only one city - Vito City, and the city size is the smallest in the entire Luzon region. If the geographical scope of Northern Luzon is coupled with the Great Hengduan Mountains in the east, it has far exceeded that of Southern Luzon and is equivalent to Central Luzon. Now that the adults are determined to divide Northern Luzon into two parts, the west side is not our business. I would like to ask a question that everyone here is very concerned about, that is, after the establishment of the autonomous government, what measures will be taken to stimulate and promote the economic development of the region? Is it the same measures taken by the adults when they governed the Northwest County of the Empire earlier?"

Wufeng did not show his voice on the surface, but he was secretly happy inside. This Tang man is also a prestigious gentry in Vito City. He is one of the largest tobacco merchants in Luzon, Northeast China. He has several large tobacco plantations outside the city, and there are standard tobacco processing plants in the city. One of his brothers opened the largest private school in Vito City. Many children of all ethnic groups in Vito City studied in his school. His other brother runs a large-scale transportation and inn in Vito City. The entire family has considerable influence in Vito City, and has a very good relationship with the Andes in the region. It is also one of Wufeng's largest aid in Northern Luzon.

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

"Good question! I think this may be the most concerned issue for everyone here. This way, although the specific measures must be formulated and implemented by the officials of the self-controlled government, that is, some of the officials selected here and the officials I sent, I can talk about the plan briefly here." Wufeng replied confidently.

"First, with the support of the central government of the imperial government, the traffic conditions in Northern Luzon must be fundamentally improved in a short period of time; second, the city scale of Vito City will be further expanded until it reaches a scale that is appropriate to its location; third, necessary adjustments will be made in terms of local taxes and tariffs to promote the further development of the local economy." Wufeng's words are vague, like scratching the surface, which is unsatisfactory.

An impatient Indian and German businessman stood up too fast, hurriedly bowed and asked, "Sir, I would like to ask about the tariffs. Can you explain it in detail?" He is a famous salt merchant in Northern Luzon. Since Luzon does not produce salt, he imports a large amount of salt from Guide Mansion in the Northwest County every year, so he is particularly concerned about whether there are any changes in the tariffs.

Wufeng replied with a smile: "The salt and tobacco in Northwest County have been implemented in a specialized manner, but I do not advocate that Northern Luzon also handle the same. In terms of tariffs, I think the tariffs in the territory I manage should be consistent. I think the trade tariff ratio between Northern Luzon and Northwest County should have decreased. The specific situation should be coordinated by the financial department."

As soon as Wufeng finished speaking, he immediately won warm applause from everyone present to show his welcome. You should know that the trade between the Northwest and Northern Luzon is frequent, and according to the current situation, it will definitely be further strengthened. Whether it is import or export of goods, tariffs are a considerable weight. Wufeng's words were naturally supported by everyone.

The Indian and German merchants just bowed with satisfaction, and a middle-aged man wearing Andean national clothing stood up and bowed and asked: "Mr. Li, I am a cloth merchant. Every year, I import a lot of silk and cotton cloth from all over the empire. But the road from the northwest to Luvito is really bad, especially in the rainy season, which is unbearable. Every year, I lose more than 10,000 gold coins due to mold in cloth. Now the road in the northwest has been repaired. I have heard that the adults should speed up the pace of traffic construction in our North Luzon roads. I wonder if this road is on the agenda?"

"Yes, what we just said is to accelerate transportation construction not only includes the road project from Vito City to Qingyang in the northwest, but also the road from Vito City to Shuangduiji and even extending to the Indian Kingdom. If the conditions are ripe, I also suggest that the autonomous government can repair the road from Vito City to Manlong." Wufeng's plan is very grand, not only considering commercial interests, but also includes important military significance.

Wufeng's words once again won warm applause from everyone present.

"Sir, I have heard that the adults are opposed to the slave trade, and we admire their minds very much. I wonder if the adults can declare the slave trade in Northern Luzon illegal after taking over the management of Northern Luzon? Our anti-slave trade alliance will firmly support the adults' decision." Another middle-aged scholar stood up and bowed to ask.

Wufeng was a little surprised. Someone would ask such questions at this time, and it seemed that he knew his attitude very clearly. He looked closely and said that although the person who asked the question was very polite, he could not hide his arrogance, a thin face, a black beard on his lower jaw, and a black Andean clan chief robe.

Wufeng also heard of this person. He was the most famous antique and jewelry merchant in Northern Luzon and a very famous jewelry and antique connoisseur in Luzon. He was a staunch anti-slaveist and invited some like-minded people to form a Northern Luzon anti-slave trade alliance and opposed the legalization of the slave trade. Because the slave trade in the entire Luzon was legal and protected by law, the slave trade business was very prosperous, but this also aroused strong opposition from many gentry.

As soon as he finished speaking, another Tang clan old man stood up and bowed to support him: "Yes, I have also heard of Lord Li's anti-slave position. We strongly demand that Lord be illegal in Northern Luzon, and the cancellation of the slave trade and effectively protect the personal rights of slaves."

Wu Feng, an old man from the Tang clan, also knew him. He was a famous paper-maker and bookseller in Northern Luzon. He owned several paper-making workshops and printing workshops, as well as a large calligraphy and painting workshop, and was also a staunch anti-slaveist.

As soon as the two spoke, several people on the other side couldn't sit still. Someone immediately stood up and objected: "Today is here to discuss the major issues of the establishment of a local autonomous government. How can we talk about these irrelevant issues? I suggest getting back to the point. Do you think, Lord Li?" The spokesperson's face was filled with humble smiles.

"How can this be said to be a trivial matter? Shaherika, you, a villain with your hands covered in slave blood, I think you want to block Lord Li from implementing a policy of prohibiting the legalization of the slave trade?!" The antique dealer immediately stood up and accused the other party, and the two sides immediately started arguing.

"Okay!" Wufeng raised his tone and the venue immediately became quiet. Although both sides still stared at each other, due to Wufeng's power, they both sat back to their original position.

"I didn't want to talk about this issue today, but since everyone has raised it, I will make a clear statement. To be honest, I do not agree with the slave trade." Wufeng thought for a while and put forward his point of view. However, as soon as this was said, several opposing slave trade immediately showed joy, while several slave traders were ashamed, but most representatives frowned. You should know that almost everyone here uses slaves more or less in their homes and workshops. Wufeng's words may have a great impact on their business and life.

"However, I think it is not realistic to cancel the slave trade at the moment. After all, the slave trade in Northern Luzon is legal now, and slaves are also indispensable in your life now. Although I do not advocate it, in Northwest County, the slave trade still exists. As long as they pay taxes according to law, they are legal. Of course, the tax rate may be higher than other commodities." Wufeng said carefully, taking into account the opposition's sentiment and the interests of slave merchants.

"I suggest that local autonomous governments should follow the Northwest, but the tax rate is not necessarily exactly the same as the Northwest. The actual situation in different places is different. But I still want to warn everyone not to excessively infringe on the personal rights and interests of slaves, especially arbitrary killing and killing slaves, which will not only damage the image of noble people here. If the circumstances are serious, local governments should also inquire about it, and welcome the supervision of such atrocities by those who oppose the slave trade alliance."

After finally, Wufeng finished his words as impartially as walking on a tightrope, Ling Tianfang next to him let go of the stone in his heart. After all, both sides have considerable influence. If you are not careful, it will harm the interests of one party. Even Wufeng himself feels that his words are quite skillful.

Wufeng's words made both sides feel very satisfied. The opposing slave trade also knew that it was not realistic to declare the slave trade immediately. After all, even the slave trade in Northwest County has not been cancelled. It is rare to make such great progress. At least Li Wufeng expressed his disagreement with the slave trade on the spot, and also clearly proposed to protect the personal rights and interests of slaves. The future is long, so you can continue to do Li Wufeng's work slowly.
Chapter completed!