Start with an Island, and I Build an Empire on the Island

Navigation engineer Jiang Chen was exiled to the most remote desert island in the empire. There were only thirty prisoners on the island waiting to die. He built fishing boats, dried sea salt, built docks, and turned desert islands into maritime trade hubs. The imperial dignitaries regarded him as a death row prisoner, but he received merchant ships from various countries on the island and established an intelligence network. When the pirate king led 300 warships to invade, Jiang Chen had already built a fire attack ship and a giant crossbow array to sink the enemy ships in one battle. After the imperial navy was defeated, the emperor urgently summoned Jiang Chen to rescue him. His reply was: "Give me money, grain, and staff. Otherwise, I will build my own country."