"Does your uncle not know the saying: A gentleman does not form factions, for his misfortunes have no support. Small men form alliances, and their benefits are aided by others..."
Seeing the hesitant flicker in Li Gang's eyes, Han Mo struck again.
"But have you considered that the current atmosphere in officialdom is already poor? If we were to start factional strife again, how would it end?"
When factional strife was mentioned, Li Gang's face immediately showed pain.
Regardless of the purpose, once factional strife began, it would quickly escalate to a boiling point, something no one could control.
"What my uncle says is indeed reasonable, but where in this world is there anything perfect? If we cannot cut the Gordian knot quickly, what if the Jurchens besiege Bianliang? Can my uncle guarantee that there won't be someone in the court who will advise the Emperor to open the city and surrender?"
After Han Mo finished speaking, Li Gang's right hand, which was holding the wine cup, trembled again.
This young man truly dared to speak!
At this moment, he regretted what he had just said. He only wanted to hear the young man's true thoughts, but he never expected him to deliver such a shocking statement.
If he didn't know that this young man also came from a prestigious family, Li Gang would have suspected him of wanting to rebel.
"Such words cannot be spoken carelessly!"
After glaring at him, Li Gang placed the wine cup back on the stone.
"I am not speaking carelessly. Has my uncle not heard? Not long ago, our very own Grand Councilor Tong secretly sent someone to contact the Jurchens, hoping they would send troops to help the Great Song recover its lost territories!"
As Han Mo said this, his face was full of disdain.
"Tong Guan is a scoundrel, incompetent in success and disastrous in failure..."
Li Gang also had considerable opinions about Tong Guan.
After all, this fellow was the kind of person who would abandon any bottom line for his own promotion and wealth.
Anyone with a little political common sense understood that one should not reveal one's weaknesses to the Jurchens.
After all, both sides were only temporary allies, yet Tong Guan, in order to keep his official position, actually dared to send people to negotiate with the Jurchens.
The Song army had already suffered several defeats, and now they were placing their hopes of recovering lost territories on the Jurchens. What would the Jurchens think of this?
Once a tiger truly discovered that its ally was a lamb, would it be afraid to pounce and devour it directly?
Whether as an official or as a person, to be so foolish was truly beyond Li Gang's ability to comment on this useless man.
Yet, even such a useless person could hold a high position...
"Let me think about this matter again. Besides, I am just a small official of little importance. Is it useful for you to discuss these issues with me now?"
Shaking his head and smiling wryly, Li Gang once again reached out to pour himself another cup of wine.
"My uncle possesses the talent of a prime minister. I am absolutely certain of this. The reason I went to great lengths to transfer my uncle from Xishu to this place was so that my uncle could recuperate well in Mingzhou. Once my uncle has recovered his health, I will send my uncle straight to the clouds!"
If you want someone to exert effort, you cannot hide it from them, especially smart people like Li Gang. Therefore, Han Mo laid bare his plans very frankly.
"My health doesn't require any recuperation. Are you perhaps planning to let me eat idle rice here?" Seeing me writing a book
Although he said this, Li Gang's eyes clearly softened a lot.
Han Mo's willingness to say these words to him face-to-face was already a sign that he considered him one of his own. Although they had only met once, he had a very good impression of Han Mo.
"That's not the case. There are indeed some matters that require my uncle's assistance!"
"Oh? Why don't you tell me about it!"
Hearing Han Mo say this, Li Gang's interest was immediately piqued.
"His Majesty recently issued a decree that starting this year, the court will abolish the three-year examination system and reopen special imperial examinations. My intention is to establish new schools in Mingzhou, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou!"
"Establish schools?"
Hearing him say this, Li Gang's gaze towards Han Mo became complicated again.
"Then how do you plan to proceed?"
Frowning slightly, Li Gang still asked again.
"My intention is to establish elementary schools in the coastal cities of Liangzhe and Fujian. All children who wish to study, regardless of their background, can enter the elementary schools for free tuition! Then, in Mingzhou, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou, establish academies and hire famous teachers. Anyone who has a desire to learn and can pass the academy's test can enter the academy to study. For those from poor families, the academy can provide subsidies!"
"In addition, the mathematics and engineering schools that His Majesty established earlier will also be opened in the coastal cities of Liangzhe and Fujian!"
"Hiss--"
After finishing his words, Li Gang suddenly felt a throbbing in his teeth. On the surface, a small school might not cost much money, but over time, the accumulated expenses would not be a small sum!
If calculated carefully, the cost of so many schools accumulating over a year might be at least several hundred thousand guan, nearly a million guan...
"Where will the money come from? With your approach, it will likely cost at least several hundred thousand guan per year..."
After pouring himself a glass of wine to calm his nerves, Li Gang spoke again.
"Regarding the finances, sir, you need not worry. I will find ways to secure this money. The major merchants along the coast, if they squeeze out a little from their teeth, it will be enough to fund the schools!"
Han Mo had never worried about money for establishing schools. He had thought about this matter for a long time. Before, there was no suitable opportunity or suitable candidate, but now with Li Gang, everything was different.
Although Li Gang was not well-known in the imperial court now, his prestige among scholars was very high.
Having him come forward to handle this matter would undoubtedly be much better than Han Mo handling it himself.
"Establishing schools is never something that can be accomplished on a whim. It took three years to brew Du Kang's wine, and establishing schools requires at least ten years of effort to yield results..."
Li Gang naturally understood that Han Mo's sudden proposal to establish schools was clearly an attempt to supplement his own fresh blood.
But Li Gang had to admit that even if Han Mo's motives were not entirely pure, it was still a good thing for the scholars of the world!
Even though the Great Song Dynasty treated scholars so highly, there were still countless people in this world who could not afford to study.
If Han Mo could truly implement this matter, it was likely that talented young people would soon flock from all over.