“My lord, is that true?”
Hearing Han Mo’s words, Long Haoting’s eyes widened.
Only he himself knew how difficult this process was, as he had been pondering it for a year. Most of his remaining meager salary had been poured into this endeavor, yet he still had no clue, not even managing to spin the simplest thread.
“Of course it’s true. All the techniques for spinning thread and weaving cloth are included!” Han Mo stated with great certainty.
“Your subordinate is of course willing!” Long Haoting immediately replied after receiving a definitive answer.
“Don’t be so hasty to answer me. I’m not talking about within the borders of the Song Dynasty!” Han Mo said with a smile, then casually added.
“Not within the borders of the Song Dynasty?” Long Haoting was stumped. He couldn’t understand what Han Mo meant.
“If it’s not within the borders of the Song Dynasty, what’s the difference from us directly buying Boliao cloth?” Long Haoting asked, looking at Han Mo with confusion.
“Not within the borders of the Song Dynasty, but it can still benefit the people of the Song Dynasty! Planting our own crops on foreign soil, what do you think, my lord?”
“How is that possible? They won’t agree. They aren’t fools!” After hearing Han Mo’s words, Long Haoting laughed, instantly dismissing Han Mo as a fool who suggested eating meat when there was no bread.
However, what pleased Han Mo was that Long Haoting never once mentioned giving up his official position. His focus remained entirely on the feasibility of the matter itself.
Regarding Japan, Han Mo had no intention of employing a soft policy. Whether driven by his own inner convictions or by the pursuit of maximum benefit, a scorched-earth policy was the most suitable approach there.
However, Java was different. Although Java wasn’t very large and was primarily an archipelago, it enjoyed ample sunshine, fertile land, and abundant rainfall. Even setting aside cash crops, it was an excellent choice for grain cultivation.
Furthermore, for Han Mo, land wasn’t the only crucial factor; the vast Spice Islands were located near Java! To ensure the continuous progress of the spice trade, Han Mo needed to firmly control this region. On one hand, it was to protect the secrecy of the shipping routes. On the other hand, the impending Song-Jin war would deliver a devastating blow to the Song Dynasty’s grain production.
At this time, if Han Mo possessed a large quantity of grain, he would have significant leverage, regardless of who eventually ascended to power. With such an overseas exclave, as long as he could maintain firm control over the land, he would be invincible in future political struggles.
However, Han Mo knew that managing such a large territory and fostering good relations between the local indigenous population and Song immigrants required a shrewd and capable official who genuinely cared for the people of the Song Dynasty. Moreover, this person should not have too deep a political background or excessive political ambition. Individually, these conditions would yield countless candidates, but when combined, finding such a suitable person was extremely difficult.
And now, Long Haoting’s appearance made Han Mo’s eyes light up. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t like Han Mo, but rather more akin to Fan Zhengguo.
“They won’t agree, of course, but someone will force them to yield with the sword, making them willingly offer all their land!” Han Mo suddenly spoke again just as Long Haoting was about to say something more.
“My lord, war should not be initiated lightly! If they send envoys to weep and complain, and the court blames you, it will be difficult to handle!” Hearing Han Mo’s words, Long Haoting broke out in a cold sweat.
“The court blames us? Lord Long, what does our Song Dynasty court have to do with a band of pirates emerging from who knows where?” Han Mo said, shrugging his shoulders.
“This…” Hearing him say this, Long Haoting felt his mind reeling.
“You must have seen the prevailing atmosphere in the officialdom, my lord. Do you truly believe that even if your cotton can be promoted in the Song Dynasty, it will truly allow the landless peasants to eat?” Seeing Long Haoting fall silent, Han Mo immediately delivered another potent blow.
“I…” Long Haoting tried hard to say something, but after uttering the first word, he could no longer continue.
Just as Han Mo had said, the vast majority of scholar-officials throughout the Song Dynasty, from top to bottom, had never truly considered the common people. They only used the populace as a pretext when attacking political opponents. It was like Wen Yanbo’s statement: “His Majesty governs the realm with the scholar-officials, not with the common people!”
In their eyes, the people were more like a resource, an inexhaustible, never-ending resource. Under these circumstances, they could naturally eat with relish and curse with disgust after putting down their bowls. This was because they were scholars, not commoners! Even if cotton cultivation were greatly promoted, in the end, these common people would likely still be displaced, just as they were now.
“The world has no fallow land, yet farmers still starve…” Looking at Han Mo’s calm expression, Long Haoting finally let out a long sigh.
He was an anomaly. While others saw promotion and wealth in the books of the sages, he saw the suffering of the people. The Long family had indeed been a noble lineage in the past, but he was a collateral descendant, and his father had died early. Had it not been for his mother washing and cooking for others during the day and spinning cloth at night to earn money, he would not have had the opportunity to study.
Having experienced poverty, it was only after entering officialdom that he received favor from his family. After more than a decade of ups and downs in the bureaucratic world, and approaching middle age, he found himself increasingly lost in the endless routine of paperwork. He witnessed the Cai family’s overwhelming power, the avarice of Zhu Mian and his son, and the self-preservation of his colleagues.
As Mencius said: “When poor, mind one’s own virtue; when prosperous, benefit the whole world.” Was it not the duty of an official to bring benefits to the people? He wanted to emulate the ancient sages who sacrificed themselves for the nation, to emulate Wei Zheng who dared to offer blunt advice, but looking at his young children and his aging mother, he could only shrink back.
Lost and confused, he poured all his thoughts into the farmlands, but this dream was shattered once again by Han Mo today.