"Alright, do you have anything else to say? If not, you can go back and rest!"
Seeing Li Bao hesitating, Han Mo asked with a smile.
"My lord, the rebels don't seem to have a navy yet. You're reorganizing the Quanzhou navy at this time, what are you planning..."
As Li Bao spoke, a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.
After all, the Quanzhou navy was just a provincial army. He couldn't quite understand what Han Mo was trying to do by putting so much effort into retraining them.
"What if I said the Quanzhou navy is about to fight a major war, would you believe me?"
Han Mo smiled and said directly.
"A major war? How major?"
"A war to destroy a nation!"
"Your subordinate is willing to serve you, my lord!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Li Bao's heart lit up. He didn't care where Han Mo was going to fight!
As a military general, without war, they would have no opportunity to achieve great deeds. For the navy, especially in this era, without sufficient merit, they would likely struggle even to eat.
Han Mo was allocating 500,000 guan to him this time, but if they couldn't prove their worth afterward, they would likely still face abandonment.
"Alright, just keep this in mind. Train them according to real combat standards, and don't worry about anything else. Oh, and in a few days, I might need to place a few 'landlubbers' in your command. You need to teach them the essentials of naval warfare in the shortest time possible!"
"My lord means?"
"One Quanzhou navy is simply not enough. The sea is vast, and there are too many things we need to do. I need more talent, and you need enough deputies. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Li Bao appeared simple-minded, but Han Mo knew that the fellow was actually quite insightful.
Anyone who truly treated him as a fool would indeed become a fool.
"My lord, rest assured, I understand!"
"Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities to fight in the future. You can tell your soldiers that starting today, their hard times begin, but their good times are also about to begin. If you want to eat well and live comfortably, then show your true skills!"
"Yes!"
Encouraged by Han Mo, Li Bao excitedly walked out of Han Mo's study.
"Good heavens, with this kind of demeanor, let alone training soldiers, you could probably send him to kill people and he wouldn't bat an eye!"
As soon as Li Bao left, Shao Bowen walked in from outside.
"What kind of general doesn't kill people?"
Han Mo said with a smile.
"My lord, what is your confidence level in this matter?"
After smiling, Shao Bowen changed the subject decisively.
"Confidence? Naturally, it's a hundred percent, unless Zhao Zhen wants to fail and go back to being a carefree prince!"
Although the conditions Han Mo proposed were indeed a bit harsh, as Zong Ying had said, Zhao Zhen currently had no other choice.
Now, he could only follow Han Mo's wishes, regardless of what Han Mo was about to do, he could only listen obediently.
"But once this war starts, it will cost at least several million guan. Where is my lord going to get so much money and provisions at this time? Money is not a problem, but my lord can't conjure grain out of thin air!"
As Han Mo's strategist, Shao Bowen was starting to worry about Han Mo at this point. After all, so many demands had been made. If Zhao Zhen agreed to all of them, and Han Mo couldn't come up with the money, Han Mo would likely face an enraged Zhao Zhen immediately.
"We don't have grain, but don't we have ships?"
Han Mo smiled and said casually.
"But we can't just go out to sea and rob, can we?"
Hearing him say that, Shao Bowen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
To acquire a large amount of grain, they would need enough cargo. But with the southeast in such a state, where could they gather so much cargo?
Even if Han Mo could find the Spice Islands, spices were not as popular in the South Seas as they were in the Great Song Dynasty.
"You don't need to worry about that. How are the things I asked you to prepare coming along?"
Han Mo, unconcerned by Shao Bowen's worries, instead asked with a smile.
"I have prepared everything. However, these things are not valuable. Also, why does my lord want so much Artemisia? Can this stuff turn into food?"
"This stuff is a real treasure. Just you wait and see. Since you have prepared everything, then tomorrow morning, I will let you witness what it means to turn stone into gold!"
Han Mo said with a smile.
"Turn stone into gold?"
Hearing Han Mo say this, Shao Bowen was clearly skeptical.
Shao Yong was originally from the Daoist sect and had learned some alchemy in his youth. As Shao Yong's son, he naturally understood that things like turning stone into gold were all nonsense.
"That's right. Go back and sleep. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to see something amazing. This thing is only average here, but if it were in the South Seas, it would definitely be worth more than gold!"
Han Mo said with a smile.
"No, can't you just tell me tomorrow morning?"
Hearing Han Mo say that, Shao Bowen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
He had seen through it; this kid was doing it on purpose.
"If I tell you tomorrow morning, will you be this excited? Alright, I'm going back to sleep. If you have nothing else to do, feel free to sit here for a while longer!"
After chuckling mischievously, Han Mo happily slipped away.
"I..."
Looking at Han Mo's retreating back, Shao Bowen's body began to tremble. He had seen through it; this guy was doing it on purpose.
Thinking of this, he felt a bit depressed. This guy was good in every way, except that he was occasionally too much of a trickster!
It wasn't the first or second time that a renowned scholar like himself had been outplayed by Han Mo.
Throughout the entire night, Han Mo slept incredibly soundly, but Shao Bowen did not have that luxury.
To figure out what Han Mo was planning, he barely slept all night, his mind filled with thoughts of Artemisia and those strange items.
However, those things were too peculiar, and even with his vast knowledge, he couldn't figure out what this guy was up to!
Was he going to practice alchemy?
But he hadn't heard that this kid knew alchemy before!
Moreover, in this situation, even if he knew alchemy, he couldn't produce grain, right?