"Your Highness is wise!"
Seeing that Zhao Zhen had finally made the correct choice, Zong Ying immediately stood up and cupped his hands towards him.
"I will trouble you with matters on that end. I am feeling a bit tired today, so you may go about your business. You can head back now!"
Seeing Zhao Zhen's dejected expression, Zong Ying didn't say anything further.
Of course, he also understood that Zhao Zhen likely had some opinions about him in this matter, as it seemed he hadn't made any effort to help him bargain at all. Instead, he had sided directly with Han Mo.
However, Zong Ying didn't care about this. Han Mo's words had indeed given him much food for thought. Serving a ruler was like accompanying a tiger; even though the person beside him hadn't become emperor yet, he had clearly witnessed the man's innate tendency to turn his back on people without recognition.
"Your subordinate takes his leave!"
Since Zhao Zhen had already given him the order to leave, Zong Ying naturally didn't linger. After cupping his hands towards him, he simply turned and walked out the door.
"Sir, a letter has arrived from the Pacification Commissioner's Office!"
Ten days later, the official document from the Pacification Commissioner's Office, after much hardship, finally reached Han Mo's hands.
"This is truly not easy. Such a small document has finally arrived!"
After reading the official document in his hand, Han Mo couldn't help but sigh.
"If you truly wanted it, Sir, why not just send all the gains from Guangzhou into Bianliang City?" Shao Bowen smiled and directly exposed Han Mo's thoughts.
"If I did that, wouldn't that truly become a laughingstock for others?" Han Mo smiled but didn't elaborate further.
As he said, if he had really done so, wouldn't that have made the Crown Prince and Prince Yun roar with laughter?
Although Zhao Zhen was heartless and unfeeling, Han Mo had already invested a significant amount of capital in him. Even if he were to turn and defect to the Crown Prince or Prince Yun at this moment, he wouldn't be able to gain their trust.
These princes of Zhao Ji were, in essence, not much better than each other. Since that was the case, rather than giving Prince Yun or the Crown Prince those illusory hopes at this time, it was better to simply play dumb and continue to support Zhao Zhen.
Of course, this time was different from before. Before, he could have given his all, but now, it was better to forget it. Rather than saying he was supporting Zhao Zhen, it was more accurate to say he was using Zhao Zhen's influence to foster his own power.
"Then what is our next move?" Shao Bowen simply smiled at Han Mo's explanation and didn't say anything more, instead changing the subject.
"Let's resolve the Pu family's issue first. From these ships, select thirty and allocate them to the Quanzhou naval fleet, and then allocate fifty to the Mingzhou naval fleet. The remaining ships will be divided, with one-third placed under the name of the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office. As for the rest, they will be temporarily sealed. In half a month, someone will naturally come to purchase them from you!"
Although the Lunar New Year was approaching, with wars raging everywhere, Han Mo had no mood to celebrate the festival...
"If that's the case, the Maritime Trade Office will need personnel to operate these ships..." Hearing Han Mo's words, Shao Bowen's brows furrowed.
"Isn't the solution already here?" Han Mo smiled and waved the official document in his hand.
Seeing his gesture, Shao Bowen suddenly realized. That's right! Zhao Zhen had handed over the command of the auxiliary troops in the entire Fujian and Liangzhe regions to Han Mo. Rather than letting these auxiliary troops rot away, it was better to select some elites from them to join the Maritime Trade Office!
"This other matter is fine, but the captains of these merchant ships are likely to be..." Shao Bowen's brows furrowed again as he spoke. This matter was indeed a bit difficult, after all, there were so many more ships. Ordinary sailors were easy to find; the elites selected from the auxiliary troops could also take on the role with a bit of training. However, an experienced ship captain, or in later terms, a master, was not so easy to cultivate. The reason the Pu family was so powerful was, on one hand, because they had enough ships, and on the other hand, wasn't it also because they held a large number of loyal captains? It was precisely the existence of these people that ensured so many merchant ships could sail unimpeded on the high seas.
"You don't need to worry about this. Take a look at this!" Han Mo said as he pulled another letter from his sleeve.
"Pu Jinshan has been apprehended?" Seeing this news, Shao Bowen's eyes lit up! The many captains of the Pu family who had been arrested could not be directly utilized until now, entirely because Pu Jinshan was still at large. With him as an unstable factor, who could guarantee that these captains wouldn't suddenly defect on the high seas? But now, even he had been caught, so what else was there to say?
"How to tame those people, I don't need to teach you this, do I?" Han Mo asked casually with a smile.
"Sir, you jest. I still have this ability!"
"From these people, select those who are most experienced, honest, and reliable. These people will be kept for ourselves!"
"You mean..."
"These merchant ships under the Maritime Trade Office belong to the imperial court, while the remaining ones are our own!"
"I understand! However, this matter involves too much. Aren't you afraid of attracting too much attention?" After a moment of hesitation, Shao Bowen asked again.
"It's simple. If it were a single tree, it would indeed attract attention if it grew tall. But what if it were a forest?" Han Mo's ambitions were never in the business world. He certainly wouldn't be like misers, trying to hoard all the profits for himself. Moreover, who could possibly swallow the vast ocean alone? Only by bringing more people into the fold and making this cake bigger could everyone long enjoy sufficient benefits.
"Are you planning to bring others into this venture?"
"Of course. This is a plan I've drafted. Sir, you might as well take a look first!" Han Mo smiled and picked up a document from his desk, handing it to Shao Bowen.
Receiving the document with some confusion, Shao Bowen immediately began to read it carefully. After only reading two pages, his already furrowed brows tightened even further. As he read on, beads of cold sweat began to break out on Shao Bowen's back.
"Sir, this is a force that could bring about a change of dynasties..." After finishing the entire document, Shao Bowen couldn't help but take a deep breath and say.
"No, no, no, this force will not be used to change dynasties. It will only collect wealth from the four directions to supplement the deficiencies of the Great Song. Sir, do you understand what I'm saying?" Han Mo said with a smile, seeing the shock on Shao Bowen's face.