"Here you go!"

Upon hearing Liu Hong's words "urgent order," Zhang Rang didn't dare to delay. After agreeing, he quickly ran outside.

Soon, several squads of Imperial Guards soldiers rode swift horses away from Luoyang, galloping in all directions.

Meanwhile, Cao Song, Xun Shuang, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, and others, upon returning to their residences, immediately gathered their respective disciples and friends to recount the events that had transpired in Deyang Palace that day.

The Cao residence.

A dozen or so family heads with close ties to the Cao family sat on either side of the living room.

"Grand Secretary Cao, are you saying that the oil is enough to keep the entire Han Dynasty wealthy for hundreds of years?"

Upon hearing Cao Song mention oil, everyone in the Cao family's living room was shocked, their breathing quickened, and their eyes gleamed.

They knew that Cao Song, as the current Grand Secretary, must have something to gain by summoning them and informing them of this matter.

What kind of immense wealth would it be if something could make everyone in the Han Dynasty rich for hundreds of years?

No one could imagine...

Seeing the naive look on everyone's faces, Cao Song raised an eyebrow and said, "You may not believe me, but do you think you can doubt His Majesty?"

"No... I wouldn't dare."

The head of the Xiahou family hesitated and said, "We just feel that the value of this oil is so enormous, are we even capable of obtaining a share?"

Cao Song glanced at him: "Do you think His Majesty is a petty person?"

The head of the Xiahou family quickly shook his head: "Of course not. His Majesty's magnanimity and generosity are unparalleled throughout history. It's just that we have done nothing to deserve this honor!"

"Yes, yes, we are unworthy of such an honor!"

Upon hearing the words of the Xiahou family head, the others also chimed in in agreement.

Cao Song glanced indifferently at the crowd: "Giving it to you for free is definitely impossible. Even if His Majesty wanted to give it to you, I would not agree!"

"Well……!"

Upon hearing Cao Song's blunt words, everyone couldn't help but twitch at the corner of their mouths.

To be fair, Cao Song was a truly competent Grand Secretary. While taking care of his relatives, friends, and protégés, he always put the interests of the court first. No one, inside or outside the court, could find any fault with him.

Cao Song glanced at everyone and said, "If you want to eat meat, you definitely have to put in the effort. The more effort you put in, the more you'll eat!"

The Xiahou family head echoed, "What the Grand Secretary says is true, but what about the effort required...?"

"Although oil is a good thing, according to Your Majesty, it still needs to be refined before it can be used, and Parthia is far away from the Han Dynasty."

The imperial court wants to control the extraction and refining of oil, and also transport it back to the Han Dynasty. The costs involved are too great, and it may be difficult for them to bear the burden on their own!

Forget about mining and refining, but you could get involved in transportation..."

"This is good, this is good..."

Upon hearing Cao Song's words, everyone present immediately smiled and agreed.

With the increasing prosperity of industry and commerce in the Han Dynasty in recent years, the benefits of transportation have gradually become more prominent, and there are quite a few families that have made their fortunes solely through transportation.

Cao Song waved his hand: "Alright, everyone go back. Each family should make good preparations. You can send someone to explore the area first. Maybe we can make a name for ourselves there!"

"yes!"

"Ahem, there's also..."

Cao Song cleared his throat, then glanced at everyone and said mysteriously, "Today, His Majesty inadvertently revealed some information: this year's imperial examination questions are very likely to be about overseas development..."

Upon hearing this, everyone present immediately changed their expressions and nodded silently.

Apart from the Cao family, the situations of the other families were roughly the same.

Planning for a nation is a major event concerning the entire Han Dynasty. It requires the participation and benefit of everyone. Otherwise, even if the court manages to control the territory thousands of miles away, it will eventually fall apart.

Meanwhile, the cabinet also received Liu Hong's decree to transfer Yang Biao, Xun You, and others back to Luoyang to resume their duties.

Upon seeing the names personally chosen by the emperor, the cabinet ministers understood that the court was about to undergo a major upheaval.

As the strategic focus of the Han Dynasty shifted outwards, those senior officials who held important positions and held conservative views could no longer keep up with the emperor's pace.

The cabinet ministers were not particularly concerned about this. The emperor had established the cabinet to prevent things from being done too radically, and someone was needed to check for omissions and keep a constant vigilance.

Therefore, the emperor would not touch the cabinet, and their status would not change.

The worst-case scenario they could imagine was that the emperor might separate the cabinet from the six ministries, and the cabinet ministers would no longer hold other positions.

However, this is also a good thing. These cabinet ministers were already old, and they had to assist the emperor in handling state affairs while also being responsible for the affairs of various departments, which made it difficult for them to be in two places at once.

Soon, messengers dispatched by the imperial court, carrying several orders from the cabinet, headed towards Chengde, Dunhuang, and other places.

...

In the following days, almost every prominent family in the Han Dynasty sent people to shipyards in various places to purchase ships to travel to Parthia.

As these large families acted simultaneously, many astute smaller families and businessmen also chose to follow suit.

The matter of the imperial examination questions became an open secret, and all the students began to turn their attention overseas and study everything related to overseas colonization and governance.

The subsequent proclamation issued by the imperial court, recruiting artisans and students to travel to Parthia, brought the matter of overseas travel to a new climax.

Upon seeing the generous terms and conditions listed in the notice, people immediately became agitated.

After three years away, one can earn the income of ten years, and may even receive a noble title.

Such conditions are incredibly tempting for ordinary people.

In an instant, countless craftsmen, students, and a large number of ordinary people with special skills signed up to go there to rest in peace and begin a new life.

At the same time, the Privy Council also issued a proclamation to recruit wandering knights and warriors to go to Parthia to assist the Han army in maintaining local security. The conditions were also similar, with the possibility of receiving generous rewards and titles.

For a time, the most discussed topics in Luoyang and the surrounding areas were "overseas" and "Parthia". In people's eyes, Parthia, thousands of miles away, had become a golden land, full of wealth and opportunities.

After learning that people were all enthusiastic and eager to go overseas, Liu Hong finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

He was genuinely worried that people were only seeking stability and had lost their desire to explore overseas.

Now that's good, I can finally devote myself wholeheartedly to promoting the Han Dynasty's hegemony abroad.