"Young master! I never expected that this coal stove and graphite would have such an effect?"
Feeling the heat wave hit him, the servant looked at Yang Biao with surprise and delight.
In the servant's mind, with these two things, his young master would no longer have to work in a cold room every day.
"Yes! This is a divine object, truly a blessing from heaven for our great Han Dynasty!"
Yang Biao also showed a happy expression. Unlike his servant, Yang Biao was clearly thinking further ahead. Since taking office as the governor of Liaoxi, he had discovered that the soil here and in the northeast was significantly more fertile, and its future development potential was undoubtedly enormous.
Now that we have coal stoves, graphite, and cotton, it will be much easier for the Han Dynasty to develop western Liaoning, eastern Liaoning, Lelang, and other places, or to extend northward and occupy the northeastern region.
Furthermore, now that there are coal furnaces, graphite will also become an indispensable resource for the Han Dynasty. Just because there is coal in those places, these areas must become the territory of the Han Dynasty.
Yang Biao then hurriedly returned to his desk and began writing a memorial to Liu Hong, emphasizing the importance of cotton and graphite to the northern regions and the people of the Han Dynasty.
It was stated directly that in order for the North to be stable, in addition to food, graphite, coal stoves, and cotton were indispensable for the border troops and the people of the North.
At the end of the memorial, Yang Biao wrote:
“The number of people in our Han Dynasty is in the tens of millions, and in the future it will be in the hundreds of millions. Whenever I think of this, I feel very worried. The land is far from enough to meet the needs of the people of the Han Dynasty. I don’t know how our descendants will survive.”
In the past, our ancestors, the Emperor, continuously expanded our territory for the sake of us, their descendants. We were foolish and thought we had reached our limit, so we lived a life of mediocrity in the Central Plains and did not strive for progress.
Since I assumed the post of Governor of Liaoxi, I have frequently interacted with people from Buyeo, Goguryeo, and Okjeo. From what they say, the grain produced there, and the fertility of the land, are no less than that of the Central Plains. Therefore, I believe it is appropriate to send people there to guide and educate them, to teach them manners and etiquette, so that this vast and fertile land will not be wasted!
The general idea is that the Northeast is not only a land for farming, but also rich in resources. Now that graphite, cotton, and coal stoves have been discovered, the cold weather there can no longer hinder the Han army's advance. It's time for us to liberate them and help them escape their suffering.
After finishing writing, Yang Biao solemnly handed the memorial to his servant.
"Send this memorial to Luoyang as quickly as possible using the utmost speed!"
"Young master, I'm afraid this is inappropriate. The 800-li urgent dispatch can only be used in times of war or emergency. This...! Could it be...?"
The servant was startled by Yang Biao and looked at him hesitantly. He was worried that using the Eight Hundred Li Family's resources at will might bring trouble to his young master.
It should be noted that Fu Xie had been reprimanded by the court for using the 800-li express courier service to impeach Duan Jiong, which is why the servant hesitated to take the memorial from Yang Biao's hand.
Yang Biao frowned and looked at the servant with displeasure. "It concerns hundreds of thousands of people in Liaoxi. Do you think it's urgent enough?"
Yang Biao then continued, "Furthermore, this is a right granted to me by the Emperor. As long as I deem it sufficient, that's enough!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! I will send someone to Luoyang immediately!"
Upon hearing that it was authorized by the emperor, Yang Biao's servant no longer hesitated, took the memorial, and hurriedly left.
The memorial was then sent out of the prefect's residence by express courier, heading towards Luoyang.
Zhao Zhong hurriedly entered Deyang Hall and saw Liu Hong still engrossed in handling government affairs behind the desk. He quickly stepped forward and bowed.
"His Majesty...!"
"Hmm? What is it?"
Liu Hong looked up at Zhao Zhong and noticed that Zhao Zhong looked flustered, so he couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Zhong took a breath and then said, "The Grand Minister of Agriculture has sent someone to deliver a message to His Majesty!"
After saying that, Zhao Zhong took out a letter and quickly walked to Liu Hong's side.
"Oh? Heh heh~ What's this Grand Minister of Agriculture up to now?"
Upon hearing that the letter was from Cao Song, Liu Hong couldn't help but smile. Recalling the reports from his subordinates about the Middle East Gate, Liu Hong seemed to have a guess. He then put down the memorial in his hand and took the letter from Zhao Zhong.
Just as Liu Hong had expected, Cao Song recounted in detail his conversation with the officials at the East Gate during the day, and also mentioned his plan to expand the engineering, agricultural, and medical colleges.
Finally, Cao Song hoped that Liu Hong could send someone to his residence to secretly listen to what other ideas these people had.
"This Grand Minister of Agriculture is really cautious!"
After reading the letter, Liu Hong couldn't help but smile, then looked at Zhao Zhong and said, "Go to the Grand Minister of Agriculture's residence in person and tell him to propose increasing the number of recruits to 20,000!"
"promise!"
Soon, Zhao Zhong accepted the order and left Deyang Palace, heading to Cao Song's residence.
That night, Cao Song's residence in Luoyang was bustling with people. A group of officials from small and medium-sized aristocratic families had gathered at Cao Song's residence after making arrangements with various parties during the day.
Inside the living room, everyone sat at separate tables, whispering amongst themselves and discussing the matter of presenting their reports at tomorrow's court assembly.
Several newly contacted officials gathered together. Since they had not participated in the discussions in front of the Middle East gate during the day, they were not very optimistic about the proceedings.
One of the officials couldn't help but look at his colleague and ask, "Do you think His Majesty will agree to our proposal tomorrow?"
The official who was asked shook his head uncertainly and said:
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