Liu Hong did not tell anyone about Qin Mo's defection, except for a few people such as Wang Yue, Yang Qiu, and Xi Zhicai.
If the Mohist school is easily brought up, then remnants of other schools of thought will also surface, which will inevitably have a huge impact on the current political landscape.
In ancient times, academic disputes were no less destructive than forming cliques for personal gain.
The contention of a hundred schools of thought is a good thing, as it allows these schools of thought to progress through competition and confrontation, and promotes national development. This was very suitable for the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, but it was not so practical for unified dynasties.
Liu Hong wanted to absorb the essence of various schools of thought to promote the improvement of Han culture and productivity. As for the mainstream ideology, Liu Hong decided to focus on Confucianism.
After all, Confucianism at this time had not been censored or altered, and Confucian scholars were not those corrupt scholars who only read the classics and ignored everything else.
At this time, students were not averse to technology and knowledge outside of Confucianism. Since many doctors had recently entered Luoyang, many students from the Imperial Academy and other schools who were interested in medicine had come to visit and learn about it.
That's why Liu Hong recruited the Mohists; he valued their expertise in mechanical devices and machinery (roughly equivalent to physics in later times).
In Deyang Palace, Lü Qiang, who was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, reported to Liu Hong on the work regarding the resettlement of Mo Shang and others.
"Your Majesty, there are more than seventy of them in total. They have been settled in the imperial estate as Your Majesty instructed. But I wonder which government office Your Majesty intends to register them in?"
“Hmm…” Liu Hong thought for a moment and said, “They are all experts in research, so let’s establish a new ‘Research and Manufacturing Division’ under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department.”
Then Liu Hong added, "Oh, and one more thing! Their food, clothing, and daily necessities should be exquisite, and their personal movements should not be restricted. As long as they don't run away from the Great Han, they can go wherever they want!"
"promise!"
Lü Qiang understood how much the emperor valued those people, and after leaving, he sent one of his trusted confidants to personally oversee all matters there.
The Imperial Treasury was essentially the emperor's private treasury. Whether to add or remove items was entirely up to Liu Hong. Moreover, if these people could actually research and invent something good, it would greatly benefit Liu Hong's personal reputation, so of course he had to keep them under his control.
The development of agriculture is inseparable from the improvement of agricultural tools. Since the Mohists were proficient in machinery, their methods of making agricultural tools must have been superior to those of ordinary craftsmen. Moreover, they could take the opportunity to absorb doctrines, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.
Liu Hong then summoned some physicians and officials, led by Cao Song, who were well-versed in agriculture, to Deyang Palace.
After everyone had exchanged greetings, Liu Hong took out Yang Biao's article and said, "Wenxian is right! If a country wants to become rich, it must first enrich its people. But how should we enrich the people? I wonder what your opinions are?"
Cao Song stood up and said, "Naturally, it's about increasing grain production, having surplus at home, and living frugally. Only in this way can we accumulate wealth!"
"Then how can we increase grain production?" Liu Hong asked again.
A group of agricultural officials also stood up and offered their opinions, such as intensive farming, planting cross-crops, and developing wasteland.
Zhang Bozu also stood up and said, "Only when the people are healthy will they have more energy to cultivate the land."
Liu Hong nodded. These people's opinions were all good, but they all overlooked one issue, which was the yield per acre.
"Zhang Rang, bring the things up."
Upon hearing the instructions, Zhang Rang quickly took out a bag of prepared rice from the side and handed it to Liu Hong.
"Please take a look at these items first!"
Liu Hong handed the rice to Cao Song.
"Is this rice?"
Cao Song took the bag and opened it. He recognized the rice, but the rice inside was plump and much larger than he had ever seen before, which seemed different from what he had seen before.
"Indeed, it was brought back by Zhang Rang from Jiangdong. The taste is quite good. I wonder if the Grand Minister of Agriculture thinks it is suitable as a staple food for the people?"
Cao Song shook his head slightly. "This plant is only suitable for planting in paddy fields in the south. In addition, the population in the south is sparse and the yield is not high, so large-scale planting is quite difficult!"
At this time, the population of the Han Dynasty was mainly concentrated in the Central Plains. As for the south, it was only after the opening of the Grand Canal that it was gradually developed.
It's clearly unrealistic to think that the South can be developed into the granary of the Han Dynasty right now. As for building the Grand Canal? Liu Hong shook his head and temporarily abandoned this impractical idea.
The South can take its time; some things just have to be done.
Liu Hong picked out a grain of rice and looked at Cao Song, "Does the Grand Minister of Agriculture know the yield of this rice?"
"In terms of large mu (a Chinese unit of area), the yield should be less than two shi (a Chinese unit of dry measure), which is slightly lower than the yield of floating wheat in the north." (That is, wheat.)
"Could we increase the yield per mu? With the current arable land in the Han Dynasty, even an increase of half a shi per mu would be enough to greatly enhance the overall national strength, wouldn't it?"
Liu Hong's words left everyone somewhat at a loss for words. Since the beginning of agricultural development, through the accumulation of experience by countless generations of ancestors, the yield per acre seemed to have reached its peak, and no one could imagine that the yield would increase.
"That's difficult, unless Shennong is alive today," Cao Song shook his head.
"Grand Minister of Agriculture, you are exaggerating. Shennong was also a human being. He appeared because people needed to cultivate the land, and right now people need to increase food production. I think it is not impossible that another Shennong might appear, is it?"
Uh... The emperor's words left everyone speechless.
Liu Hong had thought about increasing yield per mu back in Hejian, but he was not a professional after all. Relying only on his own ideas and some uneducated people, all they faced was failure.
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