Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 625: Chapter 312: Playing with People’s Hearts_3

"You want to learn the Lingnan dialect?" This was something He Lianfang did not expect.

"Yes, I need to learn the Lingnan dialect, otherwise when I get to Lingnan, if I can’t understand what the common people are saying, wouldn’t that be very disadvantageous?" Zhao Yao thought long-term. "Moreover, if they rely on us not understanding the Lingnan dialect and say things at random, wouldn’t that be terrible? I don’t like that situation."

"You’ve thought this through." He Lianfang found Zhao Yao’s words quite reasonable. "Since that’s the case, I’ll find someone for you."

"By the way, I also need to understand the situation of the tribal leaders in Lingnan." Zhao Yao said with a frown, "These leaders have deep roots in Lingnan, they’ve existed for hundreds, even thousands of years. Removing them is not an easy task, I must first understand their situation." As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.

He Lianfang, on the other hand, did not take these tribal leaders seriously. He said disdainfully, "They are indeed the local emperors there, but they are not our opponents. If they are disobedient, then just beat them until they obey. If they still don’t wise up, then there’s no need for them to live in this world."

Hearing He Lianfang’s straightforward and brutal words, Zhao Yao said helplessly, "Uncle, the local people only listen to the tribal leaders."

"Without the tribal leaders, do you think they will still follow them?" He Lianfang said coldly, "As long as we beat them into submission, they will naturally obey."

"If that’s the case, then they’ll never truly submit to me, and there will be trouble sooner or later." Zhao Yao did not agree with He Lianfang’s method of forcing submission by beating. Although it can be effective quickly, it’s not a long-term solution. "We must make them submit from the bottom of their hearts."

"You want to win over their hearts?"

"Uncle, don’t underestimate the power of people’s hearts." Zhao Yao fiddled with the chess piece in his hand, thoughtfully saying, "I must make the tribal leaders lose the people’s heart, so the people of Lingnan will willingly place their trust in me."

"How do you plan to manipulate people’s hearts?"

"Uncle, don’t use the word ’manipulate’." Zhao Yao said disdainfully, "I call it winning people’s hearts."

He Lianfang paid no heed to Zhao Yao’s correction, "I’ll wait to see how you manipulate people’s hearts."

Zhao Yao was too lazy to correct He Lianfang any further, "Once I understand the tribal leaders’ situation, I’ll think about how to win the people’s hearts." As he spoke, he thought of Tong An, "I wonder how Tong An is doing with the mapmaking."

More than a year ago, Tong An and Ding Shan went to Lingnan together. Zhao Yao sent Tong An to Lingnan in advance to draw the map of Lingnan. Sending Ding Shan with him was to protect him. As for Ding Yuan, he used to study at the Imperial College, but a few months ago had the fortune to become a student of Mr. Meng, and is now studying by his side.

"Lingnan is not small, without three to five years, he won’t be able to finish it."

"Uncle, we can’t just find one person from Lingnan." Zhao Yao dragged the topic back, "We need to find several people, I need to hear if what they say is consistent. If it is, then it means it’s the truth. If not, then there is a problem with the people found."

"Alright."

"And about the miasma over there in Lingnan, just relying on medicine to treat it only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause, we must truly resolve the problem of the miasma." Zhao Yao had no intention to play chess, "The reason the miasma lingers all year round is because there are too many deep mountains and forests over there in Lingnan, and the miasma is constantly spread in the forests and can’t disperse. If we want the miasma to go away, we must cut down some trees to let the air circulate."

He thought for a while and said, "As for the timber, it can be sold, but we must think about where to sell it. Moreover, there are rivers and the sea in Lingnan, we need to utilize both river transport and sea transport..."

He Lianfang did not interrupt Zhao Yao’s self-talk.

Zhao Yao, with a long sigh, said, "Sigh, before even going to Lingnan, I already have so many concerns. Once I get to Lingnan, won’t I be busy every day?" The thought of perhaps becoming as busy as his father once he goes to Lingnan gave Zhao Yao a chill. "Uncle, I suddenly don’t want to be a prince, nor do I want to go to Lingnan, just let me be a wealthy idle man."

He Lianfang ignored Zhao Yao, gesturing him to stop talking nonsense and continue playing chess.

Zhao Yao, seeing He Lianfang not responding to his words, pursed his lips and obediently continued to play chess with He Lianfang.

After playing for a while, he exclaimed, "Uncle, do you think we have enough money?" There are too many things to do once they go to Lingnan, and every matter requires money, he’s now a bit worried that there might not be enough money.

He Lianfang replied indifferently, "There are still a few years until you go to Lingnan, there’s still time to make money."