After having his way with Yingchun, Lu Ming also took advantage of her, including her maid Siqi.
Tonight was their wedding night, so Lu Ming didn't leave but slept with them.
This had the advantage of making them more docile. Generally, Lu Ming would spend the night in Princess Wannian's or Cai Wenji's rooms, or in Diao Chan's or Madam Zou's rooms.
He used to sleep in Wu Xian's room, but he stopped after they became pregnant.
For three days in a row, Lu Ming was busy.
The vanguard troops had begun moving towards Anding County; their task this time was to control the plague.
Other matters could be dealt with later. To facilitate travel, Lu Ming also planned to build a cement road, which would greatly improve travel speed.
Cement, mortar, and a good foundation would create a cement road, greatly facilitating movement and the flow of supplies.
These were all things Lu Ming hadn't spread. He planned to use them in Longxi County, then gradually expand to Liangzhou, and finally connect to Chang'an, creating a golden corridor, known as the Road Laden with Gold.
Regarding Jia Yingchun's entry into the household, the other women only came to introduce themselves; otherwise, they went about their own business.
Diao Chan, however, enthusiastically pulled Jia Yingchun into their yoga practice, even telling her the secrets of underwear and undergarments. One of the undergarments they possessed was made by Lu Ming; the others were modifications they had made themselves.
Gradually integrating into Lu Ming's harem, Jia Yingchun discovered that it was far more interesting than the Jia Mansion.
There were those who liked reading, those who liked playing, and those who liked...
There were also those who liked embroidery, those who liked playing chess. Although it wasn't as luxurious as the Jia Mansion, there was much more freedom here!
This made her feel particularly fortunate. She had often heard of women being abused to death after marriage; now she was doing well, so she felt even more grateful to Lu Ming and loved him deeply. Lu Ming dispatched the advance troops, and after settling matters in Chang'an, he and his wives set off to Peng County, on the border of Anding Commandery, to garrison the area.
Anding Commandery and Longxi Commandery were separated by Tianshui Commandery, fortunately only a portion of it, not far away.
Moreover, Tianshui Commandery was also part of Liangzhou, under his jurisdiction.
This time, Lu Ming intended to bring Liangzhou under his control, and he had received Emperor Ling's permission, having reached an agreement with Zhang Rang and his associates.
He could appoint these prefects, and later place their sons in these positions, which would generate even more revenue.
Emperor Ling simply hoped that Lu Ming could control Liangzhou, holding an army that could embolden him and give him the confidence to appoint Liu Xie as crown prince.
Outside Chang'an, the roads became extremely bumpy and difficult to traverse.
Furthermore, in some places, after rain, the carriages would become stuck in the mud, making travel very difficult.
Lu Ming's departure brought a sigh of relief to the powerful clans of Chang'an. At least the threat posed by Lu Ming was gone, even though it meant paying a price to avoid further trouble. The powerful clans gained nothing, while the imperial relatives and princes benefited, which displeased them.
Yuan Wei received an urgent report at his residence, detailing the events in Chang'an, especially Lu Ming's whereabouts.
Upon seeing that Lu Ming had forcibly taken a woman from the Jia family as a concubine, he revealed an expression of "I knew it."
A young man with potential and youthful vigor is commendable, but lust is a double-edged sword. A true man must be able to control his desires.
"Continue monitoring him."
Yuan Wei had no intention of letting Lu Ming get away so easily. He had already sent men to Jincheng and Wuwei counties, respectively, to find Ma Teng and Han Sui, instructing them to contact local minor warlords and their followers to ambush Lu Ming.
Lu Ming had taken a large amount of money and grain. Even with ten thousand men escorting him, it was a drop in the ocean compared to the long-distance caravan. This is a fat sheep!
Even if the warlords don't intervene, those bandits won't let Lu Ming go!
If they don't take a bite, what kind of men are they?
As for the consequences?
What happened in Xiliang has nothing to do with Yuan Wei, and there are many warlords in Xiliang; fighting is only natural.
Let alone Xiliang, even the Yellow Turbans in Hedong County, which is nearby, have been delayed for a long time. The court's credibility and resources have been exhausted.
At this moment, outside Duyang County, on a mountaintop.
This place is littered with blood and corpses. Dark flocks of birds circle in the sky; these birds are usually considered harbingers of bad luck!
Interspersed among them are vultures, scavengers that usually indicate a large amount of rotting food nearby.
Lu Ming lowered his spear, looking at the timid bandits before him. The soldiers had taken control of the mountain stronghold, bringing out the elderly, women, and children for a headcount.
"My lord, spare my life!" The dark-skinned man knelt on all fours, kowtowing to Lu Ming.
Originally, they planned to ambush the bandit caravan, but once they prepared their ambush, a red dot would appear on Lu Ming's map, making them easy to spot.
Lu Ming had also ordered Jiang Qin to lead men to ambush on one side, along the bandits' likely route of attack.
As a result, the bandits charged, only to run into Jiang Qin and his men, who unleashed a devastating attack, causing chaos among thousands.
The soldiers couldn't find their commander, and the commander couldn't find his soldiers; command was in complete disarray!
A spinning whirlwind symbol could be seen above their heads—this was chaos! Being ambushed inevitably led to chaos! The skill enhancement brought by Feng Qin was astonishing to Lu Ming!
However, it made sense; the surrounding conditions were harsh—they needed to be in the woods.
Secondly, being attacked by arrows would expose them.
An ambush can only succeed if the enemy actively approaches.
With so many restrictions, an ambush only manages to kill a few enemy soldiers.
But to throw them into chaos and paralyze their command is clearly an extremely powerful skill!
Lu Ming re-examined the skill enhancements from his wives and concubines. Perhaps none of them were useless; he just didn't know how to utilize them.
"Who commissioned you to do this? Tell me, and you won't die. Otherwise, I'll bring all your relatives and friends before you and kill them one by one in front of you! Then I'll kill you!"
Lu Ming's words sent a chill down the spine of the dark-skinned man. This man was terrifying. He had just killed his brothers and subordinates like a god of war; none of them could withstand a single blow. The godlike appearance he had witnessed would haunt the man's nightmares for the rest of his life!