As for recruiting Ma Chao, Lu Ming hadn't even considered it. The title of one of the Five Tiger Generals sounded impressive.
In reality, it was merely a compromise. Ma Chao was indeed a capable fighter, but his skills were only average.
It was more about utilizing his influence in Xiliang. Now, whether or not Ma Chao was needed was irrelevant.
He preferred generals with strong leadership abilities and obedient, loyal commanders rather than those skilled in combat.
"Kill!" Lu Ming commanded, continuing the swift movement of his cavalry. Wherever the cavalry went, there were only severed limbs and cries of agony.
The battle raged from morning till night. Ma Teng and Han Sui escaped, but their advisors and generals had been almost entirely wiped out.
Ma Teng suffered a terrible fate. Of his three sons—Ma Chao, Ma Tie, and Ma Xiu—one was captured and his fate unknown, while the other two were killed or beheaded by Xu Huang and Jiang Qin.
Only his nephew, Ma Dai, remained by his side, fleeing in utter terror. Upon returning to Wuwei County, he found himself with fewer than three thousand soldiers—a truly humiliating defeat!
Han Sui fared even worse, fleeing back to Jincheng County.
His generals had all been killed, leaving him with only a few dozen personal guards for escort.
The rest of his soldiers either surrendered or were in disarray, impossible to command or manage.
Even this strategist, renowned for his intelligence and tactics, this powerful warlord of Xiliang, was utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend how he had lost!
Cheng Yi, Yang Qiu, Cheng Gongying, Ma Wan, and other minor warlords had all pledged allegiance to him, but they were all wiped out in this campaign!
Han Sui was left without any capable generals. Even with thirty thousand men remaining in his stronghold, without commanders, he was utterly helpless in the face of tough battles, crumbling at the first sign of trouble. His army was easily routed!
On the contrary, Lu Ming's side was so busy conscripting men that they didn't even have enough manpower. They simply converted the prisoners on the spot; those unwilling to surrender were locked up.
Even so, their army barely expanded from 8,000 to 40,000, capturing 10,000 soldiers and killing thousands of enemies.
This battle was a resounding victory, shattering Han Sui and Ma Teng's conspiracy in one fell swoop. No one in Xiliang could stop him now; unifying Liangzhou was only a matter of time!
Among these 10,000 prisoners, there were die-hard loyalists and some who could serve as strategists and civil officials; some further screening was needed.
Lu Ming didn't intend to kill them directly. He needed these prisoners to mine, coal, and salt wells.
Killing living people was too wasteful; making them work until they died was the right thing to do, the correct choice!
Even capitalists would kneel down and learn Lu Ming's skinning techniques!
Having defeated the combined attack of Ma Teng and Han Sui, and with the large amount of supplies and food they had acquired in Chang'an, things weren't too difficult now.
However, simply relying on past resources was unsustainable. While their current food supplies could last a year, the issue of food storage needed to be addressed, which was a major headache.
After a brief stop, Lu Ming headed towards Anding County.
Along the way, he consciously began gathering refugees, selecting villages in the mountains from abandoned fields, and isolating the refugees and those infected with the plague.
The refugees in the mountain villages were infected with the plague, while those in the plains were healthy refugees.
He provided grain seeds, marked out areas, and brought these lands under his control.
These were unclaimed lands; even those with owners would be forcibly seized.
Those who were cooperative were given money to appease them; those who were difficult were exterminated.
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
Upon arrival, people were immediately and roughly separated, with Lu Ming personally handling the task of differentiating patients. Simultaneously, special facilities—hospitals—began construction, using Pengyang as the central base.
Hospitals were special facilities provided by the system; each prefecture could construct them according to the size of its city.
Small cities could have one, medium-sized two, large three, and mega-cities five.
Small cities had a population of less than 100,000, medium-sized cities at least 300,000, and large cities 800,000.
Mega-cities had a population of one million. Ancient city construction wasn't very efficient, taking into account sewer systems, sewage, wastewater recycling, water resource acquisition, etc. The larger the city, the more difficult it was to maintain.
Ma Jun from Longxi, escorted by Xu Huang, hurriedly arrived to build the hospital.
At the same time, Lu Ming promised basic official positions to the Mohist disciples, below the county level. The basic administrative units below the county level were townships, villages, and pavilions.
The Han dynasty system was one pavilion every ten li, and ten pavilions made up one township.
The main village officials were the Three Elders, who were in charge of education; the Township Head was in charge of administration; and the Township Supervisor was in charge of administration. Below the village level were the Li (里), Shi (什), and Wu (伍).
Each Li had a Li Chief, each Shi a Shi Chief, each Wu a Wu Chief, and each Ting (亭) a Ting Chief.
Liu Bang rose to power by serving as a Ting Chief in Sishui, where he built his extensive network of connections. Sishui was a major logistics hub, much like a modern international metropolis, a place bustling with people. Even a minor Ting Chief there was a significant position.
This promise greatly excited the Mohist disciples, who knelt before Lu Ming, tears streaming down their faces.
It's important to understand that since Emperor Wu of Han banned all other schools of thought and exclusively promoted Confucianism, there had been a cultural deficiency.
Even before the ban on other schools of thought, other schools of thought would never allow Mohist disciples to hold official positions.
Simply because their preferred methods clashed with those of other schools of thought.
Every school of thought has its merits. As for Confucianism, there's no prejudice against it; on the contrary, I quite admire some of its theories, such as the idea of a unified empire, the concept of centralized power, and the compassion for all people.
However, it would be detrimental if Confucianism became the sole ruling group.
Losing the essence of Legalism would make a nation afraid of reform and change.
Without the masters of Mohism, the development of science and technology would lack impetus.
When the geniuses of the School of Diplomacy disappear from the political arena, diplomacy and international communication will become increasingly closed, conservative, and rigid.
When military strategists become mere charlatans, brilliant generals will be left to chance, and strategy and tactics will become confused.
As for the potential for ideological chaos or cultural loss without the exclusive veneration of Confucianism, he simply doesn't care, and such things are impossible.
The Mohists are good in every way, except they are a bit too idealistic.
Legend has it that the disciples of the Mohist school never wore shoes, always going barefoot. Not only that, but every time they received their wages, they would go to the streets to distribute them to passersby and beggars. They would also frequently go out to instruct farmers on farming, teaching them the techniques of making and maintaining agricultural tools. Sometimes, they would even spend months in the countryside, living and eating with the farmers.
This down-to-earth approach was commendable, but compared to other schools of thought that sought to be aloof and superior, it was simply shameful!
Therefore, they were met with hostility, which is both tragic and lamentable.