Xiji City was a large county seat in Tianshui Prefecture, with a population exceeding 100,000.
On this day, an army was stationed outside Xiji City. An envoy had entered the city with an imperial edict, announcing the arrival of the Governor.
Beidi Prefecture, Anding Prefecture, Tianshui Prefecture, Longxi Prefecture, Jincheng Prefecture, Wuwei Prefecture, Zhangye Prefecture, Jiuquan Prefecture, and Dunhuang Prefecture—these were all prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of Liangzhou.
Currently, Lu Ming only controlled Longxi and Anding Prefectures. He wanted to expand his influence, firstly because he lacked manpower, and secondly because he wanted to take over the other prefectures and counties as soon as possible to effectively integrate and utilize resources.
Take road construction, for example. There's always an application; some areas require requisition. In those cases, reasoning is key. But if they won't listen, then force is necessary.
Only by gaining control of Liangzhou as soon as possible can he integrate its resources and form a massive logistical base.
At this moment, Prefect Han Ming, stroking his beard, looked at the letter delivered by the messenger, his eyes somewhat unfocused.
"Gentlemen, the Governor of Liangzhou has arrived. What are your plans?"
Xiji City is dominated by three powerful families: the Han family, to which Prefect Han Ming belongs; the Fan family, to which County Magistrate Fan Mi belongs; and the Zhang family, to which the wealthy merchant Zhang Chun belongs.
Each of the three families guards its own territory, with the Han family being the most powerful, holding the official position of County Magistrate, which naturally allows them convenient actions.
"Since he's the Governor of Liangzhou, then invite him into the city. He is the highest authority in Liangzhou." Zhang Chun glanced at him, then picked up his tea and slowly sipped it.
He didn't care about such trivial matters; he only cared about making money. In these chaotic times, money was essential for survival.
As a merchant, he had a private retinue and a fortified position outside the city, so even as a merchant, he wasn't inferior to the other two.
County Commandant Fan Mi, however, sensed a strong sense of crisis. Lu Ming had brought troops; he had a premonition that Xiji City was about to be purged!
"Why not just send him money and food and let him go? Isn't he going back to Longxi? Let's be good and give him the money and food. Hmph, if he wants to skin us alive, then give him that. He won't survive!"
"Heh, no rush. Let's play with him. I heard the Governor of Liangzhou is already in a high position before he even comes of age. So promising for his age! So promising for his age! Heh!"
Han Ming seemed to hold Lu Ming in contempt, even envy. He was already over fifty and had only become a county magistrate.
And Lu Ming?
Not even twenty yet, no, not even close, and he's already the Governor of Liangzhou.
If you didn't know his age, just looking at Lu Ming, you wouldn't see any immaturity or naivety; he was a seasoned and sturdy man!
"The Feast at Hongmen?" Fan Mi's expression showed surprise. Was this an attempt to kill a high-ranking official?
"No! Let him back down. He's only after money; there's no need to escalate things. The three of us are enough for Xiji City. Another person coming in wouldn't be good."
Han Ming shook his head. Clearly, while he was jealous and looked down on Lu Ming, he knew where to draw the line.
Killing Lu Ming would be a huge problem.
They were just local powerful families; they didn't have any major conflict with Lu Ming.
However, they had all heard of Lu Ming's ruthless exploitation; many nobles and powerful figures in Chang'an had been extorted by him. Naturally, they assumed Lu Ming was just a man who wanted money. Three people, each with their own thoughts, all knew this was a storm.
If they weathered it, the sun in Xiji City would rise as usual. If they didn't, there would be no future.
At this moment, Lu Ming had just climbed off his aunt.
He left after his pleasure, and half an hour later, his aunt pretended to get up.
She had drunk a little wine at noon, and then deliberately told Lu Ming she was going to take a nap.
Unable to admit it directly, she could only express it subtly. At this moment, Lu Ming knew that his aunt's desire was particularly strong; she especially wanted to be with him!
They both tacitly understood each other. The younger sister pretended not to know he had slept with her, and he pretended she didn't know he had. As long as this veil of secrecy remained unbroken, everything would remain peaceful.
"Ding, mission triggered: Sweep Away the World."
"Sweep Away the World: Evil lurks within Xiji City. Sweep away the evil and usher in a new life. Mission content: Annihilate any two of the three major families and reclaim the third. Mission reward: A combination of Bao Zheng, Gongsun Ce, and Zhan Zhao."
"The Bao Zheng, Gongsun Ce, and Zhan Zhao combination: Ensures that the security of the areas under your command does not decline, and that the security of the areas you are assigned to continuously increase. (Security below 50 has a chance of being incited; below 20, a riot will occur every quarter. Security above 90 increases business by 20% every quarter.)"
Lu Ming stroked his chin, looking at the suddenly appearing mission, his expression somewhat interesting.
Bao Zheng? That's a loyal and upright official who never admits defeat or bows his head.
Ministers can be categorized in many ways: treacherous, loyal, upright, favored, mediocre, and so on. Bao Zheng belonged to the latter category, acting only on his own convictions and refusing to form factions.
Watching his younger sister-in-law emerge from her room, her crow's feet, moistened by his semen, had faded considerably, and her plump buttocks appeared even more pert.
Her mature allure was even more pronounced, filling Lu Ming with immense pride.
"Auntie, come to Xiji City. You can stay in the military camp. Come back to Tao County with me later. My mother hasn't seen you in a long time; it's a rare opportunity, let's get together."
"Oh? Ah? Okay, alright."
The auntie was somewhat taken aback. She thought she would stay and reunite with her husband, but her nephew was actually asking her to go to Tao County. Did he want to continue to monopolize her?
Lu Ming didn't care whether his auntie agreed or not. Since he'd already slept with her, she couldn't escape!
He even planned to impregnate her. In this era without condoms and IUDs, this was perfect—perfect for a beast like him who especially enjoyed impregnating women and getting them pregnant!
Just then, Lin Rong approached and whispered, "My lord, Xu Shu and several brave warriors are outside requesting an audience."
"Hmm? Xu Shu's here? Let's go see."
Lu Ming was somewhat surprised and delighted, and quickly went out.
He felt no shame whatsoever. Xu Shu had asked him to help treat his mother, and he had instead raped her.
Now, after several months of continuous sexual activity and some nourishment, it was time to conceive!
Inside the military tent, Xu Shu was waiting with two scholars, and beside them were several tall, burly men who looked like military officers.