After his pleasure, Lu Ming had Siqi clean him up with her mouth. Her cherry-like lips roamed over his genitals, licking away all the semen from his penis, swallowing it whole without spitting it out!
Then she took a warm, damp towel and wiped his penis, behaving very submissively and carefully.
This was to be expected; a maid could speak loudly because of her mistress's status and the man's favor.
But when facing her master, she naturally had to be as submissive as possible.
Upon arriving at the central tent, Lu Ming listened to the news and then thoughtfully looked into the distance.
He then said, "Come with me to scout ahead. We're not far from Tao County. Give the order. We'll rest in Tao County, then move to Didao and set up camp there."
Tao County was still just a transit point. Lu Ming's main destination was Didao, the capital of Longxi Commandery. Fortunately, Didao and Tao County weren't far, only a three- to five-day journey. If a paved road had been built, it could be shortened to one or two days.
With a fast horse, they could arrive in less than a day. The paved road was nothing compared to the muddy, potholed path.
Lu Ming arrived at the foot of the mountain. Gan Ning and Huang Zhong were already on guard there. Their troops were still on the mountain. The area was under control, with simple fortifications and ambushes prepared. If the Qiang rebels came, they would be sure to suffer a crushing defeat!
Seeing this arrangement, Lu Ming nodded with satisfaction. These generals had indeed been forged in the crucible of war.
"Excellent! As the art of war says, 'He who wins before the battle is fought has many calculations in his favor; he who loses before the battle is fought has few calculations in his favor. Many calculations lead to victory, few calculations to defeat, and what about no calculations at all?' You have done very well. In the future, read more books, learn more characters, and you might even be able to publish a military treatise."
"Hansheng, you are well-versed in archery. If in the future you can use archers to ambush and kill the enemy's commander, preventing him from relaying orders and throwing the soldiers into chaos, that would be a remarkable achievement! Why not record these ingenious methods and insights on paper, pioneering a new school of thought?!" Lu Ming encouraged excitedly. He wanted these military generals to contribute their knowledge. Did military generals not like fame and fortune?
No, they loved it more than anything!
Huang Zhong, upon hearing this, lowered his head in deep thought, his heart churning with turbulent emotions.
He had never thought of it this way before. If he could publish a book, becoming a textbook for archers, then who would dare to look down on him?
Who wouldn't know Huang Hansheng's formidable reputation?
And wouldn't the Huang family of Jingnan regret not recommending him?
"Xingba's naval combat skills will surely prove useful in the future. I, the governor, can assure you that when the troops return to their armor, you might as well write down your combat experiences. These can become teaching materials for the officers and soldiers, wouldn't that also ensure your place in history?" Lu Ming also said to Gan Ning. He wasn't showing favoritism, nor was he overthinking things; he simply wanted to give these military officers something to do.
They couldn't be idle; idleness would lead to trouble. So they needed something to keep them occupied.
Although Gan Ning knew some characters, he was no match for a proper scholar. Slightly embarrassed, he scratched his head. "My lord," he said, "I, Gan Ning, am a roughneck. I know nothing of military strategy, and no one would read what I wrote. How can someone so crude and ignorant of classical allusions write a book?"
"Of course!" Lu Ming chuckled, finding this fierce general somewhat relaxed in his presence. This was good; without guardedness, he could treat him with sincerity.
"Xingba, who is your book for?"
Before Gan Ning could answer, Lu Ming laughed, "It's for military officers, from the highest-ranking military commanders to the lowest-ranking sergeants. Most military officers probably don't even have your level of understanding. Do you think they can understand anything too profound? I think your military treatise will definitely be better than others. Military treatises aren't about who writes the most beautifully. Just like on the battlefield, no matter how good your poetry and songs are, can they withstand swords and spears?"
The two men were greatly encouraged and immediately clasped their hands in a fist salute to Lu Ming, saying, "What you say is true, my lord! If you say I can do it, then I can do it!"
"Haha, alright, we'll talk about these things later. Let's go see what's happening over there now." Lu Ming finished speaking and walked over. It was clearly more important to see what was going on than to comfort the two roughnecks.
His uncle, Dong Zhuo, was still in Bingzhou, supposedly at odds with Ding Yuan.
It makes sense, doesn't it? One is a local strongman, the other a powerful newcomer. Bingzhou itself is barren and resource-poor; it's no wonder a war broke out.
With so many soldiers and so many mouths to feed, feeding them is no simple matter.
Lu Ming wasn't worried about food because he had stored it well.
Plus, the example he took in Chang'an had ensured he had enough grain.
Otherwise, his tens of thousands of troops would have gone hungry. Thirty thousand soldiers seem like a lot, but in the context of Liangzhou, it's quite weak.
Liangzhou not only has bandits, mostly cavalry, swift and elusive, ranging from hundreds to thousands of men.
Adding to the complexity is the mix of Qiang and Hu tribes.
He can't treat the Qiang with barbarity, otherwise, it could easily provoke a full-scale rebellion.
Upon reaching the hilltop, he took out his telescope and looked into the distance. He saw a group of Qiang beheading a group of prisoners.
Large numbers of women were taken away, and any children exceeding the size of a cartwheel were slaughtered.
It looked incredibly bloody; this was the custom of nomadic peoples of the grasslands.
To prevent them from becoming ungrateful later, it was better to kill them from the start.
Women were excellent reproductive tools, and generally, they weren't killed.
Moreover, the death of a husband meant obedience to his son, and incest wasn't uncommon.
This was also why the aristocratic families of the Central Plains looked down on people from the Qiang and Hu regions, always considering them barbarians, uncivilized savages!
A tall, robust figure flashed past the binoculars, and Lu Ming's expression immediately turned serious.
That was none other than a woman, not even a strong opponent, but an elderly mature woman, a tall mature woman—his aunt!
"Strange, how could my aunt be captured?" Lu Ming found it hard to understand. He didn't think his aunt would have an affair with a man. Although he had only recently started to make his fortune, he had known his aunt for more than ten years and knew her character. She was a forthright and generous woman. However, his grandmother didn't like his aunt very much, thinking that she was very different from the gentle and reserved Han Chinese women.