Half a month later, Lu Ming led his men back to Zheng City.
As he returned, a pleasant notification sound rang in his ears.
"Ding, the mission to pacify Ji Province is complete."
"Pacifying Ji Province: Although Ji Province is under your control, you do not have complete control over this land. Completely control Ji Province's food, economy, and personnel, and become the ruler of Ji Province."
"Time Limit: None."
"Mission Rewards: If completed within one year, the reward is a perfect hot air balloon and airship blueprint and a railway train blueprint. If completed after one year, the loyalty of your soldiers increases by ten points."
While there's no time limit, completing it earlier offers a significant advantage.
Lu Ming's current plan is to concentrate resources on domestic development, focusing on commerce, agriculture, and industry.
He doesn't need a market economy, as he alone is sufficient.
And welfare doesn't need to be lavish; enough to eat and drink, with some spare cash, is enough.
When people are well-fed and clothed, they inevitably develop unrealistic ambitions. So, being moderately well-fed—not too full, not starving—is actually quite good." He never had any grand ideas about serving the country or its people; however, he certainly had the right to speak of the common people.
Without him, if the warlords continued fighting, it would likely be the common people who died. In a sense, he was a savior.
As an unknown force penetrated his mind, Lu Ming obtained two blueprints, each generating a technology tree.
The basic blueprints for airships and railways were already available, but they could be further upgraded. In-depth research was all that was needed, requiring time and resources.
Inside the railway, sand... Railways in deserts, wastelands, and permafrost regions—how to address the challenges of thermal expansion and contraction, and the complexities of high mountains and rivers—these are all factors that need to be considered.
Furthermore, the design is extremely complex. Although the technology tree has been simplified, a glance reveals the staggering amount of data it contains.
Moving the capital to Zhengcheng is Lu Ming's proposed plan.
Zhengcheng is close to the Yellow River and rich in resources.
Chang'an in Guanzhong has good resource conditions, but it has a fatal flaw: its remoteness.
If future sea routes are desired, then waterways will undoubtedly be more suitable. Furthermore, to strengthen control over local areas, only one condition is needed: the ability of one's army to quickly reach the rebellious territories and create a deterrent effect.
Zhengcheng is very fast to reach anywhere, making it more suitable than Guanzhong.
Guanzhong is better for accumulating resources in the early stages, but in the later stages, the center of the map is preferable.
Therefore, for the next period of time, Lu Ming needs to start thinking about how to build a palace.
This is inherently a costly and labor-intensive undertaking, so it can be postponed.
That day, Lu Ming was still indulging in pleasure in his mansion when he heard... The Imperial Guard reported that the strategist Xu Shu had requested his presence.
Generally, Xu Shu wouldn't do this; if he were, he would come to the residence in person to obtain the report, not send him.
Therefore, there's only one explanation: these matters can only be handled by the Grand Council.
Lu Ming climbed off his sister, Lu Xue. Ignoring her exhaustion, she squeezed her legs together to prevent the semen from leaking out.
She had to wipe him naked, then help him dress, all while enduring Lu Ming's fondling of her body. Her love for her brother made her tolerate Lu Ming's lewd behavior. Hand.
She was both a sister and a wife, a dual identity that gave her a particular thrill and excitement.
Leisurely, Lu Ming even had the mind to listen to the recent reports.
He selected a location in Zheng City, near the Taihang Mountains, and, modeled after the palaces of Chang'an, designated a large area. The palaces were connected to the mountains, allowing for hunting and leisure at any time.
There were also hot springs in the Taihang Mountains, which was excellent.
However, doing this would require expanding Zheng City considerably.
That didn't matter; he could simply incorporate the counties along the way into Zheng City. That's good.
This involves city construction and building, a massive undertaking. Only the Mohists and Legalists were involved in this project.
The Mohist disciples were responsible for meticulously adjusting and building according to Lu Ming's blueprints, striving for perfection.
The Legalists, on the other hand, supervised the workers, ensuring the project was completed on time.
The two cooperated effectively.
Moreover, this was a perfect opportunity for both schools of thought to regain influence in the court, so they naturally worked with utmost effort.
The city had already been equipped with water... The dirt road, a cement road mixed with stones, was clean and tidy.
To avoid affecting the aesthetics, stray cats and dogs were restrained and captured to prevent these animals from carelessly trampling on it.
Whose dogs are they? Whoever's dogs they are, they should be responsible. If they can't be controlled, it's a perfect excuse for Lu Ming to eliminate them!
Upon arriving at the Military Affairs Office, Xu Shu was already waiting at the door.
The office location had long since moved from Chang'an to Zheng City; this place was more suitable.
"My lord, news from the Second Army Corps indicates that they have captured Jiangling City and defeated the navy sent by Xiangyang City, annihilating half of their forces. Now, only about 80,000 soldiers remain in Xiangyang City, isolated and without support."
"Guo Jia's suggestion is to stabilize Jiangxia and launch a full-scale attack on Liu Biao. After capturing Liu Biao, we can completely control Jingzhou."
"As for Jiangxia and Jingnan, we can deal with them gradually." "
Xu Shu was explaining things to Lu Ming in the main hall, where Zhuge Liang was also present.
Jia Xu, as Prime Minister, was in Chang'an working on the relocation of the capital. Relocating the capital is always a lengthy process, requiring the handling of many details.
However, Lu Ming hadn't yet established a capital, so the superficial work wasn't necessary, but someone still needed to clean up the mess.
And Jia Xu, as Prime Minister, was naturally the best candidate.
Beside Zhuge Liang stood an exceptionally ugly young talent. This was Xu Shu's student, and also an unexpected person—Pang Tong!
Pang Pang Tong came to recommend himself; he was renowned in Jingzhou as a famous young genius, but quite ugly.
In Jingzhou, people always respected appearances before character. And Pang Tong's looks were...well, let's just say they were unattractive. To describe him as "ugly as a melon or a cracked date" would be an understatement.
Naturally, unable to find a suitable position, Pang Tong, guided by someone, voluntarily came to Zheng City to seek refuge with Lu Ming.
Lu Ming met with him once, then handed him over to Xu Shu. He didn't lack strategists at the moment, so he didn't show any particular desire for Pang Tong, this "Young Phoenix."