A few days later, Lu Ming, leading the lower ranks of the Western Garden Army and his personal guards, departed Luoyang with a large convoy of carriages, heading towards Hangu Pass.
His wife, concubines, and other family members rode in carriages he had prepared.
The use of synthetic rubber tires and steel spring shock absorbers ensured their comfort throughout the journey.
The road from Luoyang to Chang'an was relatively easy to travel.
Moreover, the roads were dry, the sky was clear, and there was no rainy season, making travel convenient.
Generally, this convoy could only travel about twenty kilometers a day at best.
However, Lu Ming possessed the 'marching' characteristic of light cavalry, allowing the convoy to travel sixty kilometers a day. Even on bumpy roads, the speed wouldn't be reduced to a point of impassibility.
While the marching characteristic might seem poor, its practicality was actually top-notch!
They reached Hangu Pass in less than three days. They marched during the day and camped at night, with the army on the outer perimeter and the families inside.
Sentinels were kept on guard, both visible and hidden.
Even around Luoyang, vigilance couldn't be relaxed.
Lu Ming, however, spent his nights having sex with his concubines, especially Lady Zou and Diao Chan, who were practically exhausted!
Lady Zou fared somewhat better; mature women can withstand more intense stimulation.
But Diao Chan was less so. Her youthful body needed time to adapt and improve. She often couldn't last more than twenty minutes; excessive orgasms were only painful for her.
Once satisfied, women are quite docile. Most of the time, when women are interested in palace intrigue, it's essentially because their desires aren't being met, leading to all sorts of trouble.
With the official travel documents in place, the garrison commander of Hangu Pass didn't stop them.
There was a princess among them, and the army's disciplined bearing was extraordinary. There was no noise or commotion; their ranks were orderly, and the veteran soldiers clearly indicated a formidable force!
Lu Ming had assumed the garrison commander of Hangu Pass would try to stop him, after all, this area was near Luoyang, and he wondered if it was controlled by the Yuan family's followers or a powerful military clan.
As for Emperor Ling, he didn't hold any military power.
Even though he had promoted his brother-in-law He Jin to Grand General, the military power he wielded was minimal.
At most, the Imperial Guard protecting Luoyang wouldn't exceed 20,000, and it was unclear how many of them were truly capable.
The fact that such a large city as Luoyang had less than 20,000 Imperial Guards was quite intriguing.
After leaving Hangu Pass, the road became somewhat bumpy, but still passable.
After all, Chang'an to Luoyang and the Central Plains was a vital commercial route, frequently used by carriages, which would compact even the dirt quite thoroughly.
The longer Lu Ming marched, the more he missed reinforced concrete, or even just plain cement mortar.
At least the roads were relatively smooth, and without heavy vehicles like trucks, only horse-drawn carriages, they wouldn't be damaged.
Cement roads are far superior to dirt roads; even on rainy days, they won't be impassable due to mud.
Upon returning to Longxi, he would vigorously develop cement roads. He needed to at least improve the road infrastructure; otherwise, many materials and goods couldn't circulate.
"To get rich, build roads first"—this saying isn't just empty words. Without convenient roads, even the best goods can't circulate and will simply rot in your hands.
In Jingzhou, several wandering knights wiped their sweat. They had traveled a long way and finally arrived in Jingzhou. Fortunately, their way of life as wandering knights was unique, so traveling far and wide wasn't a problem for them.
"Finally here, boss. What do we do now?"
"Fifth brother, go find out the whereabouts of the Jin Fan bandits. Sixth brother, go check if there are any maps or roads leading to Jingnan recently. The mission the master gave us must be completed!" A man with a scarred face and a menacing expression said.
He was a bandit leader who had been defeated in Hedong. After a month of military training, he had submitted to Lu Ming. Because of his wide network of connections, Lu Ming had sent him to deliver messages to historical generals, hoping to recruit them before they rose to power, using his reputation and status.
A governor was already qualified to recruit talent; he could establish his own government and military headquarters.
A governor without talented people could not govern a province. The governorship was a lucrative position, a position that, if powerful, could even lead to the establishment of a kingdom!
Now, people from all over the land were flocking to Luoyang; even Liu Biao had sent envoys to Luoyang with gifts.
Zhang Rang was overwhelmed with gifts; everyone wanted the governorship, so giving gifts was essential. Without it, one was destined to never rise in rank.
Lu Ming's recruitment drive was merely a trial; Jingzhou had plenty of talent.
Furthermore, he had obtained the order to summon generals from other regions.
Generally, unrecognized generals were released without much trouble.
Gan Ning, the Jin Fan bandit, was still a bandit; recruiting him wouldn't be difficult. The only concern was whether his arrogance would lead to refusal.
The second was Huang Zhong, stationed in Changsha. Although Huang Zhong belonged to a branch of the Huang family in Jingzhou, he wasn't highly regarded because of his branch status.
Recruiting him was possible, but it depended on luck.
Next was Wei Yan, another talented individual. As for the claim of him being rebellious, that was somewhat unfair.
Talents valued by Liu Bei, the "Big Ear Bandit," were rarely useless. Zhuge Liang, as a strategist, was good at devising plans, but his judgment of character was less than half that of Liu Bei!
Besides this, Lu Ming also sent many people to recruit other unsung military generals.
He also sent wandering knights to act as local ruffians, forming an intelligence network and gathering talent along the way.
Finding them would be ideal, but not essential.
He could train them himself; what he needed was a large number of grassroots personnel.
Meanwhile, in Chang'an, the Yuan family had prepared a grand gift for Lu Ming.
The nobles and powerful families in Chang'an had already received the news; they were to provide financial and manpower support to Lu Ming to suppress the plague in Anding County and prevent its spread.
The Three Kingdoms period was an era of brilliant minds, but also an era of sharp population decline.
Plague, war, famine, and exploitation led to a severe population drop.