Reincarnation in the Three Kingdoms Era with a System

Chapter 627 627: 627 Plundering People

It wasn't until nightfall that Tadun finally reached Jining, a small border town.

He had almost felt death itself claim his life. Having barely escaped the pursuit, he still felt a chill run down his spine, an extreme coldness spreading from the soles of his feet to his brain. Even now, his heart was racing, and he couldn't calm down.

Kebineng then realized why Tadun had run so fast after witnessing Lu Ming's godlike, unstoppable bravery.

If they hadn't run fast, they would have been dead.

Fortunately, Lu Ming only took in the prisoners and didn't pursue them, which allowed them to escape. Otherwise, they would certainly have been killed!

Having escaped death, everyone was in such a sorry state; no one should laugh at anyone else.

If you can't beat them, you can't beat them; no amount of effort will change that.

Sometimes, only through hard work do you realize how important talent is.

Meanwhile, at Yanmen Pass.

By this time, Yanmen Pass had returned to Dong Zhuo's control. Dong Zhuo arrived late, and seeing that Lu Ming had already captured the prisoners, he generously handed them over.

In his view, these foreign tribes were a problem, firstly because of the language barrier, and secondly because he lacked sufficient food to support them.

It wasn't about having as many soldiers as he wanted, but about whether he could afford to feed them. If he couldn't afford to feed them, even a large number of soldiers would desert—that was a harsh reality.

Seeing Dong Zhuo's soldiers abducting women from nearby villages for their own pleasure, Lu Ming simply watched coldly. Such a disorganized army couldn't possibly win hearts and minds.

Even the most capable army, without replenishment and constantly attrition, was destined for death and destruction.

Although Lu Ming was a lustful man, he wouldn't allow his soldiers to do such things.

An army should act as an army, not as bandits. A region without popular support, no matter how luxurious, is only temporary; it won't be long before it's reduced to ashes in a few months. After a quick meal, Lu Ming left, not participating in the debauchery, but returning to sort through the prisoners.

This time, the number of captured soldiers was unusually large, a total of 70,000.

His attempts to persuade them to surrender only yielded 40,000, leaving over 30,000 refusing to yield.

Therefore, he had to break them up and transport them back to Beidi County to support construction.

Repairing bridges and roads required a large workforce.

Unobstructed roads would improve efficiency in all aspects.

If the rice wasn't transported in time, and it rained, it would get soaked and be ruined.

This highlights the importance of roads; a smooth cement road, even with steep inclines and declines, is far better than a muddy path.

"Leave 5,000 men to garrison the area. The rest must be moved back to Liangzhou as quickly as possible. Also, give this letter to Gan Ning and tell him to handle it; get as much as he can." Lu Ming wrote a letter in pencil and handed it to Lin Rong, then turned to look at the map. After this crushing defeat, the Wuhuan and Xianbei would be unable to muster an effective military force for at least five years. Even if they could manage to muster enough, the majority would be old, weak, and disabled, far inferior to able-bodied soldiers.

His plan this time was to strike at the root of the problem. He not only needed to take away the able-bodied youths, but also send Gan Ning to raid surrounding tribes, focusing on taking the women. He also needed to persuade villagers along the way to leave and settle in Liangzhou, where they would be provided with houses and land, working as farmhands for the governor, without worrying about other issues.

However, it was uncertain how many people would be willing to follow, given the lowly status of those away from home. But doing something was better than doing nothing; at least there would be some gain.

"Yes, my lord," Lin Rong replied, taking the letter and then using a carrier pigeon to deliver the message. This was a method developed by the Mohist disciples.

Originally, it should have been a miscellaneous school, but it had long since merged into the Mohist school, making it a hodgepodge.

It had everything, but wasn't particularly proficient in anything, requiring careful study before it could be effectively utilized. Meanwhile, Gan Ning received a message by carrier pigeon shortly after. He sent someone to feed the pigeons and opened the letter himself. After reading it, his expression became somewhat strange, and he handed the letter to Lu Su.

Lu Su took the letter and read it carefully. Like Gan Ning, his expression became somewhat strange after reading it.

He even read it again, not giving up, before returning the letter to Gan Ning, who then passed it to Wei Yan.

The three of them fell silent after reading the letter. Wei Yan blurted out a question, "How did our lord get ahead of us? The battle in Yanmen County is over, yet we, as the vanguard, are still here!"

This was indeed somewhat unbelievable and inconceivable. How could such a thing happen?

Moreover, such a situation would be very frustrating for a military general, as if they were foolish commanders.

"Don't overthink it. Our lord is a genius, a divine being. We only need to wholeheartedly assist him, and we can achieve great things, bring glory to our ancestors, and secure a prosperous future for our wives and children." Gan Ning didn't think so much. For him, only completing the mission was enough; nothing else mattered.

A loyal follower will never question their master; they will only find a way to complete the tasks given by their master. That's what a follower is.

Even in the end of the world, when everyone abandons them, a follower remains a follower and will never betray them.

Wei Yan merely glanced at Gan Ning. He and Gan Ning had become acquainted through a misunderstanding, and he understood Gan Ning's character, knowing that Gan Ning wasn't a sycophant.

Perhaps he genuinely hadn't witnessed Lu Ming's bravery. After all, his presence was partly due to Lu Ming's reputation and partly due to Gan Ning's invitation; otherwise, the proud and arrogant Wei Yan would hardly have been swayed by an unknown figure.

"Our lord's abilities are beyond our reach. His ambitions are also far beyond our reach. Wenchang, do a good job of what our lord has entrusted to us. This world is vast—Yizhou, Youzhou, the Central Plains, Jingzhou, the Western Regions, overseas—are we afraid of not having enough battles to fight, not having enough merit to establish ourselves?" Gan Ning comforted his old adversary. He needed some help, some like-minded people to cooperate with.

As an army, their mission was to plunder people—it sounded utterly absurd! Yes, utterly absurd!