Upon seeing the notification, Lu Ming stroked his chin.
He glanced at his dazed younger sister, still savoring the afterglow of her climax. She'd been used so early in the morning, and later she had to help with the wedding procession; being a younger sister was truly exhausting.
Not only did she have to help her brother with chores, but she also had to satisfy his desires—it was too difficult. The farm was now established, and a stable food production was possible.
Moreover, there was no need to worry about locust plagues. Lu Ming had raised many ducks specifically to eat locusts and other pests, ensuring a stable food supply.
Floods, droughts, and locust plagues were considered three intractable disasters in ancient times. Floods inundated farmland, directly leading to complete crop failure. Floods usually flood farmland for several days before receding. At this time, crops are drowned and poultry are swept away.
These are not the most terrible things. The most terrible thing is the garbage left after the floods recede, which can easily breed bacteria.
In addition, if the sanitary conditions are not in place, it may become a plague, and by then even the gods will be hard to save.
The drought is much lighter, which means it will turn into thousands of miles of scorched earth. It seems simple, but it is also the most difficult.
The locust plague was also hailed as an ominous omen in ancient times. The country would be immoral and defeated, but God would first send disasters to warn them; if they didn't know how to introspect themselves, they would show strange things to warn them; if they didn't know how to change, they would be hurt and defeated.
In rural areas, it was common to build temples dedicated to the Locust God, including the Eight Wax Temples and the Insect King Temple. Faced with locust plagues, people would even "burn incense and offer sacrifices by the fields, daring not to kill any locusts." Faced with this deeply ingrained custom, some suggested eradication, but this was rejected.
However, Lu Ming was not worried. He held a certain status; he had always allowed his servants to hunt locusts, and he could still do so now.
After the locusts were caught, they were fried in oil, seasoned with salt, and instantly became a delicious meal.
Using them to feed the displaced people was a form of recycling!
However, farmland alone was not enough; pastures were also necessary.
People will starve to death without food, and they will also die without meat. A simple vegetarian diet can solve this problem, and it's quite easy to solve.
However, meat is not so easy to solve. Some vitamins are not found in plants and can only be obtained through meat.
Therefore, the fact that the younger sister can manage the ranch is undoubtedly an excellent advantage. The ranch isn't just for pigs, sheep, and cattle; it also has horses.
Both horsemen and warhorses are very useful.
Without electricity, using horses to pull the machinery is clearly a kind of mill. The wedding procession begins, taking the bride from the Wang family and then returning to Tao County.
The Wang family members will also accompany them; it has been agreed that they will live with us. Since only Wang Yi and her daughter are still alive, it's fine to bring them over. As for the gossipy aunts and uncles who come to curry favor, they will naturally be ignored. From the beginning, Lu Ming had no intention of accepting these people. When you're down on your luck, everyone hates you; when you're in a high position, everyone wants to chat with you and curry favor.
It's human nature, nothing wrong with that; it's just a matter of personal preference whether to accept them or not.
Wang Yi sat in the carriage, her feet resting on soft wool.
The carriage was very smooth, and even the bumps were within acceptable limits.
Being covered with a headscarf made her feel uncomfortable.
She heard from her maid that her husband had been inspecting and visiting people in the county town yesterday and hadn't attended the banquet.
Her mother, on the other hand, was accepting those relatives she had never interacted with before, who had recently been constantly trying to curry favor and ask for favors.
She was about to become the wife of a governor, the wife of a powerful regional official.
Wang Yi felt a mixture of joy and unease.
Before she even entered the family, Lu Ming had already married—one the daughter of a great Confucian scholar, the other the daughter of the current emperor. Their status and position were far beyond her reach.
Moreover, a woman's status in her husband's family was closely related to the strength of her maternal family.
During this time, Wang Yi had been pondering how to secure her position as the principal wife.
Besides cultivating a good relationship with her husband's sister, she also needed to maintain a good relationship with her mother-in-law. These weren't problems for her, but the most crucial element was her husband's trust and affection.
And becoming sisters with a princess was a significant challenge for her.
The principal wife was responsible for managing the household, which was a considerable challenge for her. However, she needed to be cautious at first and avoid directly demanding anything, as she lacked the ability.
The maids couldn't share her burden.
She thought a lot and considered many things, but the most crucial thing was to meet with her husband, Lu Ming, and have a proper talk.
The caravan returned to Tao County smoothly, and no fools dared to rob them along the way.
There were some, but they were all dealt with outside.
Xu Huang's letter mentioned three groups of people: nomadic herders from the grasslands, and two groups of mountain bandits and roaming horse bandits, but all of them had been dealt with.
Xu Huang's abilities were among the best in the Three Kingdoms period, comparable to Zhang Liao. Using him to command the army was clearly not a small-scale test, but also a guarantee of safety.
Lu Ming wore a long red robe, a spear hanging at his waist, ready for battle at any moment.
He rode his horse while reading a letter, then put it down, his eyes showing a hint of seriousness.
It seems some people don't want him to have a good life; they still want to cause trouble.
Ha! The wedding procession was intercepted by bandits midway!
What the hell is this "Let the bullets fly" plot?
"Yuanzhi, look, Gongming's letter report." Lu Ming handed the letter to Xu Shu, while his initial strategist, Jia Xu, was in Didao, the capital of Longxi Commandery.
It's said that Jia Xu has already pacified that area. That cunning strategist excels at understanding people's hearts and minds, using his advantages to forge alliances and betrayals; turning the powerful clans of Didao into enemies wouldn't be difficult for him.
This would be difficult for others, but for Jia Xu, it was no big problem.
Xu Shu, on the other hand, is the strategist, responsible for military strategy and also handling military affairs. He returned after mastering his skills in less than a year; how he learned them is unknown. However, he is occasionally seen reading books on military strategy, seemingly diligently studying even in his spare time.
After receiving the letter, Xu Shu read its contents. "This includes a cavalry force of the Western Qiang. As far as I know, the king of the Western Qiang is Cheliji. They are numerous, with an estimated 100,000 soldiers and many warhorses. They used to be allies of the Han Dynasty, but under harsh exploitation, they have rebelled!"