Tiger Guards

Chapter 428: A notorious reputation
Juyeze, Chengshi.

When Taishi Ci led his troops north to Fan County, the Li family, who had retreated from Chenliu to Chengshi, also found themselves in a dilemma.

The Li family held a dominant position in the southern part of Juyeze. Although their territory did not span multiple prefectures and counties, it could be considered as spanning multiple counties and counties.

Juye Marsh is a magical place. This large lake belongs to Jiyin, Shanyang, Dongping State and Dongjun respectively.

Dongjun occupied the smallest portion; calculated by the perimeter of the riverbank, Dongjun accounted for less than one-twentieth.

Kefan County belongs to Dongjun and is located in the northern part of Juyeze.

Since the chaos that ensued, Fan County was one of Cao Cao's core strongholds, and his jurisdiction naturally expanded.

The Li family occupied Juye County of Shanyang Commandery in the southern part of Juye Marsh, as well as Chengshi County in the southwestern part of Juye Marsh and the mouth of the Ji River where it flows into Juye Marsh.

The Li family monopolized the fishing and transportation industries in the southern part of Juyeze, and also had a stake in the shipping in the Jishui and Sishui river basins.

Three or four years ago, when Cao Cao launched two expeditions to Xuzhou, the Li family maintained a relatively independent status.

It was because Xue Lan, Li Feng, and others from Lü Bu's side held a banquet to coerce and kill Li Qian that the Li family completely joined Cao Cao's camp.

Now, a huge survival crisis is looming over the Li family.

Li Qian's son, Li Zheng, and nephew, Li Dian, were both young men under twenty, about the same age as Zhao Ji.

Should they move downstream along the Si River to Xuzhou, or should they heed the call of Cheng Yu, the prefect of Jiyin, and move together to Hebei?

Alternatively, they could simply split into three groups, with one group moving to Xuzhou and the other to Hebei, while the other minor branches remained in their original locations to continue their development.

At its peak, the Li family had over 5,000 retainers, but it had already reached a bottleneck in its development.

Since Li Qian's death, order has been chaotic and the population has dwindled. The Li family can now only mobilize about four thousand people.

Amidst the chaos, the scattered clan elders finally gathered together. Even now, some still couldn't believe that Cao Cao would die so hastily.

Cao Cao was incredibly resilient; he survived an assassination attempt on Dong Zhuo and when his army mutinied on his return from recruiting soldiers in Danyang, he still managed to save his life.

Later, Cao Cao joined forces with Yuan Shao to pursue the retreating Dong Zhuo. Near the Bian River, they were ambushed by Xu Rong, and more than 30,000 soldiers were wiped out. Even so, Cao Cao did not die.

Later, the Yellow Turban Army from Qing and Xu entered Yanzhou, and Governor Liu Dai was killed in battle. Cao Cao was ordered to lead the troops of the prefecture and counties to counterattack and resist the Yellow Turban Army. He was even surrounded by the Yellow Turban Army at one point, but he survived thanks to the rescue of Bao Xin, the Chancellor of Jibei. However, Bao Xin was killed in battle, which shows how dangerous that battle was.

Subsequently, Lü Bu seized Yanzhou, and in the Battle of Puyang, Cao Cao was nearly captured alive by Gao Shun, and his left palm was burned, leaving a burn that was difficult to heal.

Last year, in the Battle of Chenliu, Cao Cao's army was almost completely wiped out by Zhao Ji and Lü Bu, but he still managed to cross the river and survive.

As a result, he was ordered to apologize to Zhao Ji this year, but was assassinated by Zang Hong's former subordinates.

The elders of the Li clan were generally hesitant and unwilling to believe it emotionally.

This means they didn't even have a chance to surrender. Back then, they were the ones who devised the plan to entertain Lü Bu, and then suddenly launched an attack that caught Lü Bu off guard, forcing him to flee in a sorry state.

Now that Lü Bu is a Grand General and his son-in-law Zhao Ji is a Grand Marshal, with the father-in-law and son-in-law both in charge of the Secretariat, how could the Li family dare to rely on such a court?

Before the world descends into chaos, wise and astute people can discern impending chaos from subtle clues and will proactively make preparations.

They might prepare supplies or make connections with like-minded heroes.

Some intelligent people also realize that the changing trends of the world are not as wonderful as the court and government have been proclaiming. They will try to persuade those around them to make preparations in advance, or they will be ridiculed, or even imprisoned or beheaded for it.

Some clever people believed that the world was about to descend into chaos, but they took a chance and were afraid of being punished by the court and government, so they just muddled through their lives.

The Li family is so large that it includes all sorts of people.

When Cao Cao was alive, in order to control the Li family and make them work for him, he forcibly supported Li Zheng. Only when Li Zheng obtained an official position could he suppress the elders within the family.

Now that Cao Cao is finished, the clan elders neither believe that Cao Cao is dead nor take Li Zheng seriously anymore.

Anyway, it was Li Jin's lineage that attacked Lü Bu back then, not the collective opinion of the entire Li family.

Li Feng, who was killed in retaliation, was also a member of the Li clan.

Therefore, the Li family still has some room for maneuver and is not driven to the brink of ruin.

The Li family has grown so large that, although the elders in charge of each branch are of the same bloodline, their kinship has long been distant. It was the immense profits of the Juye Marsh that brought them together, and the external pressure of crisis also forced them to unite.

However, with external threats to the survival of the entire group, this unity is no longer necessary; breaking up into smaller groups is more suitable for reproduction and survival.

Li Zheng and Li Dian lack seniority and prestige. If they had ten years, their connections would have been more stable, their prestige and influence would have expanded, and some of the elders would have passed away, then the current chaotic situation would not exist.

Li Zheng and Li Dian felt quite helpless when dealing with these clan elders.

If you speak a little louder, the clan elders will label you and criticize you endlessly, perhaps even on their deathbeds, they'll still have something to say to their children and nephews.

When the clan gathers for a meal, these elders might dress impeccably and be very polite.

But now that it's a matter of life and death, how can we dare to listen to other people's opinions?
The leader of that time, Li Qian, trusted his clansman Li Feng too much and was killed while eating.

Without Cao Cao's forceful intervention, the Li family would have long since fallen apart.

These days, the mere quarrels are already considered a sign of harmony within the clan.

Elsewhere, clashes have broken out between officials in Qiao and Pei and local powerful clans.

Li Dian disliked the noisy atmosphere, but dared not loudly criticize or forcefully suppress the clan elders, so he could only keep observing his cousin Li Zheng.

Li Zheng observed the three elders who were shouting the loudest among the clan elders, noticing that they would occasionally glance at and observe him out of the corner of their eyes.

He knew these people were deliberately pressuring him, and he also observed the other silent elders, keeping all of this in mind.

In the midst of the argument, the messenger who had gone out to scout arrived in the hall, panting: "Something terrible has happened! Sun Ce has ordered Taishi Ci and Sun Fu to lead troops to attack from Kangfu. I don't know if they're going to Fan County or coming here via Juye."

An elder slammed his fist on the table and angrily rebuked, "Why didn't you find out? Are they going to Fan County, or are they heading west!"

The envoy smiled awkwardly, as time and space did not allow for a thorough investigation; he could only go to see Li Zheng and await his decision.

Li Zheng didn't rush to speak, waiting until the elders' voices subsided before saying, "Sun Ce is fierce and ruthless, no less than Lü Bu or Zhao Ji. If Taishi Ci is his vanguard, we are in grave danger."

Li Dian chimed in, "Sun Ce has captured and plundered many men and women along his march. With Taishi Ci and Sun Fu as his vanguard, he may split up to sweep through the enemy. One group may head north along the main road east of the Great Marsh, while the other may come towards our Chengshi via Juye. At this critical juncture of life and death, with the enemy outnumbered, how can we afford to be complacent?"

If one were to join forces with Lü Bu, there would still be some room for negotiation.

Zhao Ji was notorious for his ruthlessness, and all the powerful families and clans in Taiyuan were wiped out. How could the Li family dare to get close to Zhao Ji?
Sun Ce was the same. A few years ago, he went on a killing spree in Jiangdong, and the Wu girls and Yue girls he captured were sold all the way to Yanzhou along the Si River.

Last year and this year, when Sun Ce led his army on campaigns, wherever he went, he plundered the population and burned down even the houses, as if he were a burning army that would destroy everything.

Therefore, Sun Ce was even more ruthless than Zhao Ji. Who would dare to approach Sun Ce unless absolutely necessary?

The clan elders looked at each other in bewilderment. Seeing this, Li Zheng suggested, "There is no time to lose. Each family should mobilize boats and immediately take their families and servants north to Yuncheng, travel along the Huzi River, and meet up with Prefect Cheng in Fan County."

Most of the private transport ships around Juye Marsh are in the hands of the Li family.

To the north of Juye Marsh is the Huzi River, which flows northeast. Nearby is a town where the government transports goods, known as Yuncheng.

The Huzi River connects directly to the lower reaches of the Yellow River, passing through Fan County and Dong'e County. This was a crucial waterway for transporting supplies for Cao Cao's army.

As long as Juye Marsh and the Yellow River do not dry up, the Huzi River will have ample water, ensuring smooth water transport and convenient irrigation.

Therefore, the area surrounding the banks of the Huzi River was the core military settlement area for the surrendered Yellow Turban rebels and various units of Cao Cao's army in Qingxu.

Thanks to the convenient transportation route of Juye Marsh, Cao Cao's army could also be mobilized quickly.

At its fastest, troops could be dispatched from Jiyin, Chenliu, and Dongping in Yanzhou, and arrive in Pengcheng, Xuzhou by boat in three days, catching Xuzhou off guard.

Basically, whoever controls the upper reaches of the Si River can control Xuzhou.

After Li Zheng made the proposal, none of the elders of the Li clan objected, not because they particularly agreed with Li Zheng.

The real reason was that Zhao Ji and Sun Ce had such a bad reputation. They would rather follow Li Zheng and leave their hometown to make a living in Hebei than stay in Juye Marsh and gamble on Zhao Ji and Sun Ce's momentary mercy.

Of course, the Li family had no connection with Zhao Ji and Sun Ce, so they naturally wouldn't seal up any treasury.

When the entire Li family decided to migrate, they set fire to all the supplies and houses they couldn't take with them, preferring to burn them to ashes and let them sink into the Juye Marsh rather than give them to Zhao Ji and Sun Ce to accumulate some future opportunities.

(End of this chapter)