Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 61 Heading to the netherworld, death! Death!

The setting sun casts its light on the grass and trees, the river flows far and wide, and both banks are clearly visible. On the barren beach and grassy mounds, corpses lie scattered, everywhere stained with blood. An old man and a young man gaze at each other, this is the land where bones are buried.

"Ahem! My Li family has no grudge against the Taiping Dao... Why are you attacking us?! Is it because of the Duan family?... "

Li Qian's face was ashen, a mixture of disbelief and despair. He barely managed to lift his head, looking around at the surrounding landscape, the stench of blood and death assaulting his senses.

Hundreds of clan members perished here, becoming silent corpses. The Li clan has lost its core members, its direct descendants for inheritance, and now faces the Duan clan and the Taiping Dao—two terrifying enemies, one overt and one covert… What horrible future awaits the Li clan?!
"Heaven bears witness! We have no personal grudges, only a righteous cause, for the people's survival. I respect Lord Li, and having promised to preserve the Li family line, I will certainly do so!"

Zhang Cheng remained calm, observing Li Qian with an unchanging expression. Now that he had chosen Taishan Onozawa as his base of operations, these local tyrants, who had annexed territories, had a long history of misdeeds, and possessed military power, were the targets that had to be eliminated!

These local powerful clans have accumulated astonishing amounts of grain and land, have large populations, and possess armed militias. Once the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupts and the world descends into chaos, they will rapidly expand their power through force!

The Li family has stockpiled so much grain and controls hundreds of tribes. As long as the world is in chaos, they can immediately devour the entire Chengshi County by the Great Lake, annex thousands of refugees, seize tens of thousands of acres of land, and rapidly expand to a scale of tens of thousands of tenant farmers.

Then, within a short period of eight or nine years after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Li family would transform into a force of thousands of elite and courageous private soldiers, becoming one of the most troublesome enemies of the Taiping Dao in Yanzhou!

Therefore, in order to ensure the smooth launch of the Taiping Dao uprising in Yanzhou more than a year later, Zhang Chengfu will not be merciful! Just like this ambush today, he will not leave any survivors to expose the Taiping Dao's plans.

"Li Jun, time is running out!"

"."

Li Qian trembled all over and remained silent for a long time before answering with difficulty.

"The armor, weapons, and crossbows are all hidden in two cellars at the private estate by the Great Wilderness Marsh. There aren't many iron armors, only thirty or forty sets. There are more crossbows, seventy or eighty in total."

"Where did they get these weapons and armor?"

"The crossbows came from the treasuries of Dong'e County and Chengshi County, while the iron armor came from the troops of the prefectures and counties. The former were embezzled by the county magistrates through tipping, and the latter were privately bought and sold by the prefectural commandant..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengfu nodded slightly; this answer was not unexpected. The Li family, with such a large estate, only possessed thirty or forty suits of armor. The imperial court's control was still strict, at least for powerful families.

"With such a large family business as the Li family, how much tax and corvée do they usually pay to the government?"

“Hmm? My Li family owns 16,000 mu of land and has two or three thousand clan members who are tenants. The official register lists 7,000 mu and 800 people. The tax rate for 7,000 mu is 10%, and the tax rate for 800 people is only half. It is impossible for the tax officials to collect any extra taxes from my Li family. It is also impossible for the county's corvée labor to be assigned to my Li family.”

"Oh? The Li family is so arrogant and domineering in this county?"

"Ha! Extravagant? Which of those powerful families doesn't act this way? The larger families don't even have to pay taxes. At least my Li family has contributed money, both openly and secretly, from top to bottom!..."

"As for the county magistrate and clerks, the important positions are either held by members of my Li family or have been fed by my Li family. Even the newly appointed magistrate has to treat my Li family with utmost respect if he doesn't want any trouble! This time, if we hadn't inexplicably offended the powerful and ruthless Duan family... Heaven above! How could my Li family have ended up like this!"

"Yes, Mr. Li, this is the unfair world! You powerful families, though not as wealthy as the aristocratic clans, are still a hundred or a thousand times better off than the common people who starve and freeze to death..."

"Ha! What you're saying... Of course, the Li family looks up to those powerful and influential families. How could we possibly compare ourselves to commoners? Enough! Now everything is over, only death remains!"

The two chatted like old friends, asking and answering questions freely. It wasn't until dusk fell over the river that Zhang Chengfu finally gripped the hilt of his sword and calmly spoke.

"Does Mr. Li have anything else to say?"

"."

Upon hearing this soft question, Li Qian's body trembled violently. He stared wide-eyed at the young man leading the Taiping Dao in front of him, and gritted his teeth as he finally asked the question.

Tell me! What will become of the Li family?

"The powerful Li family was wiped out by the government, and its members and servants either died or fled. The wealth fell into the hands of the Duan family, and the land was divided among various families. However, some direct descendants fled to Shanyang County, and their ancestral incense continued."

"...Is it really true that the ancestral incense has never been cut off?"

"I've sworn an oath."

"."

Li Qian stared wide-eyed at the calm young man who had drawn his sword. After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes. In his final moments, he only sighed softly, tears streaming down his face. "My Li family has accumulated virtue for three generations, and my ancestors planned and schemed, finally building up this vast empire. Just as the world was about to change, and our clan was vibrant and flourishing, we were wiped out here by offending the Duan family? Alas! After I die, what face will I have to meet my ancestors in the afterlife?!…"

"Death! Death!..."

Zhang Cheng waited patiently until the seriously injured head of the Li family finished speaking before bowing respectfully. Then, a short scream rang out as the hilt of the knife plunged into his heart, and he soon fell silent.

The setting sun casts a crimson glow, and the wind whistles across the fields. On the grassland, another hero's corpse lies, feeding tens of thousands of ants. And the remaining grain from the fall of a powerful clan can feed tens of thousands of commoners. In this world, how are the common people any different from ants?

Zhang Chengfu stood there for a long time, staring at Li Qian's closed-eyed corpse. It wasn't until the chieftain Bu Si hurriedly arrived and spoke to him...

"Chengfu, that young son of the Cheng family, was killed by two soldiers from the Li clan who were guarding him!"

"Hmm? Cheng Yan?"

"Yes! Those two had nowhere to escape. They first killed Cheng Yan with a single blow, cursing him as a 'jinx'. Then, they also committed suicide by cutting their own throats on the riverbank. These Li clan soldiers were truly stubborn; not one of them surrendered. We also caught up with all the fleeing clan soldiers and slaughtered them all!"

"."

A moment later, Zhang Chengfu was already standing in front of the prison cart. He remained silent, looking at the wooden cage and the disheveled, bloodied, and unseeing Cheng family boy inside.

He actually had some unfinished plans for this young man and genuinely intended to keep his promise and spare his life. However, the bloodshed that had begun in this chaotic world was overwhelming and incredibly cruel. A young man from a noble family who had lost the protection of his clan was like a fledgling owl that had fallen from its perch, easily trampled to death by a wild boar.

"The Cheng Li clan has been wiped out here..."

Zhang Chengfu sighed softly, looking at Peng Gui who had gathered around.

"Peng Gui, properly prepare his body. Later, you personally take this body, along with most of the Li family's wealth, to the Duan family to lodge a complaint! With Wang Du speaking on your behalf, you'll have to be extremely humble. The position of county magistrate of Chengshi County will fall into our hands!"

"Yes! I will obey you, my lord!"

As night fell, the battle came to an end. The group didn't leave immediately, but instead lit a bonfire by the river. There was still much to be done to clean up this ambush. Some disciples lit torches and dug graves through the night. The leaders sat around the bonfire, leaning forward to listen intently to Zhang Chengfu at the head of the table.

"Daonu, your cavalry fought very well in this battle! The timing of the surprise attack was very precise, and you completely wiped out the Li family's forces on the north bank of the river. How many men did you lose in this battle?"

"Chengfu, we have 27 cavalrymen, and 4 of them have been lost. Two are dead and two are wounded. The wounded have been bandaged and should be able to pull through."

"Two dead and two injured, four casualties."

Zhang Chengfu paused for a moment, noted down the numbers, and then looked at Peng Gui.

"Peng Gui, your actions in cutting off the river and launching a surprise attack on the Li clan's troops on the bank were very decisive. What are the casualties among the people of Dayeze?"

“My lord, the Li clan bandits are fierce, clad in armor and armed with swords and bows. We launched the attack, but suffered more casualties... 14 were killed or wounded, half of them were dead or wounded.”

"Seven dead and seven wounded, fourteen casualties."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengfu frowned. The soldiers of the Onoze tribe were poorly equipped, and their fighting skills on the shore were far inferior to those of the Li clan. On the north bank of the Dahe River, forty Li clan soldiers were wiped out, resulting in eighteen casualties, the majority of whom were from the Onoze tribe.

"Wenze, your Taishan troops fought against the Li clan's army and held them off, annihilating their main force. You deserve the greatest credit for this battle! How many casualties did you suffer?"

"Reporting to my lord! Eight of our Taishan warriors were killed and ten were wounded. Most of the wounded brothers suffered minor injuries and have been bandaged and treated with the help of the high-ranking talisman master."

At this point, Yu Jin showed gratitude and nodded to Gao Daonu. The Taiping Dao originated from medical skills and were far superior to these mountain and marsh tribesmen in treating the wounded. The treatment of the Da Ye Marsh tribesmen was also done with the help of Taiping Dao disciples.

"Eight dead, ten wounded, a total of eighteen casualties?!..."

Upon hearing such a number, Zhang Chengfu's eyes twitched, and he felt a real pang of pain in his heart.

These Li clan soldiers were incredibly tenacious, fighting almost to the death. Only after all the direct descendants of the clan had perished did the last dozen or so finally break away and flee. Even though these sixty Li clan soldiers on the south bank of the Si River had exhausted all means of exhaustion, ambush, luring the enemy, and firing arrows beforehand, they still managed to inflict nearly twenty casualties on the Taishan group!

"Finally, it was the archer team I personally led! We ambushed the Li family patriarch and scouts, and provided close-range support for the battle. The archers only suffered one death and three minor injuries."

All things considered, the Taiping Dao forces, having exhausted all means to eliminate these hundred Li clan members and soldiers, still suffered 38 casualties, roughly half of whom died in battle. And if these Li clan members and soldiers were to expand further, they could easily grow into hundreds or even thousands of followers, posing a tremendous threat. The fighting power of the powerful Li clan is thus evident!
(End of this chapter)