The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 45 Countering the Li Family
On the battlefield, severed limbs and broken arms were scattered all over the ground, and the stench of blood mixed with the north wind wafted through the air.

Jiang Han stood at the village entrance, squinting as he surveyed the tragic scene, and could only sigh helplessly.

Just as Jiang Han was leading his men to clean up the battlefield, Li Laowai returned with news:
"Lord Jiang, that bandit has confessed that it was indeed the Li family who sent him to cause trouble for us."

"This man usually does dirty and tiring work for the Li family, and he has killed more than a dozen families who do business in Yan'an Prefecture."

“They have cannons; ordinary earthen walls can’t stop these bandits.”

After hearing this, Jiang Han suddenly realized:

"No wonder Hei Zi didn't find many wealthy households on this trip. It turns out this guy beat them all to it."

He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and glanced at Dong Erzhu beside him.
“I suddenly remembered, when we first returned to Anse, didn’t we run into Lu Tao’s men?”

The pillar beside him nodded and said in a low voice:

"That's right, Second Brother Han, let's kill him while we're at it, and take that pot of meat soup too."

Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about? Jiang Han rolled his eyes at Zhu Zi, then continued to press Li Laowai for answers:

"Did Lu Tao explain how he escorted the goods for the Li family?"

Li Laowai hummed in agreement, then continued:

“From Anse, follow the road along Anding to Qingjian, then head north to Yulinwei.”

"I go there three or four times a month, carrying either grain or military equipment. I'm very busy."

After listening to Li Laowai's words, Jiang Han pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Zhang Cunmeng beside him:
"In that case, there's a business opportunity. I wonder if Chief Zhang would be willing to do it with me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mengcun looked at Jiang Han with some curiosity.

Jiang Han's lips curled into a smile:
"Block the Li family's trade routes! Make sure they can't even get a single cartload of their goods out of Yan'an Prefecture!"

In the following months, Jiang Han and Zhang Cunmeng joined forces, like two roadblocks, completely cutting off the Li family's business channels.

Zhang Cunmeng was stationed in Mizhi, responsible for keeping an eye on the caravans coming from the direction of Yulin.

If a convoy is heading towards Yan'an Prefecture, and if he can handle it, then he should do it himself.

If he encountered government troops escorting him, he wouldn't fight them head-on. Instead, he would immediately send a messenger on horseback to inform Jiang Han, while he himself would follow at a distance, waiting for an opportunity to act.

Jiang Han left two sentries for Shao Yong in Majia Village to support Zhang Cunmeng and guard the house.

He himself, along with Li Laowai, Heizi, and Dong Erzhu, and the men of their three outposts, laid a trap on the official roads surrounding Ansai County.

Li Laowai and Hei Zi led cavalry and a squad of infantry to guard Wild Boar Gorge, specifically to intercept convoys coming from the direction of Ganquan.

Jiang Han and Dong Erzhu were closely monitoring the Li family's business in Anse.

To find out the details, Jiang Han disguised himself as a down-on-his-luck merchant and rented a dilapidated house near the Li family's cargo yard. Every day, he would lie by the window and squint to observe the comings and goings of the cargo yard.

He had hoped to sneak in as a laborer to test the waters, but to his surprise, they wouldn't take him at all.

The warehouse manager sized him up.
"With your build, you can't even carry a few bags, what are you doing here?"

Jiang Han was so angry that he gritted his teeth and secretly made a mental note of this freight yard manager.

Dong Erzhu, who was standing to the side, was noticed by the manager, but unfortunately, he didn't have a guarantor. The Li family business never hired outsiders, so Zhuzi couldn't get in.

Jiang Han patiently lay low for a long time, and finally his opportunity came.

That day, he found the yard full of horse-drawn carriages, and laborers were busy loading goods onto the carriages, box by box.

A glint flashed in Jiang Han's eyes, and he immediately summoned a messenger, giving the order:
"Quickly leave the city and inform your sentry commander that the Li family caravan is about to move."

"Tell him to be prepared and send people to lie in wait near the Qinghua ferry crossing. It's not far from our Majia Village. We can take the loot back with us."

He paused, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.
"Remember, not a single person from the caravan can be released. Send them all to Mizhi; if anyone disobeys, kill them on the spot." "I want to ensure that the Li family has no one left to rely on!"

Meanwhile, inside the Li family's warehouse, the manager was carefully instructing several yamen runners:

"Gentlemen, I'm counting on you for this trip."

"The master specifically instructed you not to go through the Yan River and to avoid the Ma Family Village area as much as possible. I heard that the bandits there had just fought a fierce battle a few days ago and many people died."

He leaned down and lowered his voice, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.
"Master has been in a bad mood lately. It's said that something happened to the people we keep at Yangta Mountain, and now the caravan has no one to protect it."

"So this trip can only be entrusted to you, officers. Once the goods are delivered, the master will surely reward you handsomely."

The constables sighed and reluctantly agreed to the task.

Once outside the city, a constable named Hou Jun glanced worriedly at the caravan behind him and muttered to himself:

"Do you think just the few of us can manage?"

"Normally, when we're transporting goods, Yang Tashan and his gang protect us. But this time it's just the few of us. We're really not confident!"

"If we run into the bandits from Ma Family Village, we might not only fail to earn any money, but also lose our lives!"

Another constable snorted in dissatisfaction:
"If you ask me, the Li family just doesn't have anyone else to use. I heard that the bandits in Yangtashan were all wiped out, so they had no choice but to pull in a few of us to fill in."

"Hey, even if we brought some guards, they would be better than the few of us."

Hou Jun shook his head, his eyes filled with helplessness:

"You know what kind of people those big shots in the Imperial Guard are. If you want to get them to come, you don't know how much food you'll have to spend, and you still might not be able to beat them!"

“I’ve heard that there are more than a thousand people in that group, who are entrenched around Majia Village and do all sorts of evil things.”

"The surviving refugees said that these bandits were ruthless and vicious, firing cannons and arrows at them, really trying to kill them."

Another bailiff suddenly interjected, his voice tinged with worry:

"Hey, do you think those thieves in Majia Village might be the border troops who caused such a ruckus in Anse City a while ago?"

"They won't come looking for us, will they?"

Hou Jun glared at him and cursed:

"Pah, you jinx! Don't talk nonsense, what if you really attract people's attention!"

As the caravan approached the Qinghua River ferry crossing and prepared to cross, hundreds of men suddenly appeared from all directions and surrounded them.

Jiang Han rode his tall horse, looking down at the panicked yamen runners and laborers.

Several constables recognized Jiang Han at a glance and scrambled to the front of the formation:
"General, General, spare our lives! We met once in Ansai. Please, General, have mercy and spare our lives!"

Jiang Han remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on the several large trucks, and asked in a deep voice:

What's in the car?

The constables hurriedly answered:
"Reporting to the general, these are all provisions and military supplies, such as arrow shafts, feathers, lacquer, and tendons."

Jiang Han was overjoyed. These things were becoming increasingly rare with each use, and there was nowhere to replenish them. The only option was to recycle them while cleaning up the battlefield.

He waved his hand and gave an order to Dong Erzhu behind him:
"Take them all back!"

The group was stunned, but they had no choice but to surrender obediently.

After all, the goods belong to others, but your life is your own.

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(End of this chapter)