Chapter 39: The Li Family

  As the New Year approaches, Beijing and Luoyang have become even more lively than usual. The streets are filled with a festive atmosphere, and people from all walks of life, whether they be ordinary citizens or high-ranking officials, are all eager to go out and shop for New Year's goods with their families. Merchants are also doing their best to showcase their wares. Red lanterns are hung everywhere, and some impatient individuals have already put up their Spring Festival couplets. Everyone's face is filled with joy, as the long-awaited New Year is finally here.

  The tenth year of Tianqi was not a good time for the entire Chu state. First, there was a severe drought in the south, with no harvest to be had, and the people, unable to wait for relief from the imperial court, rose up and killed officials and looted grain stores. At first, it was on a small scale in the countryside, but soon it spread like wildfire, engulfing prefectures and sub-prefectures, and three large provinces were drawn into this turmoil. Although the imperial court immediately dispatched troops to suppress the uprising, the leaders of the rebellion, Lü Xiaobo and Zhang Wei, vanished without a trace, hiding the underlying danger. Next came the invasion by the barbarian tribes, with the defeat of the Dingzhou army. Just when things had finally calmed down, there was an encounter with a rare and severe winter, plunging the entire empire into a cold snap. Every day, memorials requesting relief poured in from all the provinces, leaving Emperor Tianqi at his wit's end.

  Finally survived this difficult year, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Anyway, let's celebrate the New Year with joy and happiness first, maybe the festive atmosphere will dispel the bad luck accumulated over the past year since 2010.

  As the people of the capital, they did not have much direct feeling about the hardships in other parts of the empire. The news they received generally came from the imperial court's official announcements and some incomplete rumors. For them, the tenth year of Tianqi was still good, their income had not decreased, and the imperial court had not increased taxes, everything was still very harmonious.

  Compared to other places in the capital, which were bustling with excitement and joy during the Spring Festival, Juxiang Street was unusually quiet. While elsewhere people thronged the streets, here the roads were empty, with hardly any pedestrians or shops open for business. Occasionally, a fabric store or wine shop would be open, but the guards standing at the entrance would chase away anyone who wasn't supposed to be there.

  The residents of Juzhang Street are all officials, and not just ordinary officials. Those who can live on Juzhang Street are all high-ranking officials. The master of any mansion on this street can make the ground shake with a single stomp.

  Yizhou Li's, the current Duke of Anguo Li Huaiyuan's mansion was located deep in Juxiang Street. There were no golden decorations, nor were there ugly-looking guards arranged at the door, and even the crimson gate had become somewhat old, with copper rings showing spots and some green rust remaining, and some places where the vermilion paint had faded, but anyone passing by would pay homage to this gate, not for anything else, but for the old man who was already old and weak, but still majestic and powerful in the depths of the gate.

  As winter approached, Li Huaiyuan began to feel somewhat unwell, especially afraid of the cold. Although his house was burning with high-quality charcoal and he was wrapped in a valuable fox fur coat, he still felt a bit chilly.

  "As one gets older, it's really not possible anymore. This body is getting weaker by the year!" Li Huaiyuan said to himself, taking the hand warmer handed over by Yiniang.

  "Father is getting stronger with age, and his body is still in good shape!" Yi Ning Hou Li Si Zhe sat sideways next to Li Huai Yuan, bowing his head and smiling. He had been stationed in the Li family's old nest, Yi Zhou, but as the New Year approached, he also came to the capital to pay respects to the old master and deliver the necessary supplies for the New Year to the Li family's mansion in the capital.

  "Yes indeed! Father's dragon horse spirit is even better than ours!" Li Tui, the Duke of Shou Ning, and Li Mu, the Duke of Wei Yuan, both echoed their elder brother's words.

  Li Huaiyuan burst out laughing, "You three brothers only say things that flatter me, alright, alright! Look at them, Zong'er, Feng'er, Jun'er have all grown up so big, can I still not grow old?" He stretched out his hand to point at the three young men standing behind them, and laughed.

  Ying Ning Hou Li Si Zhi accompanied with a smile: "Old master is not yet seventy, what's the talk about being old or not? Our Li family still needs to rely on your tiger-like prestige! Father, please take care of your body and don't worry, it's not me saying this, but based on your foundation, even if you live another twenty or thirty years, you'll still be able to ride horses, wield swords, and drink wine!"

  Li Huaiyuan said with some sadness: "It's true, I know your filial piety, but preparing for the unexpected is always necessary. My body is getting weaker by the year, and it's rare for our family to gather together like this. After the new year, Eldest Third will likely go to the south to quell the rebellion, and yesterday we received a report that the escaped Lu Xiaobo and Zhang Wei have started causing trouble again."

  "Wei Yuan reassured Li Mu: 'Don't worry, Father. These minor rebels will be put down in no time.'"

  Li Huaiyuan shook his head: "Don't underestimate these people, Mu Zhi, Lv Xiaobo and Zhang Wei suffered a loss last time, this time they will come back with a vengeance, can't be underestimated! Moreover, the troops you brought this time are not our Wing State soldiers, but rather Huaizhou soldiers, Pingzhou soldiers, these places have been in chaos, I'm afraid we won't be able to fight a tough battle, be careful!"

  Li Mu nodded and said: "Don't worry, Father, I understand."

  Li Huaiyuan nodded, "Mm, you're also an old hand, I'm at ease with that. Just reminding you, the three of you brothers, the eldest is in charge of Wing State, the second is in the imperial court, and although the third is a military general, he's also got a good mind for strategy. With the three of you, my Li family will be safe from danger even if we don't make any progress."

  Li Tui smiled and said: "Father, you're thinking too much. My Li family is full of talents, even among the three generations, there are many talented people. Look at Zhēng, he's not yet thirty but already a deputy general in the Wing State Army, with great prestige in the military. Jùn has just passed the imperial examination and become a scholar-official. Fēng is still young but extremely intelligent. And then there's Li Qing from Dingzhou..." Suddenly seeing Lao San's expression change, he stopped talking and smiled: "My Li family will only continue to prosper with each generation."

  Li Huaiyuan smiled, "Hmmm, that's not bad, Li Qing this kid..." He paused for a moment, reached out and picked up a stack of papers from the table, saying: "Do you know what he did in Dingzhou?"

  The three of them nodded in unison.

  "It's really bold!" Li Huaiyuan sighed: "With a thousand defeated soldiers, they actually dared to launch a surprise attack on the barbarian tribe, and slaughtered the An Gu bone tribe, nearly ten thousand lives, not one left. It's really killing one clean!"

  Li Sizhi's three brothers had already obtained it, and they were not surprised at all. Behind them, Li Zheng, Li Feng, and Li Jun all changed color, "They slaughtered nearly 10,000 people, men, women, old and young, all killed. Grandfather, how can this Li Qing be so cruel?" Li Jun said, changing color. Li Zheng gritted his teeth, smiled silently, and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

  Li Huaiyuan glanced at the two of them, and a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes. "Jun'er, you don't understand the situation, so don't make reckless comments." Li Tui said coldly.

  Li Huaiyuan shook his head. The three generations of the Li family, Li Zhong had been living in the military for a long time, with a violent temper, although he was a fierce general, but not a good one. Li Jun had been weak since childhood and didn't practice martial arts, instead reading books. He passed the imperial examination at a young age, but his personality was somewhat eccentric. Although Li Feng was still young, his mother, Pang Ai, loved him too much, and he looked more like a spoiled son of a wealthy family.

  "Think about it, you tell me!"

  Li Si stood up and said to the three of them, "You three listen carefully. Li Qing is much younger than Zhen Er, but his bravery makes me admire him too. He is currently in Chong County, which does not border the barbarian tribes. At first, I didn't believe this news either, but later I found out that there is a secret passage from Chong County to the barbarian tribes, and Li Qing led his troops out from here. With over a thousand defeated soldiers, he dared to do something so outrageous, yet he succeeded in one move. As for why he slaughtered the entire An Gu bone tribe, Zhen Er, think about it. Dingzhou was just broken by the barbarians, and the Emperor hates them to the bone. If Li Qing reports this victory, how will the Emperor react?"

  Li Zhong thought for a moment and said: "With such military achievements, plus the current situation, at least he can be promoted to deputy general!"

  Li Si patted his hand, "That's right, but why did Li Qing conceal this matter so tightly that even the commander of Dingzhou Army, Xiao Yuanshan, didn't know?"

  "What does this have to do with Li Qing killing ten thousand people?" Li Feng's expression didn't change, and in his mind, of course, he had no idea what it was like for the blood of ten thousand people to flow into a river.

  Li Mu shook his head, this fifteen-year-old son had already gone out to make a name for himself, and yet he asked such a foolish question.

  "If Li Qing reports the results of the battle, then this secret passage in Chong County will not be able to be kept." Li Si said, "The barbarians will know the news and must come to avenge themselves. With Li Qing's current military strength, how can he resist? It is inevitable that it will be annihilated in the blink of an eye. Therefore, Li Qing concealed the results of the battle and killed all the people of the An Gu Bone tribe. It was to keep this secret."

  Li Jun shook his head, somewhat disbelieving. "Uncle, Li Qing's mobilization of troops is known to many people in Chong County, and he even rescued so many slaves. This matter can be hidden for a while, but it can't be hidden forever, it will eventually come to light."

  Li Zhong nodded repeatedly: "This younger brother is indeed formidable, killing so many people in one breath. Even I feel a little afraid!" It's not difficult to kill enemies on the battlefield, but if Li Zhong were to order the slaughter of the weak and elderly, he would be terrified.

  "What you said is not bad, but what Li Qing needs now is time. The longer this secret is kept hidden, the more advantageous it will be for him. I believe that with Li Qing's intelligence, he will definitely make good use of this period of time to deal with this secret passage properly. In this way, even if the secret passage is finally revealed, he already has a countermeasure, and at least he can guarantee the safety of Chong County."

  "There's another benefit!" Li Tui added: "If we wipe out the An Bone tribe, this matter will become a headless case, and the grasslands will inevitably be plagued by internal strife. Once internal strife begins, the barbarians will not be able to threaten Dingzhou with all their might, which will also bring benefits to Dingzhou."

  "Not bad!" Li Si said: "Not only that, but Li Qing is also in Chong County, clearing land, granting land, developing water conservancy, and stabilizing people's livelihoods. All sorts of measures have been taken to make people sigh with admiration. Eldest brother, you've given birth to a good son! In just a few months since going to Chong County, not only has he successfully established himself, but his influence has also expanded extremely quickly. Now, his Changsheng Camp is full, and according to the intelligence that has been gathered, these soldiers who have only been trained for a few months still have considerable combat strength. I didn't expect him to be quite skilled at training troops too! Did you secretly teach him military strategy when he was still in Weiyuan Houfu?"

  Li Mu coughed repeatedly but didn't say a word.

  Li Huaiyuan continued: "A few days ago, Li Qing sent someone to deliver a letter, asking us for various craftsmen, among which the number of blacksmiths was particularly large. I thought about it and gave them to him. I'd like to see what kind of tricks he can come up with."

  After some thought, he said: "Think about it, and let's also give him our hidden guards in Dingzhou."

  Li Siyi was shocked, "Father, is this...?"

  Li Huaiyuan coldly snorted, "What's wrong, do you have any concerns? The Dark Shadow of Dingzhou can be handed over to Li Qing, who can play a greater role. Besides, no matter what, Li Qing is still a member of the Li family, are you afraid he'll harm us?"

  Li Tui's smile said, "Father is right, since Li Qing has talent, we don't have to worry that he can do great things, the stronger he becomes, the more beneficial it will be for our Li family, haha, this seed we planted in Dingzhou may bring us surprises!"

  Three chapters for today, seeking votes and collection, thank you first!