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Chapter 669: Kicking the Iron Plate
🕑 Added 2024-10-01 05:23:41 +0000 UTCFa Zheng handed over all the relevant documents to Chen Gong, and soon after, Lü Bu's entire army mobilized.
In this situation, with benefits that were easily obtained and justified by a righteous cause, there was no psychological burden in taking action. Even Gao Shun, who was usually strict and by-the-book, felt no hesitation after reading through the incriminating evidence. Leading half of the Camp of the Elite, he began ruthlessly targeting the fleeing noble families heading south, thanks to the remarkable mobility of his forces.
Zhang Liao, on the other hand, focused on dealing with those families fleeing north, while Lü Bu handled those heading west.
Initially, Lü Bu would confront these fleeing families, giving them a chance to surrender half of their wealth in exchange for sparing their lives, but after reading their misdeeds, his fury got the better of him. He discovered that nearly every noble family was guilty of something, none of them clean. Eventually, Lü Bu grew tired of asking and decided to execute them outright, seizing their possessions without wasting time.
As for Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, they at least recognized that large families would inevitably have some questionable dealings. So, unless the family was particularly heinous, they refrained from total extermination. However, given their subjective standards, very few families were spared, and those that were had to have a stellar reputation.
Naturally, this caused the noble families to be outraged. In response, they began banding together, uniting several families' forces into groups of several thousand armed retainers, heading south.
As a result, Gao Shun, despite leading only about a thousand men, easily crushed these ill-prepared private armies, looting their wealth and leaving no room for negotiation.
Meanwhile, Lü Bu and Zhang Liao also faced initial resistance when some families managed to scatter their scouting parties. However, once Lü Bu and Zhang Liao regrouped and organized their forces, they effortlessly cut through the opposition.
Realizing this, the noble families changed tactics, having their core members travel alone while grouping their wealth and retainers together. Though they might lose their fortunes, at least the core family members would survive, allowing for a possible resurgence in the future.
Unfortunately for them, this plan was quickly discovered by Lü Bu and his forces. They spread out widely, with sub-commanders intercepting the larger family groups while Lü Bu and his top generals hunted down the core members.
With the borders of Yan Province fully sealed, and with few horses capable of outpacing Red Hare, Lü Bu found it easy to intercept his targets.
"General," Guan Yu, who had just captured Ji County, encountered Lü Bu on the main road. Lü Bu, accompanied by only about thirty men, reinforced Guan Yu's understanding of Lü Bu’s straightforward nature. For him to approach an army led by Guan Yu with such a small force indicated not only confidence in his own strength but also a lack of guile, trusting that Guan Yu wouldn’t attack him.
"I'm looking for a group of suspicious nobles who might have passed through here, probably numbering around a thousand men," Lü Bu said with a grim expression as he reined in his horse.
"General, what’s this about?" Guan Yu asked, confused. Lü Bu had rushed over just to ask about something like this?
"A noble family ambushed my Wolf Cavalry scouts, killing several of them. I intend to take their heads," Lü Bu replied, his anger palpable.
"Let me gather my scouts to see if they’ve spotted anything and report back to you," Guan Yu offered, shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation, though he was also surprised that anyone would dare provoke Lü Bu.
Soon enough, despite Lü Bu's impatience, Guan Yu’s scouts reported back. Indeed, they had seen a group of about a thousand private soldiers on a deserted road heading towards Chenliu County.
Guan Yu hadn’t paid much attention to the fleeing nobles, so he hadn’t considered intercepting them.
"I'm going to kill those bastards," Lü Bu said as he pulled his reins, saluted Guan Yu, and departed without waiting for a response.
As Lü Bu prepared to return to Bing Province, he became increasingly protective of his Wolf Cavalry. The loss of even six or seven of them, along with their horses, fueled his rage, leading him to personally pursue the perpetrators.
Guan Yu was left somewhat stunned. Lü Bu’s abrupt appearance and departure were just too hasty. He considered offering assistance, but knowing Lü Bu’s capability, he decided against it, reasoning that his involvement might only arouse Lü Bu’s suspicion. What Guan Yu didn’t realize was that this time, Lü Bu was about to run into an unexpected obstacle.
"Prepare the troops, Mancheng. Lü Bu has caught up to us. You handle the formations; I’ll lead the charge," Li Jin said, pulling on his reins, halting the advancing Li family.
"Lü Bu?" Li Dian’s face paled. "How could he have caught up so quickly?"
"Probably because we killed his soldiers. But that’s irrelevant now. Prepare the defensive formation. Lü Bu’s forces aren’t large. If we can hold out this time, we’ll be in Chenliu County next, and Lü Bu won’t be able to pursue us further," Li Jin said calmly, his demeanor helping to settle the nervous Li Dian.
"Alright, brother, be careful," Li Dian replied, quickly instructing the Li family’s private soldiers to form a diamond-shaped defensive formation, protecting the core family members in the center, while Li Jin led the elite forces at the front.
"Wu!" Lü Bu arrived first, halting his horse within a hundred paces of Li Jin. He stared coldly at him. "Did you kill my soldiers?"
"Those who kill must be prepared to be killed. Isn’t that the way of the world?" Li Jin replied calmly.
"Nice sharp tongue. But do you really think these ragtag soldiers can stop me?" Lü Bu sneered, scanning the Li family’s troops. With his sharp eyes, he could tell that the Li family’s private soldiers were on par with ordinary commanders' guards. But that didn’t matter—since they had killed his men, none of them would be left alive.
"Whether I can stop you or not isn’t important. What matters is whether you have the ability to carry out your threats," Li Jin said as he drew his three-foot sword, a faint yellow aura emanating from his body. "Maybe today will be the day Lü Bu loses his head."
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