In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 773 The Lu Family

The grain, tea, and salt they sold to the barbarians would strengthen their bodies; the ironware they sold would give them better weapons and armor. Everything they sold to the barbarians was helping them, making them stronger, so that they could turn around and kill the Xia people...

Did those who traded with barbarians really not know these things?

Do not!

They may know, but they don't care!

Because in the eyes of those powerful families who traded with the barbarians, even if the barbarians invaded and ruled the land, their status would not change in the slightest.

Barbarian tribes also need scholars, and they also need aristocratic families to help them govern the world...

This is the fundamental reason why those powerful clans are complacent and willing to trade with the barbarians!

Whenever Tian Yu thought of these powerful families, he couldn't help but feel angry. In his eyes, these people were no different from traitors!

"Whose goods are these?"

Tian Yu asked with a grim expression.

"Reporting to the commander, these are goods from the Lu family."

Chang Yong replied, "The goods intercepted this time mainly consist of grain, tea, and salt, and the quantity is considerable."

The Lu family...

Tian Yu's expression darkened further. Many aristocratic families had ties with the barbarians, but the one that interacted most frequently with the barbarians and provided them with the most assistance was definitely the Lu family!

The Lu family is the largest family in Youzhou, without exception!

Because they were located in Youzhou, they were closer to the barbarians than other aristocratic families, making it easier for them to transport supplies to the northern grasslands.

During Tian Yu's tenure as commander of the Great Wall Army, the most frequently intercepted goods came from the Lu family.

Tian Yu had impeached the Lu family to the court many times for their alleged collusion with barbarian tribes, but each of his impeachments seemed to sink without a trace. The court did not punish the Lu family at all, at most giving them a mild reprimand.

"With a corrupt court and greedy powerful families, is there any hope for the Xia Kingdom?"

Tian Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly. He and his Great Wall Army had fought with fervor to resist the barbarians. Countless brave men had died on the battlefield in order to keep the barbarians outside the Great Wall.

But not only did the rear provide them with no assistance whatsoever, they also withheld their military pay and secretly funded the barbarians...

This inevitably left Tian Yu exhausted. The Great Wall Army, already struggling with food and clothing shortages, was now facing even more hardship, with traitors aiding the barbarians...

Tian Yu shook his head, trying to calm himself down, and instructed Chang Yong: "Strengthen patrols. Detain all supplies being transported to the grasslands, regardless of the reason. Our army is currently short of food and clothing, and these goods can be used to replenish the supplies that are lacking in the army."

The Great Wall Army's pay has been suspended for a long time, and now is the time when supplies are most scarce. The goods seized from these aristocratic families can help alleviate the Great Wall Army's urgent needs.

As for whether seizing these goods would offend those powerful families, Tian Yu no longer cared about that.

…………

…………

Just as Tian Yu issued the order for the Great Wall Army to strengthen its patrols.

Twenty kilometers north of Youzhou City, at the Lu Family Manor, the head of the Lu family also received news that the goods had been seized by the Great Wall Army.

Unlike other aristocratic families, the Lu family had fiefdoms. Lingyou County, where Youzhou Prefecture was located, was the Lu family's fiefdom. Even the Qing King of Xia Kingdom could not have a fiefdom of a county, which shows how prominent the Lu family was.

The Lu family was not only prominent, but also existed for a very long time. The Xia Kingdom has only existed for three hundred years since its founding, while the Lu family...

The family lineage has been passed down for over two thousand years, seven times longer than that of the Xia Dynasty!

A family with such a long history naturally possesses extraordinary power and influence.

In fact, the Lu family has always been known as the "Lu Half-State" in Youzhou. More than half of the officials in Youzhou are members of the Lu family, and their family influence can be said to have spread throughout the entire Youzhou.

The trade between the Lu family and the northern barbarians can be said to have a long history.

More than a thousand years ago, the Lu family began to trade with the northern barbarians for profit. At first, the scale was small and not easily noticed. However, as time went by, the scale of the Lu family's trade with the northern barbarians grew larger and larger, and naturally the court at that time noticed it.

Regardless of the dynasty, colluding with barbarians was a serious crime. When the court learned of this, it severely punished the Lu family, which made them behave somewhat. This was because the court was still powerful and had strong control over the local areas, so the Lu family had no power to oppose the court.

However, as the imperial court weakened and its control over local areas declined, the Lu family reverted to its old ways and began large-scale trade with the barbarians to acquire large quantities of precious herbs and gold and silver treasures.

At this point, the imperial court, which was struggling to protect itself, was no longer able to restrain the Lu family.

For more than a thousand years thereafter, the Nine Provinces rose and fell, and emperors came and went, but the Lu family remained standing. When the court was strong, the Lu family would restrain themselves a little; but whenever the court was weak, the Lu family would increase trade with the barbarians to acquire more wealth.

This situation has persisted for over a thousand years!

With the imperial court now in a precarious state and its control over the local areas virtually nonexistent, the Lu family naturally had no more scruples and began large-scale trade with the barbarians.

What the Lu family never expected was that even the imperial court couldn't control their trade with the barbarians, and Tian Yu, who was in charge of guarding the Great Wall, repeatedly caused them losses!

During the five years that Tian Yu was stationed at the Great Wall, he intercepted countless goods belonging to the Lu family, with a total value of no less than 20 taels of silver!

Such a huge sum would make even the incredibly wealthy Lu family feel the pinch, and it also brought their hatred for Tian Yu to its extreme, making them want to tear Tian Yu to pieces!

However, getting rid of Tian Yu is not an easy task. Tian Yu is not only the commander of the Great Wall Army, which controls 300,000 troops, but he is also a first-grade martial artist. Even the imperial court does not dare to easily touch Tian Yu, let alone the Lu family.

"That peasant Tian Yu has repeatedly ruined the Lu family's business. I will not let him off easily!"

Upon learning that the goods had been seized by the Great Wall Army, Lu Shengyan, the head of the Lu family, sat in the main seat and spoke with a face full of anger.

In the eyes of the Lu family, a powerful clan with a history of two thousand years, Tian Yu, who had "luckily" risen to a high position, was indeed a peasant. Therefore, whenever Tian Yu was mentioned, the members of the Lu family would always show disdain.

"This Tian Yu is nothing but a peasant who has risen to a high position by luck, yet he dares to oppose my Lu family!"

“This mere peasant dares to seize my Lu family’s goods; Tian Yu is courting death.”

"This Tian Yu is truly ungrateful! He completely disregards the Lu family."

"..."

The Lu family members inside the house echoed this sentiment, expressing their equally strong dissatisfaction with Tian Yu.