Chapter 1033: Just Passing Through

Moments before, clods of earth and shattered stone had rained down like a storm. Many of the militia standing beside Ji Sikao were struck as well, inevitably leaving bruises on their faces, and some were even hit hard enough to draw blood. At a time like this, there was not the slightest mercy. Seeing the crowd right in front of them, they thrust their long spears straight forward.

People wear thin clothes in summer, and many of the manor laborers were bare-chested. How could flesh and blood withstand steel blades? Blood immediately sprayed, and shrieks of agony rang out. The deaths and injuries did not force more people to kneel; instead, they made the laborers explode into chaos. When they had started the disturbance, they had emboldened each other, believing several thousand men were unstoppable. But now, seeing the men in front pierced by spears, the bloodied spearheads bursting out of their backs, feeling the warm blood splatter onto their own bodies, and hearing the screams of their companions — in that instant, all their frenzy and fury vanished like smoke. Some remembered how, during the great chaos of the Incense-Smelling Sect, the sect had driven them forward in the same way, death the only alternative to advancing. Most could think of nothing at all; they simply fled in blind panic.

The packed crowd of several thousand suddenly burst apart. Those on the outer edges fared relatively well, but those trapped inside felt only that catastrophe was upon them, that their only chance of survival was to flee fast. They shoved their companions with desperate force. Some fell to the ground and never rose again. The casualties from trampling each other even exceeded those from the spears outside.

"They're killing people!" "They actually dared to strike!" "... Is there no law left?!" Such shouts rose one after another, but all were drowned out by the wailing and chaotic screams. That single company of militia had only killed a few dozen people at the very start; after that, their spear points could barely reach anyone. Those who could run fled for their lives, while those who couldn't run heard the shouted order: "Kneel and you will not be killed!" The crowd scattered in pandemonium, dust even rising into the air — it was quite a spectacular sight.

Ji Sikao and his group, facing the mounted squad not far away, kept turning their heads to look back. Their faces had been full of the solemn resolve of martyrs ready to die, but seeing the scene unfold like dogs chasing rabbits, everyone relaxed. Someone said through gritted teeth, "Those lunatic bastards deserved it!" Another remarked, "The household retainers and militia are still the reliable ones. That bunch of scholars usually look so dignified, but they're useless!"

Listening to his companions' words, Ji Sikao was groaning inwardly. After this upheaval, this year's farm work and harvest would likely suffer greatly. With so many dead, there certainly wouldn't be any commendations. He had no idea how the Cloud Mountain Trading Company's main office would deal with him afterward. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. The expansion and reorganization were approaching, and no one wanted to be left behind, but with such an incident happening in his area of responsibility, trouble was surely coming.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard the sound of hoofbeats and the startled cries of his companions behind him: "The riders are coming!" Ji Sikao's entire body shuddered violently, and he drew his blade. Back then, what he had learned at the farmstead on the eastern shore of Luoma Lake was how to use bamboo spears and long pikes to repel cavalry, but using this saber was much harder. He figured those dozen or so riders had been watching from afar since the crowd first gathered — they must be collaborators, ready to strike now that the situation seemed uncontrollable.

"Brothers, Master Jin will avenge us! Hold off this wave, and the militia brothers will turn around!" Ji Sikao raised his saber and shouted, his voice trembling. Behind him came a ragged chorus of agreement; many voices were shaking, and some even carried a sobbing tone.

Just as they were steeling themselves, gritting their teeth and preparing to face death calmly, they saw that the dozen riders were not charging toward them at all. Instead, they split directly into two groups and swept around to encircle the fleeing laborers. Ji Sikao was completely baffled. Were they not enemies? Were they not targeting him? He slowly lowered his saber and turned to look. He saw that the dozen riders charging past were all holding whips, lashing out wildly from horseback. As they rounded up the laborers, men kept dropping to their knees, and order grew increasingly stable. By now, the laborers had already scattered in their flight, so there was no more crowding and trampling. The militia had split into ten squads, forming a broad horizontal line and slowly advancing forward.

Ji Sikao's entire body was drenched in sweat. At this moment, tears suddenly streamed uncontrollably down his face. If they all knelt, it would be manageable. As long as they didn't scatter and flee, there would be people to do the work, and his manor could still be maintained — it wouldn't be a total loss. Just then, he heard hoofbeats again. Not far away, a single rider who had not joined the encirclement was slowly urging his horse closer.

The man on the horse was a lean, capable fellow, just past forty. One look told you he was a wealthy and seasoned warrior; his every gesture carried a natural authority. But as he drew near and Ji Sikao got a clear look at his attire, Ji Sikao grew somewhat nervous. There was no one like this in Zhao's Camp or Xuzhou. Even Master Jin and the other masters all had a plain, unadorned appearance. Could he be from the government army? Ji Sikao grew wary again, and the men behind him also fell silent. Just then, the rider pulled an object from his bosom and tossed it over. It landed right at Ji Sikao's feet.

The moment he saw the object, Ji Sikao relaxed considerably. It was the iron badge of a Grand Squad Leader. He did not salute first, but instead picked up the iron badge. For manor heads like them who worked outside, the identity badges of everyone ranked Grand Squad Leader and above had been shown to them as rubbings, and they were required to memorize them firmly. Seeing the pattern and number on this iron badge, Ji Sikao understood immediately: this was Ma Chonghao, Grand Squad Leader of the Internal Guard, come in person. Thinking of that air of wealth and restrained pride, Ji Sikao had no further doubts and hurried forward to pay his respects. But before the words could leave his mouth, he only felt tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. Ji Sikao felt embarrassed and wiped furiously, but he could not get his face dry.

Ma Chonghao dismounted, patted Ji Sikao on the shoulder, and then said to the group of stewards and accountants behind him, who had now completely relaxed: "Go help the militia quell the unrest. Get them all to kneel, then have them return to their quarters by squad. Keep a close watch — this is still a time when trouble can easily break out again."

Seeing Ji Sikao pay his respects, the tense and anxious crowd also relaxed. Hearing these words, they hurriedly turned and busied themselves. Although this was the first time everyone had faced such an event, there had long been contingency plans for how to respond; everyone knew what to do. Once the others had dispersed, Ma Chonghao patted the still-weeping Ji Sikao and said, "You handled this very poorly."

These words helped Ji Sikao rein in his emotions somewhat. He looked at Ma Chonghao with red-rimmed eyes, his face full of pure grievance, thinking: In such a perilous situation, how could I have handled it very poorly? A smile remained on Ma Chonghao's face, showing no trace of reproach, as he continued: "You should have started killing right from the beginning. When they listen to you, when they work hard, you can treat them as people. But when they are stirred up by others, you treat them as beasts. Do not hesitate for an instant. If you had killed at the start, a few deaths would have cowed everyone else, and you could have caught the instigators. Now, catching them will be troublesome. If I hadn't brought my men, those ringleaders would have long since fled."

Ma Chonghao's words were somewhat hard for Ji Sikao to accept, but he still caught a few crucial phrases: "There were outsiders stirring up trouble?"

"You thought they came up with this themselves? These people just crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, out of a hell of hungry ghosts. We give them stability and full bellies — who would want to riot? It's only because someone was here inciting them." Ma Chonghao said with a smile.

Seeing Ji Sikao's expression grow somewhat dejected, Ma Chonghao smiled and patted him approvingly. "You have nothing to be disheartened about. What did you do before? This is the first time you've faced something like this. To have handled it this well already shows both courage and resourcefulness. You have a future ahead of you. Master Jin will not treat you unfairly. When I was your age, I was still a clueless hothead who understood nothing!"

Only after hearing this did Ji Sikao's mood brighten somewhat. Just then, he saw Luo You running back again. He had changed out of his original long gown into a short outfit and was carrying a bundle on his back. Returning to see the scene, he immediately pointed at Ji Sikao and cursed: "Master Jin's reputation for compassion has been ruined by bastards like you! After this, how is our Xuzhou supposed to operate in Shandong? When we return to Xuzhou, I will report you, I'll have you—"

Once again, his words were cut off halfway. Ma Chonghao impatiently raised his scabbard. Luo You had no time to dodge before the scabbard struck him heavily on the neck. He collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth, completely unconscious. Ma Chonghao smiled and asked, "Let me guess — this man is a scholar by background, isn't he?"

"How did the Grand Squad Leader know? He was indeed a scholar from Xuzhou before, and he rather looks down on us," Ji Sikao asked in surprise.

Ma Chonghao gave a cold laugh and said, "Not counting your place here, a total of seven manors around Jining experienced unrest. Four manors suppressed it directly by killing. One manor scattered in complete pandemonium. At another, the steward and the militia suffered casualties. And yet another had to rely on help from a nearby local strongman to put it down. The manor head at the one that scattered completely was a Xiucai from Shandong — he didn't dare to act and actually wanted to seek justice from the officials. The one with casualties happened because two stewards who were Tongsheng by background blocked the suppression, saying they owed these refugees a debt. The last one was quick to adapt — he hesitated at first and the militia got scattered, but he had the sense to borrow troops from a nearby powerful family and fought his way back. In every case, it was the scholars who ruined things!"

Ji Sikao looked at Luo You, who lay unconscious over there, and suddenly felt that Luo You's behavior made perfect sense. Just then, he heard Ma Chonghao sneer with emotion: "They study to walk the path of official rank, never considering whether they can even pass the exams. These sour pedants claim that reading makes one understand reason, but in truth they are utterly muddled. They cannot see the wealth and status right in front of them, yet fixate on distant, unreachable fantasies."

The uproar had been terrifying in its momentum, but once quelled, the aftermath was exceedingly simple. The stewards, accountants, and the like in the manor all walked among the crowd holding clubs and staves. Anyone they found displeasing was beaten mercilessly over the head and face. The laborers who had been so ferocious moments before were still vastly superior in numbers, yet now they only clutched their heads, wailing and begging for mercy.

"Have you lost your minds?! Think back to when that evil cult deceived you — weren't you sent to the front lines to die then? Did that so-called Immortal Kingdom ever appear? Think about who caused your families to be destroyed and your lives ruined! Think about the life you lived before! Today you have food and warm clothes, and yet you don't even know gratitude, letting yourselves be led into this madness — think about it yourselves!" Every one of the manor's stewards and overseers was roaring and shouting like this.

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