Chapter 1041: A Murderous, Oppressive Aura

Mid-sentence, he saw a dozing coachman on the wagon ahead suddenly leap down, throw himself flat on the ground, and press an ear to the earth. No one blocked his abrupt action; instead, all eyes turned toward him. When the coachman rose, his face had completely changed. He sprinted toward Tian Zhu, and the moment he arrived, he blurted out, "Family Head, a large force of cavalry — no fewer than seven hundred!"

Tian Zhu jolted in the saddle and immediately demanded, "You didn't mishear?"

"It rained a few days ago — the ground is damp, so the sound carries lighter. The real number can only be higher, not lower. And because the ground is damp, there's no dust rising, so in broad daylight it won't startle the birds and beasts either. Half a shichen at most, and they'll be here!" the coachman said urgently.

The moment he finished, the horses in the Tian family procession began to stir and neigh, clearly unsettled. Anyone who understood livestock knew this meant a large force was indeed approaching — the horses had sensed it earlier. The several dogs traveling with the procession began barking wildly, which in turn frightened the children into crying. The neighing of horses, the barking of dogs, and the wailing of children intertwined, and the scene instantly fell into disorder. The guards and mounted escorts all looked around uneasily.

"What..."

"Eldest Brother, stay in the sedan chair — I'll handle this!" Tian Zhu cut off Tian Long's question without the slightest courtesy.

"We're still thirty li from Guan's Tower, and already twenty li past Three Ravines behind us. The nearest places left and right are all twenty li away with no main roads. Those damned cutthroats — they planned this ambush perfectly!" Tian Zhu muttered a few lines from horseback, grinding his teeth.

With that, Tian Zhu swung off his horse, walked straight to the sedan chair, and said, "Eldest Brother, have Dazhu escort you away on horseback. Don't take the main road, and don't take the side paths either. Go first to our residence outside the city and lie low. If things look bad, head to Jiangnan. If you can move around, go to the provincial capital and work things there. You know where everything is kept — wait until everything has settled before retrieving it. Go, now!"

He spoke with fierce urgency, but Tian Long, who had stepped out of the sedan chair in his long gown, looked rather panicked. Glancing ahead, he asked, "What about your sister-in-law and nephew?"

Tian Zhu tore off Tian Long's long gown in a few rough movements and practically hoisted him onto the horse, saying rapidly, "No time for them! Eldest Brother, you're still young — you can marry again and have more sons. From now on you'll preside over the family estate. Whatever you do, don't let this sect's enterprise be lost."

At this critical moment, Tian Long found his courage. His eyes red, he said from horseback, "Second Brother, you see things more clearly than I do, and you have martial skills. You'd have a better chance of getting away. I'm of no use."

"Don't talk nonsense! As long as you hold that Provincial Graduate rank, our family can rise again. Go, quickly — no more useless words!" By now, Tian Zhu seemed more like the elder brother. Tian Long shouted and whipped his horse away into the distance, a silent, sturdy man riding after him.

Everyone in the main party saw Tian Long ride off into the distance. Though they didn't know why, combined with the increasingly chaotic scene, everyone grew flustered and uneasy. Even the women inside the carriages began to weep. Tian Zhu flipped his hand and drew his saber, mounted his horse, and bellowed, "Anyone who spreads panic, anyone who wails and screams — I'll cut him down with one stroke! Anyone who dares desert before battle, I will exterminate his entire clan! All of you, quiet!"

His vicious roar instantly suppressed the scene. Even the weeping grew much quieter — the women were likely holding it in, and the children had their mouths covered.

"You — ride to the prefectural city and report an emergency. Say we were ambushed by bandits on the road. Promise the yamen as much silver as it takes, as long as they send men out to rescue us!"

"You two — head back the way we came. Say we've been blocked by brigands. Get the villages and stockades back that way to send men for a rescue. Take the side paths — don't get cut off!"

"You — go ahead, circle around. Same thing — whenever you reach a manor or stockade, go in and shout for reinforcements. Don't worry about silver — promise them any reward, just be quick!"

Tian Zhu rattled off several names. The mounted men all shouted and whipped their horses, charging off. After these arrangements, Tian Zhu brandished his saber and roared, "Everyone, young and old — a large bandit force is coming. We only need to hold out for half a shichen. Reinforcements will come from all sides. Defending on the official road, we have every advantage. With so many brothers of high martial skill, they won't break through! As long as we hold, every man gets ten taels of silver as a reward, and we'll celebrate for three days once we're back!"

After this speech, the disordered crowd rallied somewhat. Tian Zhu again roared out orders. The twenty-some wagons were formed into a circle on the spot. The heavy luggage was unloaded from the wagons and used to block the gaps. While the luggage was being moved, some womenfolk cried out in protest, but Tian Zhu went up and silenced them with several slaps. Twenty mounted men kept their horses inside the wagon fort, while the rest abandoned their mounts outside, took up weapons, and entered the wagon fort to hold the position.

Though the foot and mounted guards were panicked, watching Tian Zhu's methodical arrangements — the defensive layout was well-organized, his handling of the situation left no obvious gaps — their flustered, anxious minds gradually steadied. Everyone murmured among themselves: rumor had it that Second Master Tian had served as a personal guard for the Shandong Regional Commander for several years and had learned real skills in the army. It seemed true enough. Still, the Tian family's ways were strange — they clearly could let their descendants live in wealth and ease, yet they kept their sons so tirelessly busy. No one knew what they were thinking.

After all, the rain had fallen several days ago. No matter how damp the ground, it couldn't be that no dust rose at all. Dust could now be seen rising from both the west and the east. At most, a little under half a shichen remained. At this distance, much was already visible. Many of the mounted men lay flat on the ground to listen, and every one of them paled after doing so. Some stood on the wagons to look out, and seeing the scale of the forces on both sides, their faces likewise turned ashen white.

Some guards who had left their mounts and entered the wagon fort tried to bolt, thinking, If I can just get on my horse, I can somehow escape. But the moment they moved, a feathered arrow thudded into the ground before them. Tian Zhu stood at the center, flanked by several stout men with bows drawn and arrows nocked, their eyes fierce and watchful. "Brothers, if anyone deserts before battle, don't blame me, Tian the Second, for being ruthless. I will settle accounts by exterminating entire clans afterward. Whoever stakes their life with me today — I'll stake my life with them!"

At these words, and seeing the fierce, watchful archers, hearts steadied once more. Escape was now impossible, so they could only stake everything on this fight. The Tian family had always been generous; whether they lived or died, they wouldn't be shortchanged today. Besides, everyone knew Tian Zhu was right. No matter how vicious these mounted brigands were, they could only fight on open ground, relying on horseback mobility for field combat. Once a fortified position had to be stormed, the bandits were very reluctant to dismount and fight on foot, because that meant throwing away their own advantage. Men became brigands for wealth and pleasure, not to fight desperate, bloody battles. This wagon fort was fairly tightly ringed, with over a hundred and several dozen martial men inside, plus able-bodied male laborers — nearly three hundred men in all, well-equipped with weapons. It was truly a tough nut to crack, and taking it would cost dearly. Given the bandits' usual habits, they might just ride a few circles around, see no opportunity, and leave.

Hoofbeats like thunder — the roar grew louder and louder, and the trembling of the ground grew more and more distinct. Inside the convoy, those who had just steadied themselves began to panic again. The Tian family usually wielded enormous influence in Yizhou — wasn't it said their relations with the mounted brigands and the outlaws were decent? How had things come to this? How many bandits had they offended, and how many were coming, to create such a fearsome show of force?

Tian the Second, looking out from a high vantage point, was also filled with despair. Though the enemy would still take a moment to arrive, the sheer power this display represented was something his convoy could never withstand. Which faction was this? Could it be government troops? At the thought of a large government force coming, Tian the Second's face turned ashen gray. The Brocade Guard had come to make arrests, and now government troops were mobilized — had he and his brother misjudged? Wasn't it said that after such a recent major military campaign, they couldn't move again for a while? Why were the authorities and the army not following standard practice? Didn't the Yizhou Department Magistrate and the gentry know that a single visit from government troops was equivalent to stripping a locality clean — that every benefit, top to bottom, would be scooped away, and the region would suffer a severe loss of vitality? Did they no longer care about that?

The cavalry attacking from both sides finally came into view. Seeing the mounted forces approaching from east and west, most people in the Tian family wagon fort couldn't help but cry out in shock. This battle array was far too grand. The two forces combined numbered over eight hundred cavalry, and their formation was exceedingly disciplined. Normally, when pursuing an enemy, riders let their horses run loose, the large force spreading out with overwhelming momentum. Yet this pursuing force advanced like infantry on the march, coming in column formation. What's more, these pursuing cavalrymen were actually wearing armor — and fine armor at that, gleaming under the sunlight. The armor clanked and clattered as the horses galloped, making their murderous, oppressive aura all the more palpable.

Could these be the personal guards of a government military officer? But someone immediately realized the truth and shouted hoarsely, "That's the Xuzhou mounted force! That's Zhao Jin's cavalry!"

Only Xuzhou had armor like this. The Tian family had sent many men there and knew the details of the Zhao Battalion of Xuzhou very well. The moment this shout rang out, a deathly silence fell over the Tian family wagon fort. The several archers beside Tian Zhu heard a "clack-clack-clack" sound behind them, not knowing what it was. Glancing back, they saw it was Tian Zhu's teeth chattering — he was clearly terrified to the extreme.

The Xuzhou men had come. Zhao Jin of Xuzhou had come, and he had brought a cavalry force of such fearsome scale. It wasn't just Tian Zhu who was terrified — everyone else was panicked to the breaking point. Those who could accompany the convoy were all men Tian Zhu trusted, and they naturally knew what the Tian family had done along both banks of the canal and inside Jining City. Everyone had assumed the conflict would be a covert struggle of push and shove beneath the rule of law. They had never imagined the other side would be so direct — simply bringing a large cavalry force. Would anyone be left alive today? Everyone was thinking this, yet crushed by the oppressive, chilling aura of the mounted force outside, they remained utterly silent at this moment. No one dared surrender, and no one broke down screaming.

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