Chapter 1042: The Spineless Wretch Cursed by All

In the midst of this silence, the Xuzhou cavalry shifted formation and completely encircled the entire convoy. On all four sides, riders dismounted, forming ranks on foot with their long spears. Seeing such orderly formation, the Tian family men lost all confidence in the wagons as a barricade. Everyone knew the Zhao family of Xuzhou had household troops who could fight dismounted. If they simply charged straight over, could a few wagons really stop them? What a colossal joke!

Tian Zhu stared blankly, at a loss for words. His preparations had been thorough enough, but he never imagined the other side would commit such force. If it were the bandits of southeastern Shandong, they could scrape together a mounted force of this size, but only about two hundred could actually fight. And unless their leader was insane, no bandit chief would be willing to expend those fighting men to the last. The other several hundred were just rabble for show and hauling loot — utterly useless in a fight. That had been Tian Zhu's confidence in holding the convoy. But he never expected the Xuzhou cavalry to come, over eight hundred riders at once, and every single one a capable fighter who could also dismount and fight on foot. There was no longer the slightest chance of holding out.

Just then, a man was shoved out from the crowd. His upper body was bound, and the men behind him pushed him ruthlessly, forcing him to his knees. The moment Tian Zhu saw this man, his body swayed and he nearly toppled from the central wagon. Fortunately, those beside him reacted quickly and caught him. Tian Zhu's face was now deathly pale, his lips trembling for a long moment without a sound. Finally, he rasped hoarsely, "Elder Brother! Elder Brother!"

The man pushed forward was none other than Tian Long, evidently captured on the road. Seeing his elder brother, the last shred of hope in Tian Zhu's heart crumbled to nothing. If both brothers met their end here, the Tian family would be utterly wiped out, and the legacy that generations had painstakingly built would be severed.

"Tian Zhu, don't worry about me! Fight them to the death! And don't worry about your sister-in-law either — if we can die together, we'll reunite in the world below!" Tian Long, at this moment, showed some backbone, shouting at the top of his lungs. The men holding him did nothing to stop him.

If they could fight their way to survival, everyone would be willing to fight — after all, there was something to gain. But when death was certain, all anyone wanted was to live. Not a single person in the convoy echoed his cry, nor did anyone look stirred. Everyone was utterly silent. Only a few dozen people looked toward Tian Zhu. In the stillness, horses occasionally whinnied. A child cried but was silenced by a hand over its mouth. Women wept too, but desperately stifled their sobs.

"Elder Brother, has all that book-learning rotted your brain?" Tian Zhu rasped with a bitter, low laugh.

At that moment, the Zhao Battalion cavalry encircling the wagon fort parted to escort a single rider forward. The armor this man wore was of a completely different standard from the other household troops. He reined in his horse seventy paces away and called out from the saddle, "I am Zhao Jin!"

The already silent scene grew even more deathly still. Because of that deathly stillness, the shout from several dozen paces away was heard with perfect clarity. Many in the convoy instinctively rose on tiptoe, and some even tried to climb onto the wagons to see. It was actually the Demon King — no, the Heavenly King Zhao Jin himself, here in person. Yet everyone who craned their neck or poked their head out froze in place, not daring to move recklessly, for beside Zhao Jin, men had bows drawn and arrows aimed in their direction. Anyone attempting a surprise attack would be shot dead instantly.

"For me to come here personally to deal with you — your deaths won't be unjust," Zhao Jin declared in a clear voice. He spoke casually, but no one thought he was exaggerating. After so many battles, the situation before him was clear at a glance. When the Zhao Battalion's household troops struck, it was an utterly crushing steamroll. To call it slicing melons and chopping vegetables would be flattering these Yizhou local toughs.

At these words from Zhao Jin, panic finally began to spread behind the wagons. But just then, Tian Long, still on his knees, suddenly shouted, "Those Embroidered Uniform Guard agents were your men in disguise too, weren't they? I knew something was off — why would Guard agents come knocking on our door out of nowhere? It didn't make sense!"

After several outbursts, Zhao Jin's patience finally wore thin. Ma Chonghao beside him made a gesture, and someone immediately stepped forward and gagged Tian Long. Before anyone could speak further, a voice from within the convoy shrieked at the top of its lungs: "Lord Jin! This humble one wishes to surrender! This humble one is willing to surrender with his entire family, willing to be Lord Jin's ox or horse! I only beg Lord Jin to spare our worthless lives! I beg Lord Jin!"

All eyes turned toward the source of the voice — it was Tian Zhu, standing atop the wagon. The mounted Zhao Battalion troops surrounding them remained impassive, but everyone inside the wagon fort stared at Tian Zhu in utter stupefaction. Even Tian Long, gag stuffed in his mouth, strained desperately to straighten up and look, his face a mask of disbelief.

"You've all seen the situation! Do you want to fight? Do you want to throw your lives away and die?" Tian Zhu bellowed at the people below him. The instinctive anger and contempt among the wagon fort's defenders evaporated under this brazenly self-righteous questioning. There was simply no way to fight — the moment they made a move, it would be a bloodbath. And judging by the situation, all their messengers had likely been intercepted; there wouldn't even be anyone left to avenge them. The only reason they still had any courage or will to fight was that Tian Zhu had treated his men well, and they had long been bound by his kindness. Now that even their benefactor wanted to surrender, what were they still holding blades for?

Tian Zhu threw his own blade to the ground and waved both arms, shouting, "Throw your weapons to the ground! Quickly, push these wagons aside! We can't afford to be stubborn or throw tantrums now — the blades are in their hands! If you want to live, move fast!"

This arrangement made sense. At his shout, the men below, after a moment of dazed hesitation, hurriedly dropped their weapons. Many had been too ashamed to surrender and yield, but since the master himself had abandoned all face, why should they keep up the bravado? Weapons clattered to the ground, and men shouted as they moved to push the wagons aside. In that moment, the Tian family's wagon fort was completely breached. If the Zhao Battalion attacked now, it would be pure slaughter. Everyone's heart pounded with dread. Even as they followed Tian Zhu's orders, they kept glancing at the discarded weapons, ready to snatch them up and fight to the death.

"Lord Jin's rule is: kneel and you won't be killed! Everyone, kneel! Kneel! Don't just stand there gaping — kneel if you want to live!" Tian Zhu roared again. Even the Tian family's most die-hard followers were grimacing now. But their weapons were already on the ground, and the ironclad cavalry outside watched them like tigers. This had become a matter of in for a penny, in for a pound. Kneel, then. Life was what mattered most.

At that very moment, perhaps because the atmosphere had shifted so abruptly, a child inside one of the wagon compartments, unaware of what was happening outside, inexplicably burst out laughing. The laughter made the scene feel even more bizarre and subtly grotesque.

The plan had been to exploit the fact that the Tian brothers held scholarly rank and maintained their standing locally, using a mix of real and fake Embroidered Uniform Guard agents to spread rumors and force the Tian family to relocate to their country estate outside the city. Then the cavalry, long since lying in ambush around Yizhou, would encircle them and finish the matter once and for all. The men of Zhao Battalion had been ready to wet their blades with blood — only to be met with this scene.

Though the Zhao Battalion was heavy with killing intent, they were not twisted, bloodthirsty fiends. If the enemy wanted to surrender, and they could avoid a hard assault and prevent casualties on their own side, that was no bad thing. Or, given the enemy's surrendered state, they could simply slaughter them all with even less risk. Now, all that remained was to await Zhao Jin's command. The lives of the Tian family hung on Zhao Jin's whim.

"Lord Jin! Your nearly a thousand iron cavalry must have cost a great deal in coin and provisions to march here from Xuzhou. This humble one is willing to bankrupt his family to compensate! Whatever wrongs were committed west of Yanzhou Prefecture, whatever losses were caused to Lord Jin — this humble one will bankrupt his family, even work like an ox or a horse, to make amends! Lord Jin, you must give this humble one a chance to correct his mistakes!" Tian Zhu howled, kowtowing with loud thumps as he spoke.

His sudden shift in attitude was deeply jarring to those around him. Someone even spat directly at Tian Zhu and cursed viciously, "The Tian family has been a line of heroes for so many years — how did it produce a worthless wretch like you?"

Tian Long, kneeling before Zhao Jin's horse, was even more beside himself with rage. Several times he struggled to rise, only to be pinned down firmly by the household troops behind him. Had his mouth not been gagged, he would have been cursing furiously by now. Tian Zhu knelt at the opening of the wagon fort. He could feel the reaction of those around him and clearly see his elder brother's attitude, but he paid them no heed whatsoever. He simply shouted at the top of his lungs, "Lord Jin! My elder brother is a Provincial Graduate! Our Tian family has close ties with the prefectural seat, the provincial capital, and even the capital itself — our name is registered there! Lord Jin, if a Provincial Graduate dies, there will be serious trouble. Even if he just disappears, someone will investigate! Lord Jin is now recuperating and building strength at his estate south of the canal — you cannot afford more blades and bloodshed! Lord Jin, the Tian family is willing to surrender! Whatever punishment you decree, it rests on a single word from Lord Jin! There's no need to invite so much trouble!"

Zhao Jin wiped the sweat from his forehead. The weather made wearing a helmet rather stifling. He had been regarding them with cold menace, but now he listened to Tian Zhu's frantic shouts with keen interest. When Tian Zhu finished, Zhao Jin turned his head to look at Ma Chonghao beside him. Ma Chonghao wore a somewhat wry, bemused smile. Seeing Zhao Jin look his way, he nodded and said, "A talent. He knows when to be hard and when to be soft. Knows not to play the hero, knows how to read the situation and adapt. And he can set aside his pride and his face. For a place like Yizhou, he's not bad at all."

Zhao Jin nodded. Ji Xiang had ridden around from the other side. Not knowing what Zhao Jin and Ma Chonghao were discussing, he simply interjected with a grin, "Big Brother, this backwater of Yizhou actually has some talent. This wagon fort formation is rather interesting. The scouts just reported back — the Tian family sent out six parties of messengers and riders seeking aid, and the arrangement of those six routes was very methodical."

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