Chapter 1164: Venting a Bellyful of Rage

"What's so bad about the Xuzhou people coming? Our family's making far more money than before. That Zhao Jin takes his cut — did the old lot not take money too? You lot just can't see the bigger picture. How many losses have you taken, time and again? Our Wang family just keeps our heads down and minds our own business..."

"Bullshit! Didn't your Wang family say that if this deal went through, you'd definitely seize the lion's share of the cotton cloth? And now you're crying like a bunch of birds!"

Some wailed heart-rending pleas for mercy, others cursed without pause, some kept silent, and still others tried to charge at the surrounding household troops — but before they could rush more than a few steps, they were cut down on the spot. There was no chance of breaking out at all. This was partly because the tournament ground was relatively enclosed and the Zhao Character Camp didn't want to harm their own men; otherwise, with bows and firearms, the slaughter would have ended even faster.

Another order was given, and the household troops pressed forward another step. Those on the inside were still managing, but those on the outside had nowhere left to hide. The people disguised as noble ladies could only bring short weapons inside — but how could knives and swords stand against long spears and great halberds? Some fought back in despair, only to be stabbed and hacked to death.

There were shrieks and wails, and filthy curses. At that moment, the household troops guarding the space between the tournament ground and the seating stands contracted toward both sides. Anyone with any sense understood: the bloodbath was about to begin. Next, everyone would be driven downward. If you didn't want to die in the stands, your only choice was to die in the tournament ground. Their fury and curses had all been vented moments before. The righteous slogans in the tournament ground had already been shouted out. Everything said was useless. Ahead lay a dead end — a dead end with no way out.

The clamor and chaos — in truth, it was far quieter now than before, but everyone knew this quiet would be brief. The next order from the Xuzhou men would be the start of the slaughter...

Suddenly, furious roars and frantic shouts erupted from the crowd in the stands: "Master Jin, we're turning to the righteous side! We're turning to the righteous side!"

The moment those words rang out, blood burst forth from where the shouting came. Everyone was already packed tight together — when someone in the inner circle suddenly drew a blade and struck, how could anyone dodge? And the carnage was especially brutal.

At the sound of this, there were shrieks and furious curses inside, while those outside hadn't even reacted yet. But the people above were dodging and stumbling, layer pushing against layer, everyone surging downward in a wave that grew stronger and stronger, utterly unstoppable. Amid this, some still swung their weapons to strike back. Because of the crush, because of the collisions, there were accidental injuries. How could the railings and low walls of the stands possibly hold back such a mass of people? They all went tumbling straight off the viewing platforms.

Six or seven chi in height — if you jumped down and rolled on purpose, you might escape unharmed. But shoved and pushed like this, many simply plummeted straight down, and after falling, before they could even get up, more people from above crashed down on top of them. There was no surviving that — at the very least, broken bones and snapped tendons. By the time the falling bodies thinned out, the slaughter was nearing its end. The martial men on the stands were nothing like the elite fighters in the tournament ground. That group who had suddenly turned coat, despite their own dead and wounded, still managed to break free. They trampled over the bodies of the dead and injured to reach the tournament ground, put some distance between themselves and their former comrades, threw down their weapons, and lay flat on the ground. Anyone who tried to pursue and kill them was immediately blocked and shot dead.

That single shout was like a wake-up call to everyone around. Opposing Zhao Jin of Xuzhou was a dead end — but there was still a chance to save their lives right now. Invariably, those who moved to save themselves were the wealthy merchants of Qingjiangpu. They ordered their own guards to act, to charge into the tournament ground. They had already made extravagant promises — even offering up their own wives and daughters if the deed was done — all just to escape, or rather, just to stay alive.

While the other locations were still reeling in shock and alarm at the initial uprising, they never imagined that chaos would erupt among their own side as well. Once internal strife broke out, those who could scatter and fight were already considered lucky. Most cascaded downward like an avalanche. Some were crushed or trampled to death. Some were battered senseless. And then they saw the Zhao Character Camp household troops waiting in the tournament ground.

The household troops, who had barely moved until now, began pressing toward the stands. Long spears and great halberds closed in inch by inch from both sides. The places without internal strife met no better end. Those on the outside were pushed outward by those on the inside — struggle as they might, they couldn't move, and were slaughtered just like that by the spears and halberds. Yet the people pushing them met the same fate, stabbed to death. There was no way out at all. In the chaos, some flung hidden weapons, but in such a scene, how could anyone aim accurately enough to hit the gaps in a face-guard? More often than not, the armored household troops opposite simply ducked their heads or raised an arm and deflected it completely.

There was no way to fight these fully armed household troops. Some ran toward the higher ground, preferring to jump down and take their chances. A height of over one zhang — a person jumping could easily break their legs or feet. Besides, outside there were also Zhao Character Camp household troops and patrolmen waiting. Screams began to rise from outside the tournament ground as well.

Many no longer dared to stay in the stands. With people slaughtering each other there and household troops pressing in with long spears and halberds from both sides, not a moment longer could they remain. If they wanted to live a little longer, the only choice was the tournament ground. The Zhao Character Camp household troops standing at the center there had yet to move. At the very least, there was still a chance to survive. By now, few still harbored thoughts of fighting to the death for their cause. Those who had such thoughts were already dead up ahead. Now, everyone just wanted to live.

It seemed as if by some unspoken accord, the martial men on all four sides of the stands were making their way into the tournament ground. Once there, they didn't dare get too close to the center, merely catching their breath against the walls. At this moment, the Zhao Character Camp did not pursue and kill them.

The stands were now littered everywhere with corpses and bloodstains, along with wounded who couldn't move, and spectators and guests who had been terrified and despairing from the very start. They had never imagined such chaos would erupt. These bodyguards beside them had been recommended by close and familiar acquaintances, who had even suggested they bring them to the tournament ground to see the excitement. Who could have guessed that suddenly blades would be drawn and violence would erupt, that countless people in the ground and the stands would rise up all at once?

Once the chaos began, everyone involved or not deduced one thing: there were several dozen strong fighters in the ground, and probably several hundred in the stands. No matter how you looked at it, Zhao Jin's fewer than forty men had no advantage. No matter how elite your household troops, no matter how great your power in Qingjiangpu, here in this tournament ground, you had only these fewer than forty men.

Everyone believed: just kill these few in front of them. Zhao Jin was the ringleader, Wang Zhaojing the strategist, Zhou Xuezhi the chief steward. Kill these few, and the Zhao Character Camp would instantly scatter into disarray. Then, Xuzhou's cotton cloth and liquor, Qingjiangpu's markets, and the two newly built ports — all of it would become a feast on everyone's plate.

Whether or not they were part of the assassination plot, everyone thought this way. So they declared their identities to avoid being accidentally harmed, then kept their heads down and hid. Their calculations were sound: let others charge ahead and do the killing; when it came time to divide the spoils, they'd get their share too.

What no one ever expected was that the situation would reverse in an instant. This killing trap was never a sure kill aimed at the Zhao Character Camp — it was the Zhao Character Camp's encirclement and slaughter of everyone else.

Whether sitting or standing in the stands, everyone could clearly see the slaughter unfolding in the tournament ground. Using a butcher's cleaver to kill a chicken — those who never understood that phrase before now understood it perfectly.

Against a few dozen martial experts, they had deployed two hundred armored foot soldiers with long spears, nearly a hundred armored cavalry, and nearly a hundred archers. Watching those martial experts leap and dodge, only to meet a single end — death — every person in the stands felt their blood run cold and their courage shatter. Then, looking again at the Zhao Character Camp household troops who had already divided and surrounded them, everyone knew there was no way out alive today.

Suddenly, someone tried to turn coat. Brutal internecine slaughter began. The household troops on both sides started pressing in and killing. The scene collapsed completely. People were swept along by the human tide, tumbling off the stands, constantly caught up in the nearby slaughter. At this moment, surrendering didn't mean you'd live or even buy yourself more time. First, you had to charge out of this chaotic killing trap.

Some stands had already been cleared. The truly strong fighters were all in the tournament ground. Those lying in ambush in the stands were, at best, of middling skill. Moreover, they couldn't use too many of those who had previously participated in the tournament, which further limited the pool of candidates. These people were far inferior to the martial men in the ground — they were just here to win by numbers. Who could have imagined that the Zhao Character Camp's household troops were even more numerous? Not to mention fighting in formation, with superior equipment — the Zhao Character Camp's household troops far outclassed these wandering martial men.

There was no resistance to speak of in the ground. With hearts panicked and minds scattered, there was no real fighting — just a one-sided slaughter.

Some thought the Zhao Character Camp wouldn't indiscriminately kill the innocent, and tried to use the wealthy merchant guests who weren't part of the plot as hostages, even as human shields to block the attack. It was utterly useless. The Zhao Character Camp's household troops didn't hesitate in the slightest. In fact, those who took hostages found themselves unable to dodge, and so died even faster.

Whether or not they had harbored any schemes, the wealthy merchants all understood one thing now: kill Zhao Jin and his men, and their own families could indeed share quite a bit of the spoils. But conversely, if Zhao Jin slaughtered all of them, he could likewise seize their family fortunes and everything else. It would be just as great a windfall for the Zhao Character Camp.

"Master Jin, this lowly one is willing to hand over his entire family fortune!"

"Master Jin, this lowly one's whole family — lives and property — are all yours to dispose of!"

Amid the shouts of slaughter, these heart-rending cries rang out continuously. But the killing did not stop for a moment. Only, by this point, those who could shout such words were unlikely to be accidentally harmed or killed, because the crowd in the stands had already thinned out considerably, and the slaughter in the tournament ground had already begun.

Among those who jumped or fell down, some threw away their weapons and surrendered. Yet some still wanted to fight to the death. But before the mounted and foot household troops arrayed in strict formation, they had not the slightest power to strike back.

The second wave of fighting in the tournament ground did not last long. Those who dared resist were killed by the people behind them. Everyone wanted to surrender, and you alone wanted to fight to the death — then don't drag everyone else down. These household troops showed no mercy when killing. I was already on my knees, and then I got hit because of you — how do you account for that?

"Big Brother, shall I have that chair brought over? You could sit and watch," Wang Zhaojing said with a smile.

Compared to the hellscape in the tournament ground, Zhao Jin and the others on the square platform were quite relaxed, watching their surroundings with calm composure. Hearing Wang Zhaojing's suggestion, Niu Jinbao hesitated as if to speak, but Zhao Jin smiled and spoke first: "You're finding this far too satisfying. It's not yet time to sit down and celebrate. Let's stay cautious."

Thanks to old friends "Qi Sanwen, Yuan Heng Lizhen, Duan Yichen, Xiao Qi Wenming Qiji, Zhongwang Tangmao Mao" for their tips. Thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support.