Chapter 1260: This Is No Time to Claim Victory

"Old Ox, the Guard Brigade must be frantic by now — they just don't dare come ask." Zhao Jin spoke lightly, grinning at Niu Jinbao. Words like that weren't something anyone else could pick up, so they all just laughed along.

After that bit of teasing, Zhao Jin gave another order: "Call Ji Xiang over here."

Ji Xiang arrived before long, and just as Zhao Jin had guessed, his face was full of anxiety, looking like he wanted to speak but didn't dare. Zhao Jin didn't call him out on it directly, only said with a smile, "Da Xiang, pick out the men in the Guard Brigade's First Regiment who can ride. Go out onto the battlefield and round up the government troops' horses. Remember — no wounded ones, only those still fit to ride!"

Ji Xiang was a bit baffled by the order, but excitement quickly followed. He wheeled his horse around and went off to make arrangements. Zhao Jin paused in thought for a moment, then said to those beside him, "Send twenty riders from the Ironclad Cavalry. Have them catch up to the First Cavalry Regiment and bring them back. The rest of the companies will continue the pursuit!"

The order went out, but the guards and personal troops clustered around Zhao Jin were all somewhat puzzled. This was the perfect moment to chase down and slaughter the enemy — why pull back the First Cavalry Regiment, the unit with the strongest shock power and mobility? Sending the Ironclad Cavalrymen made sense, at least; with fighting still raging across the battlefield, dispatching elite troops to deliver orders was the surest approach.

Barely half a shichen passed between the First Cavalry Regiment's charge and their return, yet most of the men and horses were already drenched in blood. When well-rested ironclad riders charged into a routed, fleeing mass, it wasn't even a battle — just one-sided butchery and slaughter. The cavalry formed up in ranks near the great banner to rest, hurriedly feeding and tending their mounts, but every face still carried a look of unfinished business. Their blood was just up, and now they'd been recalled — no one knew what the commander had in mind.

While the First Cavalry Regiment was returning, the Guard Brigade's First Regiment finished rounding up horses on the other side. The government cavalry had fled fast and left few horses behind. After several rounds of screening and selection, not many Guard Brigade soldiers could actually ride, or even just stay on a horse without falling off. But by now, spare horses had already been led out from the camp.

"First Cavalry Regiment, the Training Brigade's Ironclad Cavalry detachment, and two companies of the Guard Brigade — under Ji Xiang's overall command — will immediately march on Tianjin. Seize the canal granaries outside Tianjin city and hold the grain stores there. If we hold those granaries, we can advance further. If we fail, there's nothing more to discuss." Zhao Jin's voice rang out with the order.

Those who had been confused by Zhao Jin's arrangements earlier now suddenly saw the light. The Zhao Family Army's main camp was at Linqing, and all their provisions were routed through there. But here in Hejian Prefecture, only the Grand Canal line was under Zhao Family Army control — the rest of the territory was still government-held. Their supply line was insecure, and the further north they advanced, the longer resupply would take. To be absolutely certain, only by seizing Tianjin's stored grain could they possibly continue the advance.

"Move out now. There will certainly be provisions and fodder at the Tianjin canal granaries — resupply there. Do not stop to kill enemies or get drawn into fights along the way. Hold those canal granaries. The main army will follow shortly. Da Xiang, it's on you!" Zhao Jin said with solemn gravity.

Ji Xiang's anxiety and confusion evaporated completely. His face flushed red with excitement, and from horseback he bellowed his answer: "Rest assured, Commander! If this subordinate fails to take the Tianjin canal granaries, I offer my head on a platter!"

"Spare me the opera-stage lines. If you can't take them, burn them down. What we've achieved here is already enough!" Zhao Jin shot back sternly. Ji Xiang clasped his fists once more in salute from the saddle, then turned and began shouting orders to the First Cavalry Regiment, the Ironclad Cavalry detachment, and the men drawn from the Guard Brigade.

Every face shone with excitement. This battle had been prepared for with such grand ceremony, yet it had ended far too quickly. All they'd seen was the artillery sweep away the government troops like dry weeds — no one had gotten their fill, let alone had a satisfying fight. Many had been silently worrying: the Master Jin was about to take the capital and become emperor, and they still hadn't earned any real merit. What would become of them later? They'd barely finished fretting about having no merit when this opportunity landed right in their laps.

Ji Xiang hesitated a moment there, then called for men to move the observation platform forward. He climbed up and shouted, "All of you, shut your mouths and listen to your old man!"

On the battlefield, Ji Xiang's reckless, devil-may-care temperament was especially well-liked. Below him, silence fell instantly. Ji Xiang strained his throat and roared, "This time we're moving light! Bring your killing tools, ditch everything extra! Anyone wearing armor — strip it off, everything except your helmet and the front half of your breastplate!"

Even as he spoke, Ji Xiang began unbuckling his own armor. Everyone he'd assembled followed suit, and the clatter of armor hitting the ground rang out in a chaotic chorus, like gongs clashing wildly. Seeing them obey, Ji Xiang bared his teeth in a grin and shouted again, "Guard Brigade men — go over there and pick up every government troop banner you can find! The rest of you, form ranks and feed your horses. It doesn't matter if we go hungry, but our mounts need hard fodder!"

Before long, the banners were gathered. Compared to how few banners actually remained, they were a hassle to carry and useless as weapons — they'd been discarded all over the ground. But many of the poles were broken, so the men just had to carry them as they were.

Ji Xiang had already climbed down from the platform. He swung into the saddle, turned his head, and shouted, "Big Brother, I'll have to trouble you to clean up this ironclad gear!"

With those words, Ji Xiang brandished his long blade. The cavalry units roared and fell in behind him. All that could be seen was rolling dust as the column surged toward Tianjin.

Ji Xiang's performance just now had been, to put it mildly, far from regulation. Yet Zhao Jin had watched the whole time with a smile. Ji Xiang had plenty of flaws, but when it came to agility and fierce daring, he was first among the brothers. That temperament was exactly what was needed for surprise attacks and brutal fights — perfectly suited for this campaign to seize Tianjin's grain reserves.

By this point, the Zhao Family Army's brigades, regiments, and companies were barely visible anymore — they'd all scattered in every direction to chase down and exterminate the government troops. Zhao Jin smiled and said, "Let's enter the city!"

A cheer rose around the Zhao Family Army's great banner, though it wasn't loud — every soldier who could be sent out had already been dispatched to kill the enemy.

Over by Jinghai county seat, the six-pounder and larger-caliber heavy cannon couldn't be hauled up the collapsed slope of the city wall. But the three-pounders could. Student-soldiers and hastily captured prisoners filled in a section of the moat, then turned the crumbled wall into an easier slope. Using thick ropes hitched to the gun carriages, with men pulling from above and pushing from below, several three-pounder cannon were dragged up onto the wall, their muzzles aimed inward at the city.

But this measure to overawe the city wasn't needed yet. Li Wudu had quickly sent back word of the situation inside: Jinghai county seat was already in chaos. The government troops who'd fled into the city first, along with the local thugs and riffraff, had begun burning, killing, and looting, looking to run wild while the war raged.

"Clear them out street by street. No need to worry about common civilians — just kill your way through!" Zhao Jin's order was simple and blunt.

Under the Zhao Family Army's pursuit, every unit of government troops outside the city had scattered and fled in all directions. No one dared run toward the city anymore. After seeing what the Zhao Family Army's cannon could do, it was obvious that breaching city walls was child's play for them — how could a mere county seat like Jinghai possibly protect anyone? But those who'd already fled inside were cut off from the outside by the walls and had no idea what was happening. They still thought they were safe. By the time the Zhao Family Army blocked every city gate and poured in, it was already far too late.

Jinghai county seat was considered a prosperous place, but it was still only the size of a county seat. A single company's square formation was enough to fill a street. The Suzhou Regiment broke up its units accordingly, and had the artillery regiment send over one-pounder and two-pounder light cannon for support. They advanced along the streets just like that. When they ran into marauding troops, they fired muskets, thrust with pikes, or loaded the cannon with grapeshot and blasted straight at them.

Street by street, house by house, courtyard by courtyard — they cleared them all one after another. When it came to killing to suppress, it really wasn't that difficult. No one had imagined the Zhao Family Army would take such a brutal, direct approach. In less than half a shichen, Jinghai county seat fell utterly silent. Every escape route had been sealed off — there was nowhere to run. The Zhao Family Army's killing intent was thick; there were no gaps to exploit. Whether foreign deserters or local rioters, there was only one road: death.

Even the common folk of Jinghai who'd been rescued were terrified. Were these rebel troops gods of slaughter? Those defeated soldiers and thugs had already thrown down their weapons and surrendered, yet these men just kept cutting them down like chopping melons. The ground was awash in blood — how long before this stench of gore would ever fade? But these frightened, trembling civilians hadn't seen what it looked like outside the city. Centered on Jinghai county seat, for several li in every direction, the dead and wounded lay everywhere. Nearly a hundred thousand troops — close to half had scattered and fled; the rest were either dead or had surrendered. The carnage had dyed the surrounding ground red, and the canal was choked with drowned corpses...

Zhao Jin did not let his troops pursue too far. A rout on this scale was already enough for the Zhao Family Army. The various government forces that had gathered here might regroup the bulk of their troops ten or twenty li away, but they'd been smashed like dry weeds even when fighting with full strength — what use would regrouping be? The government army's finest cavalry had been crippled, its core central battalions shattered by cannon fire. What did the government army have left?

Even if thirty or forty thousand government troops remained, they posed no threat to the Zhao Family Army. To the court and the local authorities, however, they were a burden — and they would loot and ravage the countryside without restraint. This double-edged effect worked greatly to the Zhao Family Army's advantage.

By the time the battle ended, there were hardly any seriously wounded left on the field. Even those government soldiers who'd been gravely injured by the cannon blasts had lost all signs of life after another shichen or two. All that remained were the lightly wounded from the surrender process, who needed only simple bandaging or none at all. These men were gathered together, and along with prisoners from inside the city and conscripted laborers, they began clearing the battlefields inside and outside the walls. The corpses all had to be burned outside the city and then buried; the floating bodies in the canal had to be fished out and disposed of as well.

The Zhao Family Army's student-soldier companies and two guard companies, who hadn't seen combat all day, entered the city to carry out the final mopping-up. Led by the city's clerks and runners, they went door to door questioning residents and searching any place where government troops might be hiding, eliminating every potential threat.

Only at this point did the gentry and elders of Jinghai county seat finally come to their senses. They'd been living in fear all this time, yet these Xuzhou rebels had never once burned, killed, or looted — hadn't even demanded supplies. Everything they'd done, terrifying as it was, had been for the good of Jinghai's people. And these past days, everyone had seen what the government troops were like. These Xuzhou rebels seemed more like proper soldiers than the government troops themselves. This was a true army of righteousness and benevolence.

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