Chapter 1368: A Weight Lifted

The Jinzhou defenders atop the wall were all dumbstruck. The Jianzhou Jurchens' general cannons had also bombarded the wall and caused damage, but compared to what these five cannons before them had done, that was utterly insignificant.

If the wall were a thick tree trunk, then the Jianzhou Jurchens' cannons were knives — hacking blow by blow, they could eventually cut into the trunk, but who knew how long it would take to sever it completely. Yet the Zhao family army's cannons were axes, chopping down relentlessly, and this trunk would soon be split apart!

Thinking back to the roar just now, thinking back to the density of that bombardment, every man felt a chill. Under the Jianzhou Jurchens' cannon fire, the defenders could still keep plugging the gaps, but under the Zhao family army's cannon assault, there was likely no way to stop it at all. If the enemy wanted to break this city, they could do so at any moment!

They were given no time to dwell on shock and awe. From behind the five cannons, two men walked forward. Unlike before, of the two approaching, one was clad head to toe in armor, and the other was holding aloft the Zhao family army's battle standard — red background, black characters, fluttering and snapping in the wind.

Watching these two draw near, the men atop the wall grew solemn as well. Such a posture was tantamount to delivering a message before the battle lines; the army standard served as a kind of guarantee, making people feel this was no trifling matter.

The two men halted as before beyond bowshot range. The standard-bearer stood his ground while the other drew a deep breath and bellowed toward the wall: "All within the city, hear this! Within one shichen, surrender your weapons to the Zhao Family Army Provisional First Division and accept reorganization. Refuse, and you shall be crushed to dust!"

To ensure those inside the city heard clearly, the man below shouted it three times, and then without the slightest delay, turned and walked straight back.

These words were of course heard clearly atop the wall. Chen Jisheng's first reaction upon hearing them was to prepare to shout down any outburst from the defenders. The Pi Island Dongjiang Garrison and the Jinzhou defenders had fought the Jianzhou Jurchens for so long, and being mostly young men, they had long since developed fiery tempers. If they cursed back or clamored to go out and fight, the situation would become difficult to manage.

But to his surprise, everyone was very quiet. When he looked at them, they all looked back at him, their faces full of expressions that said, please just make the decision. Zhang Pan's face showed a trace of dejection, but in the end, only relief remained.

And so they looked at each other, one face to the next, the walltop utterly silent. Amid the exchanged glances, some people turned their heads from time to time to look at the northwest corner of the wall that had been blasted apart by the cannons.

After a moment, Chen Jisheng laughed. In that laugh were grief, helplessness, release, and relief. Raising his voice slightly, he said, "We can't win even if we fight. Let's surrender."

The defenders were quiet for a beat, then someone cleared his throat, someone else gave an awkward laugh, but no one objected, and no one's face showed anger. Yet no one was in a hurry to voice agreement either. Another moment passed, and from within the ranks someone shouted gruffly, "Throwing in with these Xuzhou men isn't so bad. The court can't beat the Tartars, so going with the Xuzhou men to fight them — that's pretty good too!"

The man spoke very fast and fell silent right after, so no one could pick out who had spoken. But those words stirred everyone's emotions.

"How many bitter days have we endured here, just us and Marshal Mao propping each other up? How much grain has Shandong sent, how many reinforcements? In the end, haven't we relied on ourselves!"

"What have we all been fighting and dying here for? Was it for glory and riches? No, it was to avenge our families, to avenge our fellow villagers, to snatch this land back from the Tartars! But does the court care about us? Even so, they still keep skimming our pay and rations. If the court won't look after us, then we'll follow those who will!"

"If not for these Xuzhou men this time, every last one of us would have met our end here. This life-saving grace is not something we can be vague about!"

What started as a few men talking turned into a clamor of voices. Some words made sense, others were nonsense, but the purpose was one: everyone should heed this Xuzhou army's words and accept the Zhao family army's reorganization.

As for the specific meaning of the term "reorganization," the Jinzhou defenders from top to bottom might not have fully understood it, but they could guess. They figured it wasn't much different from surrendering and obeying orders. No one had any real resistance to it. Having fought and bled to this point, rescued from a hopeless situation, and finding their savior incomparably powerful — and Han Chinese at that — deep down, they might well have already harbored thoughts of pledging allegiance. They just didn't know how to broach it, how to bring it up.

Since the Zhao family army had been so considerate and done it for them, they might as well take the hint and go along with it. If anyone refused, if anyone started talking about loyalty and righteousness, the others would likely take issue with him.

A thousand words, spoken openly and in veiled terms, all converged in the end into a single phrase: surrender, surrender.

This time, Chen Jisheng and Zhang Pan didn't even exchange glances. They simply set about arranging matters. Men were sent to dig open the blocked city gate tunnel. Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming were lowered directly down the wall by rope — they couldn't afford to keep the other side waiting too long and cause any misunderstanding.

Once men were dispatched, a response came quickly from the other side. Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming brought back the specific procedure: everyone was to exit through the north gate, surrender their weapons, and then form ranks within a designated area to await arrangements.

At this point, the operational efficiency of the Xuzhou Zhao family army became apparent. Hundreds of men could be seen approaching, methodically doing simple cleanup and marking out the area. Then one large cauldron after another was set up right there within the designated zone. Dried meat, hardtack, and the like were tossed in, and directly boiled into steaming, bubbling gruel.

The aroma wafted up, and the men on the wall, catching a whiff, all began to salivate, their stomachs rumbling like thunder. Though supplies hadn't been cut off these past days, they were nearly at the end of their food and ammunition. Going hungry, dizzy, and seeing stars was the daily norm. Now, smelling the fragrance of grain and meat, their appetites were instantly aroused.

"Since we're all going to surrender, don't go having any second thoughts. Look down there — those cannons are still set up, and there are battalions ready at any moment. Don't go courting death!" Before everyone began to prepare, Zhang Pan roared a warning.

The cannons below were still in their original positions, only their muzzles were now turned toward the city gate. Though the Zhao family army held absolute superiority, they showed not the slightest slackening.

The Jinzhou defenders had, after all, held out until now, fighting to the death in a desperate defense. To say there was no loyalty among them would be impossible, which was precisely why they needed reminding not to act rashly in a moment of hotheadedness. Everyone had already seen the Zhao family army's combat strength; if they moved blindly, being slaughtered to the last man was a real possibility.

Fortunately, the Jinzhou defenders were all very clear-headed. The gate tunnel was dug open, the city gates swung wide, weapons were tossed down from the wall, and the men themselves proceeded from the gate toward the designated area.

Both sides were rather hurried. The empty-bellied defenders wanted to eat that gruel, but they hadn't brought their bowls, and the Zhao family army didn't have enough spares either, so the defenders had to go back and fetch their own.

Although the dry provisions the Zhao family army carried were only enough for three days, since follow-up supplies were not a concern, they were very generous to the defenders accepting reorganization — if you didn't have enough, you could have more. But each man was limited to three bowls, for fear they'd eat too much and burst their stomachs.

Watching the battle from the walltop earlier, they had only perceived the momentum and the equipment. Now, up close, the spirit and bearing of the Zhao family army, from top to bottom, could be clearly seen. In the Great Ming official army, only the military officers and their personal retinues had ruddy complexions and robust physiques; everyone else was sallow and emaciated. The reason was known to all — with pay and provisions skimmed layer by layer, only a small number of elite troops could be maintained, kept fed and well-trained.

But in the Zhao family army before their eyes, even the most ordinary soldiers were stout, strong men, and the armor they wore was full suits of iron plate. The Jinzhou defenders stared blankly, thinking: if these are the lowest-ranking foot soldiers, what must the elite troops look like?

There were a few with a sickly pallor, who looked to be laborers, but even they could be seen to have eaten their fill recently. This made everyone stare even more blankly, thinking: could it be that the Zhao family army doesn't skim even a little?

They were observing the Zhao family army, and the Zhao family army was observing them in turn. Jinzhou was a prefectural seat that had once held over ten thousand residents, but now the entire city held only these two-thousand-odd defenders. Every man was gaunt to the bone, every man covered in scars. Yet every man looked utterly unyielding, and that air of steely, unbending spirit commanded respect.

But there was also something a bit odd: every man was yawning incessantly, looking as if they might lie down and fall asleep at any moment. A clever observer figured it out: "Pressed so long by the Tartars, now that they've relaxed, their spirits can't hold up anymore."

The two chief commanders of the Jinzhou defenders were brought before Chen Sheng. Chen Jisheng and Zhang Pan were said to be young, but they were already men in their thirties. When they saw Chen Sheng, their reaction was the same as everyone else's upon meeting the Zhao family army's commanders — they hadn't expected him to be so young.

Chen Sheng was not arrogant or haughty. Seeing the two approach, he rose to greet them. His stature was much taller than theirs, his brawn far greater. Chen Jisheng and Zhang Pan both felt their breath catch slightly, sensing the oppressive force bearing down on them.

"What's the situation on Pi Island?" This was Chen Sheng's first question.

Among the Jinzhou defenders who had come out to surrender, several dozen were wearing the standard armor of the Zhao family army. Chen Sheng naturally knew these came from the Pi Island soldier battalion, but news from there had been cut off for many days, and the fleet sent there had yet to rendezvous here. With everything unclear, he naturally needed to ask in detail.

"Marshal Mao had us withdraw first. By the time we left Pi Island, the Dongjiang Garrison's forces had already been caught in a two-pronged attack by the Tartar main army and had completely collapsed. Those several hundred men of your esteemed army likely couldn't hold out." Chen Jisheng spoke plainly. As he said this, he was rather apprehensive. In a sense, it was tantamount to them having abandoned the Zhao family army's Pi Island soldier battalion, to say nothing of the petty schemes they had engaged in before the collapse.

Chen Sheng's expression darkened for a moment, then quickly returned to calm. As soldiers on the battlefield, encountering such things was only to be expected. But if the Pi Island soldier battalion had been annihilated, it would be the greatest loss the Zhao family army had suffered since taking up arms.

"The wounded among the defenders will go to Shandong to recover. The disabled will also be settled there. But the rest must follow orders: they will be broken up into squads of ten, dispersed among the supply and forage units and as guides, and later incorporated into combat units. You two, along with the elite officers and soldiers under you, will be assigned to various regiments as staff advisors. If any wish to formally join the Zhao family army, there will be special arrangements." Chen Sheng stated directly.

These words left Chen Jisheng and Zhang Pan somewhat stunned.