Chapter 971: Discoveries While Clearing the Battlefield

Xu Hongju could already clearly hear the agonized cries of his trusted followers and see the slaughter carried out by the mounted retainers of the Zhao Camp. By now, the rhythmic beat of drums had reached his ears — drums that were definitely not his own.

Looking toward the source of the drumming, beyond the tens of thousands of rebel soldiers swarming like headless flies, he could faintly make out a "wall" slowly advancing through the dust-shrouded distance.

Xu Hongju finally understood what true disparity meant. Those Xuzhou militia trainers who had fled back to Shandong always spoke of how formidable the Xuzhou Zhao Camp was, but he had always scoffed at such talk. Only when he saw that troops trained by those methods could stand against government forces did he begin to find it somewhat credible. Yet when foot drills and formations had rallied tens or even hundreds of thousands into a rather intimidating battle array, Xu Hongju had thought he could sweep across the realm unchallenged. But today's battle showed him just how laughable he had been — and how terrifying the Zhao Camp truly was.

Before Xia Zhongjin could rally his men to force a stand, Xu Hongju let out a great shout from horseback, wheeled his mount around, and rode straight for the city. The others hurriedly followed.

At a moment like this, anyone with the slightest judgment could see that inside Jining City was hardly a safe haven. Even if they still had sufficient strength, with the Zhao Camp forces arrayed outside the city, being inside was practically a half-dead position. But if they fled on horseback, their few dozen horses could never outrun the Zhao Camp's nearly a thousand riders — that path led to certain death.

Xu Hongju and Xia Zhongjin, under the protection of their trusted guards, fled toward the city. Their flight caused the entire situation to collapse completely. Once they fled, their trusted subordinates had no reason to fight to the death. Those at the rear fled first, and those engaged at the front lost all will to fight and followed suit. The last shred of order within the Incense Sect rebel army crumbled, and in an instant, the rout was total and irreversible.

The entire battlefield was filled with fleeing, routed refugees. The Zhao Camp's various units had little real fighting left to do — it was nothing more than slaughter now. In fact, at this point, as long as the enemy offered no resistance, they no longer bothered to strike them down, merely driving them off and scattering them instead.

These routed refugees did pose one problem: they slowed the cavalry's advance to some extent. Moreover, the Zhao Camp cavalry emphasized formation and coordination, never scattering recklessly to pursue. They could only watch helplessly as Xu Hongju's group fled into Jining City, and the city gates slowly closed behind them.

The tens of thousands of Incense Sect rebels outside, once routed, could only flee toward the flanks or toward the Zhao Camp's direction. Turning back was impossible. Only after being thoroughly scattered did some flee toward the city. But this path to survival did not last long. As soon as Xu Hongju entered the city, the gates were shut at once, with no regard whatsoever for the loyal believers still outside. Anyone foolish enough to object was met with merciless blades without hesitation. On his entire flight back, Xu Hongju had already abandoned any pretense of religious fellowship — whoever stood in his way was trampled under hoof or cut down with a blade.

Zhao Jin did not pursue. His armor was covered in dust but bore little blood. The advance had been so utterly one-sided — the enemies ahead either died or fled, and there had been no real fighting at all, merely controlling the horses as they charged and trampled forward.

"Pass the order: accept surrender," Zhao Jin said, reining in his mount and speaking from within the protective cordon of his retainers.

The retainers tasked with delivering orders immediately acknowledged and dispersed in all directions. Liu Yong, beside him, had already removed his helmet. He casually wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face flushed, his expression brimming with excitement. From horseback, he exclaimed loudly, "Big Brother, our Zhao Camp is this strong — this strong!"

Zhao Jin laughed in spite of himself and teased, "You didn't know?"

"I knew we were strong, but I never imagined we were strong to this degree. The Incense Sect's troops already had some semblance of order, and they had such numbers, and they'd even won a great victory over government forces. Yet our Zhao Camp, without even using our full strength, crushed them outright — and crushed them so easily. We still had one regiment, two large battalions, and all those militia units that never even saw action." Liu Yong spoke rapidly; anyone could feel his exhilaration.

Zhao Jin smiled and shook his head. "We are indeed very strong. But we are still not numerous enough, we lack a large enough territory to sustain us, and we lack the righteous mandate. So there is still not much we can do."

"Big Brother, I used to think the same way. But after watching today's battle, I feel you are being far too cautious."

"Then this time, from each unit, how many trustworthy men were selected in total?" Zhao Jin countered with a smile. Liu Yong was stunned into silence.

Once word of the offer to accept surrender spread across the battlefield, the refugees knew what choice to make: death or surrender. Fleeing for their lives in the chaos of battle had long since exhausted their strength. They could not escape — only the path of slaughter awaited them. Now that a path to survival had appeared, naturally they chose it.

They had endured enough bitter days. However harshly they might be treated after surrendering, could it be worse than the hardship of being refugees? Could it be more miserable than being trampled and ruined by the Divine Kingdom?

Even those harboring doubts could see: once you threw down your weapon and knelt in surrender, these fiends of the Zhao Camp did not, in fact, slaughter or beat you indiscriminately. Instead, they herded you together. This put everyone considerably more at ease.

Wherever the order to accept surrender reached, that place immediately fell silent. The battlefield, moments ago filled with clamor, wailing, and life-or-death struggle, rapidly grew calm.

By this point, the entire Zhao Camp had been fully mobilized. Still, they had to maintain formations of at least a single company, or a cavalry detachment. Even so, manpower was insufficient, and even the militia and volunteers guarding the supply wagons were called out to help.

Atop the walls of Jining City, a deathly silence reigned. The fluttering, waving banners had long since vanished. The city gates were tightly shut. Though one could not see what was happening inside, it was easy to imagine them piling earth to seal the gates shut.

The cavalry had already split into squads to patrol around the city. The reports coming back, however, indicated that the other city gates were also tightly shut.

Zhao Jin and his companions no longer worried about the battle's outcome. Whatever major tasks lay ahead, for now they needed to rest a while. The gathered companions were all elated. Zhao Jin was relatively composed, but the others — even Chen Sheng, who usually showed neither joy nor anger on his face — were visibly stirred at this moment.

"Big Brother, is this the complete pike square tactic you spoke of?" Ji Xiang was the first to ask.

"Pike retainers, firelock retainers, cannons, and cavalry combined — it's this devastating. But if we fight like this, the pikes don't seem all that useful anymore," Shi Manqiang added.

Lu Da and Zhang Hubin, being of different rank, stood a little farther out. Hearing this, they exchanged glances. Their two large battalions had no firelock retainers in their organization, and not many archers either. They had assumed that if the battle devolved into a chaotic melee, it would be a bitter fight. They had never expected that from start to finish, they would only draw blood when chasing down fleeing enemies, with no real close-quarters combat at all.

"Once the cannons roar, victory and defeat are already decided," Zhang Hubin murmured with feeling. Lu Da nodded glumly.

"The pike square is the anvil. Bows and firelocks are the spikes on that anvil. When the enemy crashes against us, we press forward, and it is these spikes that wound them. The cannons and cavalry are two great hammers — the killing of the enemy relies on these two hammers. You swing them out to smash people, or you pin them against the anvil and then use the hammers to crush them to pieces," Zhao Jin explained with a simple analogy.

Ji Xiang said with a grin, "If government troops tried this, using cavalry to drive the enemy toward their own infantry formation, instead of a pincer attack, they'd probably just scatter their own ranks first. There'd be no great victory to speak of — a catastrophic defeat would be inevitable. This tactic is something only the Zhao Camp can use."

At these words, everyone around nodded. When the Zhao Camp had first developed the pike square — over a thousand pikes fused into a single entity, advancing and maneuvering across the battlefield — everyone from the militia retainers to the company and regiment commanders had thought this was an invincible tactic. Yet Zhao Jin had said it was still incomplete, leaving everyone somewhat puzzled. When the number of archers increased and firelock retainers appeared, Zhao Jin still said it was incomplete. Today, with cannons joining the battlefield, those who had been confused or uncertain before suddenly understood.

"In truth, it is still not complete," Zhao Jin said with a smile. These words silenced everyone. With such power already, it was still not complete?

Zhao Jin did not speak in riddles. "Not enough firelocks. Not enough cannons."

The crowd remained silent. Everyone felt somewhat stunned. With so many firelocks and cannons already, their might was boundless — and yet he still said it was not enough. Just what would it take to be considered complete? It was utterly inconceivable.

Yet on second thought, it seemed perfectly conceivable. The Zhao Camp had been manufacturing firelocks all along, and cannons too. The reason they had brought so few this time was simply that there had not been time to produce more. Given another year, all these things would be fully ready.

Their silence had begun from shock, but later it turned to longing. Everyone was thinking: if everything were truly ready, just what kind of strength would the Zhao Camp possess?

"Master Jin, the captives for moving the equipment have been selected," a retainer reported.

"Bring the men and the things over here," Zhao Jin ordered.

Before long, a group of dejected refugee captives arrived, carrying loads on their shoulders and poles. Before the battle had been joined, when the Incense Sect rebels had charged, the Zhao Camp officers at the front had all noticed this equipment — some carried by men, some pushed on large carts. Though they had not known its purpose, it was clearly meant to be used once they got close.

"Master Jin, they say these trebuchets need to be assembled before they can be used."

"Assemble them."

Following Zhao Jin's order and urged on by the retainers, the refugees, under the direction of a few craftsmen, began putting them together.

The regiment commanders and large battalion commanders present had all heard the term "trebuchet," but this was their first time seeing one. All were very curious, watching and asking questions as they observed.

It turned out these trebuchets were originally siege-defense equipment used on the walls of Jining City. After the Incense Sect rebels had stormed the city, they had dismantled these trebuchets, intending to use them in field battles against the Xuzhou troops and government forces.

When the cannons had bombarded them, the civilian laborers transporting this equipment had suffered heavy casualties. The craftsmen responsible for directing the assembly, however, had been well protected. When it came time to flee, naturally no one paid them any attention, and they had surrendered directly.

Thanks to the two old friends "123*" and "User Cold Night" for their tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and tips — please continue to support Ming Dynasty Warrior.