Chapter 985: Opened (400 votes bonus chapter)

The artillery fire was sporadic but continued all night. The southeastern corner's defenses had been completely smashed, and the shells landing inside kept that breach from being sealed. Though they knew defeat was inevitable, the Smelling Incense Sect's rebel army still massed a large force there, ready for a decisive battle against the Zhao Battalion troops charging in.

Unintentionally, this arrangement left the other city gates relatively empty, giving the people of Jining a perfect opportunity to strike. At the moment dawn first broke, when everyone inside and outside the city was weary and at their most relaxed, the thousand-odd men gathered from various factions within Jining began their charge toward the south gate. The Smelling Incense Sect rebels' actions inside the city had already provoked universal outrage, so instead of alarming anyone along the way, their swelling ranks kept drawing more followers. By the time they reached the south gate, they numbered close to three thousand.

Young men from every household, hired desperadoes paid at great cost, fugitive soldiers taken in, and figures from the martial world all surged forward with clamorous shouts. The Smelling Incense Sect rebels' core backbone and their Divine Protector Army had already been thoroughly crushed outside the city. What remained inside was a hollow shell — capable of murder, intimidation, and oppression, but the moment they realized they could no longer keep control, their confidence collapsed and they could no longer hold on.

The various factions rising up inside the city had been uneasy themselves, terrified that the Smelling Incense Sect's main force would converge on them. But once they clashed, the refugee defenders at the gate showed not a shred of fighting spirit and simply fell back step by step. A few overseers shouting orders were cut down by their own men instead. Morale soared, and they quickly scattered the Smelling Incense Sect garrison at the south gate. In the process, not only did the conscripted civilian laborers from Jining rise up — that went without saying — but even Smelling Incense Sect rebels of refugee origin began switching sides. The situation collapsed like an avalanche.

Some men charged up onto the battlements and raised the agreed-upon white banner atop the gate tower, waving it and shouting. Others desperately hauled away the sandbags, earth sacks, and barricades blocking the gate. They had worried that the Xuzhou troops outside might not react in time amid the chaos, but Lei Cai had told them: since the letter had made it clear, it would certainly be done.

Sure enough, the moment the white banner waved, every regiment and company of the Zhao Battalion below the walls began to move. The upheaval at the south gate had already alerted the Smelling Incense Sect factions inside the city, and they now sent men from within the city and along the walls to reseal the gate. But just as the situation was about to turn critical, the artillery at the southeastern corner first roared in a furious barrage, then fell silent — and then the sound of drums and suona horns rose. The Zhao Battalion retainers waiting there began their advance.

The gate here might not open for a while yet, but over there, the city could be breached at any moment. The Smelling Incense Sect's forces were instantly split. At the southeastern breach, a large body of Xuzhou troops was closing in, while in front of this south gate, Xuzhou troops were also poised and ready. The moat at the gate had long since been filled in. Firearm retainers and archers surged to the front, aiming at the battlements, ready to open fire and provide cover at any moment. Meanwhile, the Second Regiment, the personal guard company, the First Battalion, and the Fourth Battalion had all moved up close. The cavalry was divided into three parts: one sealing off and watching the other gates, one following the main force, and one standing by in reserve.

From outside the city, they could hear the wild shouts and chaos within. At last, they saw the gate slowly open inward. Even as disciplined as the Zhao Battalion was, a tremendous cheer erupted — Jining City had been opened!

The moment Jining's south gate opened, the Smelling Incense Sect's resistance across the entire city collapsed completely. Without the shelter of the city walls, they were utterly insignificant before the Xuzhou troops. After entering the city, each regiment and company of the Zhao Battalion swiftly broke down into individual companies, moving rapidly along the streets as company units.

"Surrender and you will not be killed. Those who resist will be executed without exception. Those who burn, kill, or loot will be treated as cultist rebels and executed without exception. Those who obstruct the Zhao Battalion's operations, whether officials, commoners, or gentry, will be treated as cultist rebels and executed without exception!" Zhao Jin's orders were simple and easy to carry out.

As the Second Regiment charged into the city, Zhao Jin entered under the escort of the cavalry. Commander Chen Rongqi and the other surviving prominent figures of Jining were all waiting at the gate, trembling with fear. The moment Zhao Jin appeared, every one of them fell to their knees. Only Lei Cai stood there, his expression rather uneasy.

When Zhao Jin saw Lei Cai, he dismounted, walked over to him, pulled him back to his mount, and with effort hoisted him into the saddle. At that moment, whether it was the men of the Zhao Battalion or the powerful gentry of Jining who had surrendered and switched sides, all raised their heads to look. Zhao Jin pointed at Lei Cai and declared loudly, "This is Lei Cai. This is my brother. In this pacification of Jining, his contribution has been immense!"

Hearing this, the already impassioned Zhao Battalion retainers burst into cheers again. As for Chen Rongqi and his group, they kowtowed once more, even harder than before. So this unremarkable, short-statured man held such an esteemed position in Xuzhou.

Being praised so publicly by Zhao Jin left Lei Cai somewhat at a loss. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Zhao Jin glaring at him, lowering his voice as he said, "Pull a reckless stunt like this again, disobeying orders and acting on your own whim, and you'll go join Erhong managing the treasury!"

This reprimand was delivered in a lowered voice, inaudible to anyone else. But hearing it, Lei Cai could not hold back his tears. Fighting to keep control, he said, "It was your little brother's rashness. I nearly jeopardized Big Brother's plans..."

Zhao Jin patted Lei Cai's leg, then turned and announced loudly, "All of you have rendered great service this time. I, Zhao, will not mistreat those who have earned merit, nor will Xuzhou mistreat its friends. The time for drinking and celebration has not yet come — this city is not yet secure. Everyone, return and pacify your neighborhoods and districts. Tell them to stay inside their homes and not move about recklessly. If there is any danger, come to us for help at once. We will also need your help — do not refuse when the time comes."

"Just give your orders, Master Jin!" came the ragged chorus of replies. To bring a city as vast as Jining under control as quickly as possible, the Zhao Battalion's troops alone were far from enough. They had to rely on the assistance of these local natives.

Yet at this moment, even if they were asked to give money, grain, or even their lives, they would do so willingly, afraid only that they would not be used. Because being used now meant that past offenses would not be pursued.

Commander Chen Rongqi and other Jining powerholders like him had many men under them, so matters of guiding the way and providing assistance were naturally arranged by others. For Chen Rongqi, currying favor with Zhao Jin was the most pressing concern. The rest of the men were of much the same mind, none willing to leave the area of the gate.

At this juncture, Zhao Jin readily went along with the situation and halted right there at the gate, keeping company with these men who had opened the city, engaging them in conversation. He even specially detailed several companies to protect the homes and families of everyone present. This moved Chen Rongqi and the others to tears of gratitude.

At this time, the fighting had not ceased — on the contrary, it grew fiercer. The Smelling Incense Sect had already massed a large force at the southeastern corner of Jining's wall. The moment they saw the Zhao Battalion enter the city, they knew all was lost. Only two paths remained: flight or surrender. But the main force was so huge that even those who wanted to surrender dared not speak up. They could only choose the single path of breaking out.

And with the Zhao Battalion already inside the city, the only route for a breakout was that slope blasted open by the artillery. Fighting for their lives, if they could just flee out through there, they would be out of the city. Then they could scatter in a mad rout, and the Xuzhou troops would surely be unable to catch them. If they stayed in the city, they would be waiting to be caught like turtles in a jar!

The mob surged outward in a noisy rush, a fearsome sight. But outside, eight cannons were still trained on them. The moment the mass of men showed themselves, the cannons roared and immediately smashed down those charging at the front. Cannonballs struck brick and stone, sending fragments flying — the carnage was even worse than firing on open ground. And beyond that, the First Regiment's disciplined formation was arrayed below. To break out, they would still have to face this elite force head-on. Who had the confidence for that?

The first breakout attempt failed, and this force simply collapsed. Some of the Smelling Incense Sect rebel leaders were former militia who had returned from Xuzhou, having managed to flee back into the city back then. Now, their courage and fighting spirit were utterly gone. Unlike the other Smelling Incense Sect members, they had a rough understanding of how things were done in Xuzhou and knew that surrender meant a chance to live. At this point, with no possibility of escape left, the word "surrender" could finally be spoken.

When someone proposed surrender, the diehard sect members from the Smelling Incense Sect's old guard refused to accept it. They wanted to purge the sect and execute the apostates. Before the breakout attempt, they could still have kept control — everyone was coerced and held in check by one another, no one knowing whether their own side was the minority. But now, with courage utterly spent and hearts scattered, those wanting to surrender were no longer the minority. The attempt to execute the apostates immediately triggered a fratricidal bloodbath. The two sides fought on the battlements. Since they had not explicitly offered surrender, the cannons below naturally paid no heed. The Zhao Battalion's artillery retainers raised their firing angles, shifted the cannons, and sent shells slamming right onto the battlements. Both sides in the melee suffered grievous casualties. No one cared about the fight anymore — they all fled down from the wall. Few continued the internecine slaughter; most scattered and melted away into the city.

Chen Sheng did not rush to lead his troops onto the wall. The First Regiment outside the city still needed to remain battle-ready, blocking any Smelling Incense Sect rebels who might burst out from other points. But with the situation as it was, there was no need to be overly rigid. Chen Sheng detailed four companies to ascend the city wall slowly via that slope. When the retainers of those four companies stood atop the battlements of Jining, those who had been fighting and fleeing all stopped, dropped to their knees, and begged to surrender.

After entering the city, the firearm companies differed from the pike companies — they could not operate alone. Instead, they coordinated with the pike companies, one paired with one. One hundred firearms matched with one hundred pikes — on the streets of Jining, this was already using a butcher's cleaver to kill a chicken. So they swept only the most important thoroughfares. And on these main, broadest streets, there would still be remnant forces rallied by the Smelling Incense Sect.

Meng Zhiqi led one firearm company and one pike company, advancing along the street directly opposite Jining's south gate. Cities all follow roughly the same layout. On the plains, the south and north gates often mark the central axis, along which runs the city's widest, straightest avenue. The government offices and various key locations are also distributed along this avenue. It stood to reason that if the Smelling Incense Sect rebels tried to rally for resistance, it would be on this very street.

Today's third update, bonus chapter for reaching 400 monthly votes. Still about seventy votes away from 500 monthly votes!

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Thanks to old friends "Manchang de Lu, Gu Wuzhao, Yi Buyi" for their tips. Thanks to everyone who subscribes to Great Ming Wufu, votes for Great Ming Wufu, and tips Great Ming Wufu. Thank you all.

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