Chapter 986: Eager for Merit

To be safe, before setting out Meng Zhiqi had specifically requested the assignment of thirty archers so he could respond at any moment. According to Zhao Battalion's rules, although Meng Zhiqi was nominally a company commander, his rank was higher than the company commanders of ordinary pike companies. Only the personal guard company, the first company of each regiment, and the first company of the cavalry shared his rank. The two companies he brought out were both under his command.

Only these two companies were on this street, but other companies and cavalry units were moving on the adjacent streets. If they called for help, reinforcements would arrive in less time than it takes to burn a stick of incense.

When Zhao Battalion went into battle, their mindset was always that of a lion pouncing on a rabbit. Even with absolute superiority, even with every preparation made, they remained cautious and did not dare the slightest relaxation or carelessness. The battlefield was perilous; the slightest negligence could lead to casualties, and Zhao Battalion's aim was to avoid that negligence.

But as they advanced northward, they encountered no resistance. Zhao Battalion's household troops marched forward in orderly formation, the archers following on both flanks, vigilantly watching every street corner and alley mouth, not even overlooking the tops of walls and roofs. If anyone dared show their head to launch a sneak attack, they would immediately draw and shoot.

But at this moment, the common folk inside Jining City dared not go out at all. They all hid obediently inside their homes, burning incense and chanting Buddha's name, summoning the able-bodied men and arming them, smearing the women's faces black with soot, terrified of suffering the ravages of war. As for those scattered remnants of the Incense Sect rebel army, when they saw such a rigorously disciplined formation—the coldly glinting pikes, the iron armor, the dense, murderous aura—what thought of fighting to the death could they still have?

Those who could run all ran, but every main street was filled with Zhao Battalion companies, and the small streets and alleys were held by private troops raised by Jining's local powerful families and local militiamen who had surrendered on the spot. Where could they flee? Some thought themselves clever and climbed over walls into civilian homes. When the Incense Sect rebels controlled the whole city, they could have done that—a single man could enter and run wild. But in the current situation, who still feared them? If one went in alone, even armed, and encountered a household with many able-bodied young men, he would be beaten to death right in the courtyard, or they would call the Xuzhou troops outside to come in and kill the rebel.

The correct response was to kneel, surrender, and beg for mercy, throwing their weapons away and obediently following orders. Behind every Zhao Battalion company sweeping the city followed local militia groups specifically tasked with rounding up prisoners. Once captured, they would be dealt with. If it had been government troops entering the city this time, the blades would likely never have stopped swinging, heads would have rolled by the heap, and even Jining's own citizens would have been massacred. They had indeed suffered enough these days, their hearts brimming with pent-up fury. But the people in the city also knew that Zhao Battalion wanted live captives, so they knew what to do.

"Commander Meng, in front of the Jining Subprefect's yamen, a large force of bandits has formed ranks. Several company commanders have discussed it—should we all link up ahead and form up to smash them? Everyone says there's no need to trouble the lords with this matter!" The one who came to speak was a cavalry company commander.

There were few people on the street at that moment. Looking into the distance, one could indeed see a unit of enemy troops over there. From afar, the Incense Sect rebel army's formation looked quite orderly, almost resembling a Zhao Battalion square formation. Meng Zhiqi frowned and pondered for a moment, then spoke a few words to the mounted household trooper. The man nodded, spurred his horse, and left.

As soon as that man was gone, Meng Zhiqi immediately discussed with the pike company commander: "Let's not wait for the people behind us. Our two companies will go and swallow this enemy unit!"

According to the rules, Meng Zhiqi could issue orders directly, but this plan of his was somewhat risky, and he still needed to reach a consensus to act smoothly. Hearing this, the company commander was stunned and said with some difficulty: "It looks like there are about a thousand men over there. For our two hundred-odd men to go over—isn't the risk too great?"

"What the hell are a thousand men worth? They just stand there dead still holding their poles. We've got a hundred firelocks on our side. Besides, the ground over there is only so big—the ones who can face us head-on in battle are just two companies at most. What's there to fear?" Meng Zhiqi said, lowering his voice.

Seeing that the other man was not quite convinced, Meng Zhiqi said somewhat anxiously: "If ten companies gather together and smash them, what merit is there in that? Wouldn't it just be taken for granted? If our two companies eat them up, that's what shows real ability. Believe me, after we go back from this fight, our Zhao Battalion is going to expand its forces again. Merit is what matters!"

The company commanders were all core cadres of Zhao Battalion. They knew Zhao Battalion's way of doing things, and since Meng Zhiqi was often at Zhao Jin's side, the news he got was surely reliable. The company commander hesitated briefly, then gritted his teeth and said: "Then let's gamble on it!"

Hearing this, Meng Zhiqi grinned broadly, thumped his chest, and said: "If we win, we split the merit equally. If we lose, it's all on me."

"The worst that can happen is we don't win and lose face. How could we possibly lose?" That pike company commander was clear-headed enough.

Meng Zhiqi nodded with a smile, turned around, and roared: "Check your ammunition load! Check your match cords! Form ranks and advance!"

The firelock troopers immediately began checking the ammunition loaded in their firelocks, then started lighting their match cords from the priming flasks, blowing on them constantly to keep the match burning. Behind them, that company commander also began bellowing orders. The pike troopers started reforming their ranks into a line that just filled the width of the street. The archers looked completely unconcerned—they would just coordinate and provide cover when the time came.

Once the preparations were complete, at a single order, the unit began advancing at a jog. The pace was not fast; they were ready to stop and fight at any moment. As they began their rapid advance, the distant Incense Sect rebel unit was already stirring with unrest.

Just as Meng Zhiqi had judged, before the enemy drew close, that Incense Sect rebel army's passable-looking square formation dared not move recklessly, afraid of disrupting their own formation. Only when they got near did they hear the rebel leaders over there issuing orders. But as they closed in, they could clearly see the despair on the faces of those rebel soldiers. Some even threw down their weapons and ran. However, around that Incense Sect rebel square formation were battle supervisors wielding glaives, killing anyone who fled, and so they managed to hold formation.

"Seventy paces! Split into front and rear squads, two volleys!" Meng Zhiqi roared. The ground ahead had opened up into a wide space—this was precisely the open ground in front of the Jining Subprefect's yamen. The enemy troops arrayed before them likely numbered over a thousand.

Hearing Meng Zhiqi's order, the firelock troopers swiftly deployed, halting at seventy paces from the enemy formation. The Incense Sect rebel ranks stirred again, but still held under frenzied shouting and threats. Fifty firelock troopers formed one squad, split into two squads. Once the formation was set, they fired a volley. The accuracy of matchlock smoothbores was limited, but the Incense Sect rebels were packed densely and within range—they only needed to aim the muzzles at the enemy ranks.

The volley of fifty firelocks was powerful enough, and with two consecutive volleys, the still fairly orderly Incense Sect formation looked as if it had been struck by a giant hammer, a section suddenly caving in. The dead and wounded lay on the ground. Several dozen archers strode forward quickly—they needed to protect the firelock troopers, giving them enough safety to reload and fire.

"Reload! One more volley! Pike troopers, prepare to charge!" Watching the situation on the field, Meng Zhiqi adjusted his tactics. The Incense Sect rebel formation opposite could no longer hold. Without waiting for their leaders to urge them, some men were already shouting and charging forward. But in such a dense formation, and having to step over their dead and wounded comrades, they could not reach the front for a while. Those who ran fast were shot down directly by arrows.

The firelock troopers reloaded busily but without confusion, quickly finishing. After roughly aligning their formation, they fired another volley. Once this round was complete, without even looking at the results ahead, they immediately parted to both flanks. Behind them, the pike company had already leveled their pikes forward and were charging with a roar.

But the battle ended right after that volley. This volley was another heavy blow. The Incense Sect rebel soldiers who still had the courage to charge forward fell one after another. The ranks behind could no longer hold and scattered in utter pandemonium. The Incense Sect battle supervisors cut down one man, only to be immediately stabbed and trampled to death by more. The entire formation completely collapsed. In the end, even those leaders could only flee—if they did not run, they would be speared by Zhao Battalion's pikes.

The Incense Sect rebel square formation, which had looked passable just moments before, now collapsed utterly, with fleeing refugees everywhere. Just now, desperate rebel refugees from all around had been gathering here; now there were only people fleeing in chaos. Meng Zhiqi's face was full of smiles as he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Surrender and you won't be killed! Kneel and you won't be killed!" He also called for everyone to shout it with him.

Once this cry rang out, the thoroughly shattered Incense Sect rebel refugees all knelt. No one wanted to keep fighting a battle with not a shred of hope for victory. No one wanted to die. Since the Xuzhou troops had pointed out a path to survival, they all immediately and obediently complied.

Only then did the other companies hurry over. The moment they saw the battlefield, they immediately understood what had happened. The faces of the several company commanders were not exactly pleasant, but this was a move within the rules. They could only laugh and curse Meng Zhiqi for being so quick. Not long after, they saw two cannons being hauled over, but by then they were no longer needed.

Seeing the two cannons, the Incense Sect captives kneeling on the ground completely gave up any lingering hope. They even felt a bit of relief—thank goodness they had been defeated so quickly. If the fight had dragged on a little longer and the enemy had directly bombarded them with cannon, the outcome would have been far more gruesome.

This Jining Subprefect's yamen was the center of Jining City. Because Jining was wealthy and prosperous, even though there was a tradition in officialdom of not repairing government offices, the compound here was still large enough and imposing enough, with its high walls and grand courtyards. However, for Zhao Battalion, such a layout meant danger. Who knew if the Incense Sect rebels would make a desperate last stand here? Pike troopers could not maneuver so easily inside such a compound.

The several company commanders discussed it and decided to act in small teams according to the drill manual, organizing mixed groups of pikes, blades and axes, and firelocks and bows. Twenty men per group, armored troopers at the front, they would search room by room, courtyard by courtyard. They also made a point of collecting the glaives used by the Incense Sect rebels—these would be more useful in close-quarters combat inside the compound.

The merit earlier had been seized by Meng Zhiqi's side. The rebel chieftain might well be hiding inside this compound—capturing him would be a great merit. At this moment, no one was willing to fall behind. Everyone was rubbing their hands, eager and ready. Squad after squad of troopers was organized, led by company commanders and squad leaders, and they went straight in.

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