Wang Chenggong surrendered.
After witnessing the Mongol cavalry charge in full force, only to be decisively shattered by the Ming soldiers' firearms, he immediately understood one thing—
He was no match.
Just moments earlier, he himself had been preparing to lead his men out in a charge. If not for the sudden appearance of the Mongols, he would already have been halfway through that assault.
Yet those Mongols, charging on horseback, had been mowed down mid-stride by disciplined firing lines.
Wang Chenggong knew his limits.
Two human legs could not compare to four horse legs.
If even the Mongol cavalry could not break through, then what chance did he have?
He did not need to analyze further. Even instinct alone told him the outcome.
If he continued resisting, death was certain.
So he stopped struggling with the decision.
He chose to surrender—cleanly and decisively.
The moment Wang Chenggong knelt, Commander Luo Xi exploded.
"This man surrendered once already and then rebelled again!" Luo Xi roared.
"A man like this cannot be spared! Execute him! Execute him immediately!"
At the same time, the artillerymen suddenly became animated.
"What? He surrendered before?"
"No way!"
"Get him back inside the fortress!"
"Let us fire a few more rounds—ten rounds!"
"Fine, eight rounds is enough!"
"Even five rounds would do, just let us shoot a little more!"
Shi Jian hesitated.
Killing a man who had already surrendered…
No matter how he thought about it, it felt improper.
Just then, the embroidery on his chest stirred, and a low voice spoke—calm, unhurried.
"Do not attack.
Let him come forward.
Speak with him for a moment, then decide."
It was the voice of Dao Xuan Tianzun.
Shi Jian's heart steadied at once.
With instructions from Dao Xuan Tianzun, there was nothing to worry about.
He immediately raised his voice. "Cease attack!"
The militia soldiers lowered their firearms.
Seeing that the Ming army truly had no intention of attacking, Wang Chenggong raised both hands high, clearly showing that he was unarmed, and began walking forward step by step.
After walking for quite some time, he finally reached the officers.
Luo Xi stamped his foot furiously.
"Wang Chenggong!" he shouted.
"The imperial court treated you generously! After you surrendered last time, you were given grain and allowed to farm garrison land in northern Shaanxi! Who would have thought that at the slightest trouble, you'd rebel again?"
He pointed straight at Wang Chenggong.
"You, a man with such fickle loyalty, still dare to surrender a second time? If I were you, I'd cut my own throat right now! At least then you'd look like a man!"
Wang Chenggong's face flushed.
He knew his conduct was shameful, yet he still forced out a defense.
"The court only gave us two months of grain," he muttered.
"Then they left thousands of my brothers in a desolate place and expected us to survive on our own. How were we supposed to live?"
Luo Xi was about to continue—
"But even so—"
Shi Jian raised a hand.
Luo Xi immediately stopped speaking.
A third-rank commander yielding to a fifth-rank garrison commander—it should have looked ridiculous.
Yet no one present felt it was inappropriate.
Not even Luo Xi himself.
Dao Xuan Tianzun's voice sounded again, soft and even.
"Ask him why he did not seize the opportunity to charge together with the Mongol cavalry.
That was his best chance."
Shi Jian nodded and repeated the question.
Wang Chenggong's expression darkened.
"Though I, Wang Chenggong, am no hero," he said slowly,
"I would never ally myself with the Northern Barbarians. I refuse to lose face in such a way."
Dao Xuan Tianzun replied calmly,
"Those who achieve great things do not fuss over trivial matters.
If you had swallowed your pride earlier, even briefly, you might have won and saved your life."
Shi Jian repeated the words.
Wang Chenggong sneered.
"Are you mocking me?"
"If I die, then I die. This life isn't worth keeping if it means acting so disgracefully."
Dao Xuan Tianzun chuckled lightly.
"Is rebelling again after surrendering once not disgraceful?
Who in this world tolerates a man of such wavering loyalty?"
Shi Jian repeated this as well.
Wang Chenggong sighed deeply.
"In any case," he said,
"I know my life cannot be spared. The court will never accept me again."
He bowed his head.
"Just kill me. I only ask that you spare my brothers in Wangjia Fork. The drought returned, and they had no way to survive. They followed me out of desperation. They are merely accomplices."
Luo Xi exploded again.
"Execute them all!"
"Kill all two thousand rebels!"
"Save us the trouble of them rebelling again and again!"
Dao Xuan Tianzun had no intention of killing anyone.
The fact that Wang Chenggong had refused to coordinate with the Mongols—even when it was clearly his best chance—meant that this group still retained a trace of salvageable humanity.
Without further discussion, Dao Xuan Tianzun issued a quiet instruction.
"Take them back.
Put them to labor reform."
After speaking, he fell silent.
Shi Jian immediately understood.
Smiling, he turned to Luo Xi.
"General Luo, calm yourself, calm yourself. Anger harms the body."
Luo Xi nodded hastily.
"General Shi speaks wisely. One should not anger oneself unnecessarily."
Shi Jian continued smoothly.
"As you know, I am under orders from the Ministry of War to guard the Longmen Yellow River Bridge. There is much work to be done there—building fortifications, digging trenches, hauling stone, carrying earth."
"In past years, these tasks were handled through corvée labor," he went on.
"But now, commoners are scarce."
Luo Xi nodded.
"Indeed. Years of rebellion have emptied Shaanxi and Shanxi. Nine out of ten households are gone. It's hard to find anyone for corvée work."
Shi Jian sighed.
"Exactly. I simply cannot find enough hands."
Luo Xi's eyes lit up.
"General Shi… are you saying you'll take these men?"
Shi Jian nodded.
"I'll point firearms at them. Anyone who refuses to work gets a bullet through the forehead."
Luo Xi laughed loudly.
"Excellent! That's exactly how these scoundrels should be handled!"
At once, Luo Xi stopped shouting about executions.
The superior officer needed laborers. As a subordinate, he naturally supported the plan enthusiastically.
He pointed at Wang Chenggong.
"Fine. I'll give you another chance. Go work for General Shi. Don't even think about causing more trouble."
Thus, the surrender was settled.
Afterward, Luo Xi went to draft his official report.
Naturally, he did not mention how his troops had collapsed at the first encounter.
Instead, he wrote of a fierce battle lasting three hundred rounds, in which the rebels relied on a strong fortress and his soldiers were exhausted from a long march, suffering a temporary setback.
Then, at a critical moment, General Shi Jian arrived with reinforcements.
With General Shi's assistance, morale was restored and a great victory achieved.
As for the Mongol cavalry, Luo Xi did not dare claim credit. He knew better than to grasp at merit he did not deserve.
He truthfully recorded:
General Shi led one thousand firearms troops.
They fired rotating volleys.
In four rounds, taking no more than ten breaths, the Mongol cavalry was utterly routed and fled in disarray.