Chapter 21: Surrender Without a Fight

The Eastern Sea Tribal Alliance, with a total population of less than one hundred thousand, had nevertheless gathered forty thousand warriors for this battle. Even the youths able to fight had joined the ranks. Across the plains and hills, forty thousand sturdy, wild-haired warriors sprawled, their grey-yellow pelts painting the land with the colors of untamed beasts.

From afar, the sound of footsteps grew steadily clearer. Fifty thousand armored soldiers advanced at a measured pace, following the procession of carriages. The clinking of their armor rang out like waves, echoing in every direction.

“Father, they’re coming!” Qiu Ji said, frowning.

Aimu nodded gently.

On the high earthen slope, the heads of the tribes stood with the great chieftain, none in the mood to speak. All watched in silence as the iron-clad army approached.

Clink, clink—the sound drew closer... They had arrived.

In that moment, the world was filled only with the rasping of chainmail and the sight of the black-armored host stretching to the horizon.

“Chieftains, can we win?” someone asked.

The great chieftain’s face was heavy with bitterness.

Silence. The quiet deepened; everyone smiled wryly and shook their heads, unwilling to speak further.

Aimu sighed and nodded, understanding fully—there was no need to fight. The forest of spears pointed skyward was enough to make one’s scalp crawl.

The fearless army was unnervingly calm, their movements orderly, as if before them stood mere cattle and sheep, not the fierce warriors of the northern Eastern Sea.

“Great chieftain! It’s true—they’re all equipped with divine weapons and armor!” panicked scouts reported in succession.

As they drew within a kilometer, twenty thousand northern cavalrymen began to sweep to the flanks, preparing to encircle.

From atop the carriage, Lin Shu and the three women surveyed the scene.

“Lin, the northern army seems to lack any will to fight,” said the Moon Goddess, confident that another great victory was at hand.

Lin Shu smiled and blinked, having just overheard the conversation among the tribal leaders.

“Major Halong, have the infantry stand by. The battle will soon be over.”

Halong, waiting behind the carriage, responded immediately: “As you command, my king.”

The twenty thousand cavalry were armed to the teeth: besides oversized sabers, each rider carried two short spears and a cavalry hand crossbow.

Despite the cavalry’s movements, the tribal chiefs remained indifferent, as if nothing were happening.

The iron-shod hooves struck the grass with heavier sounds than those of the southern cavalry.

“They’ve surrounded us, great chieftain. What should we do?” The big-bearded man finally couldn’t hold back, his face anxious; in numbers, equipment, and morale, they were utterly defeated.

Another chieftain spoke up.

“Great chieftain, don’t wait any longer. All the tribes of the Eastern Sea are looking to you.”

Aimu forced a smile and shook his head, suppressing his frustration as he looked at the others. “Each of you must decide for yourselves. I can only represent my own tribe.”

Qiu Ji nodded immediately, mounted his horse, and rode toward the large carriage nearby.

Seeing Aimu retreat among his warriors, the others understood.

“We should send someone to negotiate as well,” said one of the tribal heads, seeing Qiu Ji descend the slope alone.

The alliance was about to break apart; Aimu would not represent the north any longer. By sending Qiu Ji to surrender, he acted only for his own tribe, unwilling to be the one to surrender on behalf of all, for there was no glory in such a deed.

When Qiu Ji saw the giant tiger-headed, horned warhorse, his hands trembled uncontrollably.

As he closed to two hundred meters, his mount dared not approach further; Qiu Ji dismounted and walked briskly toward the carriage.

“The battle is over,” Jing Ni said, gazing at Lin Shu with admiration; her husband had foreseen it all.

Qiu Ji cast a quick, nervous glance at the three celestial women atop the carriage, then averted his gaze, his body trembling.

Not daring to approach too closely, he knelt on one knee thirty meters away.

“Qiu Ji greets the Northern King. My tribe, Shangyang, with several thousand souls, wishes to surrender to your majesty. Please accept us.”

With respectful hands clasped, Qiu Ji awaited the words of the hairless man atop the carriage.

“Very good, Qiu Ji. You’ve done well. Tell them: if they wish to fight, let them fight. Otherwise, lay down their stone axes and wooden spears and await reorganization.”

Young Qiu Ji had groomed his hair and beard meticulously; his thick fur made him resemble a grown, majestic monkey, which was one reason Lin Shu found him agreeable.

“As you command, my king!” Qiu Ji bowed again. Though the language was unfamiliar, he found he could understand it.

Only those who truly submitted could comprehend the deep brainwave messages sent by the master mind; without genuine submission, the voice would merely echo in the ear.

Rising and bowing once more, Qiu Ji turned smartly, mounted his horse, and intercepted a dozen other envoys.

“There’s no need for you to go. The king’s decree is: fight if you wish, or lay down your arms and await reorganization.”

The envoys’ faces darkened at his words.

“Hmph! Qiu Ji, why does your main tribe refuse to fight?”

“Yes, your Shangyang tribe is as useless as Jiasi!”

Qiu Ji ignored them; keeping distance would reassure the king.

“Enough! Let’s return and tell the chiefs to surrender.”

“Jiasi is defeated, Aimu has surrendered, and my tribe cannot turn the tide!”

At this point, the tribes had lost all will to fight, mainly because they were outmatched.

Hearing this, Qiu Ji nearly fell from his horse; indeed, the blame for surrender would fall on them!

Soon, the order to surrender spread across the hills and plains, and the warriors of the Eastern Sea, far from feeling resentment, relaxed, laying down their weapons and moving to the plain to await reorganization.

With the surrender, the surrounding cavalrymen lowered their cocked crossbows; a misfire could spell disaster.

With the sharp arrowheads stowed away, the tension among the Eastern Sea warriors eased further.

The outcome was decided. The cavalry maintained vigilance, while Halong led the infantry to select the strongest warriors for the main force.

“East Lord, Moon Goddess, accompany Jing Ni and Ta Shan to arrange the tribes. Yan Fei, don’t even think of escaping. Don’t make me come after you.”

With tens of thousands of cavalry escorting Jing Ni, Lin Shu had no fear of the two girls running off; should he catch them again, the sisters would be in trouble.

East Lord nodded with a hint of anger. “Rest assured, Northern King. The people of the Yin-Yang Sect always keep their word.”

Lin Shu shook his head and smiled; he knew better than to trust such words. In the world of Qin, the Yin-Yang Sect was the greatest villain, all but a few were deeply cunning, and Yan Fei was no simple character.

“Oh! Brother-in-law, you still don’t trust me?” The Moon Goddess sighed, disappointed. Since her elder sister returned, Lin Shu no longer stole glances at her, and even his attitude had cooled.

East Lord frowned, dissatisfied, “Moon Goddess, it’s as the saying goes: when people leave, the tea cools. Lin Bei knows we’re about to depart.”

“Yes,” the Moon Goddess nodded, not arguing further.

Lin Shu had Jing Ni accompany the middle-aged chief of Ta Shan to familiarize themselves with the tribal leaders, so that he could remain stationed in the northern Eastern Sea to oversee the tribes.

The Northern King did not meet with the tribal heads, instead sending three women, which left many disappointed.

But sensing the danger of these women, the chiefs’ dissatisfaction faded. Having decided to surrender, none harbored further doubts, even those whose tribes would be split among several sons.

While Jing Ni soothed the chiefs, Halong had already selected twenty thousand warriors from the forty thousand surrendered.

In this vast northern land, the most precious resource was not territory, but people. By controlling half of each tribe’s strongest warriors, the chiefs would be powerless even if they harbored rebellious intentions.

With Aimu’s wholehearted assistance, Jing Ni easily grasped the situation in the north, and she was very pleased with the father and son’s performance.

By afternoon, the chiefs led their remaining warriors back to their tribes, busying themselves with hunting, for there was little leisure left.

However, Aimu and Qiu Ji of Shangyang were kept behind by Jing Ni.

With the task completed, the Moon Goddess returned to camp with Jing Ni.

“Sister, this brother-in-law really does leave everything to you. I told you, without you, he could never manage these tribes.” The Moon Goddess was both envious and resentful, guessing that fellow was only just waking up.

East Lord said nothing, but nodded in agreement.

Jing Ni smiled; she liked the Moon Goddess’s words—she was growing wiser, while Yan Fei spoke less and less.

“Little Moon, your brother-in-law may be a bit lazy, but mainly, he cares little for such trivial matters. He doesn’t worry about rebellion; in the end, he could always feed them to his great dragon horse.”

Were it not for Lin Shu’s need to gather people to accelerate the world’s integration, he would not have hurried to subdue these ignorant, savage tribes. He would have waited until he tired of the Seven Kingdoms, and then, when he wished to dominate, marched north to recruit soldiers.

“Yes, that’s true. Since they surrendered without a fight, brother-in-law is somewhat disappointed.” Thinking of the demon carriage that had devoured so many, the Moon Goddess said no more.

Faced with King Lin Bei, these tribes truly had no power to rebel.