The ranger blinked, "What kind of tactic is this?"
"Mending the pen after the sheep is lost! Heard of it?"
The ranger shook his head, likely an illiterate, as this idiom came from "Strategies of the Warring States," a very old story.
Seeing his hesitation and no one else stepping forward, with the battle already lost, I had no choice but to jump onto the command platform, snap two arrow shafts, find a stable spot, and shout, "Brothers, stop fighting! We've lost, surrender! Surrender and you lose only half!"
When facing defeat, if you give them orders to continue fighting, they might not hear you, because they are "death" orders. But with such an order, they will definitely hear, because it's a "life" order. Humans are naturally inclined to avoid harm and seek benefit. It's the same principle as "living as scum, dying as a coward."
The nearby imperial troops heard this, immediately dropped their weapons, raised their hands, and the message spread like sound waves, circle by circle. Soon, all imperial troops ceased resistance and surrendered on the spot.
As mentioned before, unless they are barbarians, or facing exceptionally insane generals issuing exceptionally insane orders, ordinary combat does not necessitate wholesale slaughter. The rebel forces, not having a numerical disadvantage, no longer charged fiercely. The imperial troops ordered to surrender lined up neatly, placing their weapons to the left and themselves to the right.
A shame about these three hundred G98s, captured after only one round. But it couldn't be helped. Cavalry was upon them, and these weapons were even less effective than ordinary spears.
Of course, I couldn't just watch the first batch of high-end weapons fall into rebel hands. Not to mention them figuring them out, even the mere news of it couldn't reach them.
"Sir, wh-what do we do now?" The ranger, being in the innermost layer, hadn't reached the point of surrender yet. He still had his saber at his waist, his hand gripping the hilt, poised for a desperate fight. He wasn't trying to protect himself or the G98s; he seemed to be protecting me.
"Where is your nearest military camp?" I asked.
"One hundred li away, Liyu City."
"...Liyu City, you really know how to name things. Are there still any of these new musketeers there?" I asked.
"There are five hundred more. His Highness Little Yama is stationed there."
"How many total troops?"
"About fifteen thousand, all elite cavalry."
I nodded, that was enough. And cavalry was fast; they could be here within an hour.
"Sir, shall I risk my life to break out and inform His Highness?" The ranger gritted his teeth, steeling himself for a desperate charge that would surely be fatal, but he probably couldn't break through.
"No need. You will do this..." I beckoned him closer, "After surrendering, the rebels will inevitably discover the peculiarities of these firearms and make your musketeers explain. You have only one task: secretly pass on three words to every musketeer's ear, and they will know what to do!"
"What three words?" the ranger quickly asked.
"Turn off safety!"
Last time I transported the G98s in batches, I also gave their Shenji Battalion some basic training. Those chosen to be musketeers were elites among the imperial troops, with at least strong political integrity. The primary training from the Shenji Battalion was that even if captured, they must never reveal the secrets of the G98. If asked, they should say they didn't know anything about new weapons issued by the court. If the enemy demanded a demonstration, they should say it was broken, because I instructed them to turn off the safety when forced to surrender.
This batch of G98s was not actually true G98s, but rather a simplified version based on the G98's design, making them appear less technologically advanced compared to the "bird guns" of the underworld. For military secrecy reasons, the biggest difference from the original G98 was the safety mechanism. The original G98's safety was located above the bolt. Pushing it left engaged the safety, locking the trigger and preventing accidental discharge during non-combat. Pushing it right unlocked it, allowing it to be fired at any time. It seemed to have two settings.