The Appearance
At the village entrance, from the simple wooden gate and the low watchtower, a cloud of dust rose up, like a small sandstorm sweeping across the plain! It was no ordinary noise caused by carriages and horses, but rather the thunderous roar of dense, heavy, and rhythmic hooves striking the frozen earth!
The two lazy guards at the village gate hadn't even had time to rub their sleepy eyes and see what was in the dust before they were shoved aside by an unstoppable torrent and fell awkwardly into the mud by the roadside.
Dozens of cavalrymen, fully armored and covered in frost and dust from their long march, were like demons emerging from hell. They easily tore through the village's symbolic defenses and charged towards the village square along the only dirt road!
The deafening roar of hooves drowned out all other sounds, and the ground trembled slightly. The cold gleam of the steel, the chilling gazes of the cavalrymen beneath their armor, and the indomitable aura of battle-hardened elites sent shivers down the spines of every villager who caught a glimpse of them along the way. Their screams were caught in their throats, and they could only scramble back into their houses or collapse by the roadside.
The rider at the front looked somewhat familiar, but now, riding a strong warhorse with an upright posture, he was no longer the disheveled man from the previous night. It was none other than Tommy, who had returned!
His face still bore the marks of frostbite and exhaustion, but his eyes burned with the flames of revenge and an unprecedented confidence.
The people in the square, from John to Hugo, from Edward and Barton to the most ordinary villagers, were all stunned by this sudden, thunderous attack!
My mind went blank; I couldn't comprehend what was happening before my eyes. This was Jialan Village, Jialan Village that had been peaceful for decades. When had I ever seen such a scene of an army charging forward?
In the instant they were stunned and unable to react, a knight following closely behind Tommy moved with lightning speed!
Without even slowing down, he raised a finely crafted cavalry shortbow with one hand while galloping, nocked an arrow, drew the bow, aimed, and fired—a series of movements as fluid as breathing! The sound of the bowstring vibrating was sharp and piercing!
"Whoosh!"
A dark shadow shot out, passing through the gaps in the crowd with perfect precision, and just as Hugo's whip was about to fall, it viciously pierced into his right shoulder socket!
Arrows can pierce through skin and flesh, tear through muscles, and may even shatter bones!
"Ah!!" Hugo let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered, and the heavy leather whip in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".
He clutched his arm, which was now bleeding profusely and throbbing with excruciating pain. He staggered back a few steps and collapsed to the ground with a thud. All color drained from his face, leaving only endless pain and fear.
The cavalry's charge showed no signs of slowing down, like a red-hot knife cutting into butter. Driven by instinctive fear, the crowd screamed and pushed, automatically parting to both sides to make way for a passage leading directly to the center of the square.
Horseshoes pounded on the compacted square, kicking up tiny ice chips and dust.
Lex and Finn, who were tied to the wooden frame and awaiting death with their eyes closed, were also startled awake by this earth-shattering turn of events.
When they saw Tommy, riding a tall horse, leading the charge, their eyes widened instantly, their mouths agape, utterly shocked!
Tommy? Didn't he flee in panic last night? How... how did he return in the blink of an eye with such a terrifying cavalry force? And on horseback? This change is too drastic, too unbelievable, making them almost think they were hallucinating before their deaths!
Tommy took the lead, rushed to the wooden frame, and abruptly reined in his horse.
The warhorse reared up and let out a spirited neigh.
Tommy didn't even need to dismount. He drew his short sword from his waist, and with a flash of cold light, he cleanly and swiftly severed the thick Hemp Rope binding Lex and Finn with two sharp "swish" sounds.
Their soaked clothes were already frozen stiff. As soon as the rope broke, they weakly slid down the wooden frame and sat down, but their eyes as they looked at Tommy were filled with the ecstasy of surviving a disaster and disbelief.
"Who... who are you?! How dare you trespass into Jialan Village and kill the garrison! This is rebellion!" Edward finally recovered from his initial shock, and roared in a mixture of surprise and anger, while signaling several loyal servants to step forward and stop them.
His response was the renewed whirring of bowstrings from the cavalry ranks!
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The two arrows, almost simultaneously, carrying the chilling scent of death, pierced precisely into the chests of the two servants who were trying to step forward, wielding clubs!
The arrows were so powerful that they pierced through their thick winter clothes, penetrating their chests and leaving half of the blood-stained arrowhead protruding from their backs!
Before they could even scream, they were struck as if by a heavy hammer, falling backward to the ground, their blood quickly seeping into the cold earth. They twitched a couple of times and then lay still.
Swift and decisive! Without the slightest hesitation! They started killing right away!
This bloody yet efficient scene completely shattered the last remaining sense of hope and psychological defenses of everyone in the square.
After a brief silence, someone let out a piercing, distorted scream, "Murder... murder! Soldiers are killing people! Run!!"
Fear spread like a plague! The crowd erupted into chaos, men, women, and children cried and pushed each other, trying to scatter like headless flies. The scene was instantly in complete disarray, and a stampede was imminent.
"Folks!! Quiet!! Listen to me!!" In this extremely chaotic moment, Tommy, riding on his horse, mustered all his strength and let out a thunderous roar. His voice carried an unprecedented majesty and penetrating power, miraculously suppressing the noise of the scene for the time being.
Many people instinctively stopped in their tracks and looked back in alarm at the young man from their village who was both familiar and unfamiliar to them.
Tommy took a deep breath, scanned the bewildered and uneasy villagers, and spoke in a loud and clear voice that echoed throughout the square, "Fellow villagers! Look closely! It's me! Tommy! I didn't bring any bandits. I brought back an army to seek justice and uphold righteousness for all of us!"
Seeking justice? Upholding righteousness? These words were too unfamiliar and too unreal to the villagers of Jialan Village; their faces were filled with doubt and confusion.