Settling the Score
Tommy saw Lex's father, the lame Old Hansen, being supported by his son, coughing incessantly; his mother and brother embracing each other and weeping; everyone's face bore scars, tears, and unbelievable joy.
"Is everyone alright? Those who can walk, come with me. Those who can't, brothers, help them!" Tommy shouted to the families, his tone firm.
With the help of several Carnford cavalrymen, everyone was pulled out of the dark dungeon and allowed to breathe again the cold but free air outside and see the bright sky. Many people shed tears again, this time tears of joy and hope.
Tommy, supporting his mother and holding his sister, while Lex took care of the family, returned to the village square under the escort of a cavalry unit.
In a short period of time, the scene in the square has changed dramatically.
John, Edward, Hugo who had an arrow in his arm and was pale-faced), and several of John's trusted henchmen and guards who usually bullied the villagers the most, were all kneeling in the center of the square with their hands tied behind their backs.
It was the same open space where Lex and Finn had just been tied up; the wooden frame beside it still stood, a silent irony.
The villagers were surrounded by fully armed, stern-faced Carnford cavalry, while the villagers were kept at a distance and watched in complete silence. However, many of their eyes had changed, from pure fear to a complex mix of awe, curiosity, anticipation, and even a hint of excitement.
Tommy spotted John kneeling on the ground, trembling, and a surge of old and new grudges welled up inside him.
He carefully settled his mother and sister on a bench the cavalry had found, then strode over to Karl and knelt on one knee again, this time his voice hoarse with suppressed anger:
"My Lord! My mother's cheek is swollen and red from being slapped, and her lip is split open; my sister is only eight years old, and there are adult male shoe prints on her dress, clearly indicating that she has been kicked! All this is thanks to that beast John!"
"Please, sir, allow me to personally kill this beast and avenge my mother and sister!" He raised his head, his eyes burning with rage, his clenched fists even trembling.
Karl, mounted on his horse, looked down at the grief-stricken Tommy, then glanced at Anna and Sarah, who were huddled together for warmth on a bench not far away, their faces bearing injuries. A barely perceptible glint of coldness flashed in his eyes.
But he didn't immediately grant Tommy's request. Instead, he slowly shook his head, his voice calm. "Wait a moment, Tommy."
Tommy was taken aback and looked up at the Lord, somewhat puzzled.
Karl's gaze swept over John and the others kneeling in a row, then slowly swept over the silent, ragged villagers watching from the sidelines. His voice rang out clearly. "I understand your anger. Your family has been humiliated; this is an irreconcilable hatred. But, Tommy..."
He raised his voice slightly to make sure everyone could hear him. "Do you think that in Jialan Village, only your family has suffered oppression, beatings, and insults from John and his cronies? Only the Lex and Finn families?"
He pointed to the villagers, their faces sallow and emaciated, their eyes numb yet brimming with unspoken emotions. "Look at them! Look at these fellow villagers! How many of them were forcibly conscripted for excessive labor and dared not speak out?"
"How many families' daughters have been harassed and harassed? How many people have been robbed of their last rations or even enslaved to pay their debts because they couldn't pay the heavy rent? How many people, like Lex's father, have been crippled and discarded like trash? And how many people, like Finn, have signed contracts that are almost like selling themselves into servitude, toiling all day yet barely having enough to eat and constantly facing blame?"
With each word Karl spoke, the villagers' expressions changed. Long-buried painful memories were awakened, and sparks began to ignite in their numb eyes. Their tightly pressed lips began to tremble. Some secretly wiped away tears with their sleeves, while many others clenched their fists, their gazes towards John and the others gradually filling with barely suppressed hatred.
"Personal grudges should be settled, but justice must be upheld!" Karl's voice echoed in the square. "John has been entrenched here for years, his crimes are countless and cannot be fully accounted for! If you were to kill him simply because he harmed your family, that would be nothing more than a momentary act of revenge, a form of vigilante justice!"
"What about his other crimes? What about the sins he committed against all the people of Jialan Village? Are they simply to be swept under the rug with his death?"
Tommy listened to Karl's words, the anger in his heart gradually cooled, replaced by something deeper.
He understood that the Lord wasn't preventing him from taking revenge, but rather wanted him, and everyone else, to take revenge in a more thorough, just, and effective way!
Not only must John's life be taken, but his sins must be thoroughly investigated and he must be nailed to the pillar of shame. Furthermore, this opportunity must be used to break the long-standing silence of fear and oppression that has shrouded Jialan Village!
Karl continued, his tone guiding and encouraging. "What we're going to do isn't a simple execution, but a public trial! We want all the villagers who have been bullied and exploited by him to stand up and loudly proclaim their grievances!"
"Let every crime of John be exposed in broad daylight! Let everyone see clearly what ugly and vicious heart lies beneath the sanctimonious exterior of this village chief! Then, in the name of justice and the law, we will give him and his accomplices the thorough punishment they deserve!"
Tommy calmed down completely. He nodded heavily, the anger burning in his eyes transforming into a firm understanding and determination to act. He understood the Lord's deeper meaning.
This is not just about venting anger, but also about "attacking the heart"!
By holding a public trial, any remaining shadow of John's authority in Jialan Village will be completely destroyed, his crimes will be made public, and the villagers' long-suppressed anger and sense of resistance will be aroused to the greatest extent.
When the villagers personally participated in the trial and reckoning of the oppressors, and when they heard firsthand the accusations of many victims like themselves, their last shred of awe or illusion about the old order was completely shattered.
Lord Karl presided over this just trial and stood up for them, would naturally become their true "righteous judge," earning their heartfelt gratitude, awe, and loyalty.
When the time comes, and the Lord then proposes taking them to Carnford, to a place without John, Edward, or Barton, but with land and hope, how many will hesitate? This is far more persuasive than simply appealing to a rosy future!
"Your Lord is wise!" Tommy bowed respectfully. "I understand! Please uphold justice and give these criminals a public trial! Let the people of Jialan Village witness their fate!"
Karl nodded slightly, then turned his gaze back to the villagers whose expressions were beginning to stir, and said loudly, "Fellow villagers of Jialan Village! Now, I'm giving you a chance!"
"Any grievances, any experiences of oppression and persecution by John, Edward, Hugo, and their henchmen, can be spoken out! Here, in front of everyone, speak out!"
I, Karl von Schmidt, in the name of His Your Majesty's Prince Consort and the Guardian of the Northern Border, assure you that no one who has complained of wrongdoing will ever be punished again! Today, we will settle old scores here and now and restore Bright World to Jialan Village!