The fire more than doubled in size in a very short period of time.
Kazuto's house, made of paper windows and wooden frames, did nothing to contain the fire.
Explosions like "bang, bang, bang" came from the eaves, the sound of heated nails popping out of the damp and expanding wood.
The flames spreading down from the thatched roof first burned the supporting parts of the roof. The tongues of fire licking down the supporting pillars like coiled snakes ignited the rice straw and straw that the poor people laid on the ground to keep warm. Clothing. People screamed and fled, but were shot dead once they reached the street.
You can only run down the dark alleys; you can only jump into the cold rivers that extend in all directions; you can only hope that the warriors running around do not notice your existence.
The child who was separated from his mother stood alone in the dark alley and cried loudly. He wiped his tears and snot from his nose until the corners of his eyes and the tip of his nose were scratched, so he cried even louder.
Some people who had fled planned to turn back and take the children away, but as soon as they turned around, they heard a "Boom!!" sound. The beams that had been burning for a long time collapsed, and the dark alley and the children no longer existed.
Gritting their teeth, they could only turn around and forget all this, and continue to work hard for their own survival.
No one thought of resisting the samurai. Even if the village bandit who was shot to death dropped a long knife or spear on the ground, no one who escaped had the courage to pick it up.
They just ran away desperately, running in panic until the sound of horse hooves sounded behind them, and they were shot through the heart with an arrow or decapitated with a knife.
Or fall into the cold river water in early spring, cramps due to the cold, or because the clothes on the body absorb water and sink like iron weights, only to have a burst of water and drown - but this is still a lucky way to die, unfortunately The ones who suffered from hypothermia but were rescued convulsed and died in front of their families who were crying with joy because they thought they had escaped.
Children, the elderly; men, women; different genders and looks, the only things they have in common are:
They are all civilians.
Civilians could not resist the samurai. Even if they were killed, they could only turn around and run away.
The mark that penetrated deep into the bone marrow and was engraved on the soul took away the sword from their hearts.
But then again, even if this village with a total population of more than 6,000 people can muster the courage to do so in front of more than 2,000 well-trained and well-equipped professional soldiers.
It makes no sense either.
The garrison was unilaterally massacred the moment they encountered the large force. The more than 500 private soldiers led by the two most powerful men in Swamp Village have basically followed Saburo alone and fled.
When a tree falls, the hozens scatter. Although this village is not clean, it is basically the ultimate expression of male thieves and female prostitutes. But even if it were a village where everyone was simple and kind-hearted, the samurai would probably not hesitate in their slaughtering actions.
What does strict hierarchy mean?
This means that in the eyes of high-ranking people, lower-level people are like domestic animals and not equal to human beings at all.
They received this kind of education; they were instilled with such ideas; and they practiced it with their own hands.
The sage and the Luoan girl took advantage of the cover of darkness and ran towards the entrance again. They saw exactly this scene between the raging fire and the dimmer house under the sea of fire.
The knights of Rigar have never been truly noble beings. In the fight between Avenella and Silvalier, it was common for the knights on both sides to pick on the weak and choose to massacre vulnerable civilian infantry.
But this is very different.
Rigar's knights massacred the infantry only to select relatively weak opponents, who still had to bear the risk of being killed by counterattacks. Throughout the ages, there have been countless cases where militiamen killed knights on the battlefield or took revenge out of anger.
It is indeed a shameful act to choose not to face a strong enemy but to pinch the weak persimmon.
But this was still nothing compared to what the warriors were doing.
For example, the knights of Rigar would not be proud of massacring unarmed civilians.
And the common people will not believe that they should not resist the nobles even if they die.
The concepts of upper and lower classes that are deeply rooted in the bones make all actions of the dominant nobles appear "reasonable and appropriate." Just like a bird that has been kept in a cage for too long and has forgotten how to fly, not only did the civilians not resist the enemy, but even when Henry and Mira tried to stop a samurai from killing a civilian, several others rushed came up and stopped them.
——This is not because they are worried that the two of them will be injured, but purely and spontaneously, to protect the samurai who are massacring them.
"Where are the outsiders from? Go back!" "Don't meddle in your own business!" The civilians who shouted like this were finally frightened by the sword in the sage's hand and fled in all directions.
"Is there something wrong with this country?" The Luoan girl asked bluntly, staring at the sage with her shining eyes.
The class concept that is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people has been repeatedly strengthened over the long history, maintaining the unity and stability of the country.
But times are about to change.
The Kingdom of the Moon is now like an old tortoise suffering from inflammation. The thick shell that it once relied on for survival now contributes to the disease. Even if the pustules were inflamed and swollen internally, there was no outlet for venting. Everyone could only be squeezed in and endure endless pain.
Until the shell breaks, or death comes.
This kind of thing is always clear to the beholder. Coming from different cultural backgrounds, from the chaotic West Coast, from a small kingdom that lacks strong class differentiation due to its rebirth, the two people who started this journey from there can clearly see the root of the country's problems.
But it's like Padrosi's slave issue.
For a country with such a huge size, its direction cannot be easily changed.
"spectator"
"outsider"
"Stranger"
"Foreigner"
"outsider"
It is true that wise men have talents. His unparalleled sword skills combined with the knowledge and wisdom accumulated through long travels, there are few people except him who can turn the tide of the situation by himself.
The Luoan girl is also talented. She has such experience and fighting skills at her age. Although famous teachers produce great apprentices, it is also closely related to Mira's own studiousness and intelligence.
Even so, in many, many such times, they can only be a bystander.
An outsider.
Even if a civilian stretched out his hand and drew his sword to stop the warriors, he would still be saved by shouting: "Foreigners, don't meddle in their own business."
People who have trouble changing what they see in front of them.
So.
Should we not do it?
Because they are unable to receive gratitude, they may even blame the rescued person for their fear of the samurai's revenge and implicating his family; because he cannot change everything; because he cannot save everyone.
Should we give up and save even one person?
The blazing firelight was reflected in the eyes of the Luoan girl, and the sage reached out his hand to rub her hair and held Claymore tightly.
"Since you are an outsider, it is natural for you not to abide by the rules here, right?"
"Um!"
The flames were burning brightly, and the two of them moved forward side by side, past the ruins of the wall still smoking, and using the cover of darkness, they rushed towards a passing samurai.
"Na (what) -" "Bang!!!!" The helmet with the huge shoulder pads used by Moon Kingdom was hit by Kramer's weighted ball and shook like a fruitful tree branch for a moment. , then the sage did not retreat but took a step forward, grabbed the blade with both hands, hooked the warrior's neck with his gauntlet, and pulled him off the horse, while Mira rushed forward and grabbed the reins to control him. The other party’s car.
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" deftly calmed the war horse to prevent it from running away, and then Mira got on the horse, while Henry took off the warrior's weapon and left him where he was.
There is no need for an unconscious opponent to make a killing move. Although he may be sentenced to death after defeat, this person at least still has a chance to choose after waking up.
Unlike these countless civilians who died here.
"Bang-bang!!" The samurai shot down by the same method for the second time did not die, but his courage to draw his sword and rush forward to face the sage only brought death.
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" After the second war horse was obtained, the sage also turned over and sat on it.
"Neigh-" The even shorter war horse of the Moon Country almost touched the ground with Henry's long legs, but now was not a good time to dwell on such small details.
"Let's go!" The two men rode horses quickly through the battlefield. With the means of transportation, they moved even faster.
Obedient military horses obey orders extremely well. In order to prevent them from panicking on the burning battlefield filled with war roars and the smell of death, the military horses are carefully selected, and most of the stallions are even castrated to avoid emotional instability.
And this advantage is one of the elements that the sage and the Luoan girl can take advantage of.
They are experts.
And samurai were experts, too.
Therefore, they understand how the opponent thinks and can interpret the choices their opponent will make.
Burning the village was the first step in the siege, and the mounted warriors were responsible for this aspect. But the burning of the village itself was only to expel people from their houses and use flames to form a siege, and then the infantry began to carry out targeted, carpet-like massacres.
There is nothing wrong with this command arrangement and it is a very standard approach. But the problem is that they did not complete the siege before setting fire, but broke in through the main entrance of Swamp Village and then started spreading inside.
Although it is indeed extremely difficult for this village built in a swamp to be surrounded from the outside, this approach also allows many people who do not live near the entrance to sense the opportunity and have the opportunity to escape.
"Young and energetic, motivated to do things." If a middle-aged man who thinks he knows some military skills hears all this, he will definitely make such a comment.
But this did not wrongly blame the leader. He came here following the traces for revenge.
"Disperse, disperse!" Captain Ashigaru ordered his people to disperse into the huge villages. In total, there were more than 10,000 people in the village, although the population was decreasing by about 100 people a minute. , but the chaos caused by the crowds and massacre is still expanding.
Only a few hundred people have successfully escaped by boat, while hundreds of others tried to escape by swimming, but most of them drowned in the cold river.
Flames, screams, and slashing sounds rang out one after another, and the two people who rode back and forth quickly through the shadows finally found traces of the person they were looking for.
They managed to save a lot of civilians along the way. Although they only saved them for a short time, it was up to them whether they could truly escape.
The oiran was smart, and the ashigaru dispersed and ran towards the place where there were many people and the houses were still intact. In the dark and charred ruins, no matter how you think about it, there are no survivors.
She took advantage of the dark blind spots in her thinking under the lamp, covering her wounds and hiding all the way here.
The burned-out houses were still warm, and the debris on the ground would make a sound if anyone stepped on it.
It's the perfect hiding spot and comes with its own alarm.
When Mira and Henry arrived, the oiran hiding in the dark was obviously nervous, and then a wry smile appeared on her face that was still beautiful even though it was full of dirt under the faint moonlight.
"Did you ask that girl to rescue her? You can tell she is a soft-hearted guy at first sight." She knew that Henry and Mira could understand the language of the Moon Country, so she spoke.
"Sanlang is a lost dog. I have always felt that he cannot muster up the courage to fight and always lives in an ignoble way. But - cough cough cough." She coughed weakly, and then said self-deprecatingly: "But I, who despise him, I am too confident and unable to see the reality, and I am the one who has ended up like this."
"None of them followed. That group of men, who usually drink and brag about their exploits, behave as if they would draw a knife and kill someone on the spot the next second if they broke into a brothel. Not one of them followed."
"My sisters were pitiful. They were shot to death one by one to protect me. I survived by hiding under their corpses."
"But even if I live, what's the point. Why do I live?" She lowered her head, her messy hair fell to the side, and her luxurious silver hair accessories were bent and damaged.
"It doesn't matter." The sage spoke in a calm tone.
"How about living to get revenge on that man."
"..." The oiran was silent. After a while, he raised his hand to cover his mouth and chuckled very implicitly.
"You are really an interesting outsider."
"That's it." She sat up and clenched her teeth because the pain was involved.
"Let's use this as our goal for now."
"Survive."
Henry turned to lead the horse, and Mira took a step forward and held the other person's hand.
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