Chapter 1319: Quiet crowd

The more his strength grew, the less of a threat the Liu family would be to him.

"Thank you for the guidance!"

"Heaven helps those who help themselves."

"What do you mean?" What did this mean? Yang Meng was confused and asked respectfully.

"A change is coming to the Flash Gold Plain; if you persist for another three to five years, you will surely see the clouds part."

"A change?" Yang Meng pursued, "What kind of change?"

The black-armored leader didn't answer, gently shaking the reins, and the horse began to trot again. Dozens of cavalry behind followed closely, all passing by Yang Meng's eyes without looking back.

A thick fog filled the forest at some point, and this strange cavalry disappeared into the mist in the blink of an eye.

The black-armored leader's exhortation echoed in Yang Meng's ears: "Accumulate more blessings, commit fewer sins. Otherwise, I will come for you ahead of time."

A chilling sentence made Yang Meng think of the other side's methods again, and he subconsciously shivered.

When he returned to the city, his men reported: while cleaning the battlefield, they found that a relief carving had appeared on the brick wall by the city gate.

The image carved was bulging-eyed and sharp-toothed, with short horns on its head and whiskers under its jaw.

Everyone didn't know what this was; Yang Meng identified it carefully and said uncertainly: "Looking at this appearance, could it be a flood dragon?"

As for how this relief appeared, no one knew. Anyway, before the battle last night, there was nothing on the wall.

Some citizens asked Yang Meng cautiously: "Lord Yang, could it be related to those black-armored gods who just left?"

Thinking back, the mask worn by the black-armored leader was very similar to the relief on the wall.

Yang Meng thought so too.

He reached out and stroked the relief on the wall. Could it be that the team of people carved it secretly?

Soon, the citizens of Shizhou Tou found three other relief carvings in the city, also with flood dragon patterns.

Everyone was amazed.

The black-armored army had limited time in Shizhou Tou, and most of it was used to kill enemies. If they intended to carve these patterns, they must have used supernatural powers, right? As time passed, the flood dragon relief carvings became increasingly blurred.

Three days later, they disappeared completely.

The wall looked the same as it originally did, as if these relief carvings had never existed.

Liuping.

This half of the night, the Liuping garrison opened the city gate six times in succession, because more than four hundred retreating soldiers of Zhao Guangzhi had fled back one after another.

The news of Zhao Guangzhi's death also returned with them and spread rapidly among the garrison.

General Zhao is dead! What should this group of soldiers do? Who to eat from, who to use from... and who to listen to in the future?

Depression and confusion swept through the army; these six hundred people were all at a loss.

A snake cannot move without a head.

Two leaders saw an opportunity and stood up to recommend themselves, hoping that everyone would support them to become the new leader.

In troubled times, power is everything.

Another leader didn't want to participate and planned to leave with his trusted followers, but others blocked their way: there were only six hundred garrison troops in the city; if he took away two hundred, could the rest still amount to anything?

The three attacked each other, soon turning from a war of words into a brawl, then evolving into a group battle and a chaotic fight.

Just as the three-way battle was in full swing, a change occurred at the city gate.

In the chaos, someone opened the city gate.

This action wasn't eye-catching, as retreating soldiers had been returning to the city all night.

Who could have imagined that this time, those entering the city weren't retreating soldiers, but dozens of ghost-like black-armored cavalry!

As soon as they entered the city, they began a massacre.

The Zhao army had already experienced a night of terror in Shizhou Tou; in this daze, the black-armored cavalry had actually followed them into Liuping!

A nightmare repeated.

Most of the Zhao army scattered and fled, unwilling to relive the experience of Shizhou Tou; the rest, after the black-armored cavalry charged back and forth twice, were also terrified out of their wits, unable to organize any decent resistance, and fled again! The battle before dawn was carried out quite sloppily; it took less than a quarter of an hour for the black-armored army to beat the opponent into a disorganized mess, fleeing in panic.

The battle of Liuping also ended.

But this brief calm harbored unease and restlessness.

Subsequently, He Lingchuan instructed his men to disperse and gather the crowd in the streets and alleys.

The two-quarter-hour battle made most of the residents of Liuping tremble.

But they were already used to being driven by the Zhao army; at this time, they were like obedient sheep, or like moles driven out of their holes, lowering their heads and eyes, slowly gathering in the open space at the entrance of the vegetable market.

The space behind the Liuping city gate was too small, so they could only choose the vegetable market entrance.

However, those who appeared here were no longer the vicious Zhao army, but another strange army.

More mysterious, darker, and looking even more terrifying than the Zhao army.

No one dared to make a sound, only the torches around the open space were blown fiercely by the wind.

Wanqifeng and Dong Rui looked at these villagers, one by one sallow and thin, their figures cowering; some looked very terrified, while others appeared numb, like walking corpses.

But the eyes they cast toward He Lingchuan and the others contained not a bit of kindness.

Liuping was here; today it was occupied by the Zhao army, tomorrow perhaps it would be replaced by the Li army, the Wang army...

The city head changes its banner, who comes is no different? The only thing that doesn't change is that they, the commoners, will still be oppressed, exploited, and eaten!

Just in this dead silence, the black-armored leader spoke:

"I'm giving you a gift!"

Wanqifeng immediately dragged Zhao Guangzhi off the horse and took off the hood, exposing his face to the public.

A gasp of air sounded around.

"Who recognizes him?"

Many recognized Zhao Guangzhi, but didn't dare to respond.

No one knew what these black-armored knights were up to.

At this time, a large pot had already been set up in the open space, filled with clear water, and firewood was burning underneath.

The pot was very large, enough to cook a communal meal, enough to throw in a fat pig.

Two black-armored cavalry tied Zhao Guangzhi to a round log.

"He is yours." He Lingchuan pointed his spear at Zhao Guangzhi and then pointed at the large pot, "Who's coming?"

The crowd was as quiet as chickens.

The villagers looked at them blankly, some still with their mouths half-open, most cowering and confused, and a few looked numb, only breathing quietly.

Dong Rui couldn't help it: "Don't you want revenge?"

Revenge? Revenge?

A few villagers tilted their heads, as if pondering the meaning of this sentence.

They looked at the black-armored knights, and the other side also looked at them. Wanqiliang noticed that even though Zhao Guangzhi was tied up like a rice dumpling, they didn't dare to look more, as if they would be beheaded if they glanced at him.

He couldn't help but curse lowly: "Trash!"

Someone tied up their enemy and sent him to their door, yet they didn't even dare to have the thought of revenge?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1320 =====