Chapter 632: Surrender and You Shall Not Be Killed

Zhu died; he died very thoroughly and very simply. He died before he could even bring the best weapon of their entire tribe into play. He didn't make a sound, and no one even noticed he had died, because when the cavalry charged over, no one in this tribe dared to stand in front to block them; everyone chose to flee.

This small cavalry unit easily scattered a group of several thousand people just like that. The impact of cavalry combined with metal weapons is something people find hard to resist. That is why, even in later ages, in an era where firearms are everywhere, many regions and countries have still retained cavalry. Cavalry is most effective for suppressing riots, and it is even more intimidating than riding a motorcycle.

In just one simple back-and-forth, dozens more from the Yanhu Tribe were cut down, while the cavalrymen felt not the slightest fear, nor the slightest fatigue.

If these were new soldiers who had just enlisted and had never experienced real combat, they might have had some psychological discomfort. But those who could be armed as cavalry had all experienced several wars, or had previously been hacking and killing in the wilderness. Killing and death were commonplace to them; they would not have any discomfort, nor would they have any post-traumatic stress disorder or psychological barriers.

After being charged and slaughtered for this one round, the people of the Yanhu Tribe had already begun to flee. Luo held to the principle of killing them all at once so they would never again have the heart to resist, so he launched another charge. The people of the Yanhu Tribe also began to flee in a panic; their flight was no longer limited to short distances, but they fled directly into the wilderness.

This time, the cavalrymen cut down over a hundred people before Luo blew his whistle to call a halt, and then the soldiers picked up their Knives and reined in their horses.

Luo did not return to his original position, but shouted to the group of people who had nowhere left to hide: "I have said it before, as long as you put down your Weapons, hold your heads, and squat down, I can spare your lives. Otherwise, I will kill every last one of you!"

At this, the people of the Yanhu Tribe, even those holding a stone in their hands, hurriedly threw them down, then squatted on the spot holding their heads, signaling their submission.

There were many who gathered and squatted like this, but their positions were relatively scattered, and they were surrounded by the cavalrymen with nowhere to run.

Luo pulled his horse a little further away and pointed to an open space, saying: "All of you, squat and move over here for me; gather together a bit."

They just looked over timidly, then pushed each other one by one, moving toward the place Luo pointed to with a duck walk. Once they were all squeezed together, Luo arranged for those soldiers who were already extremely anxious but helpless, as well as the Artisans, saying: "You come here, surround them and keep watch; we are going to chase those who fled."

Those soldiers who had been waiting with their Weapons for a long time immediately followed Luo's order, either standing or riding oxen, and surrounded the several thousand people with their few hundred men.

Luo directly ordered all the cavalry to split into several groups and pursue in eight directions. As long as they caught them, they would try to persuade them to return if possible; if they could not be persuaded, they were to be executed on the spot.

He roughly estimated that perhaps a hundred or so had run far away, but how could human legs outrun horses? Moreover, people cannot run far when they are sprinting at high speed.

Most importantly, many people panicked and lost their way, choosing to go to the plains where no one was blocking them—that is, the direction of the Saltpeter Mine—rather than running into the mountains and forests. If they ran into the forest, they really would have no way to stop them and would have to let them fend for themselves. Without weapons, unless they found their hunters, they would not live for more than a few days.

On the plains, it was clear how many people there were and how far they had run. The cavalrymen caught up without any effort, and upon seeing the cavalry chasing them, those people actually bent over, held their heads, and kept running, even using zigzag maneuvers.

The cavalrymen did not act directly, but first shouted: "Don't run anymore, go back. If you go back, we won't kill you."

But they would not listen, nor did they dare to believe it. Several soldiers each chased a group of people; seeing that the position was suitable, they began to change direction, using their Knives to drive these fleeing people together, just like herding sheep.

In the end, they really did force this group of people together; at a rough glance, there were several dozen of them. One of the soldiers continued to repeat: "Go back. Your tribesmen have already resigned themselves to their fate and surrendered. As long as you go back, we will not kill you."

Seeing that they had no other choice, those people had no choice but to trudge back, hoping that these people would not kill them. As for resisting, don't even think about it; they were all as thin as dried firewood, and the only reason they could run so far was that their potential had been stimulated. If they ran any further, they might just drop dead on the spot.

In the end, all these people, whether they had fled or surrendered, were driven together. Luo was now troubled looking at so many people, wondering how to deal with them.

But before he had time to think, the soldiers on guard at the entrance began to bring people back again. It turned out that the hunters were gradually starting to return. Perhaps some had gone quite far and would not return that night, but most of the hunters of this tribe would be able to return here today.

Luo ordered people to open the rooms that had been seized. Everything inside made him frown involuntarily. He highly doubted whether these houses could still be lived in; it was simply—it was—anyway, Luo could not describe it in words; it was even more outrageous than where those tenant farmers had lived back then.

He suspected the entire room might collapse from being soaked by that excrement and urine. Perhaps even a cow pen or pigsty after a rain would not reach such a state.

Those Artisans also could not accept that the fruits of their labor were treated this way. After looking at one room with a grim expression, they were unwilling to look at the next; they felt their hearts could not take it.

They wanted to curse, but they could not, because they were facing a tribe of savages. Even if they were from a large tribe like the Jiangshui Tribe in the past, in their view, only their Huaxia, the Xuanyuan Tribe, the Suiren Clan, and the others they had never seen and could only hear about in Baifeng's language—such as the Jiuli, the Xiling, and so on—could be considered civilized humans. The others were just monkeys that could talk and didn't have as much fur.

Yes, although Baifeng had not taught them the theory of evolution, nor had Baifeng said what close relationship monkeys and apes had with humans, it was just because they looked similar that Baifeng often used "hairless monkeys" to describe those barbaric people. Over time, the people of Huaxia basically all knew this phrase and would also use it to insult those who were uncivilized.