Chapter 400 - 283: Bound Together

Tigran was convinced he was engaged in a cause of utmost sanctity. For the eternal freedom and peace of the Armenian people, he was willing to sacrifice everything—even his own life.

He believed most Armenians were ignorant and narrow-minded, and thus needed to be whipped with pain, driven toward the sacred cause.

Therefore, he was willing to be unscrupulous, and he believed deeply in this philosophy.

Only by surpassing the Turkic People in cruelty and ruthlessness could they possibly defeat them.

He was born an Armenian and lived in this land; his very purpose was to make it free and unfettered.

"You ignorant traitors! You will never understand the sacred cause the great Duke Ruben is undertaking. Armenians can have their own kingdom! We don’t have to beg the Greeks or the Turkic People for..."

"Bullshit! That’s a kingdom for you thugs in uniform!"

"You took my son! I just want him back!"

"What’s the difference between you and the Turkic People?! We’d rather surrender to them than bow our heads to a scoundrel like you!"

"You, Tigran, are the one who’ll be cursed by generations to come! A despicable coward who tortures his own people because you don’t have the guts to face the battlefield!"

"We don’t give a damn about some bullshit Duke Ruben! All we know is we have no bread to eat, and it’s because you lapdogs served up all our wheat on his dinner table!"

"..."

The villagers of Chenxi Village scoffed at Tigran’s speech.

The defiant Tigran piqued Belem’s interest. Swinging his whip, he walked up to Tigran, but just as he was about to strike, Eric stopped him.

Belem looked at Eric, puzzled.

Eric said, "There are many people who need this opportunity more than you. They haven’t had a chance to vent in a long time. Let every one of them have a chance to whip them, hurt them, even kill them."

Belem was stunned for a moment, but he quickly understood Eric’s meaning and began to laugh. "Yes, yes. This way, these villagers will be completely on our side."

Belem quickly ordered a nearby Knight to hand his horsewhip to the surrounding Armenian villagers, giving each of them a chance to whip the soldiers.

At first, the villagers eagerly swung the whips, lashing the Armenian soldiers who had oppressed them for so long.

Soon, every villager, including the children, had taken a turn whipping the Armenian soldiers.

However, just when the villagers thought the punitive spectacle was over and began to leave, some of the Knights blocked their way, forcing them to stay put.

The Knights then tied two of the Armenian soldiers to a fence.

Some villagers, not understanding the situation, even cheered, thinking it was just another simple act of humiliation.

This continued until Knights pressed daggers into their hands and ordered them to stab the two Armenian soldiers. This terrified some of the villagers.

They had never done anything like this before.

"No, my lord, no! We’ve never done anything like this! I’ve only ever killed a chicken..." one villager stammered, looking fearfully at the dagger a Knight had pressed into his hand. The hand holding it trembled uncontrollably.

"Are we forcing you to harm an innocent person? Do you remember who these men are? Have you forgotten?"

"Look at these Armenian soldiers. How many times have they trampled your lands and pillaged your village?

"They stole the gold, silver, and grain you worked so hard to save, all while claiming it was to resist the Turkic People. In reality, it was just to line their own pockets, using grand-sounding excuses to whitewash their vile deeds and justify doing what God forbids.

"Don’t you remember them drafting your sons and brothers by force, only to let them die on the battlefield for nothing?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the villagers. His eyes were as sharp as blades, carrying an undeniable authority. "In the name of war, they plundered your lives and treated you as their slaves. But today—today is the day you take back your dignity. The daggers in your hands are not for senseless hatred. They are to make these men understand that they can never again harm you with impunity."

Eric took a step forward, his gaze locking onto the villager with the dagger, his tone growing more resolute. "I know some of you have never harmed another person, that you can’t even hold this dagger steady. But you are not facing innocent chickens and sheep today. You are facing the very people who destroyed your lives and crushed your hopes.

"Have you forgotten them taking your children, who never returned? Have you forgotten the countless nights your village was ransacked, your families left to despair in cold and hunger?"

He lightly patted the villager’s shoulder. His tone softened, yet it carried more Power. "You have no choice. This is not simple revenge. This is to let them know that you will no longer be their victims.

"As long as we are here, we will never allow them to inflict such injustice upon you again.

"This one cut is for justice. It is to tell everyone that this village is no longer a land to be trampled upon. This village has been placed under the protection of the Normans. Do what you want to do. Our promise is not empty—that promise is now in your hands!

"Take up your daggers and do what you desire.

"We permit you! We permit you! We permit you!"

The villagers’ gazes hardened. Some faces were still filled with hesitation and fear, but it was now mixed with an unprecedented resolve. They began to realize that today’s actions were not merely for revenge, but for the protection of themselves and their homes. The daggers in their hands symbolized their rebirth, and their determination to fight back against oppression.

Seeing the resolve hardening in the villagers’ eyes, Eric calmly added, "They always use the excuse of resisting the Turkic People to plunder your property and your children, but in all these years, have you seen any real contribution from them?

"The Turkic People still rampage across this land with impunity, more brazen than ever. We came from Cyprus, and we have seen countless villages turned into Hells of blood and evil.

"When the Turkic People were swinging their Curved Sabers at your necks, where were these self-proclaimed protectors, your supposed compatriots? Where was this so-called Duke Ruben? But when the sound of Turkic hooves fades, they’re suddenly everywhere, like flies!

"They don’t care about your safety, only their own interests. And now, you have the chance to make them pay the price, to make them answer for all their crimes."

He gave a cold smile, as if he could see the fire being stoked in the villagers’ hearts. He added, "The blood shed today will not be in vain. It will send a message to every invader and oppressor that any harm done to you will be repaid with suffering. This is not your sin. It is their retribution.

"I tell you, the Normans are not here to rule you! We are here to show you how to rule yourselves! How to protect yourselves!"

At that moment, Belem roared, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot!"

The surrounding Knights also began to chant, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot!"

Encouraged by Eric’s words and gaze, the villagers gradually shed their fear.

Eric patted the villager with the dagger on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Just think, what would happen to you if we weren’t here?"

The man finally raised his dagger. Filled with determination and hatred, he gritted his teeth and walked toward the Armenian soldiers tied to the fence. He walked faster and faster, finally breaking into a run, and plunged the blade into one of the soldier’s stomachs.

The soldier’s convulsions, his contorted face, and the smell of blood quickly snapped the villager back to his senses. He began to panic. Just as he stumbled backward, Eric caught him, hiding his distress from the other villagers.

Eric put an arm around the man, turned to face the crowd, and shouted, "He has set a fine example! From this day forward, Chenxi Village will no longer be a symbol of weakness! Because today, with your own hands, you have seized the reins of your own destiny! You will usher in an era that truly belongs to you!

"There will be no place for oppressors here, for from this day on, you are your own masters! You need not fear anyone but God! From now on, you will bow your heads only to God, and never again to any filthy, mortal scoundrel!

"For God has already made this clear in his scripture! The book of Galatians tells us, ’There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ In God’s eyes, all people are equal! Regardless of your birth, status, or past, you all have the same rights and dignity!

"Those who oppress you try to use power and wealth to divide you and belittle your worth! Those villains have twisted the scriptures, distorted God’s will, and deceived you!

"Starting today, you are no longer lowly servants, but free men and women before God! Seize your destiny and prove to them that in God’s kingdom, there is no place for oppression!

"This unjust world will be set right! Your suffering ends here! God’s justice will prevail once more!

"The Normans will guarantee that this is what you deserve—your rightful, inborn inheritance!

"This is the right God promised you—your heaven-sent right! You will no longer be enslaved! You will stand upon this land as its true masters, and you will live free and glorious lives!"

Eric’s words had a tremendous impact.

A few of the bolder villagers rushed forward with their daggers and stabbed the other soldier.

Agonized wails echoed over the village.