If he rashly led his men into the village to help the villagers deal with Vladimir and his men, he would definitely be accidentally injured by the villagers of China Village.
After all, Skuluch and his men were Cossacks just like Vladimir and his men. They looked exactly the same as well as rode the same horses and used the same weapons.
It's just that Skulucci was born in Scotland, so his appearance is slightly different.
The villagers of Qina Village could not tell which were the people from Skulucci who came to help and which were the people who attacked their village.
So Skulucci did not bring his men into the village.
Instead, they chose to provide remote support outside the village.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…
Gunshots rang out one after another.
"Afjie! Great job!"
In order to better observe the situation in the village, Skulucci stood on the back of his warhorse and looked at the village through a telescope.
This horse of Sculucci has followed Sculucci for many years. Under Sculucci's training, it has become extremely docile and has a very good understanding with Sculucci.
When Skulucci stood on its back, it did not move at all, making Skulucci seem like he was standing on flat ground.
"You shot another guy!"
"You're a fucking genius at shooting!"
"Just based on your shooting skills, you can be made a duke!"
"If I were the King of England, I would definitely make you a duke!"
"The fiefdom will be in Connaught. I will make you the Duke of Connaught!"
Sculucci did not ask all of his 12 men to shoot with guns - that would be too slow.
Not all of his men were good shooters.
So Skulucci divided his men into three groups, each with four people.
In each group, one person is responsible for shooting, and the other three people reload the bullets for the person in charge of shooting.
The Kentucky Long Rifle is currently the most advanced rifle, with an extremely long range and good accuracy, and its loading speed is much faster than its "predecessors".
The Kentucky Long Rifle uses a special loading method.
Wrapping the bullet with grease-soaked linen or deerskin and loading it into the muzzle reduced friction, which not only increased the loading speed but also served as a breath-holding function, thus increasing the accuracy and range of the bullet to a certain extent.
However - although the reloading speed is faster than its "predecessors", it is also limited.
Without anyone else to help with reloading, anyone who can fire 3 or 4 rounds a minute is already an incredible expert.
Therefore, in order to ensure that the barrage of bullets never stops, letting the person with the best shooting skills be responsible for shooting while having a few people help with loading the bullets was a very common musket tactic of this era.
As the shooter aims and shoots, the loader loads the empty chambered gun.
After the shooter has finished shooting, the loader hands the loaded rifle to the shooter, then takes the rifle from the shooter and continues to reload, repeating the process over and over again.
Under Skuluch's configuration, although there were only four people responsible for shooting, because each shooter had three people responsible for loading bullets for him, the four shooters were able to shoot continuously, and the barrage of bullets they fired was enough to pose a considerable threat to Vladimir and others in the village.
Afje was one of the four shooters.
Born into a hunter family, Afjie has mastered excellent shooting skills since he was a child.
So far, Afjie's performance is the most outstanding. He has killed 4 enemies.
"Boss Skulucci!"
When Afjie handed the empty gun in his hand to his companion who was responsible for reloading, he cast a worried look at Skulucci.
"Don't stand on the horse's back! It's too dangerous! If you get hit by a stray bullet, it will be troublesome! You should also know what the consequences will be if you are hit by a bullet, right?"
"If you get hit in the upper body, you're basically dead! If you get hit in the limbs, they'll have to be amputated!"
Afje tried to get Skulucci to jump off his horse out of fear and not stand on it again by detailing the dangers of being hit by a bullet.
Now not only are rifles evolving rapidly, but bullets are also evolving rapidly.
In the past, although being hit by a bullet was very dangerous, as long as no vital parts were damaged and timely treatment was given, one could still save one's life.
But now it's different.
If you get hit by a bullet now, you'll be in trouble.
In the past, bullets would only fly straight, but now bullets can fly in a rotating manner.
This spinning bullet is extremely destructive.
When it hits the human body, it will cause great damage to the internal tissues of the human body.
So what Afjie said just now is not alarmist, but the truth.
Many of Vladimir and Alexei's subordinates have now discovered that a group of uninvited guests are harassing them by shooting at them outside the village, and many of their companions have fallen at the hands of those people.
They now also launched a counterattack against Skulucci and others with the muskets in their hands.
However, because there were still many villagers in the village who were resisting fiercely, and there was also the addition of Ogata, Vladimir, Alexei and their subordinates were unable to cope with the situation, and their counterattacks were sparse.
But no one could guarantee that a stray bullet would not hit Skulucci who was standing high on his horse.
In response to Afjie's advice, Skulucci laughed a few times.
“Hahahahahaha.”
Then he said:
"To die in this beautiful snowy country... that doesn't seem so bad!"
After saying that, Skulucci laughed a few more times and ignored Afjie. He continued to stand on his horse and observe the situation in the village with the telescope in his hand.
Seeing that he could not persuade Skulucci, Afjie sighed lightly, picked up the rifle in his hand, and concentrated on his shooting mission.
Skulucci had been keeping a close eye on the village through a telescope.
He had been observing the situation in the village and gradually discovered that the screams in the village seemed to be gradually decreasing.
The screams became less frequent, and the most likely scenario that Skulucci could think of was that most of the villagers had been killed, and Vladimir and his men had begun to loot the spoils.
But if all the villagers were really killed, Vladimir and his men would definitely lead a large army to settle accounts with Skuluch and his men - however, until now, Skuluch has not seen the large army coming to settle accounts with them.
Just as Skuluch was thinking about the situation in the village, Skuluch, who was turning the telescope to a new position, suddenly saw Vladimir.
He was leading some people, stopped in one place, and no one knew what he was doing.
Not long after seeing Vladimir and others, Skuluch saw a figure that made him raise his eyebrows - Ogata's figure.
Skulucci saw Ogata crouching and approaching Vladimir and his companions from the side and rear, probably intending to launch a surprise attack on them.
When he saw Ogata striding out of his camp without saying a word, Skulucci knew from Ogata's expression what he was going to do.
Unfortunately, due to his limited vision, Skulucci had not been able to find Ogata in the village.
Although he was standing on horseback, the height was still too low. Skulucci could not see many directions in China Village.
This was the first time that Ogata's figure appeared in the lens of Skulucci's telescope after he pointed it at China Village.
Looking at Ogata who appeared in the telescope lens, Skulucci couldn't help but purse his lips.
Skulucci still remembers clearly the scene where he mistook Ogata's back for someone else's.
He is still confused until now - why did he mistake Ogata's back as that person's back just now.
While Skulucci was still immersed in his doubts about this matter, Ogata successfully approached Vladimir and others without being discovered by them.
The long and short swords in Ogata's hands turned into two streams of light, sweeping towards Vladimir and others.
Swinging a sword to attack the enemy - it was obviously just a very ordinary scene, but at this moment, Skulucci's pupils suddenly shrank.
Then he gripped the tube of the telescope tightly with both hands, pressing his eye sockets tightly against the lens, as if he wanted to crush the lens.
Skulucci looked through the telescope, dead on.
Ogata's movements of swinging the knife, his sword skills - Skulucci watched it all intently.
He didn't even seem to want to blink.
…
…
Alexei was not someone who knew nothing about knives and swords. He had participated in wars in Eastern Europe before and had beheaded many people with his own hands.
His sword was not a sword that had only been swung at the air, but a sword that had been bathed in the blood of many people and participated in life-and-death battles.
Because of this, Alexei could see how amazing Ogata's skills were just now.
And—he had sparred with Vladimir.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, Vladimir was indeed better than him in terms of swordsmanship and practical experience.
He asked himself - there was no way he could kill Vladimir so easily.
Looking at Vladimir falling down without even having time to scream, a thought flashed quickly through Alexei's mind: Well, let's run away.
Although he knew that running away was shameful, he still moved his body honestly, pulling the reins and driving the warhorse under him to run away from Ogata.
Although he could not see the expressions of his subordinates around him, Alexei could still keenly feel that they were looking at him with strange eyes.
Being stared at by such gazes, Alexei felt uncomfortable all over, as if a hundred ants were crawling on his body.
In order to restore his dignity as a leader, Alexei forced himself to maintain a serious face, stiffened his neck, and said loudly:
"Let's plan a retreat first!"
"That Japanese is much more powerful than we thought! We are not safe enough with just a few of us!"
"Let's gather our scattered subordinates together! Shoot at him with muskets! No matter how powerful he is, can he be more powerful than a gun..."
Bang!
Before Alexei could finish his words, he heard a gunshot in the distance behind him.
Then——
“Wheeze, wheeze, wheeze, wheeze, wheeze…”
The horse under Alexei's crotch whined.
Alexei saw the scenery before him pass by quickly, and the pale land covered with snow rushed towards him.
Then, Alexei saw countless golden stars flying in front of his eyes, and a shattering pain spread throughout his body.
The warhorse under Alexei's crotch suddenly fell to the ground, causing Alexei, who was sitting behind him, to fall off the horse as well.
At the same time - because Alexei was rushing in the front of their group, the fall of Alexei and his horse also tripped all the guards behind him.
Because the distance was too close and the change came too suddenly, Alexei's guards had no time to react.
The group of people were all knocked unconscious as if they had been in a chain rear-end collision.
Somewhere about 200 meters behind them, a faint smoke was wafting from the muzzle of a Kentucky long rifle.
The person holding this Kentucky long rifle is Ating.
…
…
When Ogata rushed to attack Vladimir alone, Ating, who knew that he could not help much if he went there, hid in a secluded high place without any complaints or words, and helped Ogata to guard the surroundings.
The position chosen by Atachi was very particular - it was just the position where her hidden Suzaku could effectively attack the enemies around Ogata.
If something unexpected happens near Ogata, for example, someone pretends to be dead and plans to attack Ogata when he is not paying attention, A-Machi can use her Suying to remotely support Ogata - although A-Machi thinks the probability of this happening is very small.
Ating, who had been helping to keep watch on the surroundings, discovered Alexi and his group who suddenly appeared in time.
She originally thought that this group of people had come to encircle and suppress Ogata after hearing the news.
"There are new enemies in the west!"
A-Machi shouted this warning to Ogata, who just then killed Vladimir with one move.
Then - the group of guys that Atachi had thought were here to encircle and annihilate Ogata, without the slightest hesitation reined in their horses and fled in the direction they had just come from when she warned Ogata.
A-Ming: “???”
When he saw this group of people running away without any hesitation, the expression on Ating's face was so strange that it was difficult to describe in words.
A-Machi guessed that this group of people probably ran away because they became frightened after seeing Ogata's skills with their own eyes.
Why did this group of people suddenly run away? A-Ming didn't know.
She only knew that these people were part of the group that came to rob the village tonight and were enemies.
Although Ating's beautiful appearance easily gives people the illusion that she is a weak woman.
But in fact, her actual combat experience and the number of enemies killed by her are much stronger and more numerous than those samurai who only wield the "dojo sword" in the dojo on weekdays.
Many samurai who only wielded the "dojo sword" may have never even killed a chicken.
When facing his enemies, Ating never shows mercy.
Alexei and his gang fled on horseback. Even if Ogata mounted his horse immediately, it would be difficult to catch up with them because he started at a slower pace than Alexei and the others.
So after seeing Alexi and others running away, A-Machi made a quick decision - to help Ogata intercept them!
But this group of people was far away from Ating, which exceeded Suying's effective attack range. Ating was not sure if he could use Suying to make accurate shots at such a long distance.
Just then, Ating suddenly remembered that she had just grabbed a new weapon.
A musket that, according to Vasili, could fire at a very long distance.
There was a bullet in the new weapon that had just been snatched.
A-Ming quickly took off the Kentucky long rifle from his back, and then assumed the shooting posture that he was best at and most accustomed to:
Sit on the ground with your buttocks, legs spread and knees bent, arms placed on your knees, holding the gun in your right hand, and the rifle resting above your left arm.
He held his right wrist with his left hand so that he could hold the gun more steadily.
This posture of sitting on the ground and shooting at the enemy sideways has been "sealed" by Ating since he left Choujima because he could not get a suitable long-handled musket.
Seeing this familiar posture after a long time, Ating felt a special sense of intimacy.
This shooting posture was something Ating figured out on his own, and it allowed him to hold the long-handled musket more steadily.
This was the first time that Ating held and used the Kentucky long rifle.
Whether in terms of weight, center of gravity, or feel, it is completely different from the musket that Ating had used before.
Therefore, Ating could not guarantee that he could accurately hit the target he wanted to shoot.
And whether this gun could really shoot at such a long distance as Vasili had said before, Ating didn't know.
With the mentality of "giving it a try", she pointed the gun at Alexi and others.
Ating's target was Alexei's mount, which was running in the front.
Her goal was to trip up these guys so that they couldn't escape in time.
Alexei's mount, which was running in the front, was naturally the best target.
After shooting down Alexi's mount, Alexi and the others behind him would be tripped to the ground in one breath - this was the most ideal situation in A-Ting's vision, although whether this situation could happen depended on luck.
Relying on his previous experience with the musket and his own intuition, A-Ming aimed the muzzle at the position where Alexei's horse would pass in the next moment.
Then, as if all the strength of his body was gathered in the index finger of his right hand, he pulled the trigger hard.
Bang!
The hot bullet flew out of the barrel, spinning and cutting through the air.
“Wheeze, wheeze, wheeze, wheeze, wheeze…”
Alexei's mount cried out in agony—the bullet fired by Ating hit his left calf.
Alexei and the guards behind him were all thrown into the snow due to the sudden fall of Alexei's mount.
"It actually worked..." Atachi murmured as he released his shooting stance.
Although the location where the bullet hit was different from the location that Ating was aiming at - Ating was aiming at the horse's belly, which was the largest and easiest to hit, the bullet hit the horse's calf instead.
But as far as the result is concerned, Ating's purpose of "detaining them" was fully achieved.
He was able to hit the enemy the first time he used the Kentucky long rifle - even Ating was very surprised and shocked.
Ating aimed based on his previous shooting experience and intuition.
I don’t know if it was due to my previous shooting experience or my intuition.
"It's amazing... It can actually hit such a long distance..." Ating murmured while gently stroking the barrel of the Kentucky long rifle in his hand.
…
…
"There are new enemies in the west!"
Just when Ogata killed Vladimir with one blow, the reminder from Ating, who was lurking not far away, reached Ogata's ears.
In fact, Ogata did not need Atachi's reminder - just before Atachi gave the reminder, Ogata had already discovered Alexi and others.
After beheading Vladimir, Ogata swung Daishaku twice, beheading the only two surviving subordinates of Vladimir - these two men were completely unable to keep up with Ogata's sword speed, and could not even raise their swords to defend themselves, so they followed in the footsteps of Vladimir and the others.
When Ogata was about to concentrate on dealing with Alexei and others who suddenly attacked, Alexei had already turned his horse around and fled because he followed his inner choice.
Alexei's sudden escape directly put Ogata into a state of confusion.
Although this confused state only lasted for a moment.
Ogata really hates these kind of gangsters who bully the weak.
Faced with the opportunity to catch up and wipe out all the enemies, Ogata really couldn't think of any reason to give up.
So Ogata, who was still standing on Vladimir's warhorse, did not hesitate too much - he changed from standing to sitting, and sat on the saddle.
Ogata was not stupid enough to chase the enemy's four hooves with his own two legs.
Fortunately, Ogata was tall enough so that his feet could not reach the saddle.
Ogata followed the horse riding skills he had learned from Mamiya and the others, turned the horse's head towards the direction where Alexei and the others were fleeing, and then hit the horse's belly with his heel with a force that was neither light nor heavy.
“Wheeze, wheeze!”
The warhorse neighed softly, and then carried Ogata towards Alexei and others like a sword released from a bowstring.
After riding on the Don horse, which was used exclusively by the Cossacks, Ogata finally experienced the extraordinary nature of this horse.
In terms of explosive power and speed, it is far superior to the Japanese native horse that Ogata had ridden before.
Compared with this hippopotamus, Japan's native horses are little more than donkeys.
Ogata was secretly glad - fortunately the horse he was riding was a carefully trained horse, and it did not throw him off its back or disobey his commands just because a new person was sitting on its back.
Although this hippopotamus is indeed quite powerful.
But the horses ridden by Alexei and others were also Don horses.
The distance between Ogata and Alexei cannot be narrowed in a short period of time.
Just as Ogata was thinking about what to do, he suddenly heard a gunshot from behind.
Then, the horse under Alexei in front suddenly fell to the ground, tripping all the guards behind him.
Ogata could guess who fired the gunshot without even looking.
“Well done…”
After praising Ating softly, Ogata tapped the horse's belly again, increasing the speed of the horse under him by another level.
The distance between him and Alexi and others who had fallen off their horses was shortened in one go.
Ogata held the Daijizai with the thumb and index finger of his left hand, and the remaining three fingers held the reins.
The Great Shitian in his right hand was raised high, blocking the moonlight, and a huge shadow was cast on Alexi and others who had just crawled up from the ground.
laugh!
The sound of blood and bones being cut was heard.
How powerful would the potential energy of a charging horse, combined with Ogata's swordsmanship, be?
Ogata felt like he was cutting a piece of fragile paper as he easily chopped off the head of one of Alexei's guards.
This was the first time that Ogata killed the enemy while riding on horseback.
The most difficult part of killing an enemy while sitting on horseback is finding the right time to strike out your sword. The timing and speed of striking out your sword should match the speed of the horse under you.
But finding the right moment to draw the sword is just a simple matter for Ogata, who has been through hundreds of battles, has rich experience in sword fighting, and has now entered the "state of no self".
After killing one of Alexei's guards with a single blow, Ogata pulled the reins to stop the warhorse under him.
Although it is very powerful to kill enemies while riding on a horse, the efficiency of killing enemies is very low.
Even Ogata, with his horse galloping, couldn't hit too many people at once.
If we were to fight Alexei and his men on horseback, we would have to charge back and forth several times before we could kill them all.
Ogata dismounted from his horse, holding two swords, and ran towards Alexei and others who were only a dozen steps away from him.
…
…
Falling off a horse galloping at high speed - if you are unlucky, you might die directly.
Alexei and his companions were lucky - neither he nor his guards died from the fall.
However, they all suffered injuries of varying degrees.
Alexey had no idea what the rest of them were like.
All he knew was that his neck, chest, and right arm hurt.
Although his neck hurts, he can still stand up, so he should not be paralyzed.
My chest hurts, but I can still breathe.
The injury to the right arm appears to be more serious.
Twist the right arm from the elbow to a position that is absolutely impossible to twist normally.
The broken bones pierced the skin and exposed the body, which was creepy just to look at.
But it would be inaccurate to say that Alexei and his companions who did not die from the fall were lucky.
Alexei had just managed to get up from the ground when he saw a man riding a horse galloping towards them from behind, and then he chopped off the head of a guard next to him with a knife.
It was the Japanese who had just killed Vladimir and others in seconds.
Then Alexei saw the Japanese man dismount and gallop towards them...
…
…
Those who could still hold a sword hastily drew their sabers.
None of the people who had just fallen off their horses were in good health, and only half of them could pull out their swords.
Ogata didn't even look at the people who drew their swords.
His eyes were fixed on Alexei the whole time - because Alexei was dressed the most gorgeously and did not look like a person of ordinary status.
Ogata decided to kill this guy who didn't look like an ordinary person first, and then deal with the others slowly.
But just as Ogata was about to rush to Alexei, his pupils suddenly shrank.
Because he saw Alexei, with a look of resentment on his face, gritted his teeth, took out a pistol from his arms, and pointed the gun directly at Ogata.
After pointing the gun at Ogata who was rushing straight towards him, Alexei's eyes showed a smug look as if he saw his plan succeed.
…
…
The muskets that are popular in Europe now are flintlock pistols that can only fire one shot at a time.
In terms of power and range, it is far inferior to the long-handled musket.
Therefore, no matter which country it is, pistols are not widely equipped in the military. Only commanders own pistols for self-defense and to show off.
The same is true of the Cossacks.
Only Cossacks of high status could own a pistol.
And Alexei happened to be one of the small group of people who were qualified to own a pistol.
Although the pistol is far inferior to the musket in terms of power and range, it is very suitable for use as a concealed weapon because it is easy to carry.
Alexei has always regarded this only pistol of his as his ultimate trump card.
Alexi, who always loved to boast about his martial arts skills, had never dared to tell others that he had actually defeated many people with his pistol in many duels without spectators.
His favorite ambush technique is to suddenly pull out a pistol and shoot the enemy when the opponent rushes towards him.
This trick always works, and his opponents are often killed by his gun because they don't have time to react.
Alexei originally wanted to escape, but now this Japanese man came to kill him - so Alexei decided not to hold back at all and directly used his strongest weapon on this Japanese man.
Bang!
The next moment Alexei pointed the gun at Ogata, he pulled the trigger.
…
…
Ogata was surprised at Alexei's sudden pulling out of a pistol, but at the same time, he also felt... a strange sense of closeness.
Suddenly pulling out a gun at the enemy - isn't this what Ogata loves to do most?
It feels like finding a like-minded person.
Driven by this strange sense of closeness, Ogata decided to pay tribute to this "fellow enthusiast" as a fellow "pistol enthusiast"!
Bang!
Alexey fired.
Ogata has his own experience on how to dodge and split bullets, and he also has the experience that Genichi had taught him before.
Genichi once said to Ogata in Edo: As long as you aim at the muzzle of the cannon and the enemy's action of pulling the trigger, and as long as your steps are more nimble, anyone can dodge the bullet.
Ogata deeply agreed with what Genichi said.
Any little movement of Alexei could not escape the eyes of Ogata who had entered the "state of no self".
After keenly noticing that Alexei's right index finger began to bend, Ogata immediately took a step to the side.
The next moment when Ogata dodged to the side, the bullet shot out from the barrel and passed through the place where Ogata had just stood.
Afterwards, Ogata held the Daijizai with his left ring finger and little finger, and put his thumb, index finger, and middle finger into his arms.
Took out his Kasumi Nagi.
Ogata decided to use his pistol to deal with this rare fellow enthusiast.
Show him how the pistol works.
Raise the gun, aim, and pull the trigger.
There was a sound of gunfire much louder than the one from Alexei's pistol.
At this distance, even Ogata wouldn't miss.
Kasumi's bullet directly smashed Alexei's face, which still had a smug look of "the plan succeeded".
Because Ogata's movements were so fast, Alexei was completely unable to react, and even after his head was blown up, he still had a smug look on his face.
…
…
There is nothing much to say about what happened next.
After shooting Alexei dead with one shot, Ogata took Kasumi into his arms, then dodged and rushed into Alexei's surviving guards.
Ogata did not use Renko.
The reason why we don't use blade counter is very simple.
It was just to be able to use both swords for attack and get rid of these people faster.
Ogata attacked these people with both swords in his hands.
Every time Mahakala and Mahabharata swing their swords, they are sure to take a life.
In less than two breaths, Alexei and the others became like Vladimir and the others just now - lying in the snow, their body temperatures starting to drop.
…
…
"Hahaha……"
As the battle progressed, Ogata's breathing became slightly faster.
Ogata did not count how many people he and Ating had killed so far.
But there must still be many Cossacks roaming around in the village and still alive.
Ogata turned to look at Alexi, whose head was blown up.
This guy was just like the one he had just killed with one sword. He looked to be of high status. Although his head was blown up, his facial features could still be seen clearly.
Ogata planned to have people hold up the heads of Vladimir and Alexei so that the remaining surviving Cossacks could see the heads of these two men of great status and undermine the morale of the surviving Cossacks.
Just as Ogata was thinking about whether to let Atachi be responsible for lifting the heads of the two men, Ogata suddenly heard an Ainu voice coming from the side:
"￥%#&*%￥!"
Looking sideways, a group of villagers were running towards Ogata with spears or bows and arrows, looking excited.
Ogata looked carefully and found that some of the faces of this group of Ainu people looked familiar - they seemed to be the people he had just rescued.
Just as Ogata was thinking about how to communicate with these villagers who had suddenly arrived, a middle-aged man spoke in not very standard Japanese:
"Thank you. Thank you very much."
Ogata had some impression of this sturdy man. He seemed to be one of the people who had just been rescued by Ogata.
"You are welcome."
After Ogata briefly responded to the thanks from the strong man who could speak Japanese, he asked:
"What are you doing here?"
"There are still many white-skinned thieves in the village." The strong man answered in a sonorous voice, "It is not time for us to rest yet."
This simple sentence made clear their purpose - they wanted to continue fighting the invading Cossacks instead of hiding aside and watching Ogata fight alone.
After looking at the sturdy man with a look of surprise for a few seconds, Ogata turned his gaze and quickly scanned the faces of the group of villagers who suddenly rushed to him.
A faint smile appeared on the face that was too lazy to show any expression because it had entered the "state of no self".
The villagers' mental outlook is very different from before.
Most of the villagers that Ogata had just met had lost their will to fight, with only anger, fear, and tension on their faces.
And now, the group of villagers in front of Ogata were all holding their weapons tightly, with high morale and excited interest on their faces, and their burning gazes like burning flames were focused on Ogata.
The reason why their mental outlook has undergone such a huge change is because of Ogata.
Many of them were rescued by Ogata just now.
They witnessed with their own eyes how the Cossacks were completely powerless against Ogata, and how Ogata killed the Cossacks like chopping melons and vegetables.
It was like a sudden fire dispelling the darkness.
The appearance of Ogata rekindled their desire to survive and their will to fight.
And Ogata has become their backbone without them noticing.
Ogata also developed some respect for these villagers who did not wait for others to save them.
These villagers who suddenly arrived also helped Ogata a lot.
Ogata is now wondering how to let the surviving Cossacks see the two guys who looked like commanders that he had just killed.
…
…
Ogata cut off the heads of Vladimir and Alexei, and then had the villagers, who were inspired to fight, hold them high on spears.
It's a pity that none of them can speak Lucia.
If someone shouted in Lucia "Your general has been captured by us", it would have a greater impact on morale.
The villagers, with their fighting spirit rekindled, followed Ogata and began to chase the surviving Cossacks.
The faces of the remaining people changed drastically when they saw Vladimir and Alexei's heads being held high.
Their morale plummeted like an avalanche, and their fighting spirit melted as quickly as spring snow.
They screamed in fear and fled on horseback.
Ogata and his men stuck closely behind them and chased them relentlessly.
One after another, poison arrows flew out and shot down these panicked Cossacks.
Prey and hunter - the identities between the two were reversed in a very short time.
…
…
Qina Village, the home of the village chief Chepke——
"Grandpa!" A pretty girl in her prime, without any tattoos on her face, looked at the old man's left arm in front of her, which was bleeding continuously, her face full of tears.
This old man was none other than the chief of Qina Village - Chepke.
This young girl is Chepke's granddaughter.
"It's okay..." Chepke tried to force a smile towards his granddaughter, "It's just a minor injury."
Although he said "I'm fine", his pale face didn't look like he was fine at all.
Just now, his left shoulder was hit by a Cossack's saber, and blood flowed from the wound to stain his entire left arm and the clothes on his left hand red.
Just when the Cossack was about to stab Chepk with one more knife, fortunately, the poison arrow shot by his only son successfully ambushed the Cossack, otherwise Chepk would have lost his life.
After rescuing his father, Chepke's son took Chepke into temporary hiding in their home.
Chepke's daughter-in-law and granddaughter did not know how to shoot arrows, so after the Cossacks attacked, they hid in a hidden place in the house.
When Chepke's son helped the injured Chepke back home, Chepke's daughter-in-law and granddaughter were so frightened that their faces turned pale.
So we have this scene where the granddaughter’s face is covered with tears.
"Father..." The son said softly to Chepke with a heavy face, "What should we do now?"
Hearing his son's question, Chepke couldn't help but purse his lips, and his expression became heavy.
Chepke's head is actually still in a state of confusion.
He still doesn't understand why the muskets used by these white people are so powerful.
The main reason why their Qina village was defeated tonight was because their bows and arrows were no match for the muskets of those white-skinned foreigners.
As far as Chepke knew, a musket was a weapon that had power but poor range and accuracy, and was not much better than a bow and arrow.
The barrage of comments he saw tonight completely stunned Chepke.
Chepke raised his head and listened attentively to the noise outside the house.
Now, no more screams could be heard from the villagers of Qina Village.
All that could be heard was the sound of snow being trampled and faint cheers.
——Everyone... almost all of them have been killed...
Chepke cried out in grief in his heart.
As the chief of Qina Village, Chepke now feels only grief.
There were no more screams from the villagers. The only explanation Chepke could think of was that most of the villagers had been killed...
The faint cheers that came into my ears were probably coming from those white-skinned bastards.
While feeling grief, Chepke also felt a deep sense of powerlessness - as the village chief, he was unable to lead the villagers to resist foreign aggression.
"...Chilu."
Chepke called his son's name, then glanced at his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter in front of him - looking at his only three family members, he continued word by word:
"The others have probably been killed."
"You three should run away."
"I'll cover you."
As soon as Chepke finished speaking, his son immediately said in a hurry:
"Father, no! If we have to escape, let's escape together!"
" What !" Chepke scolded his son harshly, "If no one helps to cover you, you can't escape at all."
"I'm bleeding a lot and my head is starting to feel dizzy."
"It's most appropriate for me, who is already injured, to be in charge of the cover."
"I'll try to attract the attention of those white bastards later."
"You can take this opportunity to get our dog sled."
"The dogs we had at home might still be alive."
"You guys just run away on a dog sled. The farther you can get, the better."
"To Kuma Village, or anywhere else."
The son was about to speak up again to persuade his father to escape with them and not to think about it.
But after meeting his father's gaze, he felt as if thousands of words were stuck in his throat. He couldn't utter a single word. He lowered his head and shed tears silently.
Chepke's daughter-in-law also shed tears.
There was a sense of sadness in the air.
"Grandpa." Chepke's granddaughter was also a 14-year-old girl. She was not a child who knew nothing. She naturally knew what would happen to Chepke if he stayed to cover for them.
Looking at his granddaughter who was crying like a little cat, Chepke put on a gentle expression.
"Don't cry. I just escaped a step later than you."
"After I cover you three to escape, I will follow you."
"So now you just run away with your parents obediently, okay?"
"Hmm..." The granddaughter, with tears on her face, bit her lower lip tightly, nodded gently, and stretched out her arms to hug Chepke.
"Grandpa, you must keep up with me. I want to continue listening to you tell me those heroic epics that have been passed down from generation to generation..."
Chepke smiled tenderly and hugged his granddaughter.
"Okay. I promise. I will catch up with you later and continue to tell you about those heroic epics passed down from generation to generation."
The granddaughter's eyes were already red from crying.
After Chepke whispered "one day" again, the gentleness in his smile became even more intense.
After letting go of his granddaughter, Chepke turned to hug his son.
"Father, I love you." Chepke's son hugged Chepke tightly, shedding tears and speaking affectionately.
"I love you, too. My son. You must live."
Chepke knew this might be the last time he hugged his family.
So Chepke decided to say everything he had not dared to tell his family before, so as to leave no regrets.
"Son, I'm sorry. Actually... Binky's death is all my fault. I was greedy and fed him the stinking meat..."
Binky - a dog owned by Chepke's son.
A month ago, he suddenly developed a fever and then died.
No one knew why Binky was like this - except Chepke.
Because the day before Binkie fell ill, Chepke fed Binkie smelly meat to save trouble and meat.
Chepke didn't know how to start the conversation, so he kept it a secret from his son.
And now that he was almost dying, Chepke had nothing to worry about.
The son was stunned for a moment, then shook his head:
"Father, it's okay."
After releasing his son, Chepke began to hug his daughter-in-law.
"Pali," Chepke whispered her daughter-in-law's name. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Dad."
"Pally, I'm sorry..."
Chepke decided to take this opportunity to tell his daughter-in-law something that he had never dared to tell her.
"The wine your parents gave us was actually drunk secretly by me... I originally only wanted to take a sip, but after taking a sip, I found it was so delicious that I decided to drink more. When I came to my senses, I had already finished it..."
The daughter-in-law was stunned for a moment, then shook her head.
"Father, it's okay."
After saying these two things that had been accumulating in his heart and that he had never dared to say, Chepke felt as if his whole body weight had become lighter and he felt extremely happy.
He has no regrets.
After giving his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter a tight hug, Chepke grabbed the spear next to him with his uninjured right hand with a determined look on his face.
"let's go."
Chepke said.
"I'll help you attract those white-skinned bastards."
"You'll have a sleigh ride the moment you see fit!"
After saying this, Chepke tightly grasped his spear, with a look of sorrow and determination on his face, and strode out of the house.
However, after rushing out of the house, the scene that appeared in front of Chepke and others made their expressions freeze.
Ogata, with half of his clothes on and his skin splattered with blood, stood not far away with a knife in his hand.
Behind him were some villagers with very excited expressions.
"Village Chief!" a villager shouted excitedly, "We finally found you!"
“We won!”
"Thanks to this and others! The thieves were repelled! We won!"
The villagers cheered.
And Chepke's expression changed rapidly.
He first showed ecstasy.
Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, his expression suddenly froze.
The look of ecstasy slowly turned into a strange and awkward expression that was hard to describe in words...
Now... he was a little afraid to look back at his son and daughter-in-law behind him...