HCB Chapter 368 Mamtim II
Chapter 368 Mamtim II
The first ray of sunlight quietly rose through the dust, dyeing the heat and sand of the entire desert golden. A mighty army slowly moved in the endless sea of sand. Outside the team were dozens of soldiers in Kushan costumes, and behind them were a dozen heavy cavalrymen with camels. They were wearing heavy armor and exuded a gloomy atmosphere. The huge bodies of the camels almost completely covered the outlines of the knights.
This is a transport team from Murcia, responsible for transporting slaves from a tribe to Murcia. In the middle of the team, hundreds of slaves were tied tightly with iron chains, their dark faces looked tired due to the arduous journey. With every step they took, the sand seemed to mock their fate. The sand dunes lay lazily under the scorching sun. There was no life around, only dead silence.
"faster!"
An officer shouted, his voice sounding extremely sharp in the hot air, his eyes fixed on the sand dunes ahead.
As the team slowly moved forward, an oasis appeared in the desert. The lake in the oasis reflected bright waves, like a flickering mirror.
"Stop! Everyone can drink the water, but slaves are not allowed near the lake!"
He spoke in a commanding tone. The soldiers followed his command and rushed to the lake, untied their water bags, and drank the water happily.
At this time, there was a commotion in the team. A slave shouted desperately:
"My son! He has fainted! Please, give me water!"
He ran towards a cavalryman in panic and helplessness, holding his son, but was soon knocked to the ground by an infantryman. The cavalryman glanced at him with indifference and did not move at all.
"Slave, don't disturb our rest!"
The cavalryman shouted in a rude voice, his eyes full of disdain.
The slave was forced to kneel on the sand, looking at his son in despair, his heart broken. The sweat on his forehead slid down his cheeks, and he used his last bit of strength to beg the cavalry again:
"Please, please give him water, he's dying!"
"In the desert, only water and food are the most important. Your son is too young. He is of no help to Lord Murcia. If he dies, he dies. It can also save one more person's food."
The officer said this coldly and continued to adjust the order of the team without paying attention to these little episodes.
At this moment, a heavy sound of horse hooves came from behind the distant sand dunes. As the sound intensified, a group of cavalry appeared almost at the same time. The horses and people were all covered in iron armor, and they were majestic, like a strong wind blowing out of the desert.
"enemy!"
The officer standing by the lake suddenly changed his expression and shouted:
"Everyone on alert! Form a formation!"
However, the Murcian officers reacted too late. The enemy cavalry had already rushed to the front of the team. The cavalrymen were very agile and their swords and guns flashed. In a moment, they plunged into the formation of the Murcian transport team.
"Kill!"
Rough roars echoed in the air, followed by the harsh sound of metal collisions, and the air seemed to be ignited by the fury of battle. The sound of armor hitting sand and the neighing of war horses intertwined into a fierce symphony.
The Murcia cavalry fought back, but the enemy's numbers were several times theirs, and the thin cavalry formation was defeated in an instant. The camel cavalry were dispersed by the enemy at the first sight, and fell into a situation of fighting on their own.
"Stand back! Protect the slaves!"
The officer roared and tried his best to mobilize the troops. He held a sharp sword in his hand, commanding the camel cavalry while conveying information to the infantry who surrounded the slaves.
The horses galloped on the sand dunes, the heavy sound of flesh and iron colliding filled the entire desert, and blood and corpses intertwined in the hot wind to form a cruel picture. The soldiers of Murcia fought desperately, but the enemy's offensive became more and more fierce, like a sharp blade, casually dissecting this team that was already difficult to maintain.
"Help!"
A Murcian infantryman screamed his lungs out, but was then chopped in the back by enemy cavalry that rushed past from behind, but he did not die.
Seeing his men dwindling in numbers, the Murcia officer realized that he could no longer hold on, and his eyes flickered with anxiety and anger.
"retreat!"
He shouted out the order with difficulty, and the camel cavalry immediately turned around and retreated towards the city of Murcia, but the remaining infantry and slaves were surrounded by the cavalry.
At this time, a larger group of people approached from the distant sand dunes. People held their breath and watched until the group approached. Not only did they feel an invisible pressure, but the previous siege seemed to be weakened in an instant. Suddenly, the cavalrymen who surrounded the prisoners and slaves made way for them, as if they were welcoming some supreme being.
As the soldiers made way, two figures on horseback gradually appeared in front of everyone. One was wearing a white Kusha robe with golden threads flowing along the edges of the robe and a golden mask on his face, like a mysterious being from another dimension. Following behind him was a young Kusha man wearing Kusha clothing made of fine silk, looking free and confident.
When the two men stopped in front of the prisoners on horseback, all eyes were focused on them. In the eyes of the slaves, the eyes behind the golden masks flashed with a firm and warm light, as if they could penetrate the pain in people's hearts and bring the dawn of hope.
The young Kushan man flicked the whip in his hand and said in a clear and loud voice:
"Everyone, this is the monarch from the south, the honorable Mamtim II. He saw you being imprisoned by a group of armed men from a distance, so he specially ordered them to come and rescue you. Now no one will enslave you."
As soon as the words fell, some slaves burst into tears and cried bitterly. One of the slaves trembled and told the monarch in front of him:
The Murcian tribe forcibly plundered people from other tribes and forced us to become slaves to build a palace for the king of Murcia."
His words were firm and decisive, as if he wanted to express the deep pain to the fullest.
"During the escort, many of my relatives and friends were tortured to death by the soldiers. Their innocent blood dyed the desert red."
Hearing these voices of sorrow and accusations, Mamtim II sighed slightly; the mask could not conceal the sorrow in his heart.
"Come, untie the shackles of these poor people, give them food and water, and send them ten camels."
As Mamtim II gave the order, buckets of water and baked bread were delivered to the slaves. Everyone, whether old or young, was given a bowl of water and a piece of bread.
"It's all right now, go back to your tribe."
Mamtim II's voice echoed, and he nodded gently to the slaves around him. At this moment, in the eyes of these slaves, even the sunlight reflected from Mamtim II's body was full of friendliness and hope.
Almost everyone knelt down and kowtowed deeply to the noble monarch, with inexpressible gratitude filling their hearts.
"You don't have to do this."
Mamtim II spoke softly, his eyes behind the mask as warm as water.
"I just did what I had to do."
Then Mamtim II turned to look at the Murcian soldiers who were still captured, and said in a serious tone:
"Listen, I'll give you a chance to forgive me. Take this message to the King of Murcia and tell him that because of his tyranny, I, Mamtim II, will personally gather an army to attack the city of Murcia and rescue the suffering people there."
After sending away the slaves and prisoners of war, Mamtim II's troops marched south. After crossing a river, the army finally entered a fortress near an oasis on the south bank.
But at this moment, "Mameti II" reached out and gently took off the mask on his face. The mask slowly slipped off, revealing not the face of a Kushan man, but another familiar face.