Early the next morning, Yang Ming left the village and headed for the territory of the great lord Shivak. He was going to show him what true power was, daring as he was to enslave the villagers here.
Before Yang Ming even reached Shivak's territory, he ran into Shivak's knight order. Shivak's knight order numbered one thousand in total, with only a hundred elite troops among them, but this particular detachment had a mere sixty-odd men. Furthermore, their movements fell far short of those of true knights. Instead of attacking Yang Ming, this small squad handed over what little food they had left.
They hoped Yang Ming would give this food to the people still suffering through the famine. Shivak's rule was utterly brutal, and for several consecutive years, he had forcibly confiscated all the grain from the tenant farmers, leaving them nothing to eat, not even grass. Touched, Yang Ming realized that not all knights were the same; they reminded him of his former self, so he let them go.
Chapter 48