Due to the river's current, these captives, who were about to be sold, successfully escaped from under the pagans' noses.
However, not everyone was lucky enough to jump into the water; some captives were killed by the pagans themselves, while others were restrained again, only able to watch their companions run towards freedom.
Yang also caught a glimpse of more pagans riding in the distance.
Some slaves stared blankly at all this. These people either weren't smart enough to be included in Yang's small group, or they were unlucky, surrounded by guards, unable to move. The few who tried to move were immediately stabbed to death.
As for those who successfully escaped, they had no thoughts for their captured companions. Everyone united to create an opportunity, then each ran for their lives. Whether they could escape depended on their own luck; they shouldn't expect others to help them.
Moreover, even jumping into the river wasn't necessarily safe. The river also had various obstacles. Hitting rocks or driftwood meant death. Yang saw several of his escape companions die this way.
This made him constantly pray to God in his heart, and the Lord indeed protected him; he came to no harm.
"Quick! Everyone, hurry! Get into the woods."
Where the current was slightly gentler, a soaking wet Yang called for everyone to come ashore. The pagans must have sent many pursuers, and they had to leave the conspicuous river immediately.
Everyone instinctively obeyed Yang's command. During this time, it was Yang who organized this escape group, and everyone obeyed him. They quickly followed him, running towards the woods by the river.
However, what Yang didn't expect was how fast the pursuers arrived.
Less than ten minutes after they rushed into the woods, a sound of hooves echoed behind them. Yang looked back and saw Nomad cavalry from Torzhok.
These cavalrymen were wrapped in fur, wore fur-lined leather caps, carried short axes and spears, and some were constantly drawing and firing arrows, howling incomprehensible war cries. They looked exactly like barbarians.
"Damn it, how are they so fast? That fellow died at the worst possible time. Without him, this group of Nomads will cooperate with anyone."
Torzhok was where the prairie Nomads who immigrated to Northeast Rus gathered, and Torzhok itself was their fortress. Varu ruled this place; he was the leader of many Nomads.
But he was already dead. Some time ago, his body was sent back from the Bulgar front to his wife and children.
Yang heard this news in an unknown small market. At that time, he lamented that the chaos in the northwest would deepen, and the unrestrained Nomads would become even more excessive. He didn't expect them to directly collude with the pagans.
However, what Yang didn't know was that it wasn't the Nomads and pagans colluding, but rather the pagans who promised plunder to gain some Nomad soldiers.
As for why these people arrived so quickly, Yang later learned that they were just unlucky. It turned out that the river was precisely where they were to be handed over to another escort team, which was the group of riders he saw in his peripheral vision. These Nomad cavalry arrived just as the riot was being suppressed. After understanding the situation, they naturally began to pursue along the river, chasing back these fleeing slaves.
It was impossible for foot soldiers to catch up with slaves fleeing with the current, but cavalry could, and so Yang and his companions were caught.
Yang watched a companion running in front of him get shot down by an arrow, then he quickly lowered his head, and another arrow grazed his scalp.
The Mayor of Suzdal kept muttering to himself, if only he had a weapon, he wouldn't be in such a sorry state.
"I can't go on like this," Yang told himself internally. Just then, he saw another companion shot dead. If this continued, they would surely be finished. Accompanying his thoughts were screams; someone had been caught by a lasso. After all, how could a person outrun a horse? If it weren't for the complex terrain in the forest, they would have been caught long ago.
Yang's gaze swept around, and finally, he found an opportunity to escape this awkward situation: a dense patch of bushes.
The Mayor of Suzdal didn't hesitate and rushed straight into them. As he pushed through the bushes, using them to conceal his movements, Yang suddenly felt his feet lose ground, and then he fell heavily to the ground.
Fortunately, he landed on his backside first. The fat on his buttocks absorbed most of the impact, and Yang endured the pain without crying out, knowing that crying out would mean certain death.
Then, instinctively, Yang lay prone on the slope that had caused him to trip, concealing himself as much as possible.
Above, screams and the sound of warhorses galloping echoed. Yang prayed in his heart, hoping desperately not to be discovered.
It seemed God heard his prayers, as the sounds grew farther and farther away, which made him sigh with relief. However, just as he thought the ordeal was over, he suddenly heard the panting of a warhorse above him.
Yang slightly raised his head and saw a Nomad cavalryman patrolling the area. A scimitar hung at his waist, something the other Nomad cavalrymen didn't have.
This Nomad was puzzled. He had been chasing his prey so closely, why had the person suddenly vanished?
Seeing that this person lingered, Yang quickly made a decision in his heart: he needed something that would allow him to run faster.
More importantly, there were some ornate carvings on the scimitar's sheath, which made Yang desire it. As a warrior, he greatly craved weapons, and now the opportunity was right before his eyes.
The Mayor of Suzdal picked up a stone from the ground, then silently counted numbers in his mind.
When the last number was uttered, Yang suddenly rushed up. The man clearly hadn't expected someone to suddenly burst out from below him. Caught off guard, he quickly reached for his sword, but Yang wouldn't give him that chance, directly smashing him with a stone.
The stone hit the Nomad directly on the forehead, knocking him down. The warhorse was startled and let out a few whinnies. Yang quickly soothed the warhorse, while also kicking the man on the ground who was holding his bleeding head and trying to get up, ensuring he remained unconscious.
Then he picked up the scimitar from the ground. That previous blow had caused the scimitar, along with its sheath, to fly from the man's hand. However, to Yang's great surprise, it took him a lot of effort to pull the scimitar out of its sheath.
After pulling it out, Yang looked at the scimitar and felt it in his hand. He could tell the blade's foundation was good, but why was it so rusty?
"Damn it, it was probably stolen from somewhere. Savages only ruin good things, they haven't even sharpened it properly."
Yang cursed under his breath, then he used the rusty scimitar to cut the Nomad's throat on the ground. Although the blade was rusty, it perfectly completed its task, successfully cutting the throat, and blood flowed continuously.
But Yang was still very dissatisfied, looking at the scimitar with disdain. Even the rotten knife he had found for disguise wasn't so poorly maintained, nor was its condition so bad.
Then Yang began to search the dead man, not at all worried if there were enemies around. That was because if there were enemies, they would have already attacked.
The journey ahead was still long, he had a long way to go, and he needed to collect all possible supplies.
Unfortunately, there was nothing useful on this Nomad's body. Besides the knife, the most useful things Yang found were two pieces of cheese and a bag of water.
Well, something was better than nothing, a rusty knife was better than nothing at all, Yang comforted himself internally.
After a quick inventory of what he had gained from the corpse and saddle, Yang picked up the man's hat and put it on his head. Combined with the dirt already on him, he now looked like a Nomad.
Then Yang quickly determined his direction and headed straight south. He needed to reach Suzdal as soon as possible, gather the forces there, and then go to Moscow to nip the pagans' secret plots in the bud!