The anticipated scene of horses' hooves crushing human bones never came to pass, as the cavalrymen held their mounts steady on the outskirts of the crowd.
The scattered refugees gradually halted their hasty retreat. The young cavalry leader rode forward and removed his helmet, revealing a face that was physiologically youthful yet mature and composed.
"Please hear me out," Anglu repeated his previous words clearly, "Relief grain will be arriving shortly."
This time, everyone heard him clearly.
The refugees regrouped as Anglu quickly assessed the crowd: unharmed, unharmed, a broken arm, unharmed...
Then he saw a middle-aged man in tattered clothing sitting on the ground, his face contorted in agony. A middle-aged woman and several children of varying ages were anxiously gathered around him.
The middle-aged man made no sound, but large beads of sweat kept breaking out on his forehead.
