There is a tall bell tower in Winter City. It rings eight times a day as usual, with an interval of three hours each time, to accurately tell the time for the citizens of Winter City.

When the bells of the bell tower ring, the loud and melodious bells will spread far away and can be heard clearly even in the wilderness outside the city.

However, today is destined to be an unusual day.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the bell that shouldn't have sounded at this time started ringing "clang, clang, clang", and it rang thirteen times in a row.

The citizens looked in the direction of Winter Castle and stopped what they were doing.

This was the bell that the lord used to summon his subjects. The bell struck thirteen times, which meant a public execution.

The Lingmin Square, where few people usually come, was now filled with bustling crowds.

Two teams of knights stood solemnly on both sides of the square, acting as a cordon.

Behind them, in the center of the citizens' square, a high wooden platform has been temporarily built. On the wooden platform is a sturdy gallows, and the knotted noose is swaying slightly in the wind.

Then, amid a burst of shouts, the prisoner who was about to be hanged was lifted up like a dead dog by two knights.

He looked bruised and battered, with a bruised nose and a swollen face, and blood seeping out of his white knight lining.

The atmosphere of the entire execution ground also became more solemn and depressing at this time.

"Enoch, Kelly, we even drank together..."

"No one can save you, Lord Gal."

The two knights stood under the noose with cold expressions. They held down the knight Gal with both hands, making it difficult for Gal, who had been crippled by the lord, to move.

Xi Wei walked to the platform with a serious face and stood next to Gal.

His gaze was like a torch, overlooking all the citizens present. The citizens' square that was originally buzzing became audible at this moment.

In the week since he took office, this lord has hardly appeared in front of his subjects. Except for the award ceremony, today is the only time that all his subjects have been gathered together.

Even so, he still has a very high reputation among the people of his territory, not only because of his powerful army and profound background, but most importantly, he abolished the tithe.

This was almost impossible in the Cologne Empire at that time. The lord's abolition of the tithe was equivalent to losing half of his income. What to eat, what to wear, and what to use to support the army?

However, Xiwei just did this. In addition, he usually kept a low profile, and occasionally showed up in the city on horseback with an expressionless look on his face. He was not as sanctimonious as the lords of other territories.

Gradually, he established an image in the hearts of his subjects as a cold-faced, kind-hearted, powerful and mysterious lord.

"You have been summoned today to announce something and to hang a man."

"This is my knight Gal."

Xiwei's words made the citizens look at each other in shock, and they all saw shock and suspicion in each other's eyes.

They looked at the prisoner being held up on the wooden platform in disbelief, and then at the lord with a cold and serious face.

There were waves of suppressed discussions in the Lingmin Square.

"Gods above, it's unbelievable..."

"The person your lord wants to hang is a knight?"

"And he's also a great knight."

"How is it possible? What did he do? Did he sleep with the lord's wife?"

…

"Quiet--!"

The knight next to Xiwei let out a loud shout, and the square immediately became quiet again.

"Why hang him?"

"Because he encouraged thugs to rob the martyrs' pensions! So even if he is a great knight, I will hang him!" Xiwei's eyes were cold, scanning everyone in the square, including the knights under his command.

and soldiers.

"Today I let you watch the execution, just to let you know that in the Eagle Territory, the dignity of soldiers cannot be violated, and the honor of soldiers cannot be insulted.

"They died fighting for the Eagle Territory, fighting to die for the living, and fighting to protect everyone here including me, the lord."

"Whether they are militiamen, guards, or knights, there is no distinction between high and low."

"Those who work for the public should not be allowed to freeze to death in the snow."

"If anyone insists on becoming this storm, I, Xivi Golden Lion, will be the scorching sun that scorches everything."

Xiwei's eyes were like the strong wind in the cold winter, and no one dared to look at the furious lord.

After a moment of silence, Xi Wei's solemn order came from the wooden platform.

"Execution!"

As Xiwei's words fell, the knights who were ready immediately put Gar's neck on the noose, and then kicked the wooden board under his feet.

With the action of gravity, Gal's body fell down the high wooden platform, his feet were suspended in the air, and the hemp rope was taut. His feet were only less than half a meter from the ground, and they were almost in contact with the leader standing on the stone steps in the square.

People's eyes.

There are various criminal laws against prisoners in the Cologne Empire, but none of them can be like hanging, which allows everyone to clearly see the fear of death in a less bloody situation.

They would see the prisoner gradually suffocate, and his face turn from red to purple; they would see the prisoner's eyelids turn outwards and his eyes bulge; they would see the prisoner become incontinent, and his soul would be slowly sucked away by death.

There were no miserable cries of pain, and there was no way to struggle, but in this silent silence, it was even more shocking.

This is the deterrent and warning given to them by the lord.

Soon, the great knight who was hanging on the noose stopped moving.

The lord on the wooden platform continued to speak.

"Starting from today, I will eliminate all the scoundrels in Winter City and form a militia city guard. This order will be taken by my knights to several other towns and implemented at the same time."

"After six o'clock tonight, anyone who has ideas can go to the Castle Military Affairs Office to sign up. The militiamen can receive a reward of 5 silver coins every month, but I want to make it clear to you in advance." After a pause, Xiwei's tone was cold.

He went on to add:

"If you dare to use your status to seek personal gain with your power and bully civilians, I will personally carry out the more than two hundred tortures prescribed in the Cologne Empire's laws on you."

After saying that, Xiwei turned and left accompanied by the two knights.
Chapter completed!