Resistance has always been a rare and valuable quality. Throughout human history, not many peoples have possessed it, especially in the West, where it has been unusually scarce. Looking at Western history, apart from figures like Spartacus in Ancient Rome, there aren't many records of common people rising up against tyranny.
Chinese history, on the other hand, is quite different. If you open a book on Chinese history, you'll find that it's largely a record of working people fighting back against oppression, with dynastic changes often driven by peasant uprisings. I remember reading a quote somewhere that said:
> Western history was written by the elite classes of the West, while Chinese history was written by the countless working people who dared to ask, "Are kings and lords born to rule?"
This difference is also evident in their mythology. For a simple comparison, many ancient Chinese mythological heroes came from humble, grassroots origins, and even the immortals often achieved their status through human cultivation. But what about heroes in Western mythology? They are usually closely linked to the gods, with many being demigods—the direct offspring of gods and mortals. (I'll skip giving too many examples here to keep things moving.)
In short, while they were happy someone came to save them, once the people of the village calmed down, their main feelings were worry and fear. Caanan wasn't dead, and his gang still had about forty members. This was still a huge threat to the village.
Some people weren't even happy that Arthur and his group had arrived.
Take Merlin's friend, Will, for example. He was furious about their presence. His reasoning was simple: no resistance means no deaths. Now that Arthur's group had killed some of Caanan's men, Arthur and the others could easily pack up and leave, but the villagers would be left behind to face the bandits! Before, the bandits were just robbing them, but now... the situation had changed completely.
The rest of the villagers shared the same concern.
This was hard for Morgana to understand. The village had over a hundred people, about fifty of whom were able-bodied men. (In a time of such low productivity, even with the generally good health of the ancient Celts, the average lifespan was short, so there were few elders, and not many children, because they couldn't afford to feed them).
Why wouldn't all those men fight back? Even if only twenty or thirty of them fought desperately, the bandits would still be wary and avoid pushing too far. After all, robbery is a zero-cost business, and bandits instinctively try to avoid anything that increases their risk or cost. This has nothing to do with how smart the bandits are. If the villagers resisted, the bandits, no matter how vicious, wouldn't go to the extreme of stealing even their seed grain.
Will's statement, in particular, completely shocked Morgana. She couldn't believe anyone could think that way.
However, Will's perspective was actually very popular in the village, and the atmosphere started to get strange. While they were grateful to Arthur's group, they also secretly blamed them.
Arthur was deeply frustrated by this weird mindset, but out of respect for Merlin, he didn't say much. Instead, he patiently promised the villagers that they would stay until the entire gang of bandits was wiped out!
This assurance brought a sigh of relief to the village.
Given the large number of bandits, Arthur suggested that the village men undergo training to help resist the threat together. With someone taking the lead, the villagers reluctantly agreed to this request.
But Will still stood on the sidelines, criticizing. He believed Arthur was just trying to get the villagers to play "soldier games" with him. If Arthur really wanted to help them, he could have simply brought a large detachment of soldiers to wipe out the bandits, rather than asking the villagers to fight and die.
Will was even unhappy with his friend, Merlin. He believed Merlin had the ability to kill all the bandits by himself, so why wasn't he acting? Why force the villagers to resist? Merlin could clearly finish the job, so why was he holding back?
Merlin had no response to this. But he insisted that Arthur wasn't playing soldier games; he genuinely wanted to help Eldor. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come at all.
Neither side could convince the other.
The situation in the village was also tough. The men were honest, simple farmers who had only ever held scythes, never swords or daggers. They also lacked any fighting spirit and were terrified of the battle they were about to face.
Arthur felt helpless and powerless. He didn't know what to do. He was starting to understand his father. When you carry enormous responsibility, the pressure alone is enough to keep you awake at night. Right now, he only had to worry about one village, but his father had to carry an entire kingdom!
Just when Arthur was at his wits' end, two women stepped forward: Morgana and Gwen.
If there was anyone in Camelot with the greatest spirit of resistance, it was Morgana! She couldn't accept the passive attitude of the villagers, so she started talking to the women. Morgana had an incredibly infectious enthusiasm, and she managed to rally the women. Under her direction, they began doing everything they could: sharpening weapons, making arrows, cooking, and cleaning up after the men. She did everything possible to motivate the men.
Gwen was Morgana's best helper. She came from a common background, giving her a natural connection with the Eldor villagers. Her optimism and resilience also set a great example for the women. After all, while Morgana was great, she was still a Princess, which created a strong sense of distance from the farm women. But Gwen didn't have that problem.
Morale is always critically important, and a change in mindset can cause a radical transformation in a short time. At least the men, inspired by the women, began to find the passion and courage to defend their homes.
At this point, Arthur, cheered up by Gwen, pulled himself together and delivered a powerful, moving speech that filled the villagers with boundless courage! As a prince who received a rigorous education, boosting morale was no trouble for him at all.
It was also at this time that Arthur began to develop feelings for Gwen, this strong and kind-hearted girl...
By this point, Will was the only person in the entire village still openly critical of Arthur; everyone else was willing to follow his lead. (In the original series, this part of the storyline had a clear slant toward promoting feminism, which I found a bit much, so I've removed that. There's way too much political correctness in that show; I didn't notice it before, but re-reading it now gives me a headache.)
After a period of basic training, the day the bandits were expected arrived. With the help of Sir Pellenor, Arthur devised a thorough battle plan to meet the attack.
...
The fate of the bandits was pretty much sealed at this point. They weren't a serious threat. Led by Arthur and Sir Pellenor, the villagers used traps and their knowledge of the terrain to catch the bandits completely by surprise. With four excellent, genuine knights acting as the spearhead, and the villagers supporting them by distracting and helping, defeating an unorganized, undisciplined group of robbers was genuinely not difficult.
The main thing was helping the villagers overcome their fear of the bandits. Once the villagers killed a bandit and saw blood, everything would fall into place. The power of a people's war is no joke.
The story should have ended right here with a big, happy resolution. The bandits were dead, the villagers were saved, and Arthur and his friends had satisfied their sense of justice.
But the trouble started right at the end.
King Odyn of Cendred, who had refused to send troops earlier, suddenly had a change of heart and sent his son, Prince Arilard, to Eldor to eliminate the bandits. They happened to meet Arthur's group right after they had defeated the robbers.
Everything changed from that moment on.