Chapter 407: Open the map
At a regular meeting of the Government Affairs Council in April 1994, Cecil, who was in charge of the intelligence department, briefed everyone on the latest situation in Corner Bay.
“Last year, the archbishop’s envoy was thrown from the second floor in Niceburg. I believe everyone still remembers this. This made Archbishop Elvis of Cape Bay furious and strictly ordered the Cape Bay League to hand over the so-called The murderer, but he did not get a satisfactory result. Nisburg has been delaying in not handing over the murderer. In addition, the treatment of Angelo, the current bishop of Nisburg, has also failed due to the resistance of the Alliance Council. But it is not just that. The alliance and the coastal countries of the Horn generally expressed their support for Angelo to remain as bishop."
Paul asked Cecil: "What happened to the increase in religious taxes?"
Cecil replied: "Each state has only increased a little symbolically, but it is far from the amount expected by Archbishop Elvis."
"Is this the case for the Church of the Corner?"
"Of course not. The Archbishop, in conjunction with Collins and other inland states, issued notices one after another criticizing the coastal states, and threatened to excommunicate the leaders of each country."< br>
Controller Ford stroked his beard and said: "It seems that the contradiction is getting deeper and deeper."
Cecil nodded: "You can say that."
Everyone here was excited. It was a low laugh. They all knew that the eldest son of the Foster family came to the Northwest Bay to buy weapons last year. If a fight really breaks out, then Northwest Bay will make a lot of money.
During the dinner, Ladi Setia was the only one with a heavy face. She coughed heavily and said, "Everyone, war is not something to laugh about."
The laughter stopped, and everyone remembered this beautiful woman. The lady’s hometown is Cape Bay, and she suddenly felt embarrassed.
"That..." Cecil continued: "The rulers of the coastal countries have generally relaxed the arrest of wizards. Because the long-term high-pressure policy has had a huge impact on the normal business environment, the ruling With the support of strong public opinion, the protesters forced their respective local churches to make concessions. "He felt that this was good news that would reassure Ms. Setia.
Sure enough, La Di’s frowning eyebrows relaxed a little.
“Not only that, but stimulated by the previous high-pressure measures of the local church, a new religious trend is spreading rapidly in the coastal states.”
"A new religious trend?" Paul became interested and raised his eyebrows.
"Yes." Cecil nodded, "Many people demand a reinterpretation of the doctrine. Although these heretics... uh... New sects are still in a stage of mixed views, one thing they have in common is that Opposing the church’s excessive interference in secular life.”
Paul touched his chin: “It’s interesting.”
He looked around at the crowd and asked, “How do you think Archbishop Elvis will end up? "
"I will never give up." Ladi said with certainty, "I heard about the reputation of this archbishop when I was in Jiaowan. For such a 'devout' person, heresy is often a problem. More hateful than wizards and pagans, but... huh, the Church of Corner Bay will be punished for what it has done sooner or later."
There was an expression of resentment on Ladi's face, which was very rare for her who rarely showed emotion.
“If the fuss gets too big, I think sooner or later the church’s headquarters, the Holy See, will get involved.”
General Manager Ford analyzed it this way, “The worship in the Corner Bay area is the main concern of the Holy See. One of the sources of income, the Holy See will never let the chaos in Corner Bay continue for a long time."
"The words of the steward reminded me."
Hansel suddenly interrupted, "Gray. Lord Mandarin, I think you should be prepared - as the Northwest Gulf continues to prosper, the Holy See may strengthen its influence here."
Paul frowned: "What? I make the territory prosperous to fill the people's stomachs, not to honor those fat-minded priests." Everyone here is his own people, so he has no scruples when speaking.
Hansel spread his hands: "Maybe the big shots in the Holy See don't think so."
"Do you have any good countermeasures?"
Hansel lowered his head. The voice said: "The current Bishop of the Northwest Bay, Mr. Leonard, has been in poor health since he was imprisoned by Maltz Kent during the Assault War. Recently, there are rumors that this old gentleman is about to be called by the Lord. Perhaps this It's an opportunity, and if you want to seize it, you should prepare now."
"I agree with Sir Hansel's proposal."
Controller Ford seconded the motion.
“I agree, too.”
“I agree, too.”
Russ Hayden, director of the Department of Public Safety, and others also expressed their opinions.
It is exciting to think about controlling the bishop of a region. "This..." Unlike these "cold-blooded" guys, Paul's first reaction when he heard Hansel's words was a little sad. He still had a good impression of Leonard, the old bishop. If such a person is fooled, It’s such a pity that the Lord has called me.
"Let me think about this carefully..."
If you get involved in the bishops' dispute, who should you support? At present, there are only two high-level religious figures in the Northwest Bay who are friends with him. One is Anderson, who succeeded Leonard as the abbot of the North Shore monastery, and the other is Morrison, who serves as the deputy abbot - the same person who Paul surrounded and entrenched in Fulan. When he was a member of the pirate Shark Gang in Hong Kong, he rescued the captives from the church. Because he had a disgraceful past as a thief, Paul caught him.
Although the North Shore Monastery is located in a remote location, it is an important cradle of clergy in churches across the northwest bay, so it has a very special status.
However, Anderson is too junior. His teacher Leonard was the one who promoted him to become the abbot of the monastery. Moreover, he is a bit unprofessional. He deals with flowers, plants and other plants every day. He is not so much a monk as he is a monk. A scholar.
Morrison, on the other hand, is more diplomatic and sophisticated, and is also good at handling secular affairs. He is usually in charge of the affairs of the North Shore Monastery, and he manages it in an orderly manner. It seems that he is a good candidate for support. I just don’t know if I can control it after becoming a bishop.
At this time, I heard Hansel say again: "We can also ask for help from His Majesty the King. There was an agreement between the royal family and the Holy See..."
The royal family? Well, this is also a force that can be used. In the previous counter-insurgency war, in order to maintain the relationship with the royal family, he had invested a lot. According to the news Hansel brought back from Jingyao, he had a good impression among the big shots in Jingyao.
"Lord Graiman, I thought of another point."
Old Ford said suddenly.
"Once the war in Cape Bay begins, it will inevitably affect our trade with the East."
Paul was surprised. The manager was right. A large number of goods from the northwest bay were shipped to Cape Bay, and then the merchants in Cape Bay It plays the role of a second-tier dealer and then sells it to the East. Once a war breaks out there, it will not be able to play the role of an intermediate hub.
He thought for a while and said, "Then it would be better if we transport the goods to the East ourselves, without middlemen making the difference."
"That's exactly it."
< br>Controller Ford agreed, he had wanted to say this for a long time, and added: "However, our caravan is not familiar with the route to the east, and we need to send a special exploration fleet to explore the route, draw charts, and inspect the ports. ”
"You are right, inform Austin immediately to start preparations! Oh, let him come to Lake Town first."
"Yes, sir."
"Huh?" Paul patted him. On my forehead, something suddenly occurred to me.
“Everyone, in addition to exploring to the east, we can also explore to the west.”
The west? Everyone was puzzled. What else is there besides the vast sea to the west? At best, there are some desolate islands, and if you are lucky, you can only find some indigenous people who are still in the tribal era.
In fact, in the world view of most people here, the Kingdom of Aldo is already the westernmost place in the world.
La Di somewhat understood what Paul meant. As a scholar, she had been exposed to many novel viewpoints. "What do you mean, sir... verify that theory?"
"Haha, no. Wrong!" Paul picked up the pen and paper and drew a circle on it.
"Didn't someone once suggest that the earth is a sphere? Then let's verify it. If it is really a sphere, then we send two exploration teams to the east and one to the west. They can all return after circling once. Aldo.
"This..." A sense of absurdity arose in everyone's hearts. The dignified Count Alda actually believed this fallacy?
Some people have heard of the theory of a round earth, but it is just a fresh idea, and people with normal minds think it is impossible. If the earth were a sphere, wouldn't people living on the earth have to fall down? No, they should fall "up". Oops, how can I describe it differently?
"Uh... Lord Grayman."
Controller Ford wanted to persuade him.
"I have made up my mind, one thing and one thing! One thing and one thing!"
Paul's tone left no room for doubt.
Well, he is the lord and everyone is helpless. Everyone must obey what the lord decides.
(End of this chapter)