Chapter 391 Defending His Life
By the time Halkin arrived at Castle Joan in embarrassment, it was already evening.
Although it was not yet night, all the torches were lit on the newly built low wall of the East City. The skitarii were walking in a hurry, and their boots collided with the stone slabs, making a clear but urgent sound.
The vendors on the avenue put away their stalls, rolled the last few items into shabby cloth bags, and hurried back home while being chased by the night watchmen.
Halkin can see a series of prominent figures, including public opinion representatives and guild leaders in various neighborhoods of Joan of Arc, appearing on the streets.
They hurriedly walked toward the Holy Advent Hall under the collective escort of the night watchmen.
“What’s going on?” Halkin saw a public opinion representative from the Colton neighborhood and grabbed his arm and asked.
When the public opinion representative saw him, he was surprised: "Aren't you in the Holy Forge Department? You should be the first to arrive?"
"I am on business in Gray Hearth Town. There's something delayed." Halkin's short legs moved quickly, chasing the public opinion representative towards the front.
The public opinion representative looked at the brightly lit Holy Advent Hall, scratched his head and said: "His Majesty the Pope, in the afternoon, returned to Castle Joan with only a few dozen cavalry guards. Although he didn't know Something happened, but something big must have happened.”
"Then where are you going?"
"As soon as the Pope comes back, he will hold a meeting of the faithful. We are all going to the meeting."
As the supreme commander of the army, Pope Horn suddenly Appearing at Castle Joan of Arc and leaving more than 6,000 troops on the front line of Castle Montenegro, this is not an ordinary thing.
Could it be that the Ibe knights counterattacked?
Or maybe something happened in Gouhu Township and the church called?
The peaceful scene he just saw in the field instantly cast a layer of haze in Halkin's heart.
If it was not a particularly urgent matter, how could the great and noble Pope Horn come back with only such a small number of guards?
Suppressing his uneasy thoughts, Halkin walked past the Sphinx Huo Ge and stepped onto the marble steps.
The four-petal flower-shaped glass window reflects the dim brilliance of the setting sun and the jumping firelight of the torch on the ground.
There are hundreds of seats and benches in the hall on the first floor. There are all kinds of men, women and children, some wearing linen robes, some wearing silk gowns and linen shirts.
On the high platform on the second floor of the hall, a huge sun gear triangular vertical flag hangs below the high platform like a waterfall.
No matter what their status is, they are all sitting on the benches as equals at this moment, waiting uneasily for Horn's speech.
Not only the public opinion representatives from Castle Joan of Arc came, but the three administrative towns also sent representatives and even the mayor of the town to come in person.
Because Halkin needed to file the list of craftsmen, he came to the hall a little slower than others, just in time for the most important part.
"...The Knights of Ibe have surrendered to the great Holy Father and are loyal to our Redeemer Papal State!" Standing on the high platform covered with gold thread carpet, Horn looked down at the audience with a serious face. of people.
Before everyone's cheers ended, with the help of the nature priest, Horn's voice quickly spread to everyone's ears.
“But I have to tell you two pieces of bad news. The first is that the church nobles of Caxia County have united and launched an attack on Xiaochi City, an important city of the Juannos.
< br>The second is that Rapid City suffered heavy casualties due to the fire and is currently facing a fierce attack by the church army. I am afraid that it will not last long. "
The original cheers stopped suddenly and turned into a series of exclamations. .
They knew the urgency of the news, but they didn't understand what Horn meant by saying this at this time.
The representatives either whispered or suddenly raised their heads to observe Horn's expression.
Horn didn't say anything more, but gave them some time to digest the content.
"I have to inform you." When the noise gradually subsided, Horn took a deep breath, different from his usual frivolity, and said solemnly and slowly, "We are saved in Rapid City, and we are also saved in Xiaochi City. "
"Save Xiaochicheng?" Many people had surprised expressions on their faces.
Everyone can still understand the rescue of Rapid City, but the decision to rescue Koike City caused the representatives and public officials present to whisper among themselves.
"Why should we rescue Xiaochi City?" Horn's stern voice echoed under the dome of the Holy Lord's Demon-Slaying Map. "First, Xiaochi City is our trading partner and has provided us with food aid. Xiaochi City is a member of the Juano Sect. Believers are our fellow believers.
For moral reasons, we must rescue Xiaochi City.
Secondly, if Xiaochi City is breached, it is very likely that the noble coalition will pass through the king. Daodao, attack our Jinhe Township.
Now that the Ibe Knights have just surrendered, there are still internal discords. If they attack, we are very likely to be attacked from both sides by them and the Gouhu Township Church Army.
For military reasons, we must rescue Xiaochi City
Third, Gouhu Township is heavily fortified and has a solid castle. By the time we break through Gouhu Township, Rapid City may have been massacred three times.
Due to political considerations, we must rescue Koike City first. ”
“But what does this have to do with us? "A citizen representative couldn't help raising his hand and asked.
"Yes, the Ibe knights took the initiative to attack us, and we fought back. "I don't know who shouted from below.
" Rapids City has something to do with us, I admit it, but the aristocratic coalition that besieged Xiaochi City is not hostile to us. There is no need to provoke them, right? ”
"Yeah..."
"Hey, why don't we discuss it with them and find a way out."
"Let me tell you..." "Quiet, quiet -" See The scene gradually became noisy, and the night watchmen and skitarii led by Duvallon roared in unison, and even fired muskets as a warning, and then suppressed the quarrel.
Stepping on the soft carpet, Horn scanned the audience, but felt a deep sense of helplessness.
Among this group of public opinion representatives and the middle-level members of the Papal State, most have a paramecium level of vision.
The farmer representatives lowered their heads and took a nap, rubbing their noses indifferently.
As for the citizen representatives, they are very positive, but their positive direction is to take the opportunity to go south to get more religious property and real estate in Jinhe Township and Yibei Township.
They have no idea how urgent this war is. As long as their own lives are good, what does it matter if other people's families live secretly?
This is something that cannot be helped. In order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the army, all those who have some faith and ideals are thrown into the Salvation Army by Horn.
Most of the people who appear here are just everyday people, and their level of concern and participation in politics is extremely low, even worse than the people of Koike City who have personal pain.
“I might as well ask this question, what will happen if the church army invades?” Horn changed his words and asked as if sarcastically, “The Labor Law, the Fugitive Slave Law "What will happen?"
The farmers who didn't care at first raised their heads suddenly, and cold sweat slid down their foreheads quickly.
Needless to say, the simplest one, the Labor Law and the Fugitive Slave Law will be fully restored, the farmland sent out will be taken back, and farmers will be imprisoned on the land again .
Not to mention the workers, who will once again live the miserable life of refugees.
If they had not lived this free and prosperous life now, they would not have been unable to live in the past.
But now they are like Eve and Adam who have tasted the fruit of wisdom, and it is impossible to go back to the past.
Many farmers and labor representatives were so shaken that they had to get out of the hell before they realized that they had been living in the hell.
"What about those church properties and noble properties? What will happen?" In the silence, before the farmer representatives could fully understand, Horn asked again.
"When-" After a few seconds of silence, the cane in a citizen's hand fell to the ground, and their faces turned pale.
At least half of those religious properties fell into the hands of various citizens, armed farmers and craftsmen.
After all, only they have the money to buy jihad bonds, and they have the willingness and ability to buy these religious properties.
If the church comes back, their assets and real estate will definitely be forcibly repossessed.
As soon as these assets were obtained, they had not even had time to earn back their capital, so most of the citizens and craftsmen present would go bankrupt.
They seemed to be able to see the guards going door-to-door to blackmail and force them to quit their workshops or real estate.
Among the small group of citizens and craftsmen, whispers began to begin, and cries of swallowing saliva began to sound from time to time.
Most of those who could be happy about the return of the church were hanged in Victory Square at the beginning of the year.
The remaining people realized that in the past six months, 200,000 people in the entire Kush territory had been firmly bound to the Salvation Army and the Papal State.
The downfall of the Papal States must be their downfall. At this time, it is too late to get out of the trap.
“We are like drowning people who have just raised half of their heads out of the water and took a breath of air with the tip of their noses.” Horn pointed in the direction of Feiliu Castle, “We are obviously doing the right thing. Why is the Qianhe Valley Church still suppressing it so much?
If I were the Pope, these things would never happen. I would let Prince Condai withdraw his troops and let the people of Qianhe Valley live free and equal lives! "
"I previously wrote to the Pope asking him to make me Pope, but he was not allowed to do so. Why? Pointing to the sky above his head, Horn shouted angrily, "The position of pope was promised to me by my grandma. The old pope is dead. Why can't I ascend the throne in the Holy City?"
You are all innocent believers. Why do Prince Condé and Barneyforth oppress us like this? "
"There are demons in the church, and the number is far more than we thought! "
"The name of a demon has become clear, that is Prince Condai - Charles! ”
Some Skitarii representatives immediately shouted loudly.
Yes, they are obviously a righteous party, why does the church suppress them, and why does Prince Condai kill them wantonly?
This is not a holy church, it is clearly an evil devil!
For the family fields, for the newly acquired assets and real estate, even if they are not devils, they are still devils!
After reacting, the situation on the field changed quickly. The farmers gnashed their teeth and cursed Prince Condai, while the citizens shouted loudly.
"Then what can we do? What should we do?" Horn said as if he was roaring, "Come and tell me! What should I do?"
"If you don't give justice to someone, kill them!"
"Expel the devil! Judge the demon!"
"Expel the devil! Judge the demon!"
The originally chaotic shouts gradually turned into a neat one under the leadership of the Skitarii. Cast out the devil! Judge the demon!"
The raised fists were like waves, and the lights were constantly swaying in the wind caused by the shouts and waving fists.
Horn knew that they were not fighting for their fellow believers, public opinion representatives and public officials who had broken away from high-level interests, but were fighting to protect their own lives.
But this is enough. Horn needs them to maintain the normal operation of the Papal State while he is away, and it is enough to be able to withstand possible attacks from Gouhu Township.
As long as the house is not robbed, Horn will have nothing to worry about in this rescue operation.
“I declare——” In the midst of the uniform shouting, Horn raised his right hand high and shouted fervently, “to carry out the Great Judgment Holy War against Xiaochi City and Lower River County. ! ”
(End of this chapter)