plumnovel #256 - For victory
#256 - For victory
“Now, are we launching now?”
Standing outside the door, Bolitz leaned slightly, trying to hear the sounds from the meeting hall, but was forced back by the gaze of the Warpriest guarding the door.
“Yes.” Horne sat at one end of the long table, calmly watching the many elders present.
After laboriously reading the document in his hand, Thomas hesitantly raised his hand: “Your Majesty, I don't quite understand.”
“What don't you understand?”
“You see, our preparations are not yet sufficient, and many Warpriests have not yet met the standards you set…”
“Standards are rigid, people are flexible.” Horne waved his hand, “There will never be a time when everything is ready.”
“Or we can wait two more days. Now that two families have revolted, they might transfer troops from Jeanne d'Arc Fortress to suppress them. That way, fewer of our good lads will die,” Hakuto said with a frown.
“Our supplies are running out.” Armand shook the ledger in his hand, “We can support ourselves for ten days at most.”
“Your Majesty, actually…” an elder raised his hand and said, “As you know, Daze Township has abundant fish resources. We can survive the spring famine by fishing when spring comes.
There are also many abandoned fields on Autumn Twilight Island. As long as we work hard to plant fast-maturing radishes, we might be able to support ourselves for a few more days.
If we are short of anything, we can smuggle it from Jeanne d'Arc Fortress.
I have calculated that with the efficiency of the scroll weaving machine, as long as we expand production, import wool from them, and then weave it into cloth, the money we earn will be enough to buy daily necessities.”
After a suffocating silence, Horne sighed softly.
He stood up from his seat, put his hands on the table, and stared at everyone present:
“Most of our food and supplies rely on the people of Jeanne d'Arc Fortress risking their lives to smuggle to us.
They have families, and they help us smuggle without reporting us, just because we brought them hope.
They hope that we can defeat the Church, just like we did before, and return the fields to them.
This promise is also our legal basis. You can regard it as a contract we signed with the people of Jeanne d'Arc Fortress.
They paid their support on time, so we must fulfill our promise on time.”
After Horne finished speaking, most of the high-level officials were silent, or lowered their heads to think about something.
But in Horne's opinion, a large part of them were distracted, and only a small part were thinking.
Standing under the dog's head named “Stag”, Horne did not disturb them, but gave them some time to digest and brew.
“Don't regard the three months as a rigid agreement.” Changing his mind, Horne knocked on the table, “But regard this war as a continuation of the Battle of Jeanne d'Arc Fortress. Do you still remember why we fought against the Duke at Jeanne d'Arc Fortress in the first place?”
The senior and junior officers, bishops, and elders were all stunned.
Involuntarily, long dragons composed of torches, knights falling from the long bridge, and the ground and river stained red with blood appeared before their eyes.
At that time, they were fighting to avoid being slaughtered, fighting for their dead relatives and friends, and fighting for those unwillingnesses and grievances.
Finally, they knew that they were not the opponent of the enemy for the time being, so they chose to enter the Black Bone Swamp and slowly accumulate strength to avenge themselves.
Horne looked at these high-level officials whose expressions were gradually changing: “Duke Melia has now launched a rebellion. The previous letter of favor has been invalidated. Do you think the city hall of Jeanne d'Arc Fortress can restrain the mercenaries?
The reason why the people of the Duchy of Kush can still work and live peacefully is because the news of Melia has not been completely spread.
If it is completely spread and Melia becomes the target of public criticism, what do you think will be the fate of Jeanne d'Arc Fortress, which is sheltered by her?”
The elders moved uneasily on their chairs, and many people's faces began to turn slightly red.
Life on Autumn Twilight Island was more comfortable than expected, and they had almost forgotten that this was just a transit station.
“Although our life has been stable, this stability has been exchanged for the suffering of the people of Jeanne d'Arc Fortress and the people of Thousand River Valley.
The sooner we set off, the sooner we can save them from suffering. Do you want our faithful brothers to still be mired in pain?”
The voice echoed in the conference room, and Horne's immature voice actually carried a bit of paternal majesty.
“Don't escape, remember your original intention! Think carefully, why are we here!”
After a brief silence, Elder Sachis took the lead to stand up and said loudly: “I support the expedition!”
“I support all the decisions of His Holiness the Pope.”
“Agreed!”
“I agree! Your Majesty, you are virtuous!”
In the chaotic expressions, Horne slammed his right hand heavily on the table, dissipating all sounds except his own:
“Then the date of the expedition will be set for the day after tomorrow, that is, February 16th.”
On the evening of the day the meeting ended, the semi-circular theater was overcrowded.
Brune crowded in the crowd, against the flow of people, between countless calves and knees, slowly walking towards the reserved seat.
Judging from the cheers in his ears, His Holiness the Pope's speech had already begun.
However, the level of the elders determined that they could not maintain order well, so this small group of Brune had not been able to reach the predetermined position until now.
According to the notice issued in the afternoon, each ten households had to send three to five people to the scene to participate.
This is generally done by sending respected adult heads of households to act as representatives of public opinion.
Brune had no family, but as a Warpriest, he was still selected as one of the representatives of public opinion.
As for what His Holiness the Pope was going to announce, as a Warpriest, the chaplain of Brune's legion had already hinted.
Probably, it was going to be a war.
“…Look, the people who plant wheat can only eat wheat bran, the people who weave cloth have no clothes, the bricklayers live in thatched houses, and the wet nurses have to sell their children!”
“What kind of life are we living!”
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Finally sitting on the volcanic ash stone seat, Brune raised his head and looked at Horne in the center of the semi-circular stage.
Today, Horne was not wearing his papal robes, but instead put on the battle group leader's dress customized for Horne by the Holy Foundry Clothing Workshop.
That was a more close-fitting and neatly ironed long coat, with a short cape sewn on the shoulders to the bend of the legs.
The cape was embroidered with a scarlet gold-rimmed sun, representing that there are no two suns in the sky, and there are no two saints in the country. There is only one sun in the Church, and that is Pope Horne.
As for the cardinals, they also received archbishop dresses similar to military uniforms, with a huge italic French word “Piety” embroidered on the back.
As for the officers at the legion commander level, the military uniforms were similar to the bishop's dresses, except that the capes sewn on the shoulders were embroidered with “Loyalty”.
At this moment, Horne stood behind the lectern on the high platform, and as he spoke, the flames on the torches erected next to the theater were shaking.
His voice was accurately transmitted to everyone's ears through the theater's special sound duct design and the bronze urns buried beside the steps.
Almost every pause of his was met with almost unstoppable applause and cheers.
“…Humans are all children of Adam and Eve. Regardless of surname or nationality, they come from the same ancestor in terms of flesh, and from the hands of the Holy Father in terms of soul!
Why did humans live and work in peace in ancient times? Why are there so many hardships and disturbances later?
It's just that demons came from the Fire Hell to the Land of Bliss, deceiving and tempting the world.
People always regard priests and nobles as fathers and shepherds of the people, but they never thought that from the very beginning, humans in the Land of Bliss were humans, and everyone was equal.
Although there are bishops and kings, they still respect the common people and will not oppress them. Bishops and kings are elected from the common people.
So where do the bishops who inherit redemption and the kings who pass on from father to son come from now?
They harbor evil, they do not come from the Kingdom of Heaven, the initial humans were inherently good, they do not come from the human world, then they can only come from the Fire Hell!
Since they come from the Fire Hell, their identities are self-evident.
That is the devil and the demon!
Otherwise, how could they swallow the blood of our relatives and friends, take away the rations that save our lives, and destroy the homes where we live?
How could the Holy Father's kingdom become like this? The devil is dragging our world into the Fire Hell.
Now Catherine, a devout believer in Rapidstream City, has revolted in the west, and Melia has revolted in Coldspring Fortress in the north.
The devil has already appeared, are our Savior Battle Group still going to stop?
Aren't our Warpriests existing to save the world?”
Saying this, Horne took a breath, straightened his back, and on the stage, the leaping firelight reflected in countless angry pupils.
It's time.
“I announce!” Horne stretched out his right hand, as if to shake hands with everyone, “From now on, in order to clear the devils within the Church, the Savior Battle Group launches a great trial against the Church of Thousand River Valley.
We will fight, constantly fight, until we completely clear the devils in the Church! Until we save this dying world!
May the Holy Lord bless us, we will raise the banner of salvation and justly judge everything, and repay all blood debts and grievances!”
“For our dead children!” Someone suddenly shouted.
This sentence was like a stone thrown into the lake, and the ripples it stirred up made countless people stand up and shout.
“For the injustices suffered!” A craftsman stepped onto the railing.
“For dignity, for freedom, for justice!” A blind low-level monk from Thousand River Valley roared, grabbing the flagpole.
Everyone stood up, all the words constantly converging, and in the echo of the hall, their words turned into uniform shouts:
“For victory!”
“For victory!!”