Chapter 432: The self-defeating fortress
Hime Time flies by, and a week has passed in the blink of an eye.
The Salvation Army's siege of Quemu Castle is still continuing, but there are two completely different worlds inside and outside the city walls.
Outside the city, the "Salvation Army" camp was in good order.
Every morning, the smoke and the aroma of wheat porridge rising from hundreds of large pots have become the most moving scenery in this dead land. Attracted by the intoxicating fragrance, new hungry people join in almost every day.
Most of them are refugees going to Twilight City, but now... obviously there is no need to go there. After all, they are still begging for food.
There were also some people who went to seek refuge with their relatives, and the Salvation Army did not stop these people from going, and even generously allowed them to drink a bowl of wheat porridge before going on their way.
These people set out gratefully. There is no need to ask, they will bring the legend of "Saint Karen" to the capital of Twilight Province.
As these travelers saw, this army that changed its banner not only solved the problem of feeding everyone, but also established order in this land.
· Under the organization of the soldiers who call themselves the Salvation Army, tens of thousands of refugees have divided their respective areas according to villages, and have kept their homes in order. Although they are still crude, they are no longer as chaotic as before.
Not only that, with the help of The Salvation Army, some poor people who were separated from their relatives on the way to escape were also surprised to find their families again. Many people originally thought that their relatives had died in the chaos of war, but found that they were not far away from them, but they never found each other.
Praise to Her Royal Highness the Holy Lady.
Now they are reunited!
In addition, Her Majesty the Reverend Saint also held simple weddings for several couples.
Some of them are fateful lovers who met on the road, and some are old sweethearts who have known each other for many years, but only recently confirmed their feelings for each other.
The household registration department in charge of Slok registered the identities of these newlyweds, which was considered as a publicity opportunity.
Although the wedding was very haphazard and the saint could only give them a few words of blessing, they were all grateful to her.
After all, in this land, it is a rare thing to get a marriage blessed by a clergy, and a few words of blessing already made them very satisfied.
Most couples just made an oath in front of a church or a priest...
The camp was filled with singing and dancing, full of joy, but in contrast, there was a dark cloud hanging over the castle that would not go away.
Since the rebels' food supply was not guaranteed, the quartermaster could only raise the expectation of persistence from three years to five years. Therefore, the soldiers' rations could only be reduced by half accordingly.
And they are pretty good.
The rations for non-combatants were directly reduced to one-third of the original amount.
Although Layden also knew that cutting people's rations at this time was not a good idea, he could only do it as soon as possible while everything was just beginning.
The soldiers were lying on the battlements, looking outside the castle. At first they could still see the jokes of the hungry people, but now they were locked in a cage with no future.
· Whenever the wind blows from outside the city, the aroma of food is like the most vicious curse, tormenting their already empty stomachs and empty hearts.
"How long are we going to keep guard?"
Looking at the looming wedding outside the city wall, Camille, who was holding a musket, couldn't help but said this with envy.
There are people waiting for him to return outside. He has not heard from her for a while.
I hope she is still alive.
The veteran next to him grinned and laughed at himself in an uncertain tone.
"Maybe... wait until the king's reinforcements arrive?"
"Does he still remember that he has this territory?"
"I hope he still remembers."
The two chatted, not afraid of the cold arrows and hidden guns from the opposite side. Those rebels did do this in the past, but after taking off their turbans, they suddenly became "above and aboveboard".
Of course, it may be that he doesn’t bother to do this.
God knows who is standing behind them this time, but I think the cards on the other side are much bigger than their "Mr. Governor".
The soldiers on the side couldn't help but say something more, interjecting into their conversation with an envious tone.
h "I bet he must be drinking red wine in the palace, and there must be ten beauties sitting in his arms!"
h "That won't mean... Theoden is already old, and he would have died long ago after all this trouble."
h " What if he is an extraordinary person? I heard that it is easy for nobles to practice. "Then you should have heard that nobles are also lazy, and not all of them can endure hard training."
"Ha, no matter who is sitting in his arms, I wish him a long life!"
The soldiers did not shy away from the majesty of the royal family, although they did not have much respect for the distant king.
Hand, this sentiment has become stronger than ever recently.
Rather than how long they will be guarding, what they want to ask is another question -
What kind of things are they guarding?
Thinking of the rumor about "Saint Karen", dissatisfaction spread quietly in everyone's hearts like invisible vines.
Who represents holiness and justice?
With the ebb and flow of the other, the offensive and defensive momentum seemed to have been reversed...
Just when the defenders' hearts were floating, Brennan, wearing a bearskin, walked to the moat alone, carrying a short ax and a round shield.
The soldiers on the city wall suddenly became nervous, holding on to their muskets and crossbows, and prepared for battle!
Brennan grinned, as if he didn't see it, and there was no personal protection around him.
He stopped and looked up at the city wall, and a loud sound sounded like a war drum.
"Theron Gard! If you still remember your glory, and you are still a thing with eggs, then stand up and speak!"
There was a commotion on the city wall.
After a while, Earl Theron, dressed in military uniform, reluctantly appeared behind the battlements under the protection of a group of knights.
This is his second "meeting" with Brennan.
This savage in bearskin is still as rude as he was the last time we met!
Lendon, who was standing behind Theron, frowned.
He could feel that the aura of the rebel leader seemed to have changed. Although there is no obvious difference in strength from the last time they fought, the nature of the power seems to be different.
He couldn't tell what it felt like, but in short, the disgusting smell was gone.
Instead, there is an incredible... holiness?
Leiden shook his head and drove this strange thought out of his mind.
He would rather believe that he was wrong.
"Damn traitor! Man-eating scum! You dare to let me speak out? Ha! I have nothing to talk about with a beast. I would rather stay here until the end of time! When His Majesty the King's reinforcements arrive, he will hang all of you scum on the gallows!"
Theron roared with great momentum, which made his round body look less funny.
Even if only he knows how powerful he is, he is a threat.
If there was such a thing as reinforcements, he would never wait until now, let alone be driven into the castle by a group of armed mud-legs.
Only a demon funded by Hell, or a demon funded by Chaos, could make him so embarrassed!
Saint?
It’s really hard for these idiots to find a village girl pretending to be a priest!
Faced with the bluff threat, Brennan just shrugged indifferently, and then shouted behind him.
"I told you, Your Highness, they will not listen to advice... just let Saint Sith punish them."
Theron sneered.
"What are you talking about in your sleep! If Saint Sith really wants to punish you, he will also punish you for this——"
His voice had not yet finished, the second half of the sentence was stuck in his throat, and his wide eyes bulged slightly outward.
In the camp outside the city, a young woman was seen walking toward the city gate.
The woman was wearing a simple nun's robe, and her quiet face was filled with calmness and kindness, just like the Virgin who came out of an oil painting.
Theron's Adam's apple moved and he swallowed back half of the unsaid words. There was only disbelief and a trace of unconcealable fear on his face.
This...how is it possible!
He can be sure that all the clergy in his territory, from priests to nuns, including church servants... As long as they have not been killed by the Green Forest Army, almost all of them are in this castle!
Where did this guy come from? !
It was not just Earl Theron who was in disbelief. Raiden, who was standing behind him, and the surrounding defenders also exploded, exchanging disbelieving glances at each other.
"The rumors... are actually true?!"
"Impossible! This must be a fake where they got it from!"
"But...don't you think she looks more like the nuns in the castle? They can only pray to the gods and can't do anything, but she can conjure bread!"
< br/> "Wait, do you really believe she can make bread?"
"I don't think so what? Could it be that the food in the bowls of the refugees is our illusion?"
At first they thought that Saint Karen was just a rumor made up by the rebels, until she actually appeared in front of them.
Those various rumors about the Salvation Army were all added with a sacred filter at this moment, and became mutually corroborating testimony with the Saint Karen standing in front of them at this moment!
That sacred filter was naturally attached to her body, and it did not come from any holy light visible to the naked eye, but her very existence became that light.
"Count Theron Gard, I am here to end the suffering of this land by the will of my lord."
"Shut up! You..."
Theron panted violently, staring at Kallen in surprise, but he could not say the words "fake".
What if it is true?
He was also a little vague in his heart and did not dare to speak too harshly. If the time came, he would really offend the gods and there would be no good fruit to eat.
After swallowing a gulp of saliva, Theron chose to skip this irrelevant question and stared at her and asked sharply.
"Who are you! Who is behind you! Why did you betray your king and join these gangsters!"
"My name is Karen, a nun who heard divine grace in a desperate situation. I am not loyal to any secular king, and naturally I have not betrayed anyone. I only serve the God in my heart." Kallen looked at the frightened Earl calmly, and her calm and soft voice seemed to have the power to soothe people.
However, this soothing power made the knights standing on the top of the city panic.
"She heard the grace of God?!"
"It's true..."
"I, I don't think she is lying...you will go to hell if you pretend to be God's will!"
"No wonder...she wants to give the land to people, only God would do such a thing."
The soldiers were in an uproar, whispering in horror, trying to find the answer from their side.
Looking at the whispering soldiers, the knight commander drew his sword and shouted sharply.
"Shut up! Don't hear the witch's instigation! It's just a strategy of the rebels to deceive people. Think about what they have done before. Once they breach the castle, they will immediately tear off the masks on their faces!"
His voice played a certain role, but the role was not as great as imagined.
The people in the castle have become disorganized. If a fight breaks out, they may not be able to hold on for long.
The reason why their formation is still stable is simply because the two sides have not yet met each other.
Karen did not scold him for his rudeness, she just looked at the livid count and continued in a calm voice.
"As you can see, people in this land are dying for meaningless things."
The count did not speak.
Leiden, who was standing behind him, took a step forward and stared sharply at the woman who claimed to be a nun.
"How dare you say that our glory is meaningless?" Kallen did not avoid his gaze.
「并不是我说的，也不是任何一个人说的，而是这已经成为了事实，难道不是吗？」
不等雷登回答，她用平静而庄严的语气继续说道。
"You have given up on your own people, either taking your wealth to hide with your neighbors, or hiding in your own castles, letting the devil devour their souls, and imagining that non-existent friends will come to help you... You have given up long ago It's just that he hasn't admitted it yet...
Raiden's Adam's apple moved, and he felt like an arrow had been hit in his knee, but the pain penetrated into his heart.
He finally vaguely realized what he had always felt awkward about.
He and his family have been loyal to Count Quemu for generations, and all legal principles originate from that ancient and sacred contract. However, the sacred contract contains not only the sentence "Knights should be loyal to their lords", but also another sentence that is often mentioned separately by the lords - "The lords are obliged to protect their own people."
The two sentences together constitute a complete contract.
Now that the lord has long ceased to fulfill his obligations, the glory he regards as life has naturally become a joke. He thought he was a knight, but in fact he was just a lackey of power...
Just as Raiden was struggling in his heart, a trace of relief finally appeared on Theron's face, which was distorted by fear.
He has no doubt that he still has the strength to fight. These weak mud-legged people have to pay huge casualties to take over the castle, but why should he risk his noble body with them?
This does no good.
They can believe in a saint who appears out of nowhere today, but they can convert to another stronger and stronger bandit tomorrow.
He knows those farmers very well. These guys have no beliefs or positions. Just buying them with an egg is enough.
In this case...
Why not get off the donkey while they are just reciting the Holy Scriptures now?
If admitting that this village girl is a saint can save his life, it’s not like he can’t hold his nose and admit it.
This is also the reason why he didn't shout out the phrase "fake".
Hide the calculation in his heart, Theron forced himself to be calm and shouted outside the castle.
"What do you want to talk to me about?"
Kallen looked at him and slowly stated the terms of peace.
"Give up this castle. Since you have given up your obligations and deserted your subjects, leave this land to the people who love it."
"Then you will be free. , you can leave with everyone who is willing to follow you, and go wherever you want.”
These words melting in the wind drifted into the ears of Count Theron, and also into the ears of every soldier.
The tone of forgiveness for all sins, as if they were the ones locked in the cage...by the gods in the dark.
While Theron was still hesitating, the soldiers beside him could no longer restrain the desire in their eyes.
Leave peacefully?
They don’t have to die here!
Although the rebels have no credibility at all, it is Her Royal Highness the Saint who is standing there after all, and all this is done in the name of God.
They don't have the calculations in the count's mind, and they are not much smarter than the farmers outside, but their lives are just a little better than the latter...
"...It's difficult to do." Theron struggled in his heart and looked at his knights, "What do you think?"
Leden struggled for a moment, but still chose to faithfully fulfill his mission as a knight.
Even though this glory has long been tarnished.
"My lord, please think twice! The rebels have no integrity at all, and it is common for them to go back on their word! Once you open the city gate, they will immediately tear the contract to pieces and rush in like jackals!"
Hmph.
What you can guess, I can’t guess?
Theron sneered in his heart, but said nothing. He only thought about it for a long time, and then slowly spoke.
"Leiden, can I trust you?"
Leiden was stunned for a moment.
"Of course, sir...what do you mean?"
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
He understood the count's eyes, which meant "I will take good care of your family."
Leiden smiled bitterly in his heart and sighed slightly.
In fact, the earl doesn’t have to be like this at all. Even if he doesn’t say anything, he will fulfill his oath until the last moment.
He paused and spoke.
"Sir, please rest assured, I will take care of your worries."
Theron had a gratified smile on his face, put his hands on the knight's shoulders, and said in a solemn voice.
"Don't worry, I will take your family to Dusk City, and then we will go to the Royal Capital. Regardless of whether you come back or not, your children will be raised by me, and I will treat them as my own!"
Leiden was silent for a long time and whispered.
"The Kechtel family has lived in this land for generations, please let my family stay with me. If the gods want to take my soul away, please let my body be buried here and let my family be buried beside me."
Theron did not persuade him. After all, it would not do him any good to bring more family members. With less burdensome people, he can bring more treasures.
Anyway, from now on, he no longer needs the loyalty of this knight.
However, he still said it hypocritically.
int since he didn't respond anymore.
"Callen, right? I can't say whether you are a saint or not, but your kindness... really moved me! For the sake of Saint Sith, I can give the castle to you. If you think that everything will be fine if you get a castle, then just take it!"
"But!"
"You must retreat ten kilometers - no! Twenty kilometers! Let those...poor people who have no intention of continuing this struggle leave safely! And promise never to harm any of the soldiers around me! As long as you can do it, this castle will be yours!"
There was an expression of compassion on his face, as if he had made a huge sacrifice by giving up the castle, all for the sake of the people around him.
Even though he was actually scared to death in his heart, the "poor person" in his mouth was himself.
There was an uproar on the city wall, and the soldiers and knights had expressions of astonishment on their faces. They did not expect that their count would actually agree to hand over the castle given to him by the king.
However...
No one mutinied.
Not even angry.
Including Leiden, everyone felt relieved.
After losing their only sacred obligation, they want to stay with their families and return to a peaceful and peaceful life more than illusory honors.
They have no desire to have the blood of their neighbors on their hands.
The protracted siege ended in this way, perhaps it was the mercy of the gods...
Brennan was also shocked.
Won?
The opponent just...surrendered?
He had imagined many possibilities, including Saint Sith sending a plague to the castle, including a thunder falling from the sky and killing the count on the spot, but he never expected that it would end in such an incredible outcome.
Hand cannot sympathize with the count's inner struggle. He only feels that this is more like a miracle than bread falling from the sky.
At this moment, he no longer had any doubts about Karen in his heart.
No matter who she was before or where she came from, the foundation of her faith is somewhat of the Holy Light.
Now, she is the saint of the Twilight Province!
Karen did not expose Earl Theron's hypocrisy, she just looked at the frightened guy calmly and nodded lightly.
"My Lord said, He is sure."
"We will wait for a day on the plain twenty kilometers away until the sun rises to its current position tomorrow."
"Such a long time is enough for you to pack your luggage, and we will not send anyone to chase you."
After saying that, she turned to look at Brennan, who was still in shock, and ordered in a gentle voice.
"General Brennan, ask your people to retreat ten kilometers away, just take our luggage with them. There is no need to evacuate the camp. We will come back at this time tomorrow." Brennan, who was stunned for a long time, finally came to his senses. He didn't say any unnecessary nonsense and just nodded.
The two of them returned to the camp together.
In this way, under the incredulous eyes of the defenders, the mighty Salvation Army really packed up their gear and flags in an orderly manner and moved towards the north of Quemu Fort.
Some hungry people followed them and seemed to have become their followers.
And more people stayed where they were, because they believed that Her Majesty the Holy Lady would not abandon them, and she would come back here!
ification Theron did not hesitate for a moment, like a fat rat in a hurry, urging the panicked steward, and the servants all rushed into his palace.
His court is at the highest point of the castle.
Now he only regretted why he didn't pack his things earlier, as there was only less than twenty-four hours left for him.
No——
Perhaps only until dark.
He had to set out at night, so as to ensure that those guys would not go back on their word and follow him, and arrive at the provincial capital calmly.
The family was quarreling over who could bring more luggage. The noisy appearance made everyone feel disgraced, including Sailon himself.
Looking at the rats running around in the castle, Raiden felt desolate in his heart.
In the end, he was actually protecting such a group of things.
He felt more and more unworthy of the glory that he was proud of in the past...
(End of this chapter)