Chapter 743 The Grand Funeral
Galvin’s memory of what happened at that bloody funeral was particularly fresh. Now that the current monarch has passed away, he is naturally worried that the forces secretly opposed to Flanders will take the opportunity to cause chaos, threaten Flanders' family, and shake the foundation of the kingdom's rule.
"Father, don't worry, I have already made arrangements. When the time comes, the elite team I have selected will personally protect the Marquise and the two heirs, and there will never be any mistakes!" Phoenix vowed.
Even so, Lord Galvin's face remained solemn.
Phoenix, who was sitting opposite, saw that his father was still worried and added: "If father is still worried, I will personally lead people to protect the Marquise and the two princes."
Galvin suddenly raised his hand and stopped Phoenix.
The current situation is complicated and the enemy and ourselves are unknown. Anyone in the palace may become a hidden danger to the funeral.
After a while, Galvin asked again: "Is there any news from the south?"
The south that Galvin mentioned refers to his son-in-law Art.
A few days ago, Galvin had informed Art about Flanders' funeral and a series of recent major events. But a few days passed and there was still no reply from Art. As time passed, Galvin, who had always been cautious, was afraid of something happening in the south.
If Art could be by his side in this situation, Galvin would feel more confident.
Perhaps it is because Phoenix is too young and has far less experience and qualifications than Art. The more life and death situations arise, the more decisive and strategic a person is needed to control the situation.
But now that water from a distance could not quench his thirst, Galvin had to tell Phoenix again, "Remember, all people entering the church and the square must be strictly scrutinized. Anyone who tries to get close to the two princes and the Marchioness must be arrested first!" Galvin suddenly became fierce, and the familiarity that used to be on his face disappeared instantly.
"Yes!" Phoenix suddenly stood up and replied. At this moment, his father became a decisive and decisive figure in his eyes.
In the early morning of the second day, the sky was dark, the temperature dropped sharply, and sometimes there were strong winds. The entire Besançon was shrouded in a thin morning mist.
At the moment when the church bells rang, crowds of people began to walk towards the church."
Today is the funeral of Flanders, the king of Burgundy.
A few years ago, the funeral of the former Marquis Ivrea was also held here. The sudden appearance of the assassination by the man in black robe at the end of the funeral sows the seeds for the subsequent war of succession.
However, what no one expected was that the Count of Longchal who "stole" the position of marquis would actually die in a foreign country due to the conspiracy of the Duke of Lombardy to assassinate him during the Southern Expedition.
In the years when Flanders took control of the Burgundy Kingdom, although business and trade recovered somewhat, it was still not as prosperous as during Ivrea's reign. Coupled with the disasters the war brought to the people, he became a devil in the eyes of the residents of Besançon. People often compare him to Ivrea, who has been dead for many years. He believed that Flanders was cruel and ruthless. And the late former Marquis Ivrea was definitely a good man.
There is disparagement, but there is also praise.
Although Flanders seized the position of marquis through war, he did gain the love of many townsfolk. In order to restore commerce and agriculture, a series of tax reduction and rent exemption policies won a lot of support for his early rule.
The sky is getting brighter and brighter, and the mist is beginning to disperse.
Soon after, the entrance to Besançon Cathedral was crowded with people holding candles and wearing dark clothes. Some of them came from Lucese in the south to see Flanders off for the last time, and some climbed over the mountains of Kodor just to say their final farewell to this ruler. Others came from the Saône Province in the west, and came to the capital to express their condolences~
People sang hymns in their mouths and walked towards the door of the church step by step.
· The bards in the crowd used their own poems to praise the perseverance and aggressiveness of the Chosen One, and sang to the surrounding crowd of onlookers about the monarch’s great achievements. As we get closer to the cathedral, there are more and more soldiers wearing armor and weapons around.
Although the crowd was crowded, the order at the scene was not chaotic at all.
In the cathedral, Flanders' coffin was placed near the altar. It was surrounded by holy candles, and the coffin glowed with a golden glow under the candlelight.
Since Flanders had been gone for many days, the house had gone through half a month of transportation, and already emitted a rotten smell when it arrived in Besançon. In order to let him die with dignity, the palace specially ordered someone to build a well-sealed coffin, so that the stench would not be emitted during the funeral ceremony.
In the middle of the front row of the church, facing the altar, stood the envoy sent by the King of France and a group of counts, viscounts and other nobles. As a vassal state of the Kingdom of France, these nobles who came to attend the funeral ceremony received the courtesy they deserved.
However, the envoy of the Duchy of Burgundy, who was at the back, looked at the representatives of the Kingdom of France sitting in the front row from time to time, with an intriguing expression on his face.
In addition to the former and current vassal states of the princely state who sent representatives to pay their respects, the Principality of Swabia in the east also did not miss this "rare" opportunity.
When the Duke of Swabia received an invitation from the court of Besançon, it surprised the Duke of Swabia, who had been paying attention to the movements of the Burgundy Kingdom. It was originally thought that the Besançon court would shut out Swabia, but instead of holding Swabia responsible for trying to unite with the Lombardy to invade the Burgundy Kingdom, the other party also actively invited Swabia to attend the funeral ceremony, which really made the wily Duke of Swabia feel incredible.
Surprised, the Duke of Swabia immediately ordered a special envoy to attend the funeral. Firstly, it was to inquire about the recent trends in the Burgundy Kingdom, and secondly, it was to try to resolve the "misunderstanding" between the two parties. After all, no one knows when the Burgundy Kingdom, with the Kingdom of France as its backing, will raise its long sword and strike at Swabia.
Before the special envoy left, the Duke of Swabia specially ordered two large carts of goods to be sent to the Burgundy Kingdom. In the eyes of Swabian court officials, the Duke's move was obviously unnecessary, but the Duke of Swabia still insisted on his opinion. As everyone knows, it was his act of goodwill that laid the foundation for Swabia's subsequent national destiny. In addition, the Principality of Provence and the Mountain Confederation, as allies of the Burgundy Kingdom, also sent special envoys respectively.
The important ministers of the Burgundy court, the Marchioness and the two princes were next to the French envoy. The rest were merchants, nobles and territorial gentry from all over the place, densely surrounding the entire church in circles.
At the two side doors not far from the holy altar, more than twenty elite guards in armor and weapons kept scanning the people closest to the coffin, always ready to step forward to deal with any unexpected accidents.
The glazed window on the wall high behind the altar was slightly opened, and a pair of sharp eyes looked at everything below through the gap.
"Today, God's will allows us all to gather in this sacred church to commemorate this marquis who was loved and respected by the people. He loved the people like a son, hated evil like an enemy, sympathized with the suffering of the people at the bottom, and was often guided by God to help those in need. "
.——He is a friend of the French people and a loyal believer of the Paris Church. Now, his soul has ascended to heaven and returned to God. Let us pray for him and bless him. May God be kind to this faithful believer~"
Amen～~^
Everyone followed the Archbishop of Paris, who was standing on the altar, to draw a Holy Cross on his chest and silently recited a series of prayers.
Behind the window above the altar, Phoenix followed everyone else's actions and said the same prayer.
Immediately, the Archbishop of Paris stepped down from the altar and led a group of bishops to walk around Flanders' coffin. Eight religious guards lifted Flanders' coffin, and under the guidance of the archbishop, they walked in the direction of the temple mourning hall. At this time, the Marquise standing not far away had already burst into tears, and the faces of the two princes were also covered with tears.
Lord Galvin, who was standing beside several people, watched Flanders' coffin leave and winked at the guard at the side door. Soon, Galvin escorted the Marquise and his entourage and disappeared into the crowd along the passage opened by the escort.
At this point, on the same day that King Flanders Otto fell, it was raining continuously in Wellsburg, located at the junction of the hilly plains in central Lombardy.
At this time, in the open space outside the fort gate in the north, thousands of armored soldiers and officers lined up in neat queues, standing motionless.
The biting cold wind whistled, and the heraldic flag mounted on the city tower kept swaying. The blood-eyed howling wolf pattern on it kept flying up and down with the wind, just like a hungry wolf chasing a herd of deer in the open wilderness with its bloody mouth open.
Under the heraldic flag, Art Wood Wells, commander of the Welsh Legion and commander of the Burgundian Southern Expedition, was wearing full plate armor, deerskin boots, and a stainless steel sword at his waist, standing upright facing thousands of soldiers. The constant dripping rain rolled down the shoulder armor and into the stone crevices under the feet, causing splashes of water.
Behind Art, the deputy commanders of the Welsh Legion, Odo and Angus, stood on both sides. The bodyguard Ron and the eight Earl Guard guards also braved the rain and stayed half a step away. Comer, the head of the Royal Guards, was invited to attend.
Under the city wall, thousands of soldiers were in the front row, and officers above the level of flag captain of the Welsh Legion led their respective teams and stood at the head of the team. The Royal Guards, led by the legionnaire, stood side by side on the left side of the Welsh army. The young peasant soldiers of Provence, led by Baron Nadaud, stood on the far right.
Looking from the city wall, thousands of soldiers lined up neatly below were menacing. The desire for battle flashed in every clear eye.
After a while, Art cleared his throat and said loudly: "Today, we will be here to remember a monarch with great leadership..."