When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#494 - Choose one of the three kinds of shit to eat (Part 1)

Flywheel Fortress, as the capital of Hottam County and the central city of the entire Thousand River Valley, is located on the most prosperous waterway of the Nauan River.

At the same time, it is also the only river estuary pass to Leia.

As long as you control this place, you can rely on the river to establish convenient transportation lines whether you are fighting outwards or inwards.

Five hundred years ago, a group of nomads from the Kush grasslands in the northwest migrated here and had to learn farming from the local aborigines.

In the following two hundred years, these nomads slowly spread around, relying on intermarriage and war to gradually expand their ethnic group to the entire Thousand River Valley area.

When the last aboriginal tribe in Norse County offered water and soil representing submission to the King of the Nomads, the Duke, named after Kush, established his capital here.

In order to commemorate Joan of Arc, the saint who guided them to the Thousand River Valley, the place was named Joan's Fortress.

From then on, the people of Thousand River Valley finally had the concept of Kush people.

It not only includes the nomads from the Kush grasslands, but also the integration of local aboriginal blood and culture.

During the early part of the Hundred Years' War, the church took the initiative to compromise in order to gain the support of the inland Thousand River Valley.

The power of the Duke of Kush reached its peak, and he was almost able to wear the crown.

At that time, Joan's Fortress was transformed from a small fishing village into a large city with a population of 150,000, a number that has not been restored to this day.

Unfortunately, in the later period of the Hundred Years' War, the church began to encircle and suppress the heresy of the Personality Sect in the Thousand River Valley.

The Missala Church, which unified the religion and healed the schism between the monastic orders during the war, quickly isolated the Thousand River Valley.

Besieged on all sides, several generations of Kush Dukes fought and compromised, and eventually moved from Joan's Fortress to Canal Town, and finally "moved" back to Joan's Fortress.

Flywheel Fortress has been completely rebuilt, relocated, and flooded, and is no longer the Joan's Fortress of the past.

The only legacy that the Kush ducal family has left in Flywheel Fortress is probably the summer palace in the southeast of the city.

If the coronation had gone smoothly, this would have been the future palace of the Thousand River Valley Kingdom.

Today, it has become the place where Leia's Prince Condé summons his Leia and Frankish vassals.

The Kush Palace, nestled next to the Purple Fox Hunting Ground, has walls and vaults composed of countless slender pillars, very much in the Gothic style of the early Hundred Years' War.

Earl Gairinon strode through the portico, and the bronze animal faces inlaid with emeralds and rubies hung on the wall, staring straight at him.

Every time he passed by here, he felt a chill down his spine.

Walking into the council hall, the heavyweights from all over Hottam County were sitting around a long table.

Including four parish bishops, three cathedral canons, seven abbots of large monasteries, two local titled knights, and five local earls.

Gairinon was one of them.

"Gairinon, you're here." Prince Condé, sitting at the head of the table, wore his golden hair loose, using a crown-shaped band to sweep his hair behind his ears. "Come and sit over here."

As the lord farthest from Flywheel Fortress, Gairinon lowered his head like an old monk after entering and taking his seat, gazing at the carved tabletop of century-old oak.

The blue-green, gold-edged Bello carpet under his feet should be the masterpiece of the Bello family of the Norn Kingdom.

The entire room hummed with activity as maids and servants bustled in and out, serving the dignitaries cups of tea and wine.

"It's almost noon, haven't the two monastery abbots arrived yet?" After waiting for the two abbots for so long, Prince Condé didn't show much anger.

This blood lion on the battlefield was surprisingly calm and tolerant in peacetime.

But no one dared to touch his authority, because he always inexplicably bit people from time to time, and one bite could kill.

One second he would be laughing and joking with someone, and the next second he might order someone to be dragged out and hanged.

This situation has become particularly obvious since he returned from High Fort.

"Abbot Trianni has not replied, while Abbot Valerio tore up the letter in person, saying that he would never collude with executioners," Barnifos whispered as a reminder.

More than 70% of the dignitaries present had classic Frankish or Leia names, even though more than half of their veins flowed with Kush blood.

The organized expulsion and extermination of the Kush people has only emerged in the last hundred years, and it is estimated that it will take another hundred or eighty years to truly complete the replacement of bloodlines.

But in terms of the extinction of spiritual culture, it is estimated that it will be completed in another fifty years, after two generations.

Probably only this Kush Abbot Valerio is truly willing to speak out for the Kush people, while Abbot Trianni is typically the type to close the door and not get involved with anyone.

"Then I suppose they probably won't come," Prince Condé didn't express much, just nodded slightly. "Let's begin now."

The dignitaries immediately stopped their private conversations, sat up straight, and waited for Prince Condé's speech.

"According to the Pope's investiture and recognition, my tax farming rights have been converted into hereditary rights, so I may be stationed in the Thousand River Valley permanently," Prince Condé announced to them.

"This is simply great news."

"It's wonderful that you can stay in the Thousand River Valley."

Two monastery abbots immediately began to flatter him, while the rest of the dignitaries remained silent.

They really needed Prince Condé.

Whether it was the Salvation Army in the south, the Duke of Herma Stone's army in the north, or even the Holy Grandson's Volunteer Army within the territory, they were somewhat unable to deal with them.

If Prince Condé had not come to the Thousand River Valley, it is estimated that Flywheel Fortress would have been besieged by the Duke of Herma Stone's army today.

Their flood-like army almost instantly washed away Upper River County and directly approached Hottam County, otherwise Mizam would not have suggested that Prince Condé go north first.

The Salvation Army is still separated from Hottam County by Lower River County and Kashia County. If the Duke of Herma Stone's army in Upper River County is not dealt with first, I am afraid that the north will be lost before the south even starts fighting.

But judging from the current battle results, Prince Condé has suffered two defeats and lost four edict companies before and after, which is not good.

Although the Duke of Herma Stone's army in the north was severely injured and shrank back, Kashia County and Lower River County were lost, and half of the territory was taken by the Salvation Army.

There are nearly a thousand knights from the two places surrounding Flywheel Fortress, living by robbing merchants and suppressing the Holy Grandson's Volunteer Army.

According to the current situation, the urgent task is to ensure that Lower River County cuts off the Salvation Army and the Duke's army, preventing the two sides from joining forces.

Currently, there are three piles of shit in front of the nobles of the Thousand River Valley: Prince Condé, the Duchess of Herma Stone, and the Holy Grandson Pseudo-Emperor.

The Duchess of Herma Stone has always been known for her reign of terror and bloody killings, especially the liquidation of the Blue Blood Orphans incident, which they absolutely cannot allow.

The Holy Grandson Pseudo-Emperor is even more impossible. The way they cleanse the nobles and burn churches is absolutely unacceptable.

It's not like they haven't been ruled by brutal lords before, it's just a matter of enduring it until he dies, and then continuing to live in peace and prosperity.

But the Salvation Army is different. The brutal duke only wants money and lives, but the Salvation Army is digging up their roots.

All things considered, Prince Condé is the lesser of three evils, and they can swallow him with a little effort.

Gairinon analyzed the situation in his heart, and could roughly determine that the next step would be the classic act of asking for money.

After all, without money and people, how can they counterattack?

There's no way around it, they have to pinch their noses and give it.

"Because Leia is currently still in a civil war, I have decided to relocate a group of residents and the families of knights here," Prince Condé said without changing his expression. "There will be approximately 20,000 Leia and Frankish immigrants, including those knights, so I may need approximately 210,000 hectares of land."

"Boom—"

Thunder suddenly sounded outside the window, and the teacup in Gairinon's hand fell to the ground, leaving a terrible stain on the precious carpet.