CH 151 Legrand's War

As if with the help of God, the first batch of Holy Legion gathered from all the countries on the east coast of the Abyss Strait passed through the storm smoothly and arrived at Koszoya.

"Why did you choose Koszoya as the first target?"

Sisian, who had the best personal relationship with Pope Theolde, asked.

They were on a white warship protected by many ships, sailing on the surface of the Abyss Strait. The Pope decided to personally serve as the commander of the Holy Legion movement, but he himself did not appear in the army vanguard heading for Koszoya.

The Holy Legion that was convened this time was divided into three branches. The first was mainly composed of people from the Alliance of the Hopeless Inland Sea and the Abyss Strait countries. This Holy Legion was the nearest to Legrand, and it was also the earliest to be prepared, known as the "Holy Legion of the Sea". The main force of the second Holy Legion branch was the Holy Empire. This Holy Legion included the most elite troops of the Holy Court. The Knights Templar and the Eternal Knights were in it. Because of the large number of people and more preparations, it was the second batch to sail towards Legrand. This was the army under the highest control of the Pope, known as the "Holy Legion of the Holy Land". The last Holy Legion was composed of the "Holy Legion of the North" and the "Holy Frontier Army" of the Lowland Alliance.

The last Holy Legion would not officially join the battlefield until mid-July.

The three holy armies formed an unprecedentedly large army, totaling more than 200,000.

The Pope unhurriedly planted small white flags on the sand table, with the flag symbolizing the Holy Sea Corps directly under the Holy See at the front, with a golden cross on it: "The Golden Land of Legrand, Koszoya. If we did not encourage the Five Ports Alliance to monopolize Legrand's southeast business, who do you think would win in the business competition from the Abyss Strait to the Hopeless Inland Sea, the Lowland Alliance or the Legrand southeast chambers of commerce?"

Sisian was not familiar with shipping and commerce. He frowned and thought for a while: "I heard that the ship technology of the Lowland Alliance is better than that of Legrand. Even without our help, it should be the Lowland Alliance."

"Wrong, it's Legrand." The Pope said, "You only see the ships of the Lowland Alliance, but you don't see their internal disputes. They consist of dozens of small city-states and small countries, and they are a group of lambs gathered together. When a flock of sheep gathers, they can protect themselves, but they cannot compete for supremacy in the world. But Legrand is different."

The Pope closed his eyes slightly, as if recalling something.

"In the eleventh century, Legrand's William I began to relax export restrictions and formulated the first tariff support regulations. Although this regulation was opposed by the nobles in the later period. So William I turned to help the establishment of the Five Port Alliance. The original purpose of the Five Port Alliance was to help the newly emerging commercial cities in the southeast of Legrand to resist the oppression of the monastery and the old aristocracy." The Pope opened his eyes, "Commerce is an industry that was opposed by the church teachings, and it is also a social class that naturally stands on the opposite side of us. From that time, Legrand saw where they could borrow swords against us."

"When the Five Port Alliance developed most powerfully under the influence of the royal family, it repelled Bressi's expeditionary force many times. If the Five Port Alliance continued to develop in accordance with the original wishes of the Legrand royal family, it would form an unprecedented Southeast Chamber of Commerce Alliance that would weave a net touching every port in the world with Koszoya Port as the heart, and gold would flow into Legrand through this net."

"That's why we secretly helped the head family of the Five Port Alliance for so many years."

Sisian suddenly realized, but at the same time, he was faintly startled.

He did not expect that Theolde had such a deep understanding of these matters, or that the Holy Court would attach so much importance to Legrand. Being able to discover this kind of development trajectory in advance meant that the Holy Court had been paying close attention to Legrand's every move. Vaguely, Sisian seemed to understand what other sanctuaries among the Twelve Sanctuaries of the Holy Court have been doing over the years.

"Anything can become a double-edged sword, and so is the Five Port Alliance. It can expand outwards and become a net covering both sides of the Abyss Strait, or it can turn itself into a net that imprisons Legrand itself. The Pope said, "They are not stupid, and they have been trying to change its direction over the years. In fact, war has always existed, invisible and tangible. For so many years, Legrand and us have been repeatedly pulling strings under the surface. And the establishment of the Free Chamber of Commerce meant they won in the end."

"But it doesn't matter. Now that Koszoya is still destroyed, we are the ones who will win in the end."

Sisian said with respect from the bottom of his heart.

"Under our efforts of suppression, the fact that Legrand's southeast business could still develop to this point, means we have already lost. There is nothing to be happy about, it is a humiliation." The Pope shook his head, "Besides, there is another reason... Even if I come here in person, do you think that all the Holy Legion of the Sea will really obey my orders 100%?"

"...They..." Sisian hesitated for a moment, knowing that Theolde obviously didn't need his compliments, so he chose to tell the truth, "I don't think so. The guys from the Abyss Strait Alliance and the Hopeless Inner Sea Alliance are a group of profiteers. The only thing that could drive them is profit."

"Correct, we can't control them."

The Pope said.

He stretched out his hand and pulled up all the small flags planted in Koszoya Port except the golden cross flag, and held them in his hand.

"Then don't control them." The Pope raised his hand, and the flags scattered in the southeast abdomen of Legrand, "Indulge them and stir up their ferocity. These are a group of greedy wolves. We don't need to tame the wolves. We just need to give them a target to tear Legrand's southeast trade route to pieces before they turn their jaws and their fangs on us."

Sisian was slightly taken aback.

"We are here to destroy this country, not to conquer it."

The Pope raised his head and glanced at Sisian. There was a certain kind of extreme chill hidden in his eyes.

"Understood, Your Majesty."

Sisian was solemn, this time he naturally called Theolde "Your Majesty".

"If you want to destroy this country, why not let the angels descend directly on Legrand?"

"Do you think that the appearance of the Dragon Wing Battleship at the Throne of God Wharf was just a coincidence?" The Pope asked back, "The Angelic Host has their own enemies. In this war, the outcome of this war is neither dependent on the kingdom of God nor hell." 

The Pope looked down at the entire sand tray.

He planted the second flag with a golden cross near Herrid City.

"It is dependent on the Holy Empire and the Legrand Empire."

"It's in our hands."

………………

If there were people who couldn't understand the significance of the King's summoning "adult men over the age of sixteen and under the age of sixty across the country to fight for Legrand", now they understood. Whether it was nobles or commoners, they all understood. The fall of Koszoya and the massacre of Koszoya and its nearby towns have already explained everything.

There was only one meaning of picking up a sword——

Guard Legrand.

The neighing of war horses continued all through the night, and the tents camped in the valley were neat and orderly, and the rose royal banners, which symbolized the Legrand royal family, fluttered in the slightly cold night wind. After a day and a night of galloping, the army led by the King himself finally settled down to rest.

Most of the soldiers had already fallen asleep with their swords on their pillows, but the lights in the King's tent were still brightly lit.

The King, General Johan, and several other noble officers stood around the map laid out on the table. The candlelight shone on everyone's faces, and they all looked equally solemn.

There were more than 200,000 enemy troops. This was a huge and terrifying army.

Any country facing such an army, other than surrendering, would only end in destruction. The heavy pressure was on everyone's shoulders, making them almost unable to breathe. Even the Legrandians would not have optimistic hopes for this war. And as for the rest of the countries, they had regarded Legrand as future ruins very early on.

However, no one in Legrand was willing to let the tragedy of Koszoya happen to the entire land of Legrand.

Now, all the pressure was on these people who led the army, as they were bearing the fate of this country on their shoulders.

The Alchemist Knights marched the fastest, led by Queen Eleanor herself, and had already headed off to Herrid City. During the rebellion some time ago, the head of the Inquisition Bureau was stationed in Herrid City for a long time and did not retreat. The "crows" spy network under the Head of the Households worked hard to infiltrate and sent back some extremely important news.

The Holy See carried out a large-scale renovation of Swan Harbor in Herrid City.

It was very likely that they wanted to use other methods to prepare for the "Holy Ark".

Charles wrote a letter to the King during his recuperation, and described in detail how he felt when the Holy Ark appeared at that time. Even if the temporarily built Throne of God could not summon the complete Holy Ark, it was enough to have a subversive impact on the entire mortal battle situation.

Therefore, the Queen Mother Eleanor led the Alchemist Knights to go first, and once relevant fluctuations occurred, the attack would be launched immediately.

In addition, the first batch of troops of the Holy Legion arrived in the southeast of Legrand, but this was only the first batch of troops from the Abyss Strait and Hopeless Inland Sea countries as the vanguard.

Among all the Holy Legion, the Holy Legion of the Holy Land was the one that threatened Legrand the most.

"The goal of the Holy Legion of the Holy Land is in central Legrand."

The King surveyed the entire battle situation, his voice was steady and powerful.

The fall of Koszoya and the plundering carried out by the Holy Legion of the Sea made many people panic. At this time, the majesty and calmness displayed by the King made everyone calm down. Along the way, thanks to the King always riding in front of the army, the soldiers could always see the presence of the royal flag with them, so the cohesion of the army had not decreased but increased.

"Who will command this army?"

General Johan frowned and looked at the map.

"The Pope, Theolde."

The King said.

Everyone in the main tent showed expressions of disbelief, but the King didn't intend to explain. He marked several castles on the map.

"With our strength level, we must avoid large-scale frontal conflicts with the Holy Legion at the beginning of the war as much as possible. These castles must be firmly defended and must not be occupied by the enemy." The King made the most important decision soberly, "The 200,000 troops will all arrive in Legrand within a month. We cannot and will not face the opponent head-on."

"From Lacey Port in the northeast to the Kriya Mountains in the south, we must build an impenetrable line of defense, and under the impact of 200,000 troops, maintain this line of defense for at least four months until the end of summer, autumn passes, and winter arrives.”

"At least four months."

The King looked up and at everyone.

"Even if you must fill it with bones and pile it high with skulls, you must support this line of defense for me."

………………

Gulundi Grassland.

As the wind blew across the land, a chilling cavalry set off in the direction of Holy Spirit Bay, holding high the golden battle flag. The horses galloped past, and both horse and man had a fierce appearance.

At the front of the line, the emperor of the barbarian empire and the former leader of the Gulf do heavy cavalry, Hermóðr', stared at the horizon with gray eyes like a goshawk.

His son Hamond caught up with him: "Father, Legrand has been cut off from us."

He showed a little worry.

"Holy Legion, the Holy Court is approaching menacingly. Do you think Legrand could resist it? Compared with Theolde, Pureland is too young. Could he resist it?"

Could he?

Hermóðr' squinted his eyes and turned to look to the other side of the Abyss Strait.

In front of his eyes floated the image of the young king who was facing him far away across half of the battlefield. His silver hair was stained with blood, and his ice-blue eyes held a familiar cold light.

"They don't need us to worry for them, our battlefield is coming soon!"

Hermóðr' said.

"Ride!"

That was the monarch who was single-handedly trained by the imperial lion.

That was a free country where dragons were buried.