Chapter 509: The Church's Trump Card
Holy City, Bethlehem.
Camus Blanchard stood on the towering wall of Bethlehem, silently looking at the Idar army that was already approaching.
This year's winter seems to be particularly cold. Even in Bethlehem, which is usually as warm as spring, this cardinal who has experienced many hardships has put on thick clothes.
There was no howling cold wind in the early morning of that day, but Camus Blanchard still felt a vague chill seeping into his clothes, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
The Crusaders were defeated.
Two days ago, when this news first reached Camus Blanchard's ears, his heart was filled with incredible emotion.
This is fake news! It can only be fake news!
Even when Caravelle Windle led the remaining troops to flee back to the Holy City in a hurry, Camus Blanchard was still unwilling to admit the defeat of the Crusaders in Boulder City.
Tens of thousands of well-equipped and well-trained Crusader soldiers were unable to defend a strategic fortress with strong walls and sufficient food and fodder!
What's more important is that the Crusader Corps stationed in the Giant Stone City Fortress had even captured the imperial capital of Saint Lawrence! They were one of the most elite soldiers in the entire Church of Light!
In fact, the Cardinal was not unprepared for the fall of Boulder City.
In his opinion, since the Idar Empire entrenched in the east of the continent dared to confront the church head-on and took the initiative to launch an offensive against the Church of Light, it might not be impossible for it to achieve amazing results.
But……
The speed at which Boulder City fell was too fast!
It was so fast that even the cardinal had not yet reacted, and until this moment, he still felt that all this was full of absurdity and unrealistic illusions.
Not to mention the cardinal who didn't believe it, every bishop in the Holy City was filled with the same doubts and suspicions and felt unbelievable when they heard the news.
However……
No matter how incredible they found all this, the Idar army had really arrived at the outskirts of Bethlehem. Even if they stood on the city wall, they could vaguely see the cold steel light hidden in the Idar army formation.
In the wilderness not far away, the Idar people's griffin flag was fluttering in the cold wind.
In the holy city of Bethlehem, Clement V, wearing the papal crown, finally walked up to the city wall under the protection of the Crusaders and stood in front of the cardinal.
"Your Holiness..."
Everyone on the city wall, including Cardinal Camille Blanchard, bowed their heads and paid the highest respect to His Holiness the Pope.
Since the Idar Air Force's air strike on Bethlehem, the Pope, who has lived in the Lateran Palace for many years, finally walked out of the main hall where he lives.
The appearance of Pope Clement V was like a shot of adrenaline in the hearts of the bishops of the Church of Light and the soldiers of the Crusaders!
after all……
Even though His Holiness the Pope has lived in seclusion for more than a decade, he is still the supreme leader of the Church of Light, the one closest to God and the one most likely to hear God's instructions!
Therefore, when the Church of Light faces a crisis, only the Pope is most qualified to decide the future of the church!
Clement V swept his gaze across everyone present, and an inexplicable pale golden light seemed to flash in his slightly narrowed eyes.
then……
He raised his head and looked at the outskirts of Bethlehem. He looked at the unwelcome "visitors" with a serious expression and asked in a low voice:
"Are those... the Idar army?"
"yes."
Camus Blanchard nodded and answered with some difficulty: "Almost all of the strongest forces of the Idar Army have been gathered here, and the one who leads these troops is Lieutenant General Sam Layton of the Idar Army."
"Perhaps in your eyes, the Idar people are the biggest obstacle that the Church of Light is currently facing, but... the God of Light will not bless those who are cowardly and disloyal! The God of Light will bestow blessings and enlightenment upon you! The light of God will surely shine upon this land!"
At this moment, Clement V's expression suddenly became extremely excited, and even his entire body began to tremble as if stimulated by something! After a long while, Clement V calmed down again and said to Cardinal Camille Blanchard: "I heard that... the defeated troops of Boulder City have returned?"
Hearing this, the cardinal nodded, and then with extremely complicated feelings, he called out a name: "Calavi Wendell."
The leader of the Crusaders, Caravelle Wendel! The owner of this name had made great contributions to the Church of Light and conquered the imperial capital of Saint Lawrence in one fell swoop, but not long ago, he had also brought indelible losses to the Church of Light.
Because the loss of the Stone City meant that the Central Plains was completely exposed to the Idar army without any preparation, which meant that the Idar army could march straight in! And the Idar people did seize this opportunity! They occupied the entire Central Plains at a speed that no one had expected, and completely cut the sphere of influence of the Church of Light into two parts, one in the south and one in the north, which were difficult to connect with each other.
"exist!"
Upon hearing this, the legion commander with rich combat experience stepped out and knelt quietly before Clement V.
"You escaped from the Stone City." Clement V did not look at him, but silently stated the facts: "According to the opinions of many bishops, you should be allowed to die as an atonement. But... Camus Blanchard saved you."
"It's not because of how devout your faith is, nor because you have been recognized by the Pope and the God of Light, but because you are the only Crusader general who has faced the Idar people head-on."
Clement V waved his hand and dismissed the Crusaders around him, leaving only Cardinal Camille Blanchard standing behind him.
then……
He slowly squatted down, stared into Caravelle Wendel's eyes seriously and asked, "So... as the only Crusader general who has faced Idar's army head-on, do you think the Holy City can be defended?"
Hearing this, Callaway Wendel suddenly raised his head, and his eyes seemed to flash with an extremely complex and contradictory expression.
After a long while, Caravelle Wendel finally spoke: "For the God of Light and the church, Caravelle Wendel is willing to fight and die!"
As a powerful cardinal, Camus Blanchard certainly could not be a fool, so... he certainly understood the meaning of Caraway Wendel's words.
At least according to Caraway Windle's understanding of the church, Bethlehem is unable to stop the Idar people, and the church can no longer reverse the collapse of the building.
However, Clement V did not seem to realize the meaning of Caravelle Wendel's words. He just nodded calmly and said, "God will grant you strength and new life."
…
February 1, 540 AD, 9:35 AM.
Standing in the formation of Idar soldiers and at the front line, Idar Emperor Bruno Stuart finally gave the order to attack to the Idar soldiers participating in this war.
then……
Following Sam Layton's order, the bishops hiding in the holy city finally saw the artillery fire falling from the sky again.
The familiar feeling and experience brought by the Idar Air Force's air raid on Bethlehem also lingered in their hearts again from this moment on.
Although the artillery fire had not yet fallen, and although only the whistling and clanging of the shells across the sky had been heard, the bishops and soldiers who had experienced the air raid had already scrambled to the ground as if by conditioned reflex.
At this moment, how can they care about dignity and status, or decency and demeanor?
The last experience of an air raid was truly unforgettable for the people living in this city!
Even though the Church of Light was the first to intervene in the empire's disputes, it is indisputable that most of the bishops living deep in the city of Bethlehem had never personally experienced the ravages of war.
so……
They clearly remember that day when the raging fire set fire to buildings in the city and the rising smoke obscured the sky.
They fled amid the sound of artillery fire, and they were panicked by the Idar people's overlooking gaze.
But now...
The Idars are back!
And this time, the army that arrived at the holy city of Bethlehem was no longer just the Idar air force. Tens of thousands of Idar soldiers had surrounded Bethlehem, and even a fool could see that this war was bound to be more than just a fleeting sneak attack.
Although the holy city of Bethlehem is the headquarters of the Church of Light, there are also a large number of civilians living here, and... not all of them have the firm belief to be willing to sacrifice their lives for the God of Light.
so……
Almost at the moment the first shell landed in the city of Bethlehem, many civilians living there fell into sudden panic.
It was still the old routine of the Idar army, which was to prioritize the use of firepower coverage and indiscriminate bombing to minimize the enemy's casualties, and then to open a gap through the coordinated infantry and artillery and a two-in-one combat strategy.
and……
Although the holy city of Bethlehem is the ruling center of the Church of Light, probably no one thought when the city was first built that one day in the future it would encounter such a fierce attack, so the walls of Bethlehem are not even as strong as those of Stone City.
In addition, Bruno's presence at the front line made the Idar soldiers extremely excited. At this time, the Idar army had almost stacked up a complete set of buffs, with high morale and unstoppable momentum.
On the other hand, the Church of Light was suppressed by the artillery fire of the Idar people. Not to mention the civilians living in this city, even the Crusader soldiers stationed here were in chaos.
There was no way. Even though Caravi Wendel, who had fled back from the Stone City in a hurry, had brought the Crusader soldiers in the city valuable experience in facing the Idar army, and had repeatedly emphasized to them the importance of finding cover and waiting for an opportunity to move again, there was still a huge gap between talking about war on paper and actual combat experience! When the Crusader soldiers were really facing artillery fire, and when the city was finally within the range of the Idar people's artillery fire, the Crusader soldiers stationed in the city were still in endless panic.
The effective command system collapsed almost instantly. Although the holy city of Bethlehem was the center of the Church of Light, most of the "elite" soldiers stationed in this city were rookies who had never been on the battlefield.
It might not be a big problem to let them fight the Norman Empire of novice difficulty, but if these soldiers were to face the Idar army of hell difficulty right away, I'm afraid anyone would have the idea of retreating in fear at the first moment.
only……
The soldiers' incompetence did not mean that Bethlehem was within reach, nor did it mean that the city had already fallen into the hands of the Idar people.
Although there are no strong walls like the Stone City, and no large number of garrisons stationed here, this is the core of the Church of Light after all !
After a burst of gunfire...
Amid the flickering flames and thick smoke that filled the entire city, and under the astonished gazes of everyone, a strong pale golden beam of light shot up into the sky from the Holy City!
The rippling light golden waves pushed away the smoke and dust that shrouded Bethlehem and extinguished the flames that were still burning.
Almost at this moment, the panic in the city subsided, and the people living in this city raised their heads and stared in amazement at the strong column of light that shot up into the sky.
What is that? Is that... a miracle?!
The devout believers prostrated themselves on the ground, the Crusader soldiers stood there in a daze, and the bishops who had long forgotten their faith and God stared with their eyes wide open...
Even the artillery bombardment of Idar's army gradually subsided silently.
At this moment, almost the entire southern plains seemed to have fallen into infinite silence.
However, at the same time, the pillar of light that shot up into the sky did not calm down at all. It gradually vibrated in the sky, forming a huge barrier covering the holy city! A hazy halo flickered in it, and a pale golden glow spread out. The Idar people's artillery fire fell on the barrier covering the holy city of Bethlehem, and then exploded.
only……
Apart from a few fleeting bright streaks, the barrier covering the holy city showed no signs of breaking. It was like a pure and mysterious energy body, isolating the Idar artillery offensive outside the holy city.
It was at this moment that Bruno, who had been taking a nap amid the roar of artillery fire, suddenly opened his eyes.
"O'Brien I..."
Bruno looked in the direction where the beam of light burst out, and a faint smile appeared on his slightly solemn face: "You finally came out..."
(End of this chapter)
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