Chapter 777: Famine Is Imminent, Should We Start a Holy War?

The cold wind from the far north blew along the land and ocean.

Among the seven princes of the Rhine Kingdom, the [Golden Lion] Duke of Saxony and the [White Wolf] Count Askan have made as much preparation as possible. Stock up on food, stock up on supplies, organize storage...

In fact, the parliament revealed some vague information to the mainland's powerful nobles who were slightly inclined to them. Whether they listen, act or not, and how far they can go, is their business.

It has to be said that a great lord who can independently rule a territory, gather small nobles internally, appease the people, fight enemies externally, and both win over and defend against the Glory Holy See always has enough brains.

Not to mention that it will be enough for two years, at least if there is a problem with next summer's harvest, I can still buy another one, and I hope for autumn harvest.

As for problems with the autumn harvest...

Well, the northern land is barren, not as plentiful in products and food production as in the south, and the amount that can be hoarded is also limited. Besides, if you move too big, it will alert the Glory Holy See - what are you doing?

Hoarding a lot of food and grass, do you want to fight a war? Last time the Holy See summoned all the nobles to prepare for a holy war, but your attitude was so passive. Who do you want to fight by hoarding food now?

At this moment, the two great nobles looked at the winter snow that came earlier than usual, reaching out to catch the snowflakes as big as their palms, each feeling awe-inspiring in their hearts.

I hope that the famine next year will not be too serious. I hope that the barbarians will not be so vicious and come to rob indiscriminately. I also hope that their neighbors will be a little clearer and be able to withstand the pressure...

"The income of the royal family is good this year." King Boi looked at the report sent by the king, his beard curled up, and he couldn't help showing joy:

"You can order the set of seventh-level enchanted armor from the Dwarf Kingdom. You can also add the set of ruby ​​and diamond-encrusted jewelry to Thalia's dowry. If you want to be a Carolingian queen, there are few sets that can make a scene. Jewelry is not acceptable..."

"But Your Majesty, we have received news that there may be a great famine next year. The Saxony Territory and the Northern Border are already stocking grain. Do we want to..."

"Hey, how come there isn't enough food?" King Boi waved his hand casually:

"The great plain of Lublin is known as the granary of the Eastern Continent. The black soil is so fertile! Even if half of the land fails to harvest, it is enough to feed the entire country's citizens!"

Wang Xiang lowered his head silently, stepped back with the report in hand, and decided to double the warehouse in his territory and store hundreds of tons more grain. While it's still early winter, and the heavy snow has not yet closed the door, hurry up and fill up the granary!

Those knights, the little lords, were really short of food and started making trouble. There were holes here and there in the territory, and the orcs came in to grab things and people. If they continued to fight for a year or two, the territory's finances would collapse!

By the time the howling cold wind reached the Glory Holy City, its power had already weakened a lot. There are many churches inside and outside the Holy City, there are magical arrays dotted in the churches, and there are the holy lights flashing on the top of the churches. The residents of the Holy City only saw a few thin snowflakes——

Especially the residents of the inner city, at the very least, are at the level of apprentices, acolytes, and deputy priests. If they are warriors, they are at least third-level and fourth-level warriors. A gust of cold wind blew, and they shrugged their shoulders, tightened their robes, and pushed through it.

"There will be a relatively large famine next year." The Pope, the head of the Knights Templar, the Grand Inquisitor, and the leader of the ascetic monks sat together again for a meeting:

"So are we sure to launch a jihad next year? If there is a famine, it doesn't seem like a good time to start a war..."

"Is the news true?" The leader of the ascetic monks frowned slightly. Their faction does not participate in the intrigues of the Holy See. The most important, or even the only, task every day is to use various methods to offer their loyalty to the Lord of Glory:

There are some people who were locked up in a small church dug out of the rock, barely large enough to accommodate them, praying devoutly and not moving for thirty years;

There are those who walk dozens of miles every day wearing linen clothes and bare feet, carrying buckets of water, fetching spring water from the mountains, and wiping the statues in the cathedral;

There are those who go around every village, heal the villagers, and spread the light of God;

There are people who close their doors, grow their own food, and eat nothing except the products of their own labor, for decades...

The ascetics are devout and powerful, and their belief in the Lord of Radiance is almost fanatical. In contrast, the upper-level information is much less accessible. Unless necessary, the Pope will not ask them to come forward:

When the ascetic monks saw the clergy of the Holy See enjoying themselves, drinking and hugging each other, they would really beat and kill people!

The old leader of the ascetic monks twisted a string of wooden rosary beads around his neck with a grave expression:

"If the news is true, it is best not to launch a holy war. Otherwise, my Lord's people will suffer too much..."

"The news is very likely." The chief referee, who was sitting diagonally across from the leader of the ascetic monks, said in a deep voice:

"We got definite news from the nobles of the Kingdom of Kent. It is said that the queen summoned all the nobles of the royal capital at that time, and the legendary mage was present in person. A golden dragon also flew over, and personally announced the prophecy of famine next year—"

"When did this happen?"

The leader of the ascetic monks immediately glanced over with a sharp gaze. If the ascetic means pure white in the Holy See, then the Grand Inquisitor almost means pure black. As the leader, he can understand and tolerate the Holy See's need for such an existence, but he can't help feeling disgusted.

"Mid-year thing."

The leader of the ascetic monks condensed his fingertips and crushed a rosary bead with a "snap". His drooping eyelids lifted slightly, and his gaze seemed to directly hit a word:

"waste!"

The chief referee was a little embarrassed:

"Everyone present at the time signed a magic contract and were not allowed to leak the information. We also waited for a long time before a nobleman who was about to reach the end of his life told the matter in a roundabout way..."

"Okay." The Pope had been lowering his eyes slightly, turning a blind eye to the complaints of his subordinates, and then he slowly spoke:

"That group of heretics have always been cunning, so it's not surprising. - Is there any evidence for this news?"

"Yes. Since the middle of the year, the pagan kingdom has been purchasing large quantities of grain, and at the same time using divine magic to promote large quantities of food in the country. In addition, the Duke of Saxony and Count Ascan are also hoarding large quantities of grain, suspected of colluding with the pagans. ——Your Majesty, do you want to punish them?"

The Pope lowered his eyebrows and bowed his head, silently. Next to him, the leader of the Knights Templar pressed the hilt of his sword and protested:

"Your Majesty, before the war started, civil strife broke out first, and I think it is inappropriate. I think they should be allowed to prove their piety - can we collect more evidence, and when the holy war starts, order them to be the vanguard?"

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