The light and heat brought by the giant sun were fading day by day. The time of direct sunlight on the earth was shortening, and the night was quietly lengthening. After the harvest festival, a sudden rain put an end to the heat of the past few days. In the cool night, the White Horn gradually moved westward, reminding scholars and farmers that summer was coming to an end.
The frost moon was approaching. Although autumn had not yet arrived, as a northern kingdom, most areas of Ansu would turn cool in the week before the frost moon. Even the Southern Territory was no exception.
In the past, this would be the last "golden period" for the residents of various towns. The food harvested in the Month of Harvest was stored in the cellars and granaries of every household. There was no need to worry about food for the time being. Various epidemics in summer would decrease as the weather turned cooler, and the annoying mosquitoes began to disappear. It would take some time for the weather to turn completely cold. Before the winter foggy moon came, people did not have to worry about the threat of survival brought by the cold winter. They could take advantage of this last suitable time to continue to stock up on food, repair houses, and store firewood.
In theory, this short "autumn of Ansu" was the last busy day of the year in various towns.
However, in Louen, the prosperity ended at the beginning of the Month of Harvest.
Today was the fifty-fourth day of the blockade, and the atmosphere in the city was still deteriorating.
There were almost no pedestrians on the streets, and the doors and windows of every house were tightly shut. Occasionally, a figure would flash past the corner of the street. Other than the patrolling soldiers of the Ecclesiastical Army, there were only priests and officials coming out to gather information. Even though it was currently noon, the entire city was as lifeless and lifeless as the night.
Few people would associate such a depressing and tense city with the holy land of the Church of Holy Light in the Southern Territory.
However, such an atmosphere made sense. The news of the change of ownership of the Southern Territory and the revival of the Principality of Cecil had spread throughout the region. Everyone knew that a new ruler had come to this land. However, the relationship between the new ruler and the Church of Holy Light did not seem to be harmonious. In the shocking war more than a month ago, the Church of Holy Light made a bad choice. An elite templar army led by the southern bishop stepped into the battlefield, and they were on the opposite side of Cecil.
The beginning of the war was huge, but it ended so quickly that it was unbelievable. In that short battle, the Bishop was defeated, and the most powerful Holy See knights in the southern region were completely wiped out.
All the high-ranking Knight from the Holy Spirit Plain were killed.
Then, Lu An City was sealed off.
The blockade, not the attack, brought more pressure to Lu Ancheng.
If the Duke of the Southern Territory came directly after the war, or simply sent troops to the city, the priests of Louen would feel more at ease. At least it proved a clear attitude, and as long as the attitude was clear, it would be much easier to deal with it.
Louen could sincerely apologize, agree to a series of compensation conditions, give up some church land, and even part of the religious immunity in exchange for the new lord's anger and the chance to continue living and preaching in this land. Even if the situation was really out of control and the Duke of the Southern Territory insisted on solving the problem by force, the defenders of Louen would not be afraid. The fanatical Knight of the Holy Church had long been ready to die for his religion, and the priests and priests were not afraid of swords and magic fire. The clergy who could preach in the barren land of the Southern Territory had always been the most stubborn and unafraid of challenges in the Church of Holy Light.
However, the new ruler of the duchy chose the most difficult to deal with and the most difficult to predict action: a silent blockade.
He did not send a single soldier to Louen. Instead, he just blocked all the checkpoints connecting the city to the outside. The heavily armed Cecil soldiers and their fortifications blocked every road outside Louen like a plug on a barrel. Whether it was the movement of people or the spread of news, they were strictly prohibited. The Duke used the excuse of maintaining post-war order and investigating intelligence, but it was obvious that he had put the entire Southern Church under house arrest.
All the priests of the Holy Light who preached in the Southern Territory were driven to the city, and the channel of communication with the Sacred Plains was completely blocked. Caravans, scattered adventurers, and mercenaries were forbidden to approach the area. At first, because Cecil's blockade had not been closed, there were still sporadic exiled Knights running into the city through the paths. The leaders of the cathedral could still learn the latest changes outside from the exiled Knights. But soon, all the loopholes were patched up, and all the channels of communication with the outside world were cut off. The city was completely blindfolded, covered, and gagged.
The residents in the city soon became uneasy. The nominal city managers sent by the Royal Family of Ansu had all fled before the blockade was closed. It was said that half of them had surrendered to Cecil's people.
In such an atmosphere, this year's Harvest Festival passed in silence. No one organized a celebration, and no one dared to waste food. The priests directed the farmers to harvest the last crops in the farmland close to the city wall. Then, they stored the last of the precious food in the granary and began to impose the strictest curfew and ration system on the civilians.
It seemed that everything had come to the worst, but in fact, in the St. Louen Cathedral, the firm faith still supported the last batch of clergymen who stayed behind.
Fran Belang, who was temporarily chosen as the "Bishop of Louen," ended the morning prayer. He silently stood up in front of the holy statue of the God of Holy Light and let the attendants tidy up his still shiny robe. His expression was calm.
The holy statue of the God of Holy Light stood quietly in the prayer room. A layer of clear light shrouded the holy statue, and it did not dim at all, just like in the past hundred years. In Fran Belang's view, this holy statue that was always shrouded in light represented the St. Louen Cathedral at this moment. No matter how bad the situation outside was, no matter how rampant the dark and heretical beliefs were, the great God of Holy Light would always protect this place. His light would never fade, which meant that all the challenges outside were temporary.
After asking the attendants to leave, the tall, black-haired bishop left the prayer room. In the lounge outside, he saw several people in robes of clergymen had gathered here.
Exquisite snacks and fragrant black tea were placed on the round table in the lounge. Apparently, some of them had already been enjoyed.
Food rationing was going on in the city, and the civilians could only get enough food to survive. To avoid wasting their energy, most of the civilians chose to stay at home all day long. However, the clergymen of the cathedral were not subject to the "ration restriction." As messengers of the God of Holy Light, the clergymen could not starve like the untouchables. This would not only humiliate the dignity of the God of Holy Light, but also seriously affect the clergymen's combat effectiveness.
It was a reasonable arrangement, so Fran Belang just glanced at the snacks and tea before he came to the clergymen with a blank expression. "How's the situation in the city?"
A clergyman stood up. "There's no chaos. The templars and the exiled Knight who defected to us are patrolling the city. Most of the civilians are staying at home."
Fran Belang nodded and turned to another clergyman. "What about Cecil's people?"
"Nothing has changed. They are still blocking the city, but they have not taken any further action."
"That stupid and arrogant 'duke' who defected to the demons …" A middle-aged clergyman could not help but say angrily. "… His behavior is simply unreasonable! He treats the Church of Holy Light in this way. Does he think that St. Louen's Cathedral is the only church in Ansu? "
"Maybe the bishops of the Holy Spirit Plains and the Captical will come to our aid, but at least for now, we are still under the control of others." Fran Belang looked at the middle-aged clergyman and shook his head slightly. "Gwen Cecil's behavior is no different from colluding with the demons, but he is a powerful demon."
The clergyman who spoke first had a worried look on his face. "Bishop, what do you think Gwen Cecil is trying to do?"
Fran Belang pondered for a moment and then said slowly, "He wants to drive us out completely. This is obvious."
Then he added, "He is neither attacking nor retreating. He is maintaining the blockade and waiting for the collapse of Louen City. His purpose is very clear, that is, he wants us to surrender. He wants us, the servants of the Lord, to leave the city on our own so that he can take over the city and completely expel the faith of the Holy Light. He doesn't have to worry about being criticized morally. This is a typical vicious trick, full of cunning and without honor. Just as we have judged at the beginning, the founding hero looks great and glorious, but in fact, he is just an arbitrary and greedy person. All he wants is absolute power. This was completely exposed when he used tricks to destroy all the nobles in the Southern Territory. "
"We are the servants of the Lord. How can we surrender to such a person?" The grumpy middle-aged clergyman immediately shouted. "He can only waste his energy. He doesn't understand the power of piety at all!"
"Those powerful magic weapons have clouded his judgment. He thinks that conquering the Louen Cathedral will be as easy as conquering the Rock Fortress." Fran Belang shook his head, but then his tone became a little solemn. "But Gwen Cecil is still a very cunning person. He did not directly attack the Louen Cathedral, which means that he at least understands that he is at a moral disadvantage."
An elderly clergyman who had been silent all this time nodded slightly. With a trace of pride and reservation in his voice, he said, "Yes, at least he realizes one thing. If he attacks the Louen Cathedral directly, he will only make us martyrs, and he will lose the support of the people."
"That's right. His opposition to the church can only push him to the brink of unrighteousness, especially at this moment," Fran Belland said solemnly. His eyes swept across everyone present. Although his words were calm, they conveyed his unwavering thoughts. "Our persistence is the biggest counterattack to him. His blockade of Louen City can't last forever. Those clumsy excuses he uses will soon be worn out. As long as we hold on to the cathedral, the doubts of the people of the Holy Light toward Gawain Cecil will gradually drown him out …"
"We may have to make some sacrifices in the process, and the process may be longer and more difficult than we think, but I believe that all of you are prepared, even prepared to die for the church.
"The God of Holy Light will bear witness to our piety and courage. We will use facts to prove that Gwen Cecil's treachery and blasphemy is unjust. We will never retreat, and we will never disgrace the God of Holy Light. Perhaps we will fall in the end, but when we fall, we will be known as saints. Gwen Cecil may eventually step into this place, but we swear that he will only step into this place as an executioner and a blasphemer!"
Fran Belang's voice was powerful, and it strongly influenced everyone present. They thought of Bishop Lamont, who had been martyred, the crisis that Louen City was facing, and the glory of sacrificing for the Lord. So everyone stood up and followed the voice of the interim bishop.
"We swear!" "We swear!"
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