The white-clothed military camp was fogged by burning smoke. The coldness of autumn entangles the edge of the morning. There is a strange and choking smell in the air, which makes people feel inexplicably familiar and frightening. In the mountain wind, there were vague moans of despair and sorrow, as well as hoarse shouts.
"O Lord! Please! Save us...from the hands of the devil! Save!..."
The shouts came from the military camp, but were separated by the guards wearing armor and holding soldiers. The leaves fell, passing over the solemn and solemn cold faces, the burning torches held high, and the gray cross blouses on their bodies. In the center surrounded by these guards were an old man and a strong man. They were the two highest-ranking figures in the entire Crusader camp.
The old man was wearing a cold black robe and a simple black hat. There was not a single bright color visible all over his body. And his eyes were even colder and solemn than the black color on his body, like the glaciers on the top of Mont Blanc in the Alps. The only thing that shone slightly was the gold bishop's cross around his neck, symbolizing the lofty status of the senior servant of God.
As for his name, no one on the peninsula knew it, no one was afraid of it, and even the great nobles of Castile were frightened. He was the first justice of the Spanish Inquisition, the Dominican Black Friar, Tomas de Torquemada.
In the six years since Justice Thomas took office, he has promulgated 28 judicial decrees, expanded the crimes of religious trials to more than 20, personally sentenced more than 5,000 people to be burned at the stake, and more than 40,000 people to have their homes confiscated and sentenced to life imprisonment. Imprisonment... an average of 1,000 people were burned to death and 8,000 were arrested and imprisoned every year! Most of the people who were tried were so-called "Jewish superficial converts" and "Moorish superficial converts."
In other words, in the Spanish Diocese, as long as you are a Jew or a Moor, even if you convert to God, the authenticity of your faith will be questioned and you will be subject to the examination of the Inquisition. In the past six years, almost no Jew or Moor has passed the inspection. This crazy inquisition is the embodiment of Castilian religious fanaticism and the essential characteristic of its crusader state.
Thomas's other identity is that of Queen Isabella's confessor and mentor, and can also be said to be the queen's closest supporter and ally.
The marriage of Queen Isabella and King Fernando originally came from his suggestions and plans. After the union of the two kings, he became the third-ranking figure after the two kings, representing the theocracy of the Spanish diocese and closely supporting the regime of the two kings. In fact, the successful start of this holy war against Granada was inseparable from his full support and call!
Listening to the cries in the military camp, Justice Thomas looked calm. There was no cruelty or pity in his eyes, only determination without hesitation.
"Fernando, are everyone here?"
"Dear black monk...Lord forgive me! The 1,600 people who were corrupted by the devil are all here."
King Fernando lowered his eyes slightly, showing a bit of unbearability in his eyes. He sighed deeply, and there was obvious compassion on his face, so that the guards around him could see it. The king of Aragon was in his prime, with a long face, a broad forehead, and deep eyes, which was in line with the aesthetics of this era, and he was considered to have a majestic appearance.
He wore a set of flexible chain armor, a brightly colored cross smock, and gilded plate armor boots on his feet. This bright color is in sharp contrast to the gray priest's robe next to him. The distinct red and yellow stripes on the cross blouse are the strips of Aragon, the symbol of the King of Aragon.
"O merciful Lord! May your gaze be lowered and save the souls of the unfortunate from the flames that are about to burn!"
Before the next "salvation" took place, King Fernando lowered his head, with a pious look on his face, and prayed for the death of the Crusaders imprisoned in the military camp. Seeing the king's performance, the surrounding Castilian lords and military priests also lowered their heads and prayed devoutly.
"..."
Justice Thomas turned his head, his expression unchanged, and he took a deep look at Fernando. He received news of the outbreak of the plague, and regardless of the danger, traveled day and night, he came from the Inquisition in Seville, precisely at the invitation of Fernando. The first thing the other party did when they saw him was to ask him to preside over this event to "rescue the erosion of the devil's power"!
As for the method of 'rescue', in the name of rescue, all the sick sergeants were gathered together, tied with ropes, imprisoned in the military camp, and piled with flammable firewood. Then, commanded by the Fathers of the Inquisition, light the flames of judgment!
Justice Thomas waited a moment calmly, without prodding or praying. It was not until King Fernando next to him finished praying and wiped the tears from his eyes that Justice Thomas solemnly recited the Book of Revelation and declared aloud.
"And God said, 'I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. The scrolls were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead received what was written in these scrolls. , to be judged according to their deeds.'"
"The trial begins! Light the fire!"
The justice's voice was firm and powerful, like some kind of advancing mountain. The king's guards held torches and, under the instructions of the priests, lit the firewood outside the military camp. Then, with another strong throw, they threw the burning torch into the depths of the military camp. Soon, blazing flames appeared from all over the military camp, rising two to three meters high, and then gradually connected into one!
"Ah! Merciful Lord! Please! Please!..."
"Ah! Ah! No! Don't burn me! Ah!..."
Within a moment, a shrill scream erupted from the burning military camp, as sharp as a slit throat, and as if emerging from a terrifying hell. When the surrounding guards heard such screams, they couldn't help but look moved, either with fear or intolerance.
Among the crowd, only Justice Thomas remained calm, while King Fernando had tears in his eyes. The expressions of the two of them remained unchanged from beginning to end.
The fire is getting bigger and bigger, the flames are burning higher and higher, and even continuous black smoke is emitting. The sharp and shrill shouts quickly became hoarse and deep, and then disappeared one after another. The entire military camp was burning in bright fire, but it was as silent as in the deepest darkness.
Justice Thomas waited patiently for a moment, again without urging or praying. It wasn't until the raging fire burned through the entire military camp, and the sick sergeants in the camp were all turned into fuel, that there was no chance of survival, that he lowered his eyes and declared loudly again!
"God said, 'They were all judged according to their works. Death and Hades were also cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. If anyone's name is not written in the book of life, he will be cast into the lake of fire. Cast into the lake of fire.'"
"The judgment is complete! They will go where they deserve according to their deeds! And the devil's power will be burned out by the flames of judgment!"
After hearing the proclamation made by the venerable Justice Thomas on behalf of the Lord, the expressions of the guards present gradually calmed down. Because, in the eyes of most of the Jihadists, this "rescue" ceremony is not a cruel killing, but indeed a rescue!
Only the Holy Judgment, held on behalf of God under the auspices of the Grand Inquisitor, can burn out the invading demonic power in the sick soldiers and save their souls!
After such a cruel "rescue", the morale of the surviving jihadists in the camp not only did not decline, but could even recover slightly. As for how long such morale can last, it depends on how long the next large-scale plague outbreak can be delayed.
The black smoke gradually dispersed, and what hit your nose was the smell of burnt protein and the aroma of roasting. King Fernando quickly frowned at such a strange fragrance. He turned sideways, saluted Justice Thomas, and was about to leave. The troops in the camp were uneasy, and he still had too many affairs that he needed to find ways to deal with. And the effect of this "rescue" ceremony also needs to be brought out in a way to stabilize the morale of the military as much as possible.
"Fernando, don't leave in a hurry. Before I come here this time, Yinsabella asked me to bring you a message."
Justice Thomas remained calm, smelling the fragrance in the air and looking into King Fernando's eyes. He looked serious and asked a crucial question.
"Yin Sabella asked you, how long can the siege camp outside Basa Mountain City last?"
