Ironically, after so many years of war, it is expected that the kingdom's current registered population will have lost at least one-fifth to one-quarter. However, the statistical results of the eleven provinces and five major crowns in the south actually increased a lot from the original basis.
Of course, there are two main reasons for this: the first is that a large number of people who have been hidden for a long time in noble manors and castles are re-registered after several generations of reproduction; the second is that under the attack of aliens, they actively seek sheltered refugee settlements and remote rural populations.
A few days later, Jiang Tian stood at the mouth of Saint-Malo Bay. This is also the natural junction between the Britannia Territory of the Holy Kingdom and the Lower Normandy Province of the Sealand Kingdom, which has hardly changed since the founding of the country. An island called Mont Saint-Michel stands in the distance.
This is a large castle with a long history built on the coastal tidal flats, protruding from natural mountains and huge rocks. It is also one of the religious holy places in the Western Continent, the fifth largest religious holy place after Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago and Reims, the Promised Land of All Saints.
In ancient times, this was a place where the Celts worshiped their gods. It began with the Merovingian priest Aube, who dreamed of the divine revelation of the Archangel Michael and built the first church. With the continuous donations of rulers and pilgrims of all generations, this church was finally built. Holy city in the sea.
During this period, countless devout priests and craftsmen transported pieces of granite across quicksand and tidal flats, and pulled them up to the top of the mountain step by step. Numerous architects and artists shaped and carved into these solid rocks. Eventually, stone buildings, sculptures, and caves were formed all over the mountain.
Because it is quite close to the coastline of the estuary, it can only be connected to the land through the shallow tidal flats exposed to the sea during a few low tide periods in the year. Therefore, it was also operated as a natural and dangerous fortress to resist the Vikings who were ravaging the coast at that time.
It is said that during that period of chaos and turmoil when the Vikings invaded and the coasts of the mainland fell one after another, hundreds of armed monks stationed at Mont Saint-Michel successfully withstood successive attacks and attacks from the Vikings for decades; therefore, It is said to be the Miracle of Mont Saint-Michel.
Because the tides in the Bay of Saint-Malo are so "fickle", there are many scary stories circulating, such as the silent rising tide that chases knights, the carriages full of goods that suddenly disappear without a trace in the huge quicksand, and the traps that fall into the sea. A traveler who could not extricate himself from the mud and died miserably.
Therefore, the experience of crossing the dangers of various waves and tidal flats to go to Mont Saint-Michel has become a symbol of piety and firm belief in a certain sense; it has attracted pilgrims from all over the ages, and it has also created There are skeletons washed out from time to time on the beach.
Until the end of the collapse of the Frankish Kingdom, the only remnant of the Franks on the mainland resisted here until the end. But it was precisely because of the desperate resistance of these people that the main force of the coalition forces led by Saint Laurent was contained; the last bloodline of the Carolingian dynasty was able to escape to the sea.
After the establishment of the Kingdom of Zealand, the Treaty of Nantes was signed with the Holy Kingdom using the Gulf of Saint-Malo as the dividing line. In this connection, Mount Saint-Michel, located between the two countries, was dedicated to the Holy See of Rome as a neutral territory and became one of the many territories in the Western Continent under the name of the Universal Church.
There are at least a thousand monks and other handymen with different responsibilities stationed on Mount Saint-Michel all year round; at the same time, there are also the oldest copying house/printing institute and religious school in the Western Continent, and one of the few large churches. Library; now managed by the Benedictine Priory.
At the same time, this place is not only a holy land on the sea, but also a natural and dangerous island fortress. Just standing on the land and seeing it with the naked eye, there are three winding city walls that go straight down from the sea; and there are more on the inside of the city wall. The towering fortress-like monastery was distributed during the period.
Surrounding the island's irregular ring wall, there are steep and rugged cliffs and reefs on three sides; only on the southeast side facing the estuary of the sea, are there levels that lead directly to the tidal flats and piers. The relatively winding and gentle slopes are also used for various functions. The area with the most densely distributed buildings.
In fact, even in the low tide season, the soft and muddy tidal flats around the island are unable to pass heavy siege equipment at all; the cliffs and reef beaches scattered on three sides of the island also prevent any attacker from exerting a siege effect with superior force; But it can only attack in one direction.
What the attackers have to face is not only the dangerous cliffs and steep and narrow drops; there are also the thick granite stones brought by pilgrims and patrons from past generations in the name of piety and trials, which have been transformed over hundreds of years. Layers of walls and monasteries/fortresses built.
The most conspicuous among them is the Romanesque fortress monastery built during the Merovingian period and the Gothic spire tower that stood on the top of the mountain, like a rugged sword thrust into the sky. From a distance, it seems that the height of the building is even higher than the mountain itself.
The Vikings who attacked Mont Saint-Michel many times in history were either stranded or knocked over by the waves and turbulent whirlpools, and sank on the rocks; they became living targets on the city walls; or the tide ebbed. After the attack on foot, he was slowly shot to death by crossbows on the tidal flats and quicksand.
But because Mont Saint-Michel is located at a strategic location, whoever occupies it can control and influence it. The outlet and upstream coast of Saint-Malo Bay, as well as the surrounding hundreds of miles of sea, have the initiative in offensive and defensive strategies. Now due to the ongoing civil strife in the Kingdom of Sealand, the Holy Kingdom has dispatched an intervention force.
Mont Saint-Michel, which is the property and neutral territory of the Universal Church, was also occupied by the Holy Kingdom Army in a precautionary manner. Even when the Holy Kingdom contracted and withdrew most of its interventionist troops across the board due to changes in the celestial sphere, it still maintained and strengthened the garrison size of Mont Saint-Michel.
According to information provided by some locals who were expelled from Mount Saint-Michel, there are usually three to four hundred armed monks on this holy mountain. Then the Holy Kingdom's army transported more than a thousand soldiers to the mountain via boat ferry, including suspected hundreds of knights in full plate armor.
In addition, it is not far from the border of the Holy Kingdom. On a clear day, you can even see the coastal fortresses and outposts on the other side of the Saint-Malo Bay; therefore, as long as the attacking Mont Saint-Michel sends out a signal for help , you can immediately get support from the nearby Holy Kingdom.
Among them are a branch of the Knights from the nearby large city of Rennes, the border guard of Saint-Malo itself, and more than a dozen local militia groups in Jire County. As long as we delay for some more time, knights and provincial and county troops from all over Britannia will arrive one after another.
But now it is the severe winter season, and the sea leading to Mont Saint-Michel is full of turbid waves and rolling waves. There is no doubt that, let alone rowing across the sea to attack, you will be swept away by the tide and turbulence to an unknown place; even if you accidentally fall into the sea, it will be difficult to be rescued in time.
Even if you manage to get close to the foot of the mountain, your body will soon become wet and frozen due to wind and waves, or you will lose most of your ability to move due to rapid hypothermia during wading, and you may even die as a result. It can be said that under the superposition of various unfavorable factors, it is not the right time to attack now.
However, Jiang Tian still wanted to give it a try; of course, he had his own reasons. Jiang Tian turned around and faced Cyrano, who was standing behind him, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a big nose, but with a serious face, and Crosana, who had pineapple curly hair, baby fat on her face, and was slightly embarrassed. Nodding and saying:
"Thank you for your investigation all the way, which has solved a problem that I have always had on my mind. Therefore, as the final reward, I can appropriately fulfill your wish within my ability..."
"Your Majesty, this is just your duty, and no additional reward is needed." Sihanouk, who was short but upright, bowed again and said: "I need to thank your Majesty for giving me and Ke Na, this is an opportunity to untie the old knot and get to know each other again."
"In this case, then I will change the way." Jiang Tian smiled slightly when he heard this: "Whenever you decide to officially get married, I will have someone send you a congratulatory gift."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. This is the best blessing for the future of Cyrano and I." At this moment, Crosanna could no longer care about the lady's reserve and shyness, and pulled Cyrano to kneel down. Xie Dao: After all, nothing can calm criticism more than the approval of a king.
Then, she continued to report other results and details that she had tracked down during this period. As the "Violet" team with a special mission, they followed Princess Theresia, who was suspected to have been taken away after the Blood Moon Incident. The clues that were different from true to false led to more than half of the kingdom.
It encountered many conflicts and accidents, and even encountered obstruction and destruction from the underground world and even alien groups in the darkness several times. Finally, following the general trend of the Free Army to unify the kingdom, the key was found in the Gregorian Monastery in Tours, Loire Region.
Through the secret arrest and interrogation of the vice-chancellor and priests, not only were the clergy groups that had long-term correspondence with the Southern Royal Party discovered, but also some of the royal jewels that had been secretly hidden; they also found a way to a remote nunnery in the local area. The nun responsible for accompanying Princess Theresia.
Just after Cyrano defeated and captured the assassin from an unknown force, the nun who had always insisted on keeping an oath of silence finally provided information that was sufficient for verification and comparison. The person who secretly took away and hid Princess Theresia and traded her as an important bargaining chip.
In exchange for the military supplies left behind after the intervention forces from the Holy Kingdom withdrew, they also had the leadership of local armed forces trained on the spot. However, before the agreement was completed, these royalist armed forces were defeated and wiped out one after another. It can only be brought back into hiding by the local church.
However, as the Free Army swept across the kingdom, the local clergy became increasingly uneasy. In the end, a high-ranking priest from the Holy Kingdom sent Princess Theresia to Mont Saint-Michel, which was a neutral territory but under the actual control of the Holy Kingdom. This became the best choice at the moment.
The remaining question now is how to get this long-lost princess of the former dynasty out under the eyes of the occupying forces of the Holy Kingdom and many armed monks. This is not only the solution to the last remaining loose ends left by the former dynasty, but also the key to completing Marlena-related tasks.
(End of chapter)
