There is a saying that "the moon is dark and the wind is high, and people are killed on a night".
Today's night is not dark, there is a bright moon in front of us, the weather is dry and a bit cold, but there is no wind at all.
On a small road leading from the imperial capital to the east of the empire, four carriages were driving quietly.
These carriages were well made. Although the path was somewhat bumpy, the carriages made no noise while driving, which seemed a bit strange. The drivers on the four carriages also remained silent. Except for the occasional whip, the entire convoy was completely silent. Inside the carriage, an old man wearing a black robe seemed to be lost in thought. The black robe on his body was made entirely of the most ordinary fabrics, but his gray hair was neatly combed, and there was a hint of sadness between his eyebrows. There was a hint of melancholy, but the expression on his face was as cold as a rock.
No one would have thought that in such a convoy without any escorting warriors, the people in the carriage were the seven highest-ranking elders of the Imperial Religion, and this old man in black robes was the current supreme leader of the Imperial Religion. The first religious person in the empire, Pope Corsica VI!
The doctrine of the Divine Religion was announced a day ago, and the break between the empire and the Divine Religion was inevitably put on the table. But what caught Corsica VI a little off guard was that the emperor of the empire moved much faster than he expected! In the southern province of the empire, the commander of the southern army, led by General Camus, suddenly dispatched troops and horses to take over all the power in Ziye City, and then divided the 150,000 southern army into six groups to control the entire southern province. Then they swept across the religious sites and churches of the divine religion in one city after another!
General Camus is worthy of being an old man on the imperial side. He is rich in experience and his southern legions are extremely powerful. The scattered flame warriors in the south are no match for him at all. This sudden change caught Corsica VI by surprise, and also advanced their plan to evacuate the imperial capital and flee to the east of the empire by two days. And the pope's edict was hastily sent out halfway.
Corsica VI felt a little uneasy!
The emperor of this empire, Abbas VI, really surprised him. How could this guy be so ruthless? Such a cunning mind? Such a despicable conspiracy
As soon as their large group left the imperial capital, they were pursued by the Royal Guards. Fortunately, the evacuation route had been arranged in advance, and there was also a group of flame warriors who were on another road to spread suspicion. , diverted the chasing group of cavalry, and the supreme leaders of these religious cults were able to evacuate safely.
Abbas VI has changed from a fatuous and incompetent emperor a few years ago to such a ruthless and shrewd opponent now, which makes the Pope really puzzled.
"Well, maybe things will get better after we defeat the east." The old pope sighed, crossed himself on his chest, and sighed in a low voice: "God bless my religion. May the supreme god protect him." The most faithful servant, punishing heretics who despise the majesty of the gods..."
In the east, there are three provinces in the east with millions of people. Among the civilians there are a large number of believers who are loyal to the religion. There are also many local nobles who are sympathetic to the religion. There are also loyal flame warriors and a lot of wealth. As long as they reach the east, with the prestige of the divine religion, they can definitely raise an army of 200,000 to compete with the empire!
Although the Tulip Duke is powerful, it is said that he was seriously injured in the last war against the Roland people and has not recovered yet. This is a favorable condition! Without the command of Duke Tulip, the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Army would be reduced by at least half... And we still have the combination of spells given by the great gods! There are millions of devout believers in the empire...
Pope Corsica VI comforted himself and tried his best to calm his aching head. He was really tired these days.
He opened the curtains and let the moonlight shine into the car. All the bones in his body ached.
"Well. It seems that I am too old..." Just as this thought came to his mind, his eyes involuntarily fell on the other three elders beside him.
The other three elders also had tired expressions on their faces. They seemed to be seizing the time to close their eyes and rest their minds. However, the weakness on their old faces could not be concealed.
Corsica VI suddenly had a question that made him feel a little disappointed.
Why? Why am I surrounded by these old and frail subordinates? Why is there never a leader in the Flame Knights who is similar to the Duke of Tulip, who makes the warriors fight to the death and respect them infinitely? Why is there never a master magician in his group of elders, similar to the victors from the Roland Continent Temple in the north
This is true for the entire empire. The fat and greedy local bishop, those cunning guys wasted their only wisdom on how to embezzle more gold coins. Although the Flame Warriors are loyal, but although their personal practice is pious, they will never be able to form the power of Thunder God. Fighting power of whip level!
The Flame Warriors of the Bright Continent, which could stand alongside the Holy Knights of the Roland Temple hundreds of years ago, are no longer the invincible army that frightened their enemies! As the years passed, the spirit of the Fire Warriors was lost in hundreds of years of peace!
I can't figure it out... I can't figure it out...
Corsica VI shook his head, trying to control himself from thinking anymore, but questions kept popping up in his mind.
The convoy gradually drove into a valley. After passing this valley, in front of it would be the Kiva River, a large river in the eastern part of the empire. After crossing that river, it would be the boundary of the Eastern Province.
The carriage entered the valley quietly. Only the pebbles on the ground made a squeaking sound as the wheels ran over them.
On the mountain peak on the left, two figures, one fat and one thin, stand.
"Fat man, do you know why the Divine Religion failed so quickly? Why does the seemingly huge Divine Religion seem to have no power to fight back under the pressure of the empire? I guess the old man of Corsica VI is thinking I can’t even figure it out with my brain broken.”
The old skeleton smiled cunningly. He was wearing a black robe, as if his body had blended into the dark night.
"What's there to guess about..." Fatty muttered, "It must be that the bastard author was eager to end the book in order to speed up the progress..."
"Haha..." The old skeleton let out a meaningless chuckle, and then said seriously: "The reason why the seemingly huge religious sect was defeated so quickly. In this battle, Emperor Abbas the Great more than two hundred years ago The times have already been decided!”
"oh?"
The old skeleton sighed: "I have studied several decrees left by the Abbasid Emperor. He is worthy of being the greatest emperor in the empire. Those decrees are really far-sighted! Starting from those decrees two hundred years ago, It is doomed that the Church of God will become an empty shell that is strong on the outside and weak on the inside! Emperor Abbas has long laid the foundation of imperial power for his descendants!”
The old skeleton stared at the convoy slowly passing through the canyon below, and said in a deep voice: "The first decree left by Emperor Abbas: starting from the announcement of the decree, no flame warriors from the divine religion will be recruited in any future wars of the empire. Join the battle! I checked the history of the empire and found that the Imperial Cult had a total of 250,000 flame warriors! At that time, the flame warriors were not as sparse as they are today. They were all elites who had experienced real battlefields! The northwest of the empire has been initially determined. There are Roland people in the north and mountain people rebelling in the southern market. This is the time when the army is needed! However, according to the decree left by Emperor Abbas, no matter how difficult the empire is and how stretched its troops are, it refuses to use it. The Flame Warriors of the Divine Religion! Such charm and vision, I feel like I’m sweating when I think about it!”
His voice gradually became full of respect and nostalgia: "You know that any national struggle can never be separated from the army! The army is the foundation, the guarantee of strength, and the trump card in his hand! But Emperor Abbasid The roots of the divine religion were dug up two hundred years ago! Think about it, the empire has been in constant war for two hundred years. In the past two hundred years, there have been three holy wars with the northern Roland people, and rebellions in the mountains in the south are common. , Such large and small wars have allowed the empire's own army to maintain sufficient vitality and combat effectiveness! And what about the Flame Warriors? An army that has not fought in two hundred years... Hey, how much combat effectiveness can it maintain? "
"I don't deny that the strength of the divine religion two hundred years ago was powerful! After a series of wars in which the empire unified the Bright Continent, not only the powerful Thunder God's Whip emerged, but the flame warriors of the divine religion also assisted in the war, thus training Otherwise, with the ambition of Emperor Abbas, he would have eradicated the divine religion long ago! But he was very smart and did not do that. Instead, Yongle slowly cut away with a soft knife, full of them! Bleeding the Divine Religion! On the one hand, he enshrined the Divine Religion on a high level and gave them many rights, including the right to religious taxation, as well as a lofty status... On the other hand, he cut off the vitality of their army... Hehe, this What a wonderful move! Two hundred years of peace and pampering are enough to turn the brave lions into weak sheep! "
"If the army loses its vitality and does not participate in war, it will soon become corrupted and degenerate. Without war, there will be no outstanding generals. Without war, there will be no talents in the army! And two hundred years of peace have allowed the Flame Warriors to The regiment has lost the sense of urgency and vigilance that the army should have! They are now just a group of warriors from the divine religion. Once they encounter a real war, they will not be able to cope with it, even if they have a firm belief and the courage to sacrifice! courage, but these are far from enough! I have carefully investigated and found that there are almost no outstanding leaders in the current Flame Warriors. They cannot even complete the most basic combat system... Hehe... This is why I intervened against them. reason!"
The fat man shook his head: "Cunning, too cunning..."
"It's just a little bit..." The old skeleton sighed, his tone full of reverence: "The most courageous thing about Abbasid the Great was to grant religious taxation rights to the religion alone! What is taxation? It's money! Yes! Lots and lots of money! More than two hundred years, coupled with a large amount of money, has been enough to corrupt the divine religion! Today, the divine religion has almost become a religious machine dedicated to making money. Their ability is far more powerful than that of their Flame Warriors. These two soft knives slowly cut and cut, which is enough to drain the blood of their courage..."
"Compared to the divine religion, the empire is different. The major and minor wars in the northwest, south, and north have trained the empire's army for generations and cultivated countless talents in the army. This has allowed the empire's army to maintain sufficient vitality and vitality for two hundred years. Combat power! Even in the most difficult times of the empire, the Flame Warriors were not recruited to participate in the war - of course, except for the war against the Roland people last year, which was the only time in the past two hundred years that the Flame Warriors participated in the war. But you have seen the result. That boy Rody easily left the Thirty Thousand Flame Warriors behind and became cannon fodder. But those warriors of the Thirty Thousand Flame Warriors cannot be said to be inferior, right? Are you determined? What's the result? Facing the assembled army of the Roland people, they were completely wiped out in Thunder City! Doesn't this explain the problem? If it were our own army, Even if we don't use the Thunder God's Whip, we can still defend Thunder City for at least three to five days even if we face so many enemies. The difference is evident! From that day on, I realized that the time had come to eradicate the cult!”
The fat man glanced at the old skeleton. He had slowly pulled out his sword, flicked it slightly, and the sword blade made a clanking sound.
"Old Skeleton, how long do you think it will take for us to completely kill the cult?"
Old Andy raised three fingers: "Three months. In three months, I can guarantee that there will be no flag of the divine religion on the land of Guangming Continent!"
After a pause, he sneered: "Poor Corsica VI. He is indeed very smart and ambitious, and he also has great strength, but it is a pity that he cannot see through these truths. He is just a guy who is limited to his small cleverness. As a leader, he lacks great wisdom. He thinks that by fleeing to the east of the empire, he can raise the banner and fight against the empire? Huh! How many so-called believers will give up in the face of death and blood? Are they risking their lives, family, and property for an illusory religious belief? Human beings are all realistic and selfish! When their own fundamental interests are not involved, they may show some respect for religion, but once... Hehe... Once they are asked to do so, How many people are not willing to cut their own flesh, donate their own blood, and sell their lives? As for the Flame Warriors? Hum, as long as the Thunder God's Whip is deployed, two hundred thousand Flame Warriors can defeat them in one battle! So what if they control the eastern province where the imperial power is weak? These fools have no idea that I gave it to them on purpose!"
"Yes, it's like killing chickens. There are so many chickens running around in the yard. It's too troublesome and laborious for the chicken killers to catch them... It's better to drive those chickens to one place. In a cage, it will be much easier to catch and kill him like this!" The fat man also smiled evilly.
The old skeleton nodded: "Yes, the Eastern Province is a cage that I gave to these chickens of the Divine Sect! When all their scattered forces are gathered in the Eastern Province, we will kill them all in one fell swoop!"
In the long and narrow valley below, the convoy gradually reached its end. A hundred meters further, you will walk out of this valley and enter an open area! And if you go another fifty miles, you will reach the big river...
Corsica VI looked at the horizon in the distance, and the long night seemed to be passing soon.
Just when he almost started to thank the gods for their blessing, a long laugh came from the exit of the canyon in front!
"Hahahahahaha..." The thick and hoarse voice had a bit of a weird feeling, and then a huge and fat body suddenly jumped out!
This guy is nearly two meters tall! A body of fat was stuffed into a set of the largest Imperial Royal Guards armor. He held a top-quality Imperial warrior giant sword in his hand. The moonlight shone on this man's face. Such a thick guy, But it’s actually a woman!
Ruolan narrowed her eyes, raised her foot and kicked a stone weighing dozens of kilograms away, hitting a horse hard. The horse in the front carriage neighed miserably and immediately turned sideways. , the coachman also exclaimed and almost fell off the carriage.
The convoy stopped immediately, and several coachmen jumped out of the carriage at the same time. With nervousness and murderous looks on their faces, they tore off their robes, revealing the armor of the Flame Warriors of the Divine Cult inside. He pulled out his long sword from under the seat and leaned towards Ruolan.
Ruolan shook his head and looked disdainfully at the four warriors dressed as coachmen on the other side, and said coldly: "Guys from the Divine Religion, unfortunately, your terminal station has arrived! Please ask your Pope to get off the car, and I will directly Send her to heaven to meet your gods!”
After saying that, the sword in her hand suddenly moved!
A huge beam of light shot out, covering the four coachmen inside!
With a bang, the sand and stones on the ground were flying, and the four cart drivers flew out sideways. They rolled several meters before barely standing up. Blood flowed from everyone's mouths, and the armor on their bodies was in tatters. The weapons in their hands were all in pieces. The long sword was also buzzing and trembling.
"Humph, is this the strength of your senior warriors of the Flame Warriors? It's far worse than the Holy Knights!" Ruolan laughed ferociously and strode forward...