When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist

The morning mist enveloped the earth like a light gauze, and Horn stood atop the high tower, his gaze piercing through layers of mist, staring into the distance at Joan of Arc Castle.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds, sprinkling onto the lush green land, the streams shimmering brightly.

From the 20th to the 22nd, in the great battle, Horn captured two important towns of Joan of Arc Castle over two consecutive days.

But from the 23rd to the 26th, during the three-day period, the Salvation Army stayed in Gray Furnace Town, doing almost nothing.

Clearly, with Joan of Arc Castle not far off, in the minds of Rudilo and Victor and others, they should strike while unprepared and launch an attack quickly.

But Horn felt it was not feasible.

It wasn't that Horn didn't want to attack, but when they first defeated Enrico, some Knights had already returned to Joan of Arc Castle with the news of their defeat.

Now, with Joan of Arc Castle prepared, the advantage of surprise no longer existed.

On the contrary, they were labored and weary; if they rushed to attack, they could easily be counterattacked by a standing-ready order.

Horn deduced that the strategy for this campaign should be to fight a slow war swiftly, with the strategy slow, preparations slow, marching fast, and attacking fast.

However, because they marched too quickly, they needed to wait for some important logistics and weapons to arrive at Gray Furnace Town.

This was also a good opportunity to let the War Monks rest a bit.

Two consecutive days of fighting, even for the Salvation Army, was too exhausting; they needed time to dress wounds and repair weapons.

Especially the Holy Gunmen, who suffered significant mental impacts from firing the Holy Wind intensely, required most of a day of sleep to be able to fight again.

The only ones in relatively good shape were probably just Rudilo's Black Hat Fourth Corps and the Mengse's Second Imperial Guard Corps, which hadn't seen much action post their bold advances.

So, during these three days, Horn didn't let them be idle, but called upon them to take turns going out to clear the surrounding Knight Manors and Monasteries.

Under orders, the two corps began sweeping Knight Manors and Monasteries with the guidance of local peasants and Cuirassier Cavalries.

"What are they doing?"

Standing on grass newly blossomed with vibrant little flowers, Mengse stood blankly on a large rock, looking toward the distant Monastery.

The gates of the Monastery were wide open, with Priests wielding whips, directing the peasants to turn the soil and drain the "putrid stench from the Fire Prison" from the thick earth.

Such a peaceful scene was still normal near Joan of Arc Castle, but this Monastery was in enemy-occupied territory.

It was situated between Mayo Town and Gray Furnace Town!

The speed of the Salvation Army's advance was too quick for the usually sluggish Imperial People to keep up.

Gray Furnace Town had already sent out the warning of the Salvation Army's approach, but they still thought the Salvation Army was in Mayo Town.

From Mayo Town, it should take six or seven days, still early.

It was almost March, the season for planting crops, preparing seeds, draught oxen, recruiting migrant labor, and preparing to till the soil.

They weren't willing to delay important spring planting season for such a trivial matter.

"Forget it." Mengse roughly guessed the situation at the Monastery, "Don't overthink it, let's just charge in!"

The sound of orderly footsteps arose, armor clattering, with War Monks wielding spears and Holy Guns advancing towards the Monastery at a brisk pace of 50 meters per minute.

When the Salvation Army's corps arrived, the Priests still reacted little.

Seeing their uniform attire, their standardized cuirass, brimmed helmets, and spears, the Priests thought they were mercenaries hired by Joan of Arc Castle.

It wasn't until the dense spears lowered, their shiny tips pointed at them, that the lazy soldiers and Monks belatedly cried out the name of the Holy Father.

Until Mengse finished sweeping the entire Monastery, he hadn't realized it would be so easy.

Perhaps because Joan of Arc Castle's security was previously too good, these Manors and Monasteries were almost unguarded.

Every attack on a Manor or Monastery was nearly the same scene.

Nearby woodcutters would inform and guide, cavalry would scout the terrain, and upon arrival, they would quickly form rank and march.

The opponents would stand there frozen, motionless, until the War Monks raised their spears to strike, only then realizing something was amiss.

The spear-wielding War Monks quickly charged into Manors and Monasteries, piercing through the bodies of screaming Night Guards, while Armored Soldiers fell amidst the orderly gunfire.

On the outskirts of the Monastery, Cuirassier Cavalries patrolled vigilantly, preventing Extraordinary Knights from launching counterattacks.

After the battle ended, they would burn the debts owed by farmers to the lords; then the Saint Father's Association's Military Chaplains would begin organizing a Defensive Army among the peasants.

The Defensive Army would appoint active farmers as Captains of the Guard and select calm, esteemed figures from existing village Manors to serve as clerks.

There was no need for them to provide Horn with food supplies or taxes, just information would suffice.

As for the reform into a centurial system, in this wartime situation, there was no time or energy for it.

In the spirit of addressing past mistakes to cure illnesses and save people, captured nobles and Priests were only killed if they were of high treachery or wickedness, while minor offenders were sent to the Trinity Education Team for reform.

This major cleansing operation provided Horn with ample military provisions and detailed topographical maps around Joan of Arc Castle.

On the 23rd, the morning saw the Black Hat Fourth Corps break through two Manors, and in the afternoon the Second Imperial Guard Corps broke through two Monasteries.

On the 24th, the morning saw the Black Hat Army break two Manors, and in the afternoon the Imperial Guard broke through one Monastery and three Manors.

On the 25th, in the morning the Black Hat Army broke through two Manors, and in the afternoon the Imperial Guard broke through two Manors.

The Salvation Army's two corps followed the predetermined route, killing their way through.

The Imperial Guard Corps was somewhat restrained, not engaging in many destructive acts, and certainly not burning Monasteries.

The Black Hat Army let loose freely.

Monastery, countryside villa, burn! Priests, kill! Knights and their families, slaughter them all.

Between Mayo Town and Gray Furnace Town, eleven Manors, three Monasteries, one after another were submerged in blood and dust.

On the lands of Manors and Monasteries, the Defensive Army gradually rose, starting to speak out for their rights.

Especially once the heads of Knights and their armor were paraded around, this educational measure proved more effective than ten thousand flyers.

In the end, wherever the Salvation Army went, the populace warmly welcomed them, and even in areas controlled by Joan of Arc Castle, the Defensive Army began to appear.

Such developments naturally alerted Joan of Arc Castle, as dovecotes filled the skies over Joan of Arc Castle every day, providing feasts for Duke Dane's hawks.

Frustratingly, three days earlier, upon learning of Mayo Town's fall and Gray Furnace Town's embarrassing defeat, the Falan Royal Knights and the order had not convened to discuss countermeasures.

Instead, they seemed to be sulking, each occupying half of the city independently.

Not until the new bishop of the local Church, an old acquaintance of Horn, Algang, intervened, did they reluctantly organize a meeting, inviting both parties to sit down for a chat.