Tang Qi Tan

Chapter 571
The irony is that after so many years of war, it is expected that at least one-fifth to one-fourth of the current registered population of the kingdom will be lost.However, the statistical results of the eleven provinces and five crowns in the south actually increased a lot on the original basis.

Of course, there are two main reasons for this: the first point is that a large number of people who have been hidden for a long time by noble manors and castles have been re-listed as household registration after several generations of reproduction; Asylum refugee settlements and remote rural populations.

A few days later, Jiang Tian stood at the mouth of the Bay of St. Malo.This is also the natural junction between the Britannia territory of the Holy Kingdom and the Lower Normandy province of the Kingdom of Sealand, 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 the natural mountains and giant rocks.At the same time, it is also one of the religious holy places on the Western Continent, second only to the Promised Land of the Saints - the fifth largest religious holy place in Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago, and Reims.

In ancient times, it was the place where the Celts worshiped the gods.Auber, a priest of the Merovingian Dynasty, dreamed of the revelation of the Archangel Michel and built the first church here; with the continuous donations of rulers and pilgrims, this church was finally built. The holy city in the sea.

During this period, countless pious priests and craftsmen transported pieces of granite through quicksand and tidal flats, and pulled them up to the top of the mountain step by step.Numerous architects and artists have trimmed and carved 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 be connected to the land through shallow tidal flats exposed to the sea only during the few low tides of the year.Therefore, it was also operated as a natural and dangerous fortress to resist the Vikings who ravaged the coast at that time.

It is said that during the period of chaos and turmoil when the Vikings invaded and the coast of the mainland fell one after another; hundreds of armed warriors guarding Mont Saint-Michel successfully resisted the repeated attacks and attacks from the Vikings for decades; Known as the miracle of Mont Saint-Michel.

Also because the tide in St. Malo Bay is so "fickle", there are many terrible stories, such as the silent rising tide that will chase the knights, the carriage full of goods that suddenly disappeared without a trace in the huge quicksand, A traveler who was unable to extricate himself from the mud and died tragically.

Therefore, the experience of pilgrimage to Mont Saint-Michel over the obstacles of various tides and tidal flats has become a symbol of piety and firm belief in a certain sense; The bones washed out from time to time on the tidal flat.

Until the end of the collapse of the Frankish Kingdom, the only remaining Frankish remnant on the mainland also resisted here to 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 restrained; the last blood of the Carolingian dynasty was able to escape to the sea.

After the establishment of the Kingdom of Sealand, it finally signed the Treaty of Nantes with the Holy Kingdom with the Bay of St. Malo as the boundary.In this regard, Mont 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 staying on Mont Saint-Michel all year round; at the same time, there are also the oldest copying office/printing house and religious school in the Western Continent, and there are only a handful of large churches Library; now managed by a Benedictine monastery.

At the same time, here is not only a holy place on the sea, but also a natural and dangerous island fortress; just standing on the land, there are as many as three winding city walls from the sea to the top; The towering fortress-like monastery was distributed during the period.

Surrounding the island's irregular circular city wall, there are three sides with steep and rugged cliffs and reefs; only the southeast side facing the estuary to the sea, there are levels down to the beach wharf, and the relatively tortuous and gentle slope is also a variety of functions. The area with the densest distribution of buildings.

In fact, even in the low tide season, the wet and muddy beaches around the island cannot pass heavy siege equipment at all; the cliffs and reef beaches on three sides of the island also prevent any attacker from exerting the siege effect of superior forces; But can only attack in one direction.

What the attackers have to face is not only the condescending and dangerous cliffs and the steep and narrow drop; there are also the thick granite stones transported by the pilgrims and patrons of the past generations in the name of piety and trials. Layers of city walls and monasteries/fortresses built.

The most conspicuous among them is the Romanesque fortress monastery built by the Merovingian Dynasty on the top of the mountain, and the Gothic spire towers during the period, like sharp swords piercing the sky.From a distance, it seems that the height of the building is even higher than the mountain itself.

The Vikings who repeatedly attacked Mont Saint-Michel in history were either stranded or knocked over by the impact of the tide and the turbulent vortex, and sank in the chaotic reef; they were reduced to live targets on the city wall; After the attack on foot, he was slowly shot to death by the crossbow in the tidal flat and quicksand.

But also because Mont Saint-Michel is located at an important point, whoever occupies it can control and influence it. The estuary and upstream coast of Saint-Malo Bay, as well as the surrounding hundreds of miles of sea area, have the initiative in offensive and defensive strategies.Now, due to the continuous civil strife in the Kingdom of Sealand, the Holy Kingdom has sent an intervention army.

Mont Saint-Michel, which is the property of the universal church and a neutral territory, was also occupied by the preventive division of troops by the Holy Kingdom Army.Even when the Holy Kingdom shrank and withdrew most of the intervening troops across the board due to changes in the sky, it still maintained and strengthened the size of the garrison at Mont Saint-Michel.

According to information provided by some locals who were expelled from Mount Saint-Michel; there are usually three or four hundred armed warriors on this holy mountain.Afterwards, the army of the Holy Kingdom transported more than a thousand soldiers to the mountain by ferry, among which there were suspected to be hundreds of knights in plate armor.

In addition, it is not far from the border of the Holy Kingdom. In fine weather, you can even see the coastal forts and outposts on the other side of the Gulf of Saint-Malo; therefore, as long as the attacking Mont Saint-Michel sends a signal for help , immediately get support from the nearest Holy Kingdom.

Among them, there is a Knights branch from the neighboring big city Rennes, and the border guards from the city of St. Malo itself, armed with more than a dozen local militias in Le County.As long as there is a little more delay, the knights and provincial and county troops from all over Brittania will come one after another.

And now it is the severe winter season, and the sea to Mont Saint-Michel is full of turbid waves emptying and rolling.Undoubtedly, not to mention rowing across the sea to attack, you will be swept away by the tide and turbulent currents; even if you accidentally fall into the sea, it will be difficult to be rescued in time.

Even if you successfully approach the foot of the mountain, your body will soon be frozen stiff due to the wetness of the wind and waves, or you will lose most of your mobility due to the rapid loss of temperature during the wading process, and even die as a result.It can be said that under the superposition of various unfavorable factors, the present is not the right time to attack.

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 Krosana, who had pineapple curly hair and a face with baby fat, and was slightly cramped. nodded and said:

"Thank you for your investigation all the way, and solved a long-standing concern of mine. Therefore, as the final reward, I can properly satisfy one of your wishes within my ability..."

"Your Majesty, this is just a subject's duty, and no additional rewards are needed." Cyrano, who was short but straight, bowed again and said, "This subject needs to thank Your Majesty for giving me and Ke Na, a chance to untie the knots of the past and get to know each other again."

"Since this is the case, then I will change the way." Jiang Tian smiled slightly when he heard the words: "Whenever you decide to officially get married, I will send someone a congratulatory gift."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, this is the best blessing for the future of Cyrano and me." At this moment, Krosana no longer cared about the lady's reserve and shyness, and pulled Cyrano to kneel Xie Dao: After all, there is nothing more capable of quelling criticism than the approval of a king.

Afterwards, she continued to report other results and details that she had traced along the way during this period of time.As the "Violet" team with special missions, they followed the Princess Teresia who was suspected to have been taken away after the Blood Moon Incident, and followed more than half of the kingdom with clues of mixed truth and falsehood.

It encountered many conflicts and accidents, and even encountered obstruction and destruction from the underground world and even the alien groups in the dark several times.Finally, following the general trend of the free army's unification of the kingdom, the key was found in the Gregorian Monastery in Tours, Loire.

Through the secret arrest and interrogation of the vice-principal and priests, not only were the priests who had long-term correspondence with the southern royal party discovered, but also some of the royal jewels that had been hidden privately; The nanny in charge of accompanying Princess Teresia.

Just after Cyrano defeated and captured the assassin from an unknown force; the nun, who had been keeping her oath of silence, finally provided enough information for verification and comparison.The person who secretly took and hid Princess Teresia traded her as an important bargaining chip.

In exchange for the military supplies left after the intervention army from the Holy Kingdom withdrew, as well as the leadership of the local armed forces that were trained on the spot.However, before the agreement was completed, these royalist forces were defeated and wiped out one after another.It can only be hidden again by the local church.

However, as the free army swept across the kingdom, the local clergy became more and more disturbed.In the end, a high-ranking priest from the Holy Kingdom sent Princess Teresia to Mont Saint-Michel, a neutral territory but under the actual control of the Holy Kingdom, which became the best choice at the moment.

The remaining problem now is how to get out the former princess who has been lost for many years under the eyes of the Holy Kingdom's occupying army and many armed warriors.This is not only to solve the last bit of mess left by the previous dynasty, but also the key to completing the tasks related to Marlena.

(End of this chapter)