Water Margin people

Chapter 1722 The Holy See
"Now that you mention it, I really have to be more careful!"

Yue Fei nodded and said that such a beast-like army could be very dangerous in certain situations.

"They are still thousands of miles away. Including the time it takes to assemble, it will take at least a month for them to come here. But since you defeated Saladin, the Fatimids probably won't dare to come alone, so it may take some time."

Ruan Xiaoqi spoke.

"You want to postpone it? How can this be possible? I'm about to switch defense. If I delay it, I won't have any chance!"

Yue Fei said immediately that he was unwilling to delay.

"It's not up to you. The capital of Fatima is too far away from here. You can't go over there to launch a surprise attack. If they don't come, you can only watch!"

Ruan Xiaoqi spoke.

"Damn it!"

Yue Fei was a little annoyed. If he had known this would happen, he would not have driven Saladin away. However, he had to fight. If he dragged it on, he might not even be able to catch up with the battle.

"It would be great if this area could be repaired in advance, so that the ships can go directly to the Nile River!"

Yue Fei looked at the map and said, the oldest canal connects the Red Sea and the Nile River, and then enters the Mediterranean Sea. If this river still exists, the navy can transport troops across.

"This river has been abandoned for a long time. Moreover, it is narrow and shallow, so large ships cannot pass through it. Even if it is open, it is not easy to navigate."

Ruan Xiaoqi spoke.

"What a pity, what a pity!"

Yue Fei could only look up to the sky and sigh.

……

Rome, Vatican, Holy See.

In a heavily guarded room.

Eugene III, wearing a gorgeous golden crown and a triple crown on his head, sat on the main throne.

A group of cardinals in red robes sat at the bottom, while archbishops in white robes stood on the periphery.

"Your Holiness, these gold plates are brand new, and there are many errors and omissions in the patterns on them, which are inconsistent with the records in the Bible."

An old man saluted to Eugene III.

"what?"

"Fake!"

"How can it be!"

“This is a gift from God!”

"The news has spread, and believers are coming from all over to worship!"

The cardinals and archbishops were talking among themselves. The news that they had brought back the holy relic had already spread, and believers had come from all over the country. If it was said that the holy relic was fake, where would the dignity of the Holy See be? How would believers view the Holy See?

Everyone looked at the cardinal in the front, who was the one who went to Jerusalem with the Crusaders.

"Are you making a mistake?"

The cardinal immediately asked, if it was really false, then it would be a big trouble.

"It can't be fake. We have carefully checked it. It is indeed new. However, the workmanship is extremely fine. If I were not proficient in appraisal and familiar with the master's items, I would probably find it difficult to tell." The old appraiser said.

At this moment, everyone was even more panicked and didn't know what to do.

A cough interrupted the whispers of the crowd, and it was Pope Eugene III who spoke.

The scene fell silent again, and everyone looked at Pope Eugene III, hoping that he could come up with a solution.

“When you are lost, you should pray to the Lord sincerely, and the Lord will guide His lost sheep.”

Eugene III stood up and said, holding the cross on his chest.

All the cardinals and bishops held the crosses tightly on their chests.

The sound of prayers rang out in the room.

"Your Highness, you don't seem surprised!"

Archbishop William was standing next to Baldwin IV. Now Baldwin IV no longer needed to wear a mask. His leprosy was completely cured, and at least there was no problem from the outside.

It is also because of this that Baldwin IV became famous in the church. A sinner cursed by the Lord was forgiven by the Lord through his own efforts. What a wonderful story this is, and it is also a story that all believers want to see.

Although the Pope and a group of cardinals were very skeptical about this, they did not believe that leprosy could be cured, nor did they believe that God would withdraw his punishment on sinners. The closer one is to God, the more they understand truth and falsehood.

But the news of Baldwin IV spread too quickly and they were unable to stop it.

At the same time, the church was also in crisis. The loss of Jerusalem led to the Second Crusade ending in a disastrous defeat. After paying so much, they gained nothing, and the church members were very dissatisfied.

Not long ago, a poor priest named Arnold of Brescia denied the "Donation of Constantine" and encouraged people to resist the rule of the church.

He denounced Eugene III as a "bloodthirsty man" and the Roman Cardinals as a "gang of thieves." He called for the clergy to return to the poverty of the apostolic age, advocated the abolition of the pope's secular power, and that Italy's rule should be restored to the ancient Roman Senate Republic, rather than the current Holy Roman Empire ruled by barbarians.

Inspired by this ancient Roman spirit-calling consciousness, the citizens of Rome elected consuls and the senate, formed a city defense army, rebuilt the Temple of Jupiter, occupied St. Peter's Basilica, and wanted to expel Pope Eugene III from Rome.

Eugene III knew very well that this was an attempt by the opposition forces within the church to take advantage of the situation and control the Vatican.

He would naturally not let this happen. Fortunately, Baldwin IV returned with the golden plate of the Ten Commandments at this time, which calmed the angry believers.

Baldwin IV was originally a member of the Crusaders. His leprosy was suddenly cured and he claimed to have been forgiven by God. This was the best publicity for the Crusades.

Many of those who joined the Crusades were prisoners and people who hoped to achieve great things. Now the miracle is before their eyes. Baldwin IV is the Lord's recognition of the holy war. Participating in the holy war is the best redemption for oneself and the best loyalty to the Lord.

Because of all these reasons, Baldwin IV suddenly became an important figure in the church and was even allowed to attend this high-level council as an exception.

"Nothing is surprising. The Ark of the Covenant has been lost for a thousand years. How could it suddenly appear when Qi appeared? Obviously, these are all Sun Lei's tricks."

Baldwin IV whispered.

"This is all his plan! What is he doing this for? To make us look bad and cause internal strife!"

William was horrified. This was a huge problem. If things went wrong, the Holy See might even split.

Although Eugene III convicted Arnold of Brescia of heresy and excommunicated him, Arnold did not yield.

There were already a large number of Puritans and old guard members in the church, all of whom supported Arnold, but now they had no excuse.

If the news that the golden plate of the Ten Commandments is fake spreads, it will certainly cause dissatisfaction among all believers. At that time, everyone will denounce the Holy See, and a war and division will be inevitable.

"He is so cruel that he wants to destroy the thousand-year-old Church with just one move!"

William is now full of fear of Sun Lei. When he thinks of Sun Lei's smile, he feels a chill on his back, as if he is being stared at by Satan. That smile seems to be telling him: "I can drag you into hell at any time"!