Firefly Journey

Chapter 317 After the Storm, All Grasses Turn Green (9)

"Your Majesty, two cavalry units of the Holy See have met up about twenty miles from us. Judging from their appearance, they are determined to defend the Chu Kingdom to the death."

"In the Allied Forces camp," Grand Duke Claude said.

This was an old man, dressed in a white fur coat, with white hair and beard. He looked strong and powerful, with a muscular physique, showing that he was old but still strong.

"What about the Dark Temple? They promised to work with us on a grand scheme, but they ended up colluding with the Holy See."

Henry I sneered: "I'm not surprised that the Papacy has turned against us. After all, the Duchy of Bema has been at odds with us for many years and likes to wave the banner of so-called justice."

But why the Temple? With such immense benefits right before their eyes, they refused to take them.

Did they think that as long as they helped the State of Chu defend its territory, the people of Chu would be grateful and worship the goddess of darkness from then on?

Haha, ridiculous!

Based on my understanding of the Chu people, such a thing would never happen. The Chu people are rigidly traditional and inflexible; they have no idea of ​​the benefits of having the protection of an ancestral church.

"Grand Duke Kane, do you have a plan to defeat the enemy?" Henry I looked at the silent man.

Since Jamie and Finney went to Chu and the Empire unilaterally broke the contract, Kane Roberts has been in an awkward position.

The people sent out were members of Robert's family, and Henry I hadn't mentioned it once since the start of the war.

Clearly, he didn't care about the two men's lives. As the father and uncle of the two children, he was naturally extremely dissatisfied, and had remained almost entirely silent since the start of the campaign, using this silence as a way to vent his discontent.

Henry I was also aware that he had wronged the Robert family, and he usually turned a blind eye to Kane's slacking off.

The most brutal battle is about to begin. At such a time, everyone's thoughts are important, especially since Grand Duke Kane holds a portion of the military power, so we have to give him a friendly welcome.

"Your Majesty is a man of both literary and military prowess, a man of unparalleled talent. I'm sure you already have a strategy in mind. I'd better not say anything, as my humble opinion would only make you a laughingstock."

Kane was clearly giving off an "I'm not going to cooperate" vibe.

Henry I knew he harbored resentment, and with a major battle imminent, he couldn't very well blame him, so he found a way to save face for himself.

"Haha! It seems that Duke Kane trusts me completely. Then let me tell you my plan."

"Currently, our allied forces have completely surrounded Danyang, so that not even a fly can get in. There is no need to rush things."

"Danyang is like a piece of cake; it will be ours sooner or later. However, continuing to besiege it indefinitely is not a good idea. Don't be fooled by our apparent advantage; in reality, we are the ones who cannot afford to wear it down."

The capital of Chu was fortified with high walls and deep fortifications, containing countless grain warehouses. To try to cut off its supplies by besieging the city was nothing short of a pipe dream.

On the contrary, the allied forces advanced rapidly, and their supply lines were already strained. If the battle dragged on any longer, the situation would turn against the allied forces, and Henry I needed a swift victory to establish a foothold in Chu.

Otherwise, the territory they had previously conquered would be like a pile of loose sand, gone in an instant, and impossible to hold.

"Send orders to all departments: In the next few days, we will launch a general offensive against Danyang. Make sure everyone is ready at all times and not let their guard down for a moment!"

"Yes!"

The assembled officers and nobles readily agreed.

Duke Claude, who had previously reported on the movements of the Papal cavalry, remembered something else and said, "Your Majesty, the Northern Orcish Alliance and the Kingdom of Delos have launched fierce attacks on the western and northern borders respectively while my main force is on the eastern front. I am worried that the garrison there will not be able to withstand them."

The empire's eastern expedition mobilized the entire nation's resources, leaving the defenses of the remaining borders severely inadequate.

Henry I knew when he mobilized his army that these countries and tribes, which had been suppressed by the empire, would take this opportunity to cause trouble, but he did not expect their offensive to be so fierce.

The Vagri Alliance, which united almost all the forces in the North, put the Empire's northern frontier in grave danger, even losing the city of Selyol, which it had been developing for over a decade.

The situation on the western front was even more unexpected. The Papacy not only openly supported the Chu Kingdom, but also abandoned its pretense with the Duchy of Bema, which it had been supporting, and joined forces with the Kingdom of Delos to stir up trouble on the western front.

The pressure on the western and northern fronts is considerable. If left unchecked without reinforcements, it could endanger the empire's homeland.

However, the Debasa Empire was now in a dilemma. If it chose to withdraw directly from the Chu Kingdom, it would be a complete waste of effort, and it would gain nothing. This was something that Henry I was unwilling to accept under any circumstances.

So he plans to speed things up.

He wanted to conquer the State of Chu with lightning speed, and then extinguish the fire in his own backyard.

"Has the State of Chu not had a state religion for ten thousand years?"

Henry I’s cold laughter echoed from inside the tent.

"From now on, east of the magnificent barrier, there is only one faith: the Ancient Battle Arena."

……

……

After passing through the narrow passage, Lin Yuanran and Feng Ling went further and came to another secret room.

Compared to the emptiness in front, this secret room was incredibly full, with rows of bookshelves neatly arranged, and the books on them looked brand new, without a speck of dust, as if someone had been taking care of them all along.

“These are…” Lin Yuanran murmured.

The secret documents of the Holy See are all displayed inside the St. Phileun Cathedral, so there's no need to find another place to store them. What do all these books contain?

Lin Yuanran and Feng Ling exchanged a glance, and without prior arrangement, they each picked up a book, intending to browse through it.

Lin Yuanran picked up a book at random, but before he could even open it, he was shocked by the contents of the cover.

The reason is simple: the title on the cover is neither in Bema script nor Chu script, but in simplified Chinese characters, which he is very familiar with.

how come……

Lin Yuanran was utterly shocked. The book he picked up was none other than the Tao Te Ching.

When Fengling was flipping through the pages, she didn't lose her composure like Lin Yuanran. She just frowned and tried hard to recall where she had seen these words before, as they seemed so familiar.

"Judging from these, they should be ancient books from the Chu Kingdom. The characters inside are not much different from the Chu script. They may be the earliest, un-evolved characters from ancient times," Lin Yuanran lied.

The wind chimes remained silent.

She quickly recalled where the text came from.

This is not the script of the Pan-Ancient Continent, but rather the official script of a certain Eastern superpower from her world, across the distant ocean.

It's understandable that the boy in front of him mistook it for ancient Chu script, since they are all pictographs, and Chu script is the most similar to it in the world.

"Can you understand it?" Wind Chime asked.

Although he knew these were Chinese characters, he had only seen wind chimes on television and various snack packaging, and didn't recognize many of them. Lin Yuanran, on the other hand, had stayed in the State of Chu for so long, and since the two characters resembled each other, he might be able to understand the contents.

“It’s a bit difficult, but I’ll try to read it to you,” Lin Yuanran said.

Difficult my ass!

No one in this world understands them better than me!

After feeling secretly pleased with himself for a while, Lin Yuanran put down the book "Tao Te Ching".

Just kidding. Even if the book is written in his native language and he recognizes every single word, it's still very obscure and difficult to understand when put together. It won't be of much help to the two of them on this trip. They should just get a simple and easy-to-understand book instead.

Lin Yuanran's gaze swept over one Chinese character book after another, finally settling on a yellowed notebook.

The booklet had a pure yellow cover and no title, making it stand out among the other books.

Lin Yuanran picked it up and turned to the first page, his eyes widening in surprise.

Judging from the handwriting, is it handwritten?

Is it...

Besides myself, there were other predecessors who came to this world.

Thinking of this, Lin Yuanran became excited.

"Are you going to read it or not?" Fengling urged.

She felt that Lin Yuanran might be stubbornly refusing to admit his mistake.

"Right away." Lin Yuanran snapped out of his daze and began reading the contents of the first page.

"In the year 163 of the Pan-Ancient Calendar, it was sunny. Julius liberated Kurban and brought back a little girl..."