Firefly Journey

Chapter 292 The World's Attack on Chu (2)

News of the Seven Gods Church's army pressing in quickly reached the ears of the Chu Kingdom's high-ranking officials.

Faced with the menacing raiders, Emperor Zhuang and the Sword Saint remained calm, showing no signs of tension.

It wasn't that they were confident or had a solution, but rather that they understood that as long as the State of Chu didn't have a state religion, it would inevitably be targeted by others—this was unavoidable.

Since a war was inevitable sooner or later, at least the storm has finally broken out, and we can face it head-on instead of living in constant fear.

With the Seven Gods Church joining forces, and the ferocious army of the Debasa Empire, the Chu Kingdom was far inferior in terms of strength on paper alone. Everyone believed that the Chu Kingdom's defeat was only a matter of time.

Even the people of Chu who received the news thought so.

But they still did not choose to submit. Instead, they took up swords and were ready to fight the invaders who were far superior in strength.

Over the years, the Chu state has not been without ancestral gods coming to preach and spread their teachings, but the stubborn people of Chu have never taken them seriously.

For the people of Chu, the ethereal gods were far less important than an egg in their hands, which is why Lin Yuanran's previous pyramid scheme strategy was successful.

If you bring me benefits, then I'll trust you; otherwise, am I out of my mind?

The missionaries of the Seven Gods Church, who were originally stationed in the State of Chu to spread their faith, were now in a very awkward position.

If the Seven Gods attack the State of Chu, what will become of those who were originally stationed in Chu?

Logically, the best outcome would be to be placed under house arrest by the State of Chu to prevent any collusion from within or without.

Emperor Zhuang acted as if nothing had happened, ignoring them completely. They could leave or stay as they pleased, as if he hadn't seen anything.

Most missionaries believed that Emperor Zhuang, facing the combined forces of the allied army, was too preoccupied to attend to anything else and hadn't even thought about this matter. As a result, many people fled overnight to avoid being punished by Emperor Zhuang when he came to his senses.

In no time, the missionaries from the Church of the Seven Gods fled, leaving the church empty. Fortunately, there were not many people from Chu who believed in them to begin with, so it did not have much impact on social stability.

The only one who didn't leave was Archbishop Blancti, who was sent by the Holy See.

He is in no hurry.

Now that the Ancestral Artifact is in Lin Yuanran's hands, and Lin Yuanran is still serving as an official in the Chu Kingdom, if he doesn't run away, then there's no need for Blanty to leave either, and even the Holy See is particularly carefree.

"Thunder" Texas led the "Dawn" and "Daybreak" cavalry regiments on the eastern expedition under the command of Henry I, seemingly without considering the situation of the Chu branch church, not even sending a letter, leaving it to fend for itself.

When the enemy army invaded the border, Emperor Zhuang summoned his ministers to discuss ways to defend against them.

Lin Yuanran was merely a junior official in the Ministry of Rites, with no real power, and his sensitive background as a member of the Vatican meant he was not qualified to attend the military conference.

However, this matter had nothing to do with him. Regardless of who won or lost the war, the final outcome wouldn't affect him. Since he couldn't change anything, he might as well go with the flow and wait for His Holiness the Pope's instructions.

He now understood a little of what Blair had said.

Is this the Vatican's attitude he was referring to?

baffling.

Lin Yuanran stepped through the gate of the Danyang branch church.

Now, due to the invasion, the church of the Seven Gods in Chu is practically deserted, with hardly anyone left to pray, except for some staff members from the West.

Brandy warmly received him.

"Has His Holiness the Pope... given any new instructions?"

Before Lin Yuanran arrived, the highest-ranking person in the Papacy in the Chu Kingdom was Blancti, and everything had to go through him.

But now that Lin Yuanran has arrived, it's understandable that he doesn't receive instructions from the Holy See, since he has a superior leader.

But he couldn't be completely clueless, so he had to ask Lin Yuanran about the Vatican's plans.

To everyone's surprise, Lin Yuanran was also completely bewildered. "Nobody contacted me. You're asking me? Who the hell am I supposed to ask?"

And so, things got awkward.

Lin Yuanran had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer, "Well... the Vatican has told us to wait and see what happens, and we'll give further instructions later."

"Oh, I see!" Brontë exclaimed in sudden realization.

What do you mean by understanding something?

"This campaign of the Seven Gods against Chu was orchestrated by the Debasa Empire. Consequently, they invested the most and will reap the greatest benefits in the end."

The Vatican's order for us to remain inactive is a ploy to gain greater benefits and seize the spoils of the Battle Arena's victory. As expected of His Holiness the Pope and the High Priest, their thinking is far ahead of ours.”

Lin Yuanran chuckled. "Your thinking is unparalleled. When one of the current three high priests dies, I think you'd be perfect to fill the vacancy."

"I see, that's very farsighted," Lin Yuanran echoed. "In that case, let's have some tea first."

……

……

In the Tianqi Hall, Emperor Zhuang and his ministers gathered together.

Unlike the usual court assemblies, today's assembly had far fewer idle officials. Most of those present were high-ranking officials of the first rank, as well as various vice ministers from the Ministry of War and the commander of the Imperial Guard.

Besides, there was a person in blue standing in the corner.

The Sword Saint usually communicates with Emperor Zhuang privately, but rarely appears at court meetings. The fact that he is standing here today indicates that the State of Chu has truly reached a critical moment of life and death.

Emperor Zhuang sat up straight and said, "Before we begin the council meeting, I would like everyone to meet someone."

As he spoke, he clapped his hands.

The old minister Zhao Zheng stroked his beard and smiled kindly.

The ministers, including Right Chancellor Du Fufeng, looked astonished.

Simpson Budd, now dressed in imperial robes, entered from a side hall, bowed to the assembled officials, and then stepped aside.

"He was a close friend of the Great Teacher, Simpson Budd."

Several pairs of eyes turned to him simultaneously, most of them filled with anger, because the official robe he was wearing was of the highest rank, with the same pattern and design as Zhao Zheng's. What was his official rank?

The robe was worn by a person, and anyone with eyes could see it. However, different officials had different ways of dealing with what to do after seeing it.

Right Chancellor Du Fufeng remained silent as usual.

The matter is clear: the man was summoned by Emperor Zhuang, and he was already dressed in his official robes. The Left Chancellor was still smiling. What could he say? Silence was the best statement he could give.

Not everyone is as smart as him, especially the military generals.

Xue Ruyue was the first to explode.

Wearing the same official robes as Prime Minister Zhao? What kind of class do you belong to!

"Your Majesty, since this man is a close friend of the Great Teacher of Sages, he must be a member of the Holy See. The Holy See and the other six churches have troops stationed on our border and will soon invade. Are you suggesting that we should appoint an outsider at such a time?!"

Xue Ruyue had a bad temper and said whatever came to mind. The people in the Ministry of War were the same, all glaring angrily. Only Lu Yong kept his head down, pondering what kind of position Emperor Zhuang intended to appoint to this outsider.

"General Xue, don't be anxious." Emperor Zhuang laughed heartily. "In our Great Chu, the prevailing custom has always been to appoint the virtuous without prejudice to outsiders and to employ people regardless of personal relationships."

Some time ago, Mr. Simpson traveled here, and I had a conversation with him. I was immediately struck by his talent for governing the country and saving the nation, so I devised a plan to keep him here. Now that a powerful enemy is invading, in such a critical moment, we must use people without being bound by convention.

I assure everyone that Mr. Simpson is innocent and has absolutely no connection to the Allied forces!