Chapter 174 The Cardinal’s voice was trembling.
While Matthews was waiting for the Cardinal to arrive on the outskirts of the Thorn Territory, Aaron was also working hard on a series of preparations in the city of the Thorn Territory.
Apart from anything else, this is the first time a cardinal of the church has come to Antolia, and no matter what, he must send the person back alive!
This is really not an exaggeration.
The Antolians have a long history of hatred towards the church.
In this era, there are almost no nobles who do not exploit their people.
Even Leon, who is a time traveler, is just a little more sophisticated in his methods of squeezing.
So...
before Leon, there were many unreliable rulers in the land of Antolia.
but!
The smartest thing that the patriarchs of the Jimena family have done is to deflect conflicts!
Since Antoria will face the threat of the Year of the Jackdaw every five years, so... how can we squeeze the people of the territory and at the same time allow the people and the Jimena family to overcome the difficulties together?
The answer is actually very simple.
That is to put all the evil things that the Jimena family has done on the head of the church!
For example, what should a lord do if he is short of money?
Of course, taxes must be collected on the heads of the citizens.
If the Jimena family wanted to collect a tax of three Andal silver coins from each of its subjects, they would first have to ask the priest to say an additional tithe.
People in this era also like compromise.
Due to the struggle and opposition of the great Jimena family, the original tax increase of ten Andal silver coins was reduced to three, and the people in the territory will naturally be grateful for this.
To be honest, when Leon discovered this while looking through the secret family history.
He couldn't help but deeply admire the wisdom of his family ancestors.
In addition, the church's rhetoric was unpopular in Antolia, so after this back and forth, the people of Antolia became increasingly resistant to the church.
So...
in order for the Cardinal to get out of Antolia alive, Aaron had to get vaccinated in advance.
"We must let officials at all levels convey the spirit of this meeting to all the citizens of Antolia!"
Aaron said earnestly after summoning all the officials from Thorn Ridge.
"The purpose of hosting the cardinal is to allow the Antolians to spread their influence to the church!" "
At that time, not only the tithes of the people will continue to be in arrears, but also the tithes paid by other territories. , Antolia can also intercept the flow from it!"
From priests to bishops, to cardinals and popes.
The church has always had an established process for the payment of tithes.
And this also gave the Antolian people the possibility to profit from it.
Therefore, Aaron naturally must not be careless at all about such a major event that benefits Antolia or the Jimena family.
"Juan!"
"The Antolian militia must keep their spirits up and protect the safety of the Cardinal and his party!" "
This time the Cardinal will definitely go to the construction site on the other side of the White Blade River to visit the church under construction, where a large number of people have gathered The people must be vigilant and make sure there is no mistake!" "
I understand." At
present, all the Lapruk legions are stationed in the abandoned land, and the Antolian mercenaries are shouldering many tasks at the same time, so protecting The Cardinal's errand naturally fell on the Antolian militia.
"It's just..."
After hesitating for a moment, Juan still asked: "What if the cardinal did not let Father Matthews be promoted to bishop?" "So what?
"
Hearing this, the old housekeeper asked A cold look suddenly flashed across his lowered eyes: "He will definitely agree!"
...
Although he was somewhat reluctant, the Cardinal still had to accept the explanation given by Father Matthews. .
According to Father Matthews, the deaths of previous priests were all due to their own greed for money and the exploitation of their people.
Therefore, as a priest who is dedicated to good deeds and is willing to go through fire and water for the sake of the church, Matthews has to find another way to preach and grant credit.
If it were anyone else, the host bishop would most likely not believe it.
But the person who said this was Father Matthews!
The Duke of Galicia, who knew why Matthews came to Father Antolia, had already passed the first seven days.
Therefore, in the cardinal's heart, Matthews is a priest who is willing to die!
And the explanation he gave was naturally somewhat credible.
"The soldiers around are all here to protect your safety."
Realizing that the cardinal's eyes were glancing at the surrounding soldiers from time to time, Father Matthews said quickly: "You also know that Antolia's religious beliefs have always been extremely strong. Miscellaneous."
"Although the Marquis and many officials in the territory are extremely pious, there will eventually be some pagans with dark hearts wandering in this land." "
This trip is going to a church under construction, so naturally we must try our best to Guarantee your safety."
Passing through the old city of Thorn Ridge and walking across the bridge across the White Blade River, the Antolia Cathedral, the predecessor of the Pantheon of Antolia, appeared in front of Bishop Maxim.
Although the church was not yet completed at this time, the huge construction site displayed in front of Bishop Maxim still gave the cardinal a feeling of shock in Antolia. The
Antolian people were actually building it. church?
And... it's such a huge church? Could it be possible that what Father Matthews said was true? !
As a true cardinal, Massim had seen countless churches.
But what he was certain of was that even the church located in Essex, the capital of the Andal Kingdom, would definitely be difficult to compare with the church presented to him.
When he arrived, Antolian craftsmen were carving exquisite reliefs on the exterior walls of the church, and the green trees planted around the church reflected dappled light and shadow.
Uninstalled window sashes are piled in the corner of the wall, and the colorful paint creates a beautiful color.
"This..."
For a moment, Bishop Maxim froze on the spot.
Until three or five young children ran from a distance, passed through the surrounding crowd, and presented bouquets of flowers to the bishop who came from afar.
"May the God of Light bless you!"
Although he felt a little weird in his heart, the child's tender voice still made him feel relaxed and happy.
"The God of Light will surely bless this land."
Masim said with some emotion.
only……
"You will make Father Matthews a bishop, right?"
When the innocent voice of the child once again reached Maxim's ears, the cardinal from the southern part of the kingdom couldn't help but suddenly shouted. shock.
He finally realized why he felt something was wrong before.
Because he seemed not to see any reverence for the God of Light in the eyes of the young children.
At this moment, Maxim couldn't help but look around again.
The Antolian soldiers who were originally surrounding him had already withdrawn at some point.
A group of craftsmen dressed as local citizens were surrounding him, waiting for his reply with their slightly cold eyes.
Although Aaron ordered not to use violence against the cardinal, those unkind glances still made Maxim a little frightened.
"Don't worry, Bishop, they are all the most devout believers!"
Father Matthews seemed to be aware of the bishop's mental state, and showed a bright smile at the right time.
They were indeed religious.
But the object of piety is not the God of Light!
Matthews thought silently in his heart.
"You will make Father Matthews a bishop, right?" repeated the child who presented the bouquet.
"Of course..."
"Matthews is a devout priest and will definitely become an upright bishop!"
At this moment, Maxim's voice could not help but tremble, and even contained a hint of crying.
He had no doubt.
If he refused, he probably wouldn't be able to leave the construction site.
Because behind the craftsmen who were leading the people's costumes, Mahim could vaguely see some flashes of sharpness... It's the Chinese
Valentine's Day, and I wish all my book friends happiness as good as the East China Sea and longevity as high as the Southern Mountains. Let me see if there are any singles who are not suitable for Chinese Valentine's Day~
(End of this chapter)