When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 894 - 845: 30,000 or 300,000?

When Jeska crossed the bridge at Soldering Town, compared to three days ago, there were a lot more injured among the Wild Wolf Cultivators.

They were wrapped in bandages, lying on stretchers, with blood staining the corners of their clothes.

The residents of Soldering Town stood by the roadside, pointing and commenting on these wounded soldiers, showing expressions of concern and curiosity.

Behind the marching units were dozens of wagons driven by service soldiers.

Some were carrying injured soldiers unable to walk, others were loaded with prisoners of war and spoils, and even more than a dozen Devil Horses.

Among the procession, the most eye-catching were the Red Knight prisoners of war loaded in special iron-barred cages.

Their teeth had been knocked out, limbs broken, with iron hooks piercing through their collarbones.

This was not the Wild Wolf Cultivators mistreating the prisoners, but because these Red Knights were truly inhuman.

Not only did they bite the person bringing them food, they often rammed into the cage, so it was no wonder the Wild Wolf Cultivators didn't hold back.

Don't just knock out their teeth, if you hit them with a basket, see if they'll still bite.

It must be said, these Red Knights all seemed like they'd drunk too much Dragon Potion, still staring blankly.

At the head of the bridge, Dass, with his arm suspended from his neck, was smiling as he greeted Jeska.

"Uncle Jeska, in the battle at Redway, you killed over three thousand of the enemy, and I received the battle report in the rear."

Jeska flipped off the horse, grabbed Dass's good arm, ignoring his cries of pain, dragged him to one side.

"What exactly is the situation? What's the latest news, this time the ones chasing us aren't just thirty thousand people."

Upon hearing Jeska's words, Dass smiled bitterly: "You don't know, the Falans just conveyed news that the illegal Pope of the Holy Seat City has launched the Chao Character Army against us."

"Didn't they already launch it before?"

"Before was before, now is now, before it was just giving King Jiji a title to justify awarding land, now the Pope himself has stepped in."

"What does it mean for him to step in personally?"

Dass turned serious: "Last month, the northern Pope Puliano mobilized the Border Knight Order and the Divine Hall Knight Order Throne Guard to formally launch a crusade against the Thousand River Valley."

The Pope's crusade?

Jeska was taken aback; such words were common only before the Hundred Years' War.

Since the Hundred Years' War, the Pope had hardly left his station, much less fought personally.

What conditions did King Jiji offer to make this new Pope leave his Holy Seat?

"Not only that, this Pope publicly displayed the Miracle Priest kidnapped from our territory and symbolically denounced our miracle as a spell…"

As Dass narrated, Jeska's brow furrowed deeper, his eyebrows almost meeting.

"…therefore, they maligned the Saint's Grandson as a Blood Court spy, even giving him the name Krasov…"

"…originally this should be a heretical dispute and Empire rebellion, with the Church dragging the Monastery into breaking the Empire oath…"

"…but scholars from River Island Theological College, through research and redefinition, labeled the Thousand River Valley Holy Alliance as a Blood Court vassal state…"

"…because she's a state established by a Blood Court spy, dealing with her means attacking the Blood Court…"

After a series of complex discussions, Dass took a deep breath: "They have invoked the Holy War Treasury."

Jeska was first stunned, then after a moment of recollection, his eyes widened suddenly: "Holy War Treasury, aren't they afraid of a Blood Court invasion at this chance?"

The so-called Holy War Treasury is the leftover counterattack funds from the victorious Pope Paul I's Hundred Years' War.

Some devout nobles and bishops, after their deaths, would donate part of their estate to the Holy War Treasury, and through the Holy Seat Bank, it continuously increased.

Even in the old Pope's time, during the battle at Windmill Land, when he used up all his money, he didn't dare touch this fund.

This is because there are many Franon people holding it back within the Church Court.

But now, with Church schism, Puliano unexpectedly has the power to use this fund.

"The Blood Court is no better than the Empire." Bernardo emerged from behind the two, "The old generation of vampires cling to their positions, the new generation of vampires continuously stir unrest.

The Blood Slave merchants stir the situation among them, the Ogre Warlords disobey orders even more.

If not for the Blood Court's main subjects being skeleton zombies and having few living human populations, rebellion would have erupted long ago."

Compared to the clear politics of the Thousand River Valley Holy Alliance, the Empire and Royal Court were almost equally corrupt.

It's likely based on this judgment that Pope Puliano dared to gamble this time.

"Are there concrete figures?" Jeska's brows furrowed more deeply than ever before.

Dass was silent for a long moment, then spoke in a low voice: "Based on central dispatches and Falan intelligence, this Chao Character Army and the troops currently in Thousand River Valley, the number of fighting soldiers will reach eighty thousand, civilian auxiliary soldiers might reach two hundred thousand."

Jeska was speechless, even Bernardo next to him was astounded for quite a while before speaking: "This scale…it's almost catching up to the Hundred Years' War."

During the Hundred Years' War, the Falans, Leias, and Norns all revealed their aces, totaling only fourteen hundred thousand soldiers.

And now the Thousand River Valley surprisingly has eighty thousand soldiers, of which fifty thousand are from Leias, thirty thousand from the Pope.

"Are they crazy? Has that illegal Pope gone mad?" Jeska exclaimed. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

No wonder Jeska found it hard to accept, the Pope mobilized thirty thousand men, including a large number of Temple Knights and Border Knights.

It's worth noting that Temple Knights are responsible for suppressing rebellions and heretical individuals within the church, while Border Knights are responsible for resisting the Blood Court on the borders.

Now, among the three major Knight Orders, aside from the southern Holy Sword Knight Order and Demon Hunting Knights against heretics, existing armed forces have all arrived.

Moreover, unlike the vassal army mixed with peasant soldiers, these church forces are all genuinely elite forces.

This move has emptied six to seven tenths of the current forces of the church and monastery to support King Jiji.

What on earth did the Thousand River Valley Holy Alliance do to Puliano?

In terms of positions, Grandiva pulled Puliano's highest hatred.

Speaking of the Pope's crown, Grandiva is more threatening to Horn.

When Horn became the Holy Alliance Pope, it only affected the aristocrats' perception.

Like Grandiva, their attitude toward Horn was just verbal sparring, the main target was still Puliano.

Whether win or lose in the future, with these armed forces, Puliano can gain a positive result.

But now he's like the world's richest man selling his company, investing his core capital.

It shouldn't be, it doesn't make sense!

Dass has long experienced the stage of disbelief Jeska is in now, merely smiling wryly: "The Secret Monk and His Majesty pondered all day and night, unable to understand the move by this illegal Pope."

After the initial shock had subsided, Jeska gradually recovered.

He thought for a moment, then helplessly said: "This really is too startling, with this wave of support, the war that might have ended within the year, who knows when it'll drag on to."

"That King Jiji really has some means." Dass glanced at the people and horses gathering in Soldering Town, "I say, Uncle Jeska, since we're here, there are still twenty thousand enemy troops, how about…"

As if his soul connected, Jeska responded: "Shall we take them on?"