Water Margin people

"That's how it should be!"

The governor immediately made a decision, saying that in this way, the appearance of Baldwin IV would have nothing to do with him.

As for whether this statement can withstand scrutiny, it doesn’t matter. The city is already in this state and there is no way to investigate it.

"Is that so?"

Bernard looked at the Governor and others with a sneer. His expression made it clear that he did not accept this explanation, but he did not hesitate.

"Then please, Governor, allocate some troops to me so that I can hunt down these pagans!"

Bernard looked at the governor and said that he didn't care why Baldwin IV appeared in the city, so the governor had no way to refuse to lend troops.

"This... the city has suffered a huge change, I can only borrow a thousand soldiers!"

The governor said in embarrassment that he knew it would not work without borrowing troops.

"Thank you very much, Governor!"

Bernard smiled and left.

The governor dismissed everyone and only left a few trusted confidants.

"Governor, what should we do? If Bernard catches the Leper King, we will be in trouble!"

A nobleman said that the Holy See was quite cruel to pagans, and if the news of their collusion with pagans spread, the Pope would probably issue a decree ordering the major kingdoms to attack the Republic of Venice.

"Damn it, how did they run into each other? Why didn't the Leper King die?"

The Governor said bitterly that he thought the Leper King had died in the city.

"Governor, since there is chaos now, why don't we give Bernard and his men to..."

A general made a gesture of wiping his neck. His meaning was very clear. If the news of their contact with Baldwin IV were to be publicized, they would all be killed by the Vatican. Instead of waiting to die, it would be better to kill Bernard and others and destroy the evidence. Anyway, the Black Death was raging now, and it was normal for some people to die.

"Go and follow him. If he finds out about what we're doing, kill him!"

The governor also made a decisive decision. Baldwin IV was valuable to them, as they could use his identity as a missionary to open up trade with Qi, but Bernard was worthless.

After Baldwin IV led his men out of the city, he did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he found a place outside the city to camp and began to gather the refugees.

Still using the same missionary method as before, many desperate civilians expressed their willingness to convert to the Imperial Religion, but many people still hesitated.

"Since you have converted to my Imperial Religion, you must be baptized. Now follow me to the island!"

Baldwin IV spoke, and he got on the boat, while the converted civilians followed by swimming. Venice is a water city, and everyone here knows how to swim.

"Your Majesty, do you want them to cleanse themselves of the filth?"

William looked at the large number of civilians swimming behind the ship.

"Yes, they are too dirty. They haven't taken a bath or washed clothes in a long time. This is the easiest way to clean them!"

Baldwin IV nodded and said that the first step of cleansing starts with the body and clothing.

The ship docked at the island's pier and the civilians came ashore panting. They were all wet, but they were clean after swimming for so long.

This island is actually part of the port of Venice. There are docked ships all around the island, and there are also several temporary warehouses for storing supplies.

"Make a fire and dry your clothes!"

Baldwin IV gave orders to his soldiers.

"The emperor cannot tolerate filth and dirt, so rats and cockroaches are not allowed to exist. If you see them, you must kill them! If you live with dirty things, you will become dirty and lose the favor of God..."

Baldwin IV began to preach to the civilians.

The civilians listened carefully, they just wanted to find a chance to survive.

"Now, you have to kill and expel all the rats on the island!"

Baldwin IV spoke to the civilians. As if they had received a command from God, the civilians picked up sticks and stones and began to search for rats on the island.

You wouldn't have known until you looked for it. You would be shocked to find that there were so many rats hiding on such an island, especially in the cabins and warehouses.

When the civilians saw the rats, they treated them as enemies and started killing them with roars.

The rats were chased everywhere and many of them jumped into the sea, but they couldn't swim and soon drowned.

Bernard led his men to the shore and found that Baldwin IV had brought his men to the island. He immediately sent people to find a boat.

"Sir, the ships are all at the city dock!"

The generals spoke unhappily, saying that they dared not enter the city again.

"What do you mean!"

Bernard was furious. The guards around him didn't know how to operate a ship, so it would be useless even if they went into the city.

"Sir, we are only assisting you. They can't escape from that island!"

The general looked at Bernard and spoke.

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No one wants to swim. Not to mention how heavy the armor and weapons they are wearing, they will probably sink halfway through the swim.

Even if they swam close, they would be dead. The enemies were standing on the shore with spears, stabbing them like fish, and they had no way to fight back.

"Sir, they can't escape anyway. Let's look for the boats ahead and kill them at night!"

The captain of the guard said that they were not interested in other things, but they were very concerned about hunting down Baldwin IV, which was an important step for them to establish their merits.

"Okay, go find a boat!"

Bernard nodded.

Baldwin IV naturally saw everything that happened on the shore, but he didn't care. He just slowly explained the teachings of the Imperial Religion.

The civilians listened so carefully that they even forgot the existence of the Black Death.

Compared with the quiet waiting of these two parties, the governor was getting anxious.

"Why don't you fight anymore!"

The governor gritted his teeth and said that if Bernard and Baldwin IV fought, he would have the opportunity to take action and kill both enemies.

But now both sides were surprisingly quiet, which made him very upset.

"Governor, why don't you have someone notify the Leper King and let him take the opportunity to leave!"

"Yes, we will be safe if he leaves, and we can even do Qi a favor!"

Everyone started talking again. They were unwilling to give up Baldwin IV, which meant they were unwilling to give up trade with Qi.

"I'm afraid the Leper King won't want to leave. He's only interested in preaching and doesn't even think about his own worth!"

The governor was a little angry. Such a small number of people wanted to preach under the nose of the Vatican. Isn't this seeking death?

"Bernard will come aboard by boat after dark!"

A general spoke.

"Then go tell Baldwin IV first. Don't blame me if she doesn't leave!"

The Governor looked at one of his confidants and spoke.

Just as everyone was preparing themselves, news spread in Venice that the Leper King, a missionary of the Eastern Imperial Religion, had arrived in Venice, and that as long as they converted to the Imperial Religion, they would be free from the threat of the Black Death.

The news caused an instant sensation, and people with nowhere else to go turned to Baldwin IV.

The situation in Venice changed dramatically in an instant, and the common people stood on the side of Baldwin IV. (End of this chapter)