When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1035 If you can't win an argument with reason, try something else.
The first day of the Grand Council ended with Grand Duval being urgently carried away on a stretcher.

The outcome of this grand council remains undecided.

Judging from the situation on the scene, Horn had basically completed his critique of the Divine Sect and the establishment of the New Holy Path Sect.

This was accomplished in just one day.

Reconstructing one's worldview, outlook on life, and values.

Of the three theories of ontology, epistemology, and praxis, only the specific process of praxis has not been constructed.

Now that the general direction and framework have been established, all that remains is to refine the details of the doctrine.

But all of this happened too fast.

It should be noted that in the past, a single Grand Council meeting often lasted one or two months, and in some cases even more than ten years.

During this period, the various parties representing the definition of doctrine will form alliances and gradually strive for changes to each doctrine.

But Horn completed a revolutionary doctrinal construction in a single day.

First, the creation of "The Good Deeds of St. Ran" subverted the legitimacy of church rule, and then the allegory of the cannibal subverted the authenticity of extraordinary revelation.

It's too fast; the monks simply can't handle it.

It's as if Horn has set a new rule, and all the monks need to adapt to and accept it, which will take time.

It can be basically determined that Horn has gained a huge advantage.

They were convinced by Horn on a conceptual level, but their bottom line ultimately controlled their minds at the last moment.

The bishops and abbots present, along with representatives of various lower-ranking clergy, repeatedly discussed the matter and finally reached a compromise.

"Because the doctrines put forward by the Holy Alliance are too subversive and contain too many new theories, more time is needed for the monks and priests present to think about and understand them."

Meanwhile, due to Pope Grandiva's illness, the Grand Council will be adjourned for seven days, after which it will resume.

In fact, Horn was still somewhat unsatisfied, but with his opponents all down, he couldn't just charge in and attack directly, so he had to give up.

However, Horn wasn't going to be idle during this time.

He specially set up a lecture hall in the Scripture Hall next to the Bologna Cathedral, where he gave lectures to the monks who gathered at Springspring Castle every day.

Scholars or monks who wish to refute Horn are welcome to come as well; the door is always open.

Of course, those few from the Holy Dao Sect of Windmill Land came running to find Horn.

Horn didn't refuse; he wanted to unite as many forces as possible, because the Holy Alliance couldn't fight alone.

Don't be fooled by the fact that these low-ranking clergymen seem to have little power; in the future, they are the potential collaborators.

According to the history of Horn's hometown, the citizens should have united to drive out the bishop and nobles by now.

The reason why the Leia region is still like this is because the power gap between the citizens and the nobles is too large.
Once the ideological barriers are broken, and the military force is properly deployed, all that remains is armed uprising.

Civil war, the War of the Thousand Rivers Valley, the War of the Windmill Lands—the power of the nobles and the church within Leia has become weaker than ever before.

Leia has become the weakest link in the empire.

The Holy Alliance is currently undergoing industrialization and reforms, and its interference in the Kingdom of Leia will inevitably provoke the Kingdom of Fran to retaliate.

Horn and his advisors, the monks, had analyzed this and concluded that while they might have a local advantage, their overall national strength expenditure might not necessarily surpass that of the Franco-François.

Moreover, in Horn's own opinion, it was best to let them save themselves rather than simply waiting for the Holy Alliance to be their savior.

All the Holy Alliance can offer them is the weapon of criticism and the criticism of weapons.

However, while Horn was preparing to make great strides, things weren't going so well for Grandiva.

Inside a royal palace on the outskirts of Spring Spring Fort.

The Gospels slammed against the silver candlestick, knocking the candle over and nearly setting the tablecloth ablaze.

"That wicked monk's arguments! Every single one of them is a fallacy! Yet... yet those foolish monks actually started nodding in agreement!"

Unlike Grandiva, who, despite his somewhat outburst during the day, was still quite refined and easygoing, he was now gripping his bishop's crown and slamming it to the ground. The jeweled crown shattered into three or four pieces on the marble floor.

“Your Majesty,” Campbell said, pressing the silver scepter with the sacred tree relief against the ground. “Horn’s reasoning is not fallacious; we must face it squarely.”

“Face it squarely?” Grandiva suddenly laughed strangely. “Reason and experience make up faith…then what about our day and night prayers? What about the monks who copy scriptures?”
Following this line of reasoning, according to the doctrines of the Holy Path, nobles, bishops, and we—every single one of us—are devils.

He picked up the book "A Critical Examination of the Deeds of Saint Rand" from the table and handed it to Campbell: "If even the 'Deeds of Saint Rand' can be disproven, is his next step to point at the relics and say that it's a rotten bone?"

Campbell stared at him coldly without saying a word, and Grandiva's previously angry demeanor suddenly subsided for a moment.

Rocroi, who happened to be with his team of debaters, walked in at that very moment.

Grandiva whirled around, grabbed his robe, and the crimson hem crumpled under his grip.

"Aren't you the best debater? What's wrong with you today? Go debate! Burn those pamphlets and nail that old bastard Bro to the stake!"

“We can’t win the argument.” Faced with Grandiva’s questioning, Rocrois smiled bitterly, his voice ashen. “The “Biography of Saint Ran” has been proven false, and all our preparations have been in vain.”

Their system is so complete that it's impossible to find a suitable basis for a counterattack in a short period of time.

The monks' trust in us has collapsed; we have made too many mistakes.

Unless we can reclaim the triple crown, we cannot reverse the trend of conversion among the Shinbon monks.

"Take back the triple crown? It's already been offered as tribute to the vampire dukes by the ogres!"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

"You really can't find a flaw in this theory?"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I cannot do that."

The two faced each other in deathly silence, with only the ticking of the wall clock sounding like the tapping of a coffin lid.

Grandiva released his grip on Rocrova's collar and slumped into the velvet armchair.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly through his nose, picked up the wine in a nonchalant manner, and took a big gulp: "Alright, it's all over. Let's just watch him tear the church down to ruins!"

Campbell slowly straightened up, the scepter scraping the ground with a harsh sound.

“If you can’t win an argument with reason, then try something else.” He walked to the window and looked at the dark night sky. “The 20,000-strong army of the Lilac Corridor wasn’t raised on scriptures.”

Grandiva looked up abruptly, a glint of ruthlessness and surprise flashing in his eyes: "You mean..."

“Give them a lesson,” Campbell’s voice was as cold as ice. “Let those swaying monks see whose sword is sharper.”

Let Horn know that even if his reasoning is universally accepted, scriptures must kneel wherever his iron hooves trample.

“But that’s twenty thousand men…” Grandiva licked his chapped lips, “Would His Majesty agree to a war without a declaration of war…?”

“Of course it’s not a war without a declaration.” Campbell sneered, pointing his scepter at Black Serpent Bay and Dragonfly Harbor on the map. “The Prime Minister’s spies have already discovered that this grandson spends money like water, and by September alone, he has almost spent all of last year’s surplus.”

As long as our legions block this vital passage, the Holy Alliance's sugar cannot be transported out, its spices cannot be sold, and Horn's coffers will be empty in less than three months.

What we want is not rivers of blood, but for those foolish monks to see clearly whether divine revelation can truly represent the Father!

Turning around, Campbell took a deep breath: "Imitation."

Grandiva himself picked up a quill pen and began writing rapidly on the paper.

"Order Montyr, commander of the Second Legion of Stormshead, to lead the Second Legion of Stormshead eastward along the Lilac Corridor and block Dragonfly Harbor in Black Serpent Bay."

Let those monks know that this is the true power of the Church!

Campbell took the parchment, looked at the distorted handwriting on it, and suddenly felt a chill for no reason.

“When the time comes, I will make Horn kneel before us and beg for mercy!” Grandiva stared at the candlelight, a ferocious smile spreading across his face.

Campbell didn't speak, but simply heated the sealing wax over the candle flame until it was red-hot.

(End of this chapter)