When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1224 Helping a Brother Out

News of Matthias's defeat quickly spread throughout Sennorshire.

Along with this came news of the Holy Alliance's undeclared invasion.

Sennor County and Red Sand County are separated by a river, and they had originally amassed a considerable number of outposts and garrisons along the border.

Where have all the dozens of outposts and small castles, and at least ten thousand garrison troops gone?

As her name suggests, the lightning witch Jeanne Darque stormed into Sennorshire with lightning speed.

In almost no time, they were already heading towards Woodcutter, the capital of Sennor County.

Upon receiving the news, the residents of Kichi City either fled early or rushed home to bury their money.

They made ample preparations to meet the approaching Holy Alliance army.

To the surprise of the local residents, they waited and waited, but the Holy Alliance army did not arrive in large numbers.

It wasn't until evening that troops would be seen stationed in the streets near key watchtowers and transportation hubs.

Residents dared not go out, and could only hide behind door cracks, walls, or windows, observing the street.

The setting sun shone like a rainbow on the polished paving stones.

These Holy Alliance soldiers dressed differently from the flamboyant Imperial soldiers; they were usually dressed in simple, plain gray-blue knee-length jackets with rolled-up sleeves.

The trousers were slim-fitting straight-leg trousers, with the bottom hem tied up with leggings along with the socks.

As for the shoes on their feet, they made many local young men's eyes light up and they exclaimed in amazement.

Ordinary soldiers wore mid-calf black leather boots that covered their ankles, while sergeants and officers wore long military boots that covered the mid-calf.

In accordance with the Pope's instruction that "military boots must be boots," the Holy Alliance's military boots are all standardized.

The sole is made of multiple layers of cowhide glued together with slime, and nailed with cleats and iron soles. The upper is made of goatskin or cowhide.

The soldiers entering the city were all soldiers with good conduct and clean backgrounds, and at the officers' request, they polished their shoes until they shone.

The soldiers, in rows of four, carrying black wind-up muskets and wearing identical boat-shaped helmets, marched along the dark gray street.

The military boots reflected a bright light, were raised high, and fell crisply, neat and powerful.

It can only be said that it has both the beauty of mechanism and the beauty of numbers.

The so-called beauty of mechanism is beauty in appearance.

Numerical beauty, on the other hand, lies in its price.

These military boots are sold by many local shoe dealers, with each pair priced at 12 dinars.

It is almost equivalent to two weeks' wages for a Holy Alliance worker and a month's salary for an Imperial worker.

When Soleini launched the purchasing power challenge in the Holy Alliance, there was still some suspense.

If he were to attempt a labor purchasing power challenge in the Empire, there's absolutely no doubt he would fail.

Because the nobles and guilds had long ago devised a plan to ensure that the wages of the imperial laborers would not cover a person's food, clothing, and daily necessities.

That's why they need to work multiple jobs and take out loans.

This is also why local young men are envious – many of them wish to buy a pair of these boots for the New Year.

But the boots that most of them couldn't bear to buy were now being kicked and kicked by the Holy Alliance soldiers.

Not only did they pedal hard, but they also had a spare pair, which they hung on their backpacks.

Many local young men were swayed.

Damn it, why wasn't I born in Thousand Rivers Valley? If I had been born in Thousand Rivers Valley, would I be this pathetic?
Damn it, why wasn't the Holy Grandson born in Xianshidian? If the Holy Grandson had been born in Xianshidian, would I be this pathetic?

It's worth noting that these boots sell for 4-5 dinars a pair in the Saint-Léonne region, while the military purchase price is 3-3.5 dinars a pair!
An ordinary young laborer in the Thousand River Valley can barely afford a pair of shoes after saving for a month.

This price has turned the shoe and boot merchants in Muchi City into compradors and led to the dissolution of the shoemakers' guild.

The reason is simple: a pair of Saint-Lesson boots cost 6 dinars to buy and sold for 12 dinars, resulting in a net profit of 6 dinars.

A pair of leather boots made by a local shoemaker would cost 8 to 10 dinars to a shoe merchant, and would only yield a profit of 4 dinars when sold.

每双2第纳尔利润，相当于每60双就少赚1金镑，每600双就少赚10金镑。

For merchants, earning less is a loss, let alone 10 gold pounds!
Normally, the shoemakers' guild would definitely resist, just like the smuggling conflicts that broke out in various places when Saint Alliance clothing was sold in Leia.

But the shoemakers in Kichi City remained quiet.

Firstly, according to the Treaty of Wolf Bridge, Leia is required to fully open its market to the Holy Alliance, so they have no reason to resist.

Secondly, the head of the comprador group in Muchi City was Count Mathilde, so they had no way to resist.

To put it simply, while waving the banner of rebellion against the Holy Alliance within the Leia aristocratic circle, Mathil was simultaneously and frantically promoting and selling goods for the Holy Alliance.

This left many local Holy Path Brotherhood members completely baffled, unsure whether he was friend or foe.

However, there are no more doubts now.

When the drunken and berserk Count Mathilde led over eight hundred night watchmen and mercenary cavalry, along with seven extraordinary knights, straight into Jeanne's camp of ten thousand, their identities became clear.

He's neither an enemy nor a friend, he's just a nobody.

However, Lord Mathilde could not hear the complaints of the citizens of Muchi City.

After sobering up, the Earl was holed up in the inner castle of Muchi City, frantically sending pigeons towards Fishing City.

Almost every hour, there was a shipment filled with Count Mathilde’s earnest pleas for the Duke of Toulouse to lend his brother a hand.

He still has the castle, which can hold out for another ten days or half a month; it's not time to give up yet.

Holding this belief, Count Mathilde refused to leave the city to cooperate despite the Holy Alliance's attempts to persuade him to surrender all night.

As dawn broke, even those citizens who wanted to stay home and avoid the terrifying soldiers had no choice but to go out.

We need to eat, but there are no refrigerators in this era.

But what's amazing is that when they went outside and onto the street...

On the paved road, no soldiers were seen extorting or robbing, nor were any officers seen shouting or drinking. Many soldiers were even cleaning the streets under the direction of black-clad priests.

Piles of dust, leaves, and cow and horse manure were gathered together and shoveled up by soldiers in a relay and thrown into garbage trucks.

Although there were still occasional verbal altercations and conflicts between soldiers and local residents, these were mostly stopped by officers and priests.

When you reach the market street or the entrance of a shop, there are several pastors preaching and spreading their teachings in the center of the square.

Part of the mission was to preach to the Holy Path Sect and explain the war, but more importantly, it was to establish three rules and demand a swift restoration of order and daily life.

The citizens passing by were already used to the behavior of the Holy Alliance pastors.

Whoever occupies the territory will certainly claim to be righteous and reassure the citizens.

That's what they say, but there's no clear answer on how to actually do it.

So the last part of the pastor's sermon did put many local residents at ease.

After all, they've already explained how to do it, so they can't just contradict themselves, right?
After a day of observing, the local residents on the market street started discussing things while buying bread.

Wearing a coarse cloth cloak and an apron, with tufts here and there, one might think the Holy Alliance pastor wouldn't be able to tell.

"Is this still the army? I want to ask."

"I didn't find them scary at all. I teased them a bit and made them blush."

"How did this army defeat Count Mathilde?"

In the eyes of the citizens, a strong army must mean brutality; how can it be brave if it is not brutal?

But these soldiers were a surprise to them; they were not brutal at all, but rather somewhat shy and overly gentle.

However, this is partly because the troops entering the city were mostly specially selected soldiers from good families.

If those troublemakers or xenophobic veterans were replaced, major violent incidents would be unlikely, but annoying minor conflicts would certainly continue.

So, despite the complaints of the old soldiers, the general sent the honest soldiers into the city.

The Holy Alliance has a very positive impression of the citizens regarding the stationing and accommodation of these soldiers.

When the army is stationed near a hotel, a kind priest will first knock on the door and talk to the hotel owner, trying to book the entire hotel.

Then the warband clerk and treasurer will appear, haggling with the boss like ordinary passengers.

For guests who were originally staying at the hotel, they will be cleared out, but the finance officer will also give them double the accommodation fee as compensation.

"As expected of the Holy Alliance, they really have money." Many ordinary people in the market street couldn't help but sigh.

However, some reasonable people still scoffed: "Give me a break. The Franco are much richer than the Holy Alliance. Shouldn't they still rob their soldiers?"

"Hey, that's different..."

Beyond the discussions on the market street, similar discussions were taking place in pubs and cafes.

"Have you heard? Five nobles from several manors outside the city were publicly tried and hanged?" a notary asked tentatively.

Several local businessmen stared wide-eyed: "So fast? Aren't they putting up any resistance?"

"How can we resist? The peasants and armed peasants below all wish for the lord's death." The notary scoffed. "I heard that the city hall is also going to be reorganized, and all of them will be replaced by people from the Holy Path Sect."

"Damn it, those vendors got the better deal."

"The Holy Alliance certainly has a knack for buying off ordinary people."

"After all, it's a country built by ordinary people, and they know best what kind of nonsense the ignorant masses believe in."

Several well-dressed customers in the coffee shop began to complain.

After all, in an economic situation like Leia, the nobility are always the biggest consumers and employers.

The old merchants were used to sucking the blood of the nobles and were not adapted to the competitive market economy of the Holy Alliance.

The discussion lasted from early morning until nine or ten o'clock, but nothing was accomplished.

Just as the middle class was leaving the tavern, they saw soldiers forming a human wall to maintain order on the roadside.

Did something happen?
They were all secretly delighted, tucked the newspaper under their armpits, and pretended to squeeze through, wanting to see what had happened.

"Sorry, give in."

"What happened?"

The soldiers in the front row were friendly. They glanced at us and said, "Stand back a bit, fellow believers. Large military equipment is passing by, so we should prevent innocent people from getting hurt."

Large-scale military equipment?

Before the middle-class citizens could understand this statement, they felt the sunlight being blocked by something, casting a shadow over their heads.

They looked up and their bodies froze.

Pulled by twelve large horses, a forty-eight-pound cannon carriage led the way, pressing down on the road as it moved forward.

Behind it were rows of 48-pound and 24-pound cannons, all of them siege cannons.

Immediately, a circle of "tsk tsk" sounds arose around him.

After the entire artillery column passed, the crowd naturally dispersed, but many people with newspapers tucked under their arms remained in place.

They had already heard of the power of the clockwork cannon.

However, the largest cannon they had ever seen was only a twelve-pound cannon.

Could Count Mathilde's castle really withstand the cannonballs fired by these behemoths?

The answer was revealed in the evening.

On the evening of February 11, 1460, the castle of Mochi was destroyed by the Holy Union's cannon.

The army continued its march the following morning.

The target was Fishing City.

(End of this chapter)