Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 127 Unified Faith!

Ireland?
Is Celtic faith so tragic?

Even Ireland was invaded by the church's beliefs? How could there still be church saints there?

Duncan stood up solemnly and turned to look at the Raven Queen - Triss behind him.

Triss, the Raven Queen, seemed to know something and whispered, "It's Saint Patrick. He is one of the saints recognized by the church."

Duncan is still quite wary of the Saints.

Because in Merlin's prophecy, even Duncan, who later became Augustus, fought with the saints and both sides suffered heavy losses. Of course, the most powerful saint among them was the dragon slayer - Saint George, who was not in the same league as the other saints.

Duncan pondered for a moment and then said slowly, "Bring him to see me."

soon.

Under the leadership of Severus, an old man who looked quite elegant and like a scholar was brought up. Unlike other church priests, he looked more like a member of a monastic order. He was wearing only an old robe and looked very shabby. He did not look like the saint in the legend at all.

In fact, Duncan felt like he was a druid.

He walked into the tent with his head held high, ignoring the murderous guards around him. He glanced at the Raven Queen - Triss, and quickly looked away.

——Saint Patrick (Saint) [Three stars gold].

This man didn't appear to have much martial prowess; he probably couldn't even defeat the general's personal guards in close combat. However, he possessed a special power, like a monastic from a monastic order. He bowed respectfully and offered a salute, "Your Excellency, Lord Duncan, Governor of Britain."

"I come in peace."

Duncan was also looking up and down at the man in front of him with a slightly curious look. Severus had just told him in detail about the rumors about the other party.

St. Patrick was born in Wales and was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave as a teenager. He later escaped, but 12 years later, he risked his life to return to Ireland to spread the church faith, became a bishop in Ireland, and was revered as a saint.

The Irish would also raid and invade England and Wales, also capturing people as slaves.

Although he was a Celt, he converted to the church. Unlike the Roman Church which rejected paganism, the church priests here had an ambiguous attitude, and it was they who preserved the Irish myths and legends.

Strictly speaking, St. Patrick was centrist.

On the one hand, he believed in the church and in God, and on the other hand, he accepted some Celtic culture.

Patrick was born in the province of Britain when Roman Catholicism had just been established as the state religion (380 AD), and the church's beliefs also spread to Britain. His grandfather was a priest, and priests were allowed to get married at that time, and his father was a church deacon. However, Patrick was very rebellious since he was a child, did not believe in Catholicism, and did not study seriously.

When he was about sixteen years old, he was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland.

During the six years of imprisonment, he became a shepherd. During this difficult life, he relied on religion to survive and eventually converted to the church faith.

After that, he escaped by chance and joined the monastery's hermit order.

But a strong urge made him want to return to Ireland to preach, and he hoped to make his compatriots believe in God.

In this way, Patrick became the bishop of Ireland. His missionary work was very successful, but it also angered the Celtic Druid priests several times. Patrick was arrested and imprisoned many times, but he managed to escape successfully every time, like a miracle, which made his reputation even more amazing.

The day of his death became an important festival in Ireland and also Ireland's national day.

Every year on St. Patrick's Day, Irish people around the world celebrate together by wearing brightly colored costumes and wearing shamrocks, which symbolize good luck.

This person is a heavyweight in the church!
Duncan's expression was a little amused. He stood up, looked at the old man in front of him, and said slowly, "Are you here for peace?"

"Yes." Patrick nodded. "The Governor-General wants to unify Britannia, but war will only bring more killing and death, and shed innocent blood."

Duncan narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "What do you think?"

Patrick met his gaze without the slightest fear, like a determined martyr, and said in a deep voice, "I can persuade the people of Ireland to surrender, as long as the Governor can guarantee their safety and rights."

interesting.

He actually came here to avoid war. Duncan looked at him with interest and asked, "What about you?"

"what do you want?"

Patrick said slowly, "I naturally hope that Your Excellency the Governor can convert to the faith of the Church, but it seems that you have already chosen polytheism."

At this point, Patrick glanced at Triss, the Raven Queen, whose eyes narrowed slightly with a hint of hostility, and said slowly, "The Governor has actually already given me what I want."

"Although you lean towards polytheism, you have never persecuted the believers of the church."

Because he had been preaching in Ireland for many years, Patrick himself was a victim of persecution and could empathize with the Druids more. If the Druids allowed him to preach freely, he would be able to turn most of Ireland into a parish of the church.

Duncan sat down again, looking slightly surprised, and asked, "Do you believe in freedom of religion?"

Patrick shook his head slowly and said, "I believe that the world will one day return to the arms of the Lord."

“Convert to the right faith.”

confidence.

Quite confident.

Patrick didn't know whether he was confident in the church's missionary ability or in the church's strength and doctrine. He believed that as long as Duncan did not suppress it, the church would eventually replace the original polytheism.

In this regard, his judgment was correct. The original polytheism had poor competitiveness, but it was different after Duncan's improvement.

Duncan looked at the man with growing interest and said slowly, "From what I understand, your missionary work in Ireland hasn't been going well. How can you persuade them to surrender?"

Patrick built many churches and schools and gained popularity among the lower classes.

Facing Duncan's questioning, Patrick calmly said, "At least I can win over most people. Not everyone is willing to face the cruel war, especially those living at the bottom of society."

"Besides, the Governor's reputation is far-reaching. With your support, many cities in Ireland will surrender without a fight."

If he succeeds in this, the church's reputation will be greatly enhanced.

Duncan seemed to be lost in thought. Triss, the Raven Queen, had a complicated expression on her face. From a polytheistic perspective, she should have rebuked the other party, but the Raven Queen was more concerned with Duncan's perspective. If Ireland could be made to surrender without war, the benefits involved were worth giving in.

The expedition was long and arduous, fighting across the sea made supply difficult.

Conquering Ireland is more difficult than attacking Scotland, and being able to rule peacefully is the best outcome.

Duncan slowly raised his head and said, "You mean to make Ireland a vassal of Britain?"

vassal state.

In name, it retains a certain degree of sovereignty, but in reality, it is basically controlled by the suzerain country in terms of military, internal affairs, diplomacy and economy.

Patrick shook his head slightly and said, "I'm afraid the Governor-General will not be satisfied with being a vassal."

"But after submission." "Ireland can become an imperial province at any time."

Today's Ireland still has a tribal kingdom system, consisting of hundreds of small tribes. Each kingdom is ruled by a chief and a local king. Because power is dispersed, territorial disputes occur almost all year round.

This is a real fight between villages.

Ireland wasn't a large territory. Back in Queen Medb's time, there were some fairly large kingdoms, but now it was dominated by small tribal states. It wasn't impossible to conquer them. The Gaels were difficult to conquer, and bloodshed was inevitable, but the cost was manageable.

Vassalage is impossible, what Duncan wants is great unification.

St. Patrick went to Ireland to preach around 432, and it has been nearly twenty years since then. The monasteries he established are distributed in the southeast of Ireland and gradually replaced the Druid faith. They are currently in a coexistence state, but the church's missionary power is stronger and has overwhelmed local religions.

Interestingly, despite the conflicting beliefs, church monks are actively preserving and recording Celtic mythology, and one of the people in charge is Patrick in front of us.

It was also because of this that Duncan was able to sit down and talk with him, and that the Raven Queen Triss was so accommodating.

Duncan pondered for a long time and said slowly: "I refuse!"

The trend of unifying Britain is unstoppable!

He stared at the church saints before him and said slowly, "For those who are willing to surrender, I will guarantee their safety."

"But Ireland must surrender completely."

"Not only the Celtic Druid Order, but also the church monastic order you lead."

I have to be all!

Duncan didn't like to make choices. He could pay the price and suffer casualties, but Britain must be unified and could not exist in the form of the United Kingdom.

Patrick looked a little surprised. He hesitated and said, "Even if we are willing to surrender."

"What about those Druid orders?"

“Also, in Northern Ireland, some relics from the mythological era still have a strong influence.”

"If the Governor is willing to support us!"

"The Priory will fight for you!"

After all, it is a world with supernatural powers, and Patrick also has the power of the Priory in his hands.

However, the church's military force is mainly composed of a small number of elites, and it is difficult to compete with the powerful army.

Duncan stood up and said calmly, "No need."

"You only need to submit to the Empire. As for the original Druid Order, I will personally handle it."

What belongs to the Church belongs to the Church, and what belongs to the Empire belongs to the Empire.

In fact, the church is now too powerful to be controlled, and its influence is growing outside the borders of the empire.

What Duncan had to do was to tame the church and bring it under the control of the empire.

Patrick was speechless for a long time. It was obvious that he did not achieve his desired goal. The British Governor in front of him was more powerful than he had imagined. But the other party had such strength. It was nothing more than paying a little price.

It is better to pay the price now than not be able to rule completely in the future.

Patrick leaves disappointed.

Instead of returning to Ireland, he lobbied the British bishops, hoping to unite and convince the British governor in front of him that the saint wanted to avoid a brutal war rather than preach.

The British Church has its own traditions. They all ignore the Roman Catholic Church. Patrick will probably be disappointed.

at the same time.

Duncan also looked at the Raven Queen, Triss, beside him and said in a deep voice, "Send a messenger to inform the Druids of today's events in Ireland."

“I want to know their attitude.”

Although Patrick was rejected, peaceful conquest was not impossible.

The church bowed its head.

Whether the Druids will fight to the death depends on how smart they are.

Triss, the Raven Queen, seemed to have thought of something and whispered, "Do you want to merge the Irish Druid Order with the Faith of Avalon?"

Duncan slowly shook his head and said, "No."

"I want them to be fully assimilated into the Faith of Avalon."

eat them!

Make them part of the Avalon faith, including the legendary Shadow Kingdom. As long as they surrender, they will be directly integrated into the Avalon faith.

The entire doctrine must also be changed, and druids must stick to "agriculture" as their core priesthood.

Otherwise, how can we compete with the church in missionary ability?
In Europe, the Germanic peoples who believed in the Norse pantheon, the Visigoths rose, and the Arians replaced the old beliefs and reaped the benefits. Later, the Franks rose and directly converted to the church, and were once again reaped the benefits. A few hundred years later, the Vikings plundered Europe, the Kingdom of Normandy was established, and they completely abandoned the Norse beliefs and converted to the church.

This peach has been picked!

All the top German fighters sent by Odin became the core of the church.

You hit yours, I'll hit mine.

The Germanic people destroyed the empire, and the church replaced the Nordic faith. No matter how many capable Germanic tribes Odin indirectly sent out, they all eventually converted to the church's faith.

If they hadn't lost so badly in missionary work, the Norse pantheon would never have bet on Duncan.

Avalon's conversion.

It is to prevent the church from reaping the benefits, using agriculture as its foundation, forcing religious sects to involute, and indirectly suppressing the church's communication influence.

"The Celtic faith in Ireland has been stolen!"

"Don't surrender at this time."

"To unify faith, change doctrine, and compete head-on with the church for influence, we can only suppress them with thunderous means!"

Duncan's eyes were cold, and a hint of murderous intent emerged.

………………

(End of this chapter)