In this small room, the sound of silver coins colliding repeatedly echoed, accompanied by the rustling noise of accounting books being flipped.
The entire financial activity of Rapids City was concentrated in this small area.
Since mid-February, the igedi Comrce Association had essentially taken over all activities of the Rapids City Council, especially the finances.
It had almost entirely moved into the headquarters of the igedi Comrce Association, stepping into the red fortress.
After all, the current mistress of the igedi Comrce Association, Catherine, was the interim ruler of Rapids City and the commander of the Rapids Army.
In the current war-ti cabinet of Rapids City, four out of six people were Catherine's allies.
During this ti, citizens and artisans had been actively raising funds and contributing labor, continually expanding the ard forces, purchasing weapons, and repairing city walls.
The first batch of 1,200 Falan rcenaries had already passed through Kasha County and arrived in Rapids City.
Now in Rapids City, there were 2,000 City Guards, 1,200 Falan rcenaries, 1,400 Mountain rcenaries, and Catherine's own personal guard of 900.
She initially captured the city gates of Rapids City with her personal guard cavalry, drowning the mayor appointed by the church in the water tank.
After that, Catherine quickly hired a force of 1,400 Mountain rcenaries, coordinating with Black Knights she bought from Dane, to launch a surprise attack that defeated the temple knights stationed nearby, securing her position.
These days, Carter and Mitney have been running around tirelessly, using both hard and soft tactics to create montum, and with the funding from the El people, they successfully gained allegiance from almost half of Lower Reif County.
Currently, the southwestern region of Rapids City bordering Kasha County was mostly under Catherine's control.
Rather than rule, this relationship was more like subjugation and vassalage.
However, this was only temporary; the church was caught off guard by consecutive uprisings, and the next six months would be the decisive period.
As the logistics supervisor of the Rapids Army, Petier, during the previous eting, had listened to Lady Catherine's analysis of the situation and dared not slack off.
With the calculating ruler in hand, Petier aligned the multipliers, ntally calculating while categorizing and organizing the accounts neatly.
"Co over quickly, co over, I have sothing interesting here..."
"What is it? Is it the new 'Tale of the Distressed Nun'?"
"Even more thrilling than 'Tale of the Distressed Nun', it's the war report from Joan of Arc Castle!"
Putting down the calculating ruler, Petier rubbed the corner of his eye, circled around the solid wood table, and ca to the junior official responsible for handling correspondence by the door.
"What's wrong?"
"It's a war report from the Salvation Army at Joan of Arc Castle."
Joan of Arc Castle, Salvation Army?
Petier had heard this na; during the months he was bedridden from illness, he often heard it from friends.
It was said to be a group of peasant rebels erging from the Black Bone Swamp.
Joan of Arc Castle was garrisoned by an Imperial Order Company specifically to capture this group of peasant rebels.
If it's a war report, does that an they've been annihilated?
Joan of Arc Castle is located behind Rapids City; if the Salvation Army, which had been hindering the Imperial Order Company's movent, was destroyed, they would be the next target.
"Let see!"
Grabbing the report from the subordinate's hand, Petier seized the war report and scanned it quickly, one line at a ti.
But after just a few glances, he suddenly pressed his head onto the paper, his eyes almost glued to the page.
"Mr. Petier, is there a word you don't recognize?"
A teasing laugh imdiately sounded beside him. Petier had a laid-back personality and maintained a good relationship with these subordinates.
But today, he didn't join in the laughter. Instead, he pointed dreamily at a na and asked, "Horn Gallar, is that the real na of the Pope?"
"Yes, didn't you know?"
"I've been sick since last July, recovering all the way until February before I joined the Rapids City Citizen Guard... So the leader of the Salvation Army is Horn Gallar, isn't it Hos Gallar?"
"No, that's his uncle."
"His uncle is nad Segal, how did it beco Hos?"
The subordinates looked at each other, and one asked tentatively, "Do you know him?"
"Of course I know him; we were both accounting apprentices at the General rchandise Guild. We rented an attic and slept together for over a year!"
Responding as he continued to read the war report, Petier went over it several tis before finally, incredulously collapsed into a chair.
"This, how can he... he's the Saint's Grandson, he..."
This shock was like discovering that your college roommate, who slept below you and who always sniffed their toes before bedti, beca a Southeast Asian warlord six months after graduation.
Who can shrug this off?
Not letting Petier recover, Carl walked in with that fresh war report.
"Impossible, it's impossible!"
The smugly smiling Qianqian followed him, dressed in a sharp, tailored hunting outfit that looked like a man wearing n's attire yet appeared like a woman dressed as a man.
"Totally possible." Qianqian greeted the frantic Petier, then followed Carter upstairs, "Ask Lady Catherine, you'll get the sa answer."
Ignoring Qianqian, Carl stubbornly stomped upstairs and arrived at Catherine's office.
But Catherine wasn't sitting in her office; instead, she was in the tea lounge outside, discussing a booklet with Brother Martin from Blago Monastery.
Seeing the hurried Carl, Catherine knew imdiately what was happening. Before Carl could speak, she straightforwardly said:
"They're not fooling you, I've confird it, it's true." Catherine pointed to the office, "Three heads of Imperial Knights are inside, hoping to break your prejudice."
Carl was struck by Catherine's words, muttered twice, quickly walked to the room door, hesitated for half a second, then pushed the door open.
"How does your Blago Monastery view this Saint's Grandson? His identity as the Pope..." Catherine asked casually.
"Dean Juanuo once said, if it's beneficial to the Thousand River Valley, then we believe in it." Picking up the booklet "Holy Path Salvation Doctrine," Martin casually flipped through it, "We can't definitively state he is the Pope, but we can deny he's a demon."
"As long as there's continuous victory, denying he's a demon, he can only be the Saint's Grandson and the Pope." Picking up the porcelain teacup with vortex patterning, Catherine sipped the steaming hot tea, popping a biscuit into her mouth.
Holding the statue of the holy image, Martin smiled without speaking.
The previously closed peachwood door opened once more, Carl walked out sleep-walking, followed by the teasingly smiling Qianqian:
"So, is it true?"
"That's 100 Imperial Knights, if only I could see it myself..."
"That's not possible." Elegantly setting down the teacup, Catherine lazily stretched, "I need you to deal with those indecisive knights and the allied temple knights in the north."
Carl sat down in the chair: "Really unexpected, our greatest threat was resolved by these farrs... Salvation Army."
"Indeed." Sweeping the biscuit crumbs from her knee onto the floor, Catherine's worried expression from a few days ago was replaced by multiple smiles, "This way, those trash knights can stabilize, and we can finally free our hands."
Initially, Catherine's lowest expectation was for the Salvation Army to entangle the Imperial Line, the highest expectation was to defeat the Imperial Line and drive them away.
The Salvation Army gave everyone a big surprise.
Not only dealt with the Imperial Line leaving only dozens of squire knights to escape, even the Royal Constitution Knights were driven away.
The difference between defeat and complete annihilation is enormous!
Under the current situation, as long as Catherine successfully opens the route to the east.
Then Langsande County, North County, South Mangde County, Lower Reif County, and Kasha County can imdiately be linked together.
The fierce mountain folks from North and South Mangde Counties, and the grain from Tbe Plain and Kasha County, the Secret Faction army from the southern Black Snake Bay can continuously advance.
With the Imperial Line eliminated at Joan of Arc Castle, as long as the middle is connected, the whole ga is alive.
Advance directly to Feiliu Castle or retreat north to et Moliat.
By then, the battle force will reach twenty thousand, currently, Prince Kongdai has 9 Imperial Lines, oh no, 8 Imperial Lines seeing it, have to think twice about taking action.
Leia Kingdom is currently on the verge of civil war, unable to intervene.
The dream of independence for Thousand River Valley has never been so close!
Unfortunately, my teacher can't see, Catherine's expression suddenly dimd, my teacher can't see.
"It's getting late, I should be going." Martin stood up, made a cross gesture, bowed to Catherine.
Qianqian smiled as she handed him the backpack: "Dean Ludvik is so urgent, calling you back right after you arrived?"
"No, I'm not going back." Martin stuffed the booklet into the backpack, "I'm planning to go to Joan of Arc Castle, to see Mr. Horn myself, prepare how to build a world from 'Holy Path Salvation Doctrine'."
After bidding farewell to the few people, Martin donned his hood and disappeared into the stairwell.
Watching Martin leave, Catherine suddenly spoke: "Qianqian, what are Saint Son Horn's usual interests? Does he have any living relatives or friends? Is he married?"
Do this, list these out in detail, as detailed as possible, and give it to Mitney by tonight.
Tomorrow, get ready, and the day after, go to Joan of Arc Castle, and discuss with esteed Mr. Horn on jointly attacking the church forces in Dog Fox Village."
If this Salvation Army indeed has the strength to defeat the Imperial Line, wouldn't inviting them over balance Moliat's forces?
In this era, whoever controls violence has the most say.
"Ah?" Qianqian blinked, "I still have to clear customs at the dock this afternoon."
"It won't run away in two days." Squeezing Qianqian's shoulder, Catherine earnestly said, "You must discern priorities in your tasks."
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