"Open the gates, guards! Informing Your Excellency XX, we have brought orders from His Highness Leo......

In the weeks following Leo's order, a group of Knights of Punishment or the Knights of the Dawn of the Noldor went separately to the territories of all the nobles of the Duchy, ranging from the marquis who owned the castle to the barons who only had the village as a fief, and the sudden action surprised all the nobles for a while

However, soon, after the scrolls of documents with Leo's autograph and seal were presented to the nobles, those familiar words made their hands and feet cold to find that this was an even more terrifying thing

Under the pressure of punishing the undefeated prestige of the knights, most of the nobles chose to unconditionally obey Leo's orders, after all, as the nobles of the principality, they had no choice, and the development of the Supreme God Cult was indeed not successful in the north, which was also related to the artificial neglect of the barren north in the layout of the church

However, there are always accidents in everything, and the few are wavering, and even the nobles, who are indeed devout members of the church, resolutely choose not to accept this order......

"Deputy Master Keith, please forgive me for not being able to accept this order from His Highness, religious belief is personal freedom, and in my territory, most of the people also believe in the Supreme God, I will personally write a letter to His Highness Leo, and appeal to the Imperial Capital against his behavior, and beg the church and His Majesty to send someone to inquire!"

Keith looked at the talking, proud rooster like an idiot at the earl, shook his neck from side to side, and took a few steps forward with his hand firmly on the hilt of his sword

"Is this your final decision, Your Excellency the Earl?"

Waving his hand to signal the somewhat nervous guards to stand back, the Earl straightened his clothes and looked at the aggressive Keith with contempt, and snorted softly

"Knight, remember your identity, even His Royal Highness Leo has never persecuted us like this, you don't dare to do anything to a noble earl, go back or ......"

"Cangchang~"

Before he finished speaking, the next moment the long sword in his hand was already unsheathed, and it was pointed at the earl's throat like lightning, making a few gestures to let his subordinates control the guards of the earl's palace, and Keith teased the earl who was trembling

"I'd love to know who gave you such courage, was it His Highness's kindness in the past or ...... It's been too long since the Duke of Orlando happened, so long that you have a different mind to start again? ”

"Hug ...... Sorry, I'm ...... Me, me! ”

Looking at the stinking Earl in disgust, Keith slashed him in the back of the neck with a slash, dragging the unconscious Count out of his seat like a dead dog, and shouted at the rest of the Punishment Knights

"Arrange for two people to watch over this fat pig, and the rest of the people follow me to control all the soldiers with His Highness's warrant, and anyone who dares to resist can be killed on the spot, close the four gates of the castle, and no one is allowed to enter or leave, let the soldiers here help demolish the Church of the Supreme God, and all the missionaries will dispose of it according to the orders of the adults!"

"Ho!"

After buckling their chests and receiving orders, the knights of punishment acted quickly, for them who had experienced countless battles, a disobedient earl and hundreds of soldiers who had lost their command were really not a big deal......

In this action concerning religion, in addition to the strong cooperation of Leo's hardcore henchmen, Count Lester Crester and Baron Tron, a large number of former northern nobles led by the Marquis of Bar Hohenzollern and Count Sebastian Clovis also supported or acquiesced in this matter

Under the leadership of these nobles, the bloody religious purges in history took a strange mild stance in the Duchy of Pande, where hundreds of missionaries and priests were driven out of the territory of the Principality after some supplies and horses, and all the churches were torn down or simply repaired and re-hung with the crosses of the Holy Light Cult

Of course, there are some nobles who can't see reality clearly and feel fearless, just like Keith did with the earl, and their best outcome in the end is probably to save their lives

Their rights, their domains, their wealth, all this was taken back by Leo and once again given as a reward to all the nobles who were truly loyal to him

This was also an unexpected surprise in the operation, and the cohesion or ostensible cohesion and execution of the principality were further strengthened, which also had a very positive impact on Leo's next plan and preparation for war......

**********************

However, the Holy Light Sect, which has been completely disappointed and hated the Church, is still slightly dissatisfied with this, His Excellency Cardinal Kane

"Your Highness, I have to say that your approach to this matter is still too merciful, many times only blood and burns at the stake can let those who are ignorant, those who don't know gratitude at all know the majesty of you and the Holy Light Sect, and a simple banishment may make those in the imperial capital feel that you are too weak!"

"Kane! Be careful with what you say to adults, and don't let indulgence become a source of misfortune for you! ”

Finn, who had always disliked religion, stepped forward and reprimanded mercilessly with a straight face

"I'm sorry, Grand Master, I apologize for my inappropriate remarks, you know I didn't mean to accuse Your Highness, but I still stand by my opinion, and religious strife should not be mixed with any mercy"

"Okay Finn"

With a wave of his hand, he stopped the Grand Master from continuing to scold, and the hall of the newly finished palace was so wide that Leo, who was sitting on the throne from afar, had a blurred face, playing with a delicate silver scepter in his hand, and it was only after a moment that Leo spoke to Kane below

"Maybe you're right, my friend, but in my opinion, the origin of religion should be forgiveness and goodness, and if we kill mercilessly, then in the end, even if the light can shine on the whole continent, what difference will we have from the current church? In the same way, killing is the means, so is guidance and assimilation, don't be superstitious about any of them, combine them reasonably, what I need is a united principality, not a hell on earth full of fear under blood! ”

Touching his chest slightly, since Leo had already spoken, even if the principality's religious oppression had been determined, he no longer continued to insist, but asked

"I understand, Your Highness, that the Holy Light Church follows all your instructions and will not cause embarrassment in the mission of the Principality...... Well...... I need to know that in the days to come, in the face of real head-on conflict in the church, will we still follow this policy? ”

"Huh! Of course not, my mercy will only face my people, dear Kane, you don't have to be so tempted in the future, no one here will be guilty of words, except within the Principality, I want our sect to be more aggressive, I have not forgotten, now we are the weak challengers! ”

Leo looked at Kane with some amusement, he is benevolent and upright, and even has a lot of modern people's unique and unfashionable egalitarian style, but this does not mean that Leo is pedantic, after experiencing so much in this world, if he still maintains that kind of innocence, I am afraid that in this dark age, he will end here......

Turning his head, Leo explained a few words to the Grand Master, who had always stood behind him

"Finn, arrange some punishment knights to help Kane and Alexander train reserve knights, the strength of the Knights of Dawn as a cathar knight is still a little too weak, before we establish a perfect knight training system, and for example, the knight academy in the imperial capital, many things still have to trouble you more!"

"Your orders will be carried out firmly, my lord"

Finn took a deep look at Kane Hugh Lancelot, who had always bowed his head respectfully, shook his cloak vigorously, and strode out of the palace...... (To be continued.) Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info)