When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#562 - Barney Force

"Total annihilation?!"

A broken shout echoed within the study of the cathedral in Feiliu Fortress.

Regardless of whether Prince Kongdai had anticipated it, Barney Foss certainly had not.

"More than 500 Transcendent Knights, all wiped out?" Barney Foss repeated Matteo's words.

"Yes."

"More than five hundred, look at my hand, how many is this? This is five, five hundred!" Extending five fingers, Barney Foss was almost speechless, shouting incoherently, "Five hundred, five hundred Transcendent Knights, gone?! Just like that?!"

"Yes."

The face of Matteo before him gradually blurred, Barney Foss's legs weakened, and he slumped onto the soft royal court carpet.

"Gone, all gone—"

Those weren't just any ragtag guards or mercenaries; that was an Edict Company!

Three hundred brave knights, more than two hundred Temple Knights, and over two thousand guards and sergeants.

The Temple Knights in Feiliu Fortress Cathedral originally numbered nearly fifteen hundred, but they had gradually been lost in the successive battles of Thousand River Valley.

By now, Barney Foss only had a little over five hundred Temple Knights at his disposal, and he had sent more than half of them to Allard.

And then this defeated general had wiped them all out in one fell swoop.

Currently, there were two to three thousand guards and three to five hundred ordinary knights in Feiliu Fortress, but what use were they?

If they couldn't defeat an Edict Company, could these guards and ordinary knights possibly win?

Not to mention the Salvation Army, once the Edict Company's camp outside the city fell, the surrounding restless earls would swarm in like wild dogs smelling feces.

Although the knights under those earls had already been sent off in the High Fortress War and Rapidstream City War.

But each earl could still scrape together a hundred Transcendent Knights and four to five hundred guards.

Barney Foss sat blankly on the ground, the entire study so quiet that the sound of dust falling on the bronze brazier could be clearly heard.

"Lord Barney Foss, what do you think we should do next?"

Seeing Barney Foss not speaking for a long time, Matteo had no choice but to step forward and ask.

Barney Foss shuddered and stood up abruptly.

Yes, what should he do next? Continue to defend the city?

If they couldn't even defeat an Edict Company, could he possibly win with these remnants?

Just thinking about what would happen if he fell into Horn's hands made Barney Foss almost lose control of his bladder.

He was the one who sent people to encircle and suppress Horn at the Gulag Monastery, and he was the one who brought in Prince Kongdai, forcing Horn to embark on the path of blood and sweat.

Later, he led troops to garrison Joan Fortress, forcing the Salvation Army into the Black Bone Swamp, and even the Battle of Rapidstream City involved knights he had dispatched.

Barney Foss himself could almost be considered the instigator.

Even Constance's decision to leave Barney Foss as the resident bishop was largely because he would never compromise with the Salvation Army.

Other resident bishops might not be able to withstand the pressure and would soften, but Barney Foss simply had no such option.

He had been gloating when he besieged Horn, but now he wished he could go back and slap himself twice.

Who knew that those absurd and laughable farmers could create such a huge momentum, even reaching Feiliu Fortress.

In the early spring chill, Barney Foss paced back and forth in the room, sweating profusely, before finally making up his mind: "Matteo, I have decided to defend the city to the death."

"Ah? Ah!" The originally drowsy Matteo immediately perked up, "I thought you... cough cough..."

"Thought I would run away? Wouldn't that betray the trust Duke Constance has in me?" Barney Foss stared at Matteo with righteous indignation, "Since the news spread, there have been more voices in the city calling for surrender, right?"

"To be honest, many cathedral priests have proposed surrender, 'Enduring temporary humiliation, waiting for the royal army to return.'" A trace of disdain flashed in Matteo's eyes, "They are all spineless."

Walking to Matteo's side, Barney Foss said with a firm voice: "Well said, Matteo, surrendering without even fighting a battle, these people are spineless, we priests shepherd the lambs on behalf of the Holy Father, we must have backbone!"

Matteo sized Barney Foss up and down as if he were seeing him for the first time.

"How many men in this Feiliu Fortress do you think can be called men?" Without waiting for Matteo to answer, Barney Foss impatiently patted his shoulder, "In my opinion, it's just you and me."

Matteo nodded: "Yes."

You even say "Yes"? Barney Foss forced out an encouraging smile: "I'm afraid that those pro-surrender priests will offer up Feiliu Fortress, the glory of the Holy Lord, so I plan to appoint you as the city defense officer of Feiliu Fortress, to protect the glory of the Holy Lord, how about it?"

Although it was inexplicable, Matteo felt like he had finally met a kindred spirit, considering the pro-surrender faction in the city, his backbone was finally appreciated: "I will certainly not disgrace your command and glory."

"Good, then go announce and prepare for battle." Barney Foss held the smooth cross, "I will pray until dawn, to ask for the Holy Lord's mercy, and no matter what happens tomorrow morning, do not disturb me."

"As you command, Bishop." With tears of excitement in his eyes, Matteo bowed in response from the bottom of his heart for the first time.

An hour later, a long-tailed boat that could only accommodate seven or eight people hurriedly sailed out of the port of Feiliu Fortress in the night.

The boatman rowed the boat vigorously, with only a dim light under the wooden awning.

Under this light, Barney Foss sat in the cabin with his legs spread apart, holding a heavy small box, sipping wine from time to time.

"Still defending the city? What time is it, still defending the city?" Wiping the purple liquid flowing from the corner of his mouth, he shook his head amusingly, "It's really a clown doing clownish things."

The Salvation Army had already attacked, what was he waiting for if he didn't run? Waiting to die?

It was a pity that after years of hard work, he had finally become a parish bishop and even a cathedral priest, and now it was all in vain.

But fortunately, he had always looked several steps ahead, and had earned enough gold coins in the blue blood wine trade, he would go back to his hometown to hide and live peacefully as a wealthy man.

The river churned, the boat swayed, Barney Foss was both fearful of the future and helpless with the current situation, under all kinds of thoughts, his eyelids became more and more sleepy.

"I'll take a nap, remember to wake me up when we reach the shore."

"Yes, Bishop," the boatman responded, lowering his hat.

The undulating boat was like a cradle, and Barney Foss quickly fell into a baby-like sleep.

In his dream, he became a cardinal for a while, and was reported and imprisoned for a while, and then he was elected pope in prison.

But as soon as he ascended the throne, he was dragged down by a group of Salvation Army soldiers.

He struggled, roared, and was still hung on the gallows by black-clothed devils, and as his feet emptied...

"Ah—" Sitting up suddenly, Barney Foss pressed his pounding heart, looked at the gloomy cabin, and breathed a sigh of relief.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, lifted the awning covering the boat and asked, "Where have we arrived?"

"We've arrived at Suimi Town, Bishop."

"Oh, Suimi Town... Suimi Town!" Barney Foss recognized the houses behind the dock in the night, and shouted in surprise and anger, "What are you doing? This is Suimi Town! You've gone the wrong way."

On those red-roofed and white-walled houses in a disordered but orderly manner, there were more than a dozen black and red flags fluttering in the heavy night.

"We didn't go the wrong way, Bishop, we're just sending you here."

"You, you dare to betray me?" The bishop was completely furious, he never thought that these servants and guards of many years would betray him.

He grabbed the black bread and salted fish on the table and rushed towards them: "I'll kill you!"

What responded to his roar was a fist as big as a casserole, covered with hair.

The moment the fist touched his eye socket, Barney Foss only felt a sourness in his nose, and salty, bitter, and spicy flavors emerged on his face.

His last words before fainting were: "Sorry, Lord Barney Foss, there are people from the earl outside, the other bishops told us to do this."

…………

Barney Foss was awakened by the cold river water.

He was held by the arms by two soldiers on the left and right, and the cold river wind blew through his thin silk sleeping robe, making the hairs all over his body stand on end.

"Long time no see, Bishop Barney Foss?"

Stiffening his neck, Barney Foss slowly raised his head, and saw the person he least wanted to see on the dock.

A knee-length, neat and tidy eggplant-colored short military uniform, a pair of shiny leather boots, a purple silk sash from the left shoulder to the waist, a young man with a smile that was not a smile, stood in front of him with his hands behind his back.

And beside him was a black-haired girl with anger overflowing on her face.

Although this was the first time Barney Foss had met them, he recognized who they were at a glance.

The warlock Horn and the witch Jeanne.

"Hic—"

His face gradually turning green, Barney Foss rolled his eyes and fainted in fright.