The towering Norman palace is still extremely luxurious. The cold wind in early winter blows through the gray-white marble columns, and the lavender curtains symbolizing the royal authority flutter in the wind.
On both sides of the Avenue of Kings are statues of generations of heroic ancestors of the Norman Empire. None of the statues based on the founding generals showed unparalleled perseverance and pride.
As winter approaches, the green plants in the courtyard have become a little withered, but under the meticulous pruning of the gardener, they still show a different kind of dignity, some are square, some are twists, and all kinds of shapes.
The shape makes the palace garden unique.
Whether inside the palace or outside the palace, the ground beneath your feet is spotless, and the fountain in the pool is still gushing out, but...
Amidst the sound of rushing water, the palace and attendants could not help but reveal their melancholy and confusion about the future.
At this moment, although the majestic and luxurious palace in front of us is still majestic, there is still a hint of desolation beneath the majestic appearance.
Although Pitzman immediately ordered to block the news, the Imperial Guards suffered a defeat in the central plains, and the news of the siege of St. Lawrence had already spread throughout the streets, and the Norman Palace located in the city of St. Lawrence
, nature is no exception.
First the city gates were blocked, and then the whole city was put under martial law.
Under such circumstances, even a fool can see the serious situation Pitzman is facing now.
so……
These palace attendants living in the Norman palace and serving His Majesty Pitzman were all extremely anxious about their future.
not to mention,
As the army outside the city began to attack the city, more and more houses were destroyed by the stone bullets falling from the sky. Everyone was worried whether they would become another soul lost in this war.
And can their family members outside the palace escape this disaster?
You know,
Forcibly attacking a city means extremely tragic damage, and means that the soldiers who attack the city face a test of almost death. Once the city gate is breached...
So in order to allow the soldiers to vent their emotions, even though this was the imperial capital and the capital of the entire Norman Empire, a robbery and massacre was still inevitable!
Soldiers may not dare to intrude on nobles, but unarmed civilians will surely suffer.
It is precisely because of this that even though Pitzman repeatedly suppressed him, people in the palace were still agitated, and panic continued to spread among the palace residents and attendants.
…
The main hall of the royal palace.
The nobles and ministers who used to surround Pitzman had long disappeared, and the splendid main hall seemed particularly empty.
The pure gold candlestick on one side of the stone pillar exudes bright light. Under the swaying of the candlelight, the coat of arms of the Alexander family of the Norman royal family hanging in the middle of the hall flickers on and off.
Pitzman was sitting on the spacious throne. He was originally arrogant, but his expression at this time seemed quite lonely.
There was an attendant on each side of the throne, but in such a depressing atmosphere, the attendants could only lower their heads and did not dare to make the slightest sound.
When the news of the breach of the South City Gate reached the palace, even His Majesty Pitzman, who had always been proud and arrogant, felt a little breathless for a moment.
Originally... Pitzman expected that he could hold on for at least a few months. As long as the cold winter approached and the army became inconvenient to supply, he would have another chance to counterattack.
But what he didn't expect was...
Reitz actually made up his mind and attacked the city with all his strength regardless of casualties.
This is undoubtedly a blow to those civilian soldiers who have never been on the battlefield and have undergone training!
At the same time, it also brought an unprecedented sense of crisis to Pitzman himself.
"Where is the Minister of Finance? Where is the Minister of War? Where is the Lord of the Seal? Where did they all die?!"
Looking at the empty hall in front of him, Pitzman tightly grasped the armrest of the throne, feeling surprisingly angry in his heart.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Chancellor of Finance said that he was unwell, and then... then the Minister of Privy Seal said that he... himself..."
As he was talking, the attendant beside him suddenly fell to his knees, stammering and crying.
"Where is the Duke of Dorne? I haven't seen Yersen Paris for several days..."
Pitzman paused, then suppressed the anger in his heart and asked coldly.
"Duke Dorne..."
The squire obviously knew where the Duke of Dorne was going.
He hesitated for a while, and then said softly and cautiously: "The Duke of Dorne probably went... to greet Prince Reitz..."
"Damn it! They are all damn traitors!"
"Before, they were the ones who encouraged me to seek the throne, but at this critical moment, they all ran faster than anyone else!"
Pitzman suddenly stood up and overturned the heavy desk in front of him, the anger in his heart almost uncontrollable.
at this moment,
Those nobles and subordinates who had previously regarded him as the emperor and flattered him with all their might had disappeared when Reitz formed the encirclement.
Only the few attendants who have been following him are always serving him carefully.
"His Majesty……"
The attendant beside him tugged at the corner of Pitzman's clothes, his eyes filled with tears.
"At this time... there is probably chaos in the palace, right?"
Pitzman was a little lost and sat back on the throne beneath him.
As the emperor and the architect of the entire defense plan, he knew better than anyone what the fall of the South City Gate meant.
The vast majority of the elite Royal Guards are deployed there, and the commander of the Royal Guards, Yan Padilla, is personally in charge. Once the South City Gate falls... then the entire St. Lawrence will be in danger, and he himself
The short reign will soon disappear.
finally,
The attendant on the side couldn't help but remind:
"Your Majesty! We can't delay any longer. There are still nearly a thousand absolutely loyal elites in the palace. They can still delay for a while. We should leave here quickly..."
"Leave? Where?"
Hearing this, Pitzman couldn't help but smile bitterly and said:
"Who among the nobles is still willing to stand with us? They all stand behind Rez and oppose us!"
The imperial capital was besieged and the city gates were breached.
All the elite soldiers have been lost long ago.
Except for a few attendants, he has long since lost the support of any nobles around him. What else can he use to compete with Reitz?!
"No!"
At this moment,
A vicissitudes of voice came.
Under the candlelight, Bishop Fleming slowly walked out from the shadow of the marble column.
Under Pitzman's somewhat astonished gaze, Bishop Fleming said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty Pitzman, no matter where you go, the church will always be your strongest supporter."
Looking at the bishop who suddenly appeared in the main hall, Pitzman couldn't help but said coldly: "Have all the soldiers outside the hall fled?!"
"That's not the point!"
Facing Pitzman's gaze, Bishop Fleming said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty Pitzman, in the view of the church, Reitz, who killed his father and regicide, is not worthy of becoming the emperor of the Norman Empire! The church is willing to provide you with shelter, and the door of the holy city of Bethlehem is open to you! If you are willing, one day,
The Crusaders will help you return to St. Lawrence!"
"Bishop Fleming..."
gradually,
Pitzman's eyes began to glow.
At this time, it makes no sense to wonder how Bishop Fleming came in.
As the German emperor of the Norman Empire, Pitzman was naturally deeply impressed by the bishop in front of him.
Bishop Fleming was personally appointed by Cardinal Camus Blanchard and was the archbishop responsible for all matters concerning the First Church of Light in the imperial capital of St. Lawrence.
And these words of Bishop Fleming undoubtedly clearly stated the church's position on this war.
church……
He actually supports himself?!
Thinking of this, Pitzman couldn't help but fell into deep thought.
If what Bishop Fleming was saying was true...
The holy city of Bethlehem is located among the mountains in the southern part of the empire. The terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. There are countless believers and congregations across the entire continent.
As long as he can leave St. Lawrence alive, then with the support of the church, he can be reborn in the southern part of the empire, and the Crusaders controlled by the Holy See and the fierce public opinion will also make Reitz turn against the rat!
Pitzman has naturally heard the remarks from the eastern part of the empire about the collusion between the Church and the Odin Empire, and he has also heard the rumors about the Church of Light.
But……
At this moment, the church offered him an olive branch that Pitzman could hardly refuse!
Although Pitzman is arrogant, he also has a normal way of thinking. He clearly realizes that...if he falls into the hands of his younger brother Rez, moving his head will definitely be inevitable.
after all……
This is not the first time that a battle for the throne has occurred in the empire, there are precedents to follow.
so,
Pitzman stared at Bishop Fleming in front of him and asked in a hoarse voice:
"Will the church... really support my rule over the empire?"
"That's natural. In the eyes of the Church of Light, you are the only legal heir to this land."
…
The fighting in the city is still continuing.
But the originally deafening shouts of death have become weaker.
It’s not hard to see…
The defenders' resistance was nearing its end.
The loss of the southern gate of St. Lawrence was like a fuse, destroying the fighting will of the defenders in the city with the force of a prairie fire.
Most of them were originally civilian soldiers who were forcibly recruited. Now that the situation is over and they are facing a wolf-like and tiger-like siege army, how can they remember any military regulations and disciplines?
Naturally, they all dropped their weapons and fled in all directions.
But St. Lawrence was, after all, the largest city in the central part of the empire. Even though the southern city gate was captured on the afternoon of the fourth day, by the time Reitz's army basically took control of the situation, they killed several other gates guarding them.
After the garrison, it was already the morning of the fifth day.
Except for a very small number of soldiers loyal to Pitzman, who are still fighting around the palace, the entire city of St. Lawrence, except for the palace, has been controlled by Rez.
When Rez finally stepped into the city again at noon on the fifth day, guarded by soldiers, many of the nobles living in the imperial capital of Saint Lawrence had already gathered under the command of Yersen Paris, Duke of Dorne.
Under the leadership of the people, they knelt in a row from the city gate.
Looking around,
There were thirty or forty nobles kneeling at the door, and even the one with the lowest title among them was an earl.
As for the viscounts and barons under the earl...
Pooh!
Are those nobles with low titles worthy of welcoming His Majesty Reitz?!
If you want to welcome His Majesty Reitz at the city gate, you must at least be a count, right?
"Dear His Majesty Reitz, the true emperor of the great Norman Empire, the Paris family is willing to swear allegiance to you."
The Duke of Dorne knelt at the front of the noble queue and spoke first.
Prior to this, Yersen Paris, Duke of Dorne, had always been Pizman's staunchest supporter, for no other reason than that Reitz "ceded" his family fiefdom to the barbarians from the Odin Empire.
.
But now...
Who cares about the fiefdom? Being able to save your own life and title is already a special gift!
Looking at the nobles, big and small, kneeling on the ground in front of him, Rez felt a lot of emotion in his heart.
Although at least half of them were forcibly left behind by Pitzman after the defeat in the central Great Plains.
But Reitz knew it very well...
Most of the nobles who were able to stay in St. Lawrence at that time were more inclined to Pitzman.
But now...
When they saw that the situation was over, the nobles in front of them all abandoned Pitzman without hesitation, hoping to surrender to themselves.
Seeing that Reitz had not spoken, the old Duke of Dorne trembled all over and continued:
"The reason why I was unable to pledge my allegiance to Your Majesty in advance is all because of Pitzman's rebellious and closed city gate. Not only did he humiliate us at every turn, but he also exacted excessive taxes, which made the entire empire angry and resentful."
"And today, His Majesty Reitz finally regained control of the Imperial Capital. Everyone present felt heartfelt joy and encouragement!"
At this time, Reitz had no time to pay attention to the nobles in front of him, but he still said in a deep voice:
"Everyone get up!"
After that, he walked towards the city under the guard of the soldiers.
Returning to this city where he had lived for a long time, Rez felt a lot of emotion in his heart.
He was very grateful for this victory, but he was not carried away by it.
If he is not the final winner, I am afraid that today's situation will be completely reversed. At that time, I am afraid that the nobles standing behind him will prostrate themselves in front of Pitzman like the Duke of Dorne.
but……
Time will not turn back, you are the ultimate winner!
Taking a long breath, Rez passed through the city gate and rode towards the city.
The streets in the city are very cold, and there are still a lot of blood stains and corpses on the streets.
Due to the large-scale use of trebuchets by the siege army, many houses on the roadside have been reduced to ruins, with many broken walls and stains of blood.
no doubt,
After the army entered the city, they still experienced extremely fierce battles before they finally completely captured the giant city in front of them.
The gates of the Norman Palace have been damaged a lot, and the soldiers under Reitz, led by Marshal Teodoro, are searching for surviving enemy troops among the ruins.
However……
The moment Marshal Teodoro saw Rez, he hurriedly walked towards him, showing a little anxiety in his expression.
"Your Majesty Rez..."
Teodoro Lawton seemed hesitant.
Seeing Marshal Teodoro's expression, Rez, who originally felt that he was sure of victory, couldn't help but feel nervous and asked quickly:
"What's wrong?!"
Seeing this, Teodoro replied with difficulty:
"It's Pitzman...Your Majesty Reitz, we found no trace of Pitzman in the palace. He seems to have...escaped..."