Maximus certainly understood what Duwei meant by this.
Although this bishop also has a kind and noble appearance, although he wears old robes and lives a simple life, Du Wei's idea is correct: the more this kind of person is, the less simple he is! Either he is a
A true saint, or he has a great plan!
Du Wei has never believed that there are any saints in the world... What about Michus? A saint who has been glorified to the extreme in the scriptures and one of the founders of the temple. As a result, today I know the true identity of Michus, and I am afraid that it will spread.
, no one will believe it!
This Maximus is just a politician in the temple.
Maximus knew that in order to get Duwei's support and to get the Duke to bet on him, what he had to do now was to show his strength and find a way to make the other party understand that he could get rich rewards by betting on him.
reciprocated.
"Your Majesty the Duke." After pondering for a while, Maximus said slowly: "I believe you should have a certain understanding of the rules for inheriting the position of Pope in the temple."
"Yes." Du Wei nodded: "According to the rules of the temple, you should also be one of the heirs. However, what I want to say is that after all, there are eight archbishops in total, and you may not necessarily be the final winner."
"The Almighty God is above." Maximus looked compassionate: "It's not that I, Maximus, am greedy for power, but I am determined to dedicate myself to the gods and dedicate my life to the temple. I will never tolerate seeing those Yeni sects
These guys have defiled the temple! Their misbehavior will only bring discredit to the temple."
Du Wei had no expression on his face, waiting for the bishop to continue speaking.
"The Yeni sect and our Mossad sect have been fighting for a long time. In this generation of fighting, especially in the past two years, what they have done has become more and more excessive. There are now eight major dioceses on the mainland.
, the Yeni sect occupies five. Although our Mosaic sect only controls three parishes, in terms of political performance, we are far ahead of them. The Yeni sect's methods of promoting doctrine are too tough and bloody. Over the years,
They advocated using severe torture to establish the majesty of the church and taking drastic measures against heretics. There was a case in the southeastern diocese six years ago. They burned six people to death in the name of purifying heretics. Three years ago in the southwestern diocese
, they also hanged a nobleman for violating the gods. These methods were too drastic and had already caused dissatisfaction from many parties. Especially when they hanged a nobleman three years ago, this approach was criticized by the empire.
The aristocracy regarded it as a demonstration against them. In the parishes controlled by the Yeni faction, there would always be some friction with the imperial officials. For example, in the past few years, because of the tax problem in the south, they criticized the imperial tax policy.
, accusing the imperial taxation of being too heavy, which caused the people to hand over most of their income to the official imperial taxes, which led to a sharp decline in their religious taxes and contribution taxes. These various actions also caused the Yeni faction, the imperial royal family and the imperial officials to
The relationship between the two was very tense for a time. Moreover, the Yeni sect’s creed of ‘divine authority above all else’ was naturally disliked by the royal family.”
"Of course." Du Wei shrugged: "Although I don't know much about what you said, I have heard about it."
"We, the Mossad sect, have controlled only three parishes over the years, accounting for only a minority. However, our reputation within the temple has always been much higher than that of the Yeni sect. Especially among the elders, those who support us are occupying
But speaking of it, an incident two years ago gave us a huge blow. If it hadn't been for that accident, I'm afraid our Mossad sect would not be in such an embarrassing situation now."
When Maximus said this, he sighed and glanced at Duwei: "Your Majesty, Duke, you must have heard of the name 'Hussein', right?"
Du Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he put on a surprised expression on his face: "Hussein, of course I have heard of it. He is the most wanted criminal in the temple! The most powerful genius knight on the continent. Later he betrayed the temple.
, right?”
"It was Hussein... Well, because of his affairs, our Mossad sect was implicated a lot. It can be said that because of Hussein's rebellion, the strength of the Mossad sect suffered a great loss. Originally, His Majesty the Pope was
He was very supportive of our Mosaic sect, but later because of this incident..."
"What does Hussein have to do with you?" Du Wei asked.
Maximus smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty Duke, Hussein became the knight commander of the Holy Knights at a young age and became one of the three leaders of the Holy Knights, the most powerful armed force under the temple. In this way
His qualifications are not only due to his extraordinary talent and youth, but also for other reasons." After a pause, he slowly said: "Hussein... he was born in our North Central Diocese. Judging from his background,
, belongs to the Mosaic faction."
I have never heard of this Du Wei. Although Hussein has always been by his side, this indifferent man seems to regard betraying the temple as the greatest pain in his life, and is rarely willing to mention what happened in the temple.
. He didn’t tell himself, and Du Wei rarely asked.
"Hussein was born in the diocese under my jurisdiction. He was selected and sent to the Holy Knights for training at a very young age. Speaking of which, he stepped into the position of Grand Knight Commander step by step. In the process, of course, we, Mosa, were indispensable.
The sect’s full support. After all…” Maximus smiled bitterly: “Although the Council of Elders has remained neutral for thousands of years, the Holy Knights are no longer within the sphere of influence of the Montenegro sect. Everyone knows that,
To control power, you must first master the force. The Holy Knights are the most powerful force in the church. Over the past few hundred years, both we and the Yeni faction have tried their best to infiltrate the Holy Knights.
After all, the Knights and the Presbytery are different. The Montenegro Faction controls the seats in the Presbytery, making it difficult for others to penetrate. To enter the Presbytery, you must first be nominated by the Pope, and then vote within the Presbytery to accept it. The Montenegro Faction is very
Unity, if outsiders want to enter the presbytery and get a seat, they will not be able to pass their vote first. The knights are different. Each knight is selected and trained from a young age. And we only need to select some within our own diocese.
Gifted children are always selected and sent in. According to the rules of the temple, no one can stop it. As long as the boy we select is really talented and becomes a holy knight, then no one can say anything. Moreover, because of hundreds of years
According to the previous agreement between the empire and the temple, the Holy Knights are not allowed to be stationed in the imperial capital, and can only retain a small number in the temple. Most of the Holy Knights are scattered in various parishes to guard local churches. In this way, the Holy Knights must be under the influence of local churches.
Radiation makes it difficult to maintain complete neutrality. After hundreds of years, although the Holy Knights cannot be said to have been completely penetrated, there are always representatives of several schools among the senior knights. For example, this time they were sent to assassinate
My seventh-level knight."
Maximus sighed: "Speaking of Hussein, he is indeed the most talented among the group of young people we selected. He soon stood out in the North Central Diocese and became the most talented one.
After that, he ranked first in the selection competition and entered the Knights Headquarters of the Imperial City Temple for rigorous training. From then on, he rose all the way up. We, the Mosaic faction, all regard him as the hope of our faction!
The two original knight commanders of the Holy Knights were all neutral personnel loyal to the Pope and belonged to the Montenegrin faction. And if a person from the Mosaic faction can serve as the knight commander, then it will mean that we are in the battle for the Holy Knights.
, overwhelming the Yeni faction! As a result...as you know, Hussein suddenly got into trouble. His Majesty the Pope personally ordered him to hunt down. Because of this incident, the Yeni faction violently attacked Mosaic inside the temple.
The Yeni faction, our situation is very passive. The most important thing is that because of Hussein's rebellion, the Pope was extremely angry and personally ordered a purge within the Holy Knights. The Yeni faction took the opportunity to suppress us. This made the purge process
Here, our holy knights of the Mosaic sect suffered great losses. Forget it... What makes us even more helpless is that in the process of hunting down Hussein... "
When Du Wei heard this, he was particularly careful.
"During the pursuit of Hussein, the then chief judge of the trial court, Mr. Murray, personally led the team, and several eighth-level holy knights led others to participate in the hunt. But... to tell you the truth, the chief judge, Mr. Murray,
Your Excellency, you are also the backbone of our Mosaic sect. Among the holy knights who participated in the hunt, such as the eighth-level knight Gefit, and several sixth-level and seventh-level knights, we Mossat sect spent many years on it.
It was cultivated with all the hard work... As a result, in the process of hunting down Hussein, Mr. Murray died, and Goffet and others also died, which caused great damage to our strength. The Yeni faction took the opportunity to return their
People promoted him and served as the new chief judge. In this way, within the temple, the important position of chief judge became theirs..."
Du Wei nodded.
In the process of hunting down Hussein, a presiding judge in the temple died, and Du Wei knew it. As for the death of several holy knights, they did include a guy named Gophet. This Gophet also fought with
Du Wei has a great relationship with Du Wei. It was Du Wei who found Gophet's grave in the snow and saw the suicide note and diary left by the dead holy knight before he understood what happened. As for Gophet,
It was also when the green-robed Gandalf "molested" Mrs. Lister for the first time, he stepped in to drive away the cuckolded holy knight.
He knew these things, and it seemed that what Maximus said must be the truth.
"Dear Bishop." Du Wei said with a smile: "I believe what you said is true...but I don't understand. If what you told me is true, then what will happen to you and your mother?"
The Sarpai, now in the temple, should be in a very dangerous situation, and they are also at a disadvantage in the struggle with the Yeni sect. Under such circumstances, do you think, as a smart investor, you should place a bet on
A force that is about to fall? Oh, please forgive my wording, but if you can't explain this question in my mind, I'm afraid I won't be able to make any decision."
Maximus smiled instead and looked into Duwei's eyes: "You are a smart man, Lord Duke! I have no doubt about this. I think I have reason to convince you for two reasons: First
, Smart people know that it is easy to add icing on the cake, but providing help in times of need is often the most impressive. At this time, if you choose to support the Mosaic Party, then the Mosaic Party will become your most loyal friend in the future! Of course, this is only a small part
The reason, I believe you will be tempted by the second point I will mention next. This second point... Think about it, since the Yeni faction is really sure of victory, why are they so anxious to ambush them on the road?
If I make such a move, once my failure is exposed, it will definitely cause an uproar. But they still chose to take the risk, naturally because they are aware of the danger! Because as long as I arrive in the imperial capital, I can reverse the entire situation!"
Du Wei nodded involuntarily.
Indeed, the more the Yeni faction took extreme measures to kill Maximus and the more anxious they were, the more it showed that they were afraid of letting Maximus return to the imperial capital!
"Do you have any chips in your hand that can turn defeat into victory?" Du Wei said with a smile.
"Yes." Maximus smiled slightly: "But please forgive me. This is related to the top secret of the temple, but I can't say it clearly."
Du Wei was silent.
He calculated carefully in his mind for a while, finally sat up straight, and then suddenly whispered: "How much bet do you need me to place?"
Maximus smiled: "Your Excellency, I know you are not a believer yet. So I think... if I can have this opportunity to personally preside over your baptism ceremony, it will be my greatest honor!"
Du Wei laughed: "Dear Bishop, you have set your sights on me!"
Indeed. Du Wei is the Duke who commands all military and political power in a province and is also a famous great magician in the empire. Regardless of his true strength, basically, the general view is that because of his outstanding performance on the day of the coup,
Everyone has already regarded this young Duke as the top powerhouse in the mainland!
Such a person, as a duke, holds real power, is deeply trusted by the royal family, and possesses extraordinary personal strength, but he is not a believer in the temple!! If someone can convince him to join the religion at this time...
Such an achievement is far greater than spreading the faith among 10,000 ordinary people!!
As a bishop, your main responsibility is to promote the doctrine and let more people believe in the temple. This is also an important criterion of merit. But no matter how many ordinary people you recruit into the religion, it is far less than recruiting a prominent figure!
Du Wei... is now on the mainland. Besides the regent, who else is more popular than him?
Du Wei did not agree immediately. Instead, he continued to ask: "What else?"
"I heard that in your territory, the attitude towards the temple religious institute is not very friendly." Maximus smiled and said: "I think it goes without saying what happened before. I will personally send some priests in the future
personnel, come to your territory to promote the doctrine. My request, Your Majesty the Duke, is that you should show some friendly attitude towards the teaching staff of our Mosaic sect."
"Haha! Do you want to include my province of Desa within the scope of your diocese?" Du Wei laughed.
"That's exactly what it is." Maximus didn't hide anything, and simply said: "According to the temple's practice, for a piece of virgin land that has not yet been developed, whoever can make achievements there first will be assigned this land.
In the past, the academic staff in your territory were just small roles sent by the imperial capital. In the future, I will send people directly from my central and northern diocese..."
"But you have to understand that the land in Desa Province is barren and not rich. My people don't have much money to pay religious taxes and contribution taxes." Du Wei frowned.
"To express my friendship, I am willing to exempt the province of Desa from religious taxes for three years. As the archbishop of the diocese, I still have these powers, and after three years, if..." Maximus smiled slightly: "Of course
, it’s just a hypothesis now. Assuming I can sit in that position, this tax exemption decree will be extended.”
"Uh-huh." Du Wei nodded: "Okay, you want me to become a believer, and then you allow your people to preach in my territory, and officially add my territory to your diocese... What else? You
There should be more requirements."
Maximus smiled, and he smiled lightly: "Your Majesty, you see, I am not a greedy old man. I don't ask for too much. If you can promise me these two points, I am already a greedy old man."
Thank you very much. Of course...if you are generous, I only need to add a small additional request, a very small request."
"Say it."
Maximus' eyes flashed: "According to the decree of the temple, all Holy Knights stationed in the parish are controlled by the local archbishop. The local parish is obliged to inject fresh blood into the Holy Knights every year. Although... the Holy Knights are...
Directly loyal to the Pope. But after all, an army stationed in a local area will not remain too pure for a long time. So, I think I can do my best to control the Holy Knights in my jurisdiction. Only
But...I still need more. Well...I mean, when the time comes, once I encounter great difficulties and crises, I will need your military assistance."
Du Wei frowned: "Are you crazy? According to all laws, no other army is allowed to interfere in any disputes within the temple! Do you want the empire officials to be involved in matters within the temple? In that case..."
"No, no, no, you haven't understood what I mean. What I mean is... once there are some urgent or 'special' situations, I think I can give you a name." Maximus smiled.
: "For example, let one of your troops wear the armor of the Holy Knights and get the name 'Holy Knights'. What do you think?"
Du Wei was really shocked this time.
"You...Master Maximus, are you sure you want to do this? This approach has gone far beyond the limit!" Du Wei reminded.
"Is it over the line?" A trace of determination appeared on Maximus's old face: "The Yeni sect dared to openly publish an unknown name and tried to kill a bishop without the permission of the Pope. Isn't this approach over the line?
"
"But you don't have this power." Du Wei shook his head: "You are just a local bishop. The formation of the Holy Knights must be ordered by the Pope himself! Local bishops can only control the existing Holy Knights, but they are not allowed to form new ones.
!Mr. Bishop, even if you give me this name, it is illegal."
"Your Excellency, that's why I said it was a 'special' time." Maximus said lightly: "I mean, if one day in the future, I succeed that position, but the Holy Knights under my command are not enough.
When I want to suppress those Yeni factions who are dissatisfied with me, I need more power! So, if I serve as the 'Pope', I have the power to authorize the immediate formation of a new Holy Knights!
"
Du Wei took a deep breath. He suddenly felt that the seemingly peaceful old guy in front of him was really courageous!
He laughed immediately: "Of course! If it is the Pope's order, it is legal. If I become a believer and receive the Pope's order, I will do my best. Naturally, I will obey."
The two looked at each other and laughed for a while. Du Wei stopped laughing and said with a straight face: "Mr. Bishop, you made your request... Then, what I want to ask is, in this investment, if
You won in the end, what gains can I get? Hehe! Don't talk about getting your friendship. I am a very tacky person. What I expect to get is some real benefits!"
"You have already benefited." Maximus smiled faintly: "Your Majesty, think about it, if you have a Holy Knights under your command... then your situation in the northwest will be greatly improved! I know. You
The biggest enemy now should be Lu Gao of the Northwest Army, right? Then, one day in the future, when your army fights with the enemy, the other party will be surprised to find that your army faces your army.
Flying the flag of the Holy Knights! At that time, if they fight against you, it will be equivalent to being an enemy of the temple! Fighting the Holy Knights is equivalent to declaring war on the temple! I think... Such a benefit can no longer be spent on money.
Or other conditions should be used to measure it."
"I need a guarantee from you," Du Wei said.
"I accept." Maximus smiled: "If I become the Pope, then you, Duke Tulip, will receive a sacred badge issued by the Pope himself! Owning such a badge will make you the leader in the temple.
Have a legitimate and lofty status! At that time, in the northwest, your will was equal to the will of the temple! Being an enemy of you is an enemy of the temple. This is my final commitment."
very good!
Du Wei suddenly laughed maliciously in his heart!
How wonderful it is to hang the flag of the Holy Knights on your cavalry division! It is like wearing a divine robe! I am only allowed to hit you, and you are not allowed to hit me! Otherwise, you will be disrespecting the greatness.
The Temple of Light declares war!
In the room, two people met each other and laughed, each having their own secrets.
After dinner, Du Wei politely sent the bishop back to rest, and he immediately called for the elder of the guard to smoke.
"You can disembark immediately in a small boat! Then go back to Loulan City immediately without any delay!" Du Wei looked at the loyal captain of the guard and said in a deep voice: "You go back to find Rodriguez.
Knight, tell him that when I return to the imperial capital this time, I underestimated it before setting off. Now the imperial capital is facing big changes, and I need strong support! Well, you convey my order and ask Knight Rodriguez to come to the imperial capital immediately with light horses and fast horses.
Listen and use it!”
Lao Yan accepted the order and went out. When he returned to the room, he looked at Du Wei and sighed: "You have to be careful. Trading with people in the temple is undoubtedly seeking the skin of a tiger!"
Du Wei laughed: "Searching for the skin of a tiger? Hehe, let's see, did they seek his skin, or did I seek his skin?"
Under the starry sky at night, the boat went all the way downstream on the river. The closer it got to the imperial capital, the more excited Du Wei became.
I originally thought that nothing major would happen during this trip back to the Imperial Capital, but now it seems that the last time I returned to the Imperial Capital, I experienced a palace coup. But this time... is it going to be a palace coup?
