Chapter 78 Hemei’s arrangement

Author: Ivan the Terrible

Chapter 78 Hemei’s arrangement

Thelod Monastery is a temple dedicated to the goddess Meriteri, whose belief in this goddess is the main religion in the northern kingdoms.

This goddess originates from mankind's primitive beliefs in fertility, love, farming, the stove in the home and pregnant women.

This belief is transformed into various female figures, who dominate fertility and reproduction, take care of farmers and gardeners, and bless lovers and couples.

Then these different beliefs slowly came together and blended with each other, and finally these gods merged into one and became the mother of all: Meriteri.

This deity appears in three forms: a carefree girl, a mature pregnant woman, and a hunched old woman.

Priests of the Meriteri sect preach love and peace, and their temples are often also hospitals, asylums, and orphanages.

This goddess was the most famous in the whole north, and her monasteries were often very wealthy as a result of her constant stream of generous donors.

Because it shelters and cares for so many people in need, Serode Monastery occupies a very large area, with more than 500 people living here on weekdays.

In order to support so many people, there are several wealthy villages near the monastery dedicated to supporting the monastery, and some farmers who work directly for the monastery cultivate the fields outside the monastery walls.

The clergy in the monastery also opened up fields, part of which grew food to support themselves, and the other part of which planted various herbs that can be used in medicine.

Villagers in this area are happy to make offerings to the goddess because the goddess's priests will always help them unconditionally.

Meriteri's clergy regularly travel abroad to help anyone they meet who is in need.

The most eye-catching thing about this monastery is its high tower. Inside the high tower is a big bell. This big bell is made of high-quality brass. On the bell is a prayer about Meritelli's faith.

The big clock on the tower will ring in the morning, noon and evening to remind nearby farmers of the time.

Many people spend their lives surrounded by bells that ring on time every day, and it has become an essential part of their lives.

On weekdays, there is an endless stream of visitors to this monastery. Some come to seek help from the monastery, some come to donate wealth, and some visit simply out of gratitude.

But now the situation has changed. After the Second Northern War broke out and the Aedian army collapsed, the Nilfgaardians came here.

The order received by the black-clad army was to destroy this land, and the wealthy monastery was naturally their key target.

The black-clad army didn't say anything, they just rushed into the monastery and killed people like crazy.

Most of Meriteri's clergy didn't know how to fight, so naturally they had no choice but to be captured quickly, and the black-clad army took control of the monastery.

And then, the Nilfgaardians did something that made the Aedirn people extremely angry, and it was also an extremely blasphemous thing.

After discovering the location of the last monastery wealth through torture, they hanged all Meriteri clergy, killed the orphans and sick here, and finally took away all the young men who would become slaves.

According to the rules of war in the north, monasteries and temples should not be affected by war, and massacring temples is an extremely bad thing, but the Nilfgaardians don't care about this, and the Nilfgaard Empire is an atheistic empire.

They are very strict with their beliefs.

In the view of the Black Army, these beliefs are superstitious and harmful to people, so many beliefs in the north are within the purge of Nilfgaard, so they did such things.

Yes, atheism.

Some people may ask, doesn’t Nilfgaard have a state religion like the Great Sun Disk? Why is Nilfgaard said to be an atheistic country?

This is because the belief in the Great Sun Disk is not a simple belief.

In the past, the Great Sun Disk, or Sun Religion, was only one of many religions in the south.

About 50 years ago, the status of the great sun disk changed.

The Nilfgaardian Emperor Fergus Enrith at that time implemented a series of political and religious reforms. This was the means Fergus sought to make the empire more united and power more centralized through reforms.

He cleverly tied politics to religion and became the high priest of the sect, gaining both royal and divine power.

In exchange, the emperor would also allow clergy from the sect to serve as key officials in state agencies.

Believers believe that all living things on the earth are protected by the sun. It is the giver of life and the protector of mankind, but it is also cruel and extremely destructive. This is the great sun wheel.

In this discourse system, the term "Great Sun Disk" can refer to the sun, the Nilfgaardian Empire, and more importantly, the emperor.

And when these three factors overlap, the Great Sun Disk is not just a simple belief, it is more like the embodiment of Nilfgaard's national ideology, the light that dispels the dark age. That's why the army in black is so willing to use greatness.

The name of the sun wheel spreads "order and civilization".

In the eyes of the Nilfgaardians, their great sun disk is completely different from the superstition of the northerners. It is a more advanced, more secular, and more universal existence.

Therefore, the Nilfgaardians are extremely cruel to the clergy in the north. The lightest response is to kill all of them at that level, and their temples must also be destroyed.

So they treated the monastery so cruelly, killing all the clergy inside, destroying everything related to faith, knocking down the statue of the goddess, taking away all the valuable things, and not forgetting to set a fire at the end.

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The fire burned very hard, as if the goddess Meriteri was angry that her place of worship was destroyed.

But the Nilfgaardians still dismissed it and fought all the way. They didn't know how many temples they destroyed, and they didn't see what happened to the gods inside.

These actions of the men in black naturally angered the locals. Meriteli's priests have long been an important part of people's lives. How many people relied on the temple's priestesses to deliver babies, and how many people's lives were saved by them...

When Nilfgaard was still marching forcefully, the locals were intimidated by the empire's various cruel actions and did not dare to do anything. However, after the empire suffered a defeat, the local backlash was naturally the most powerful.

Almost every village is a potential guerrilla. If one or two soldiers travel, they will be murdered. There are also more attacks on imperial convoys.

Coupled with the counterattack by the Aedirn army from Vengerberg, the Nilfgaardians quickly lost this land.

Although the black army has left, the destroyed monastery still gained a large Aedirn garrison.

Although the main body of the monastery has been burned down, the tall tower still stands.

The strategic location of this high tower is very good and can radiate the surrounding area. Although the area is not the front line, it is not far from the front line.

Therefore, naturally, this tower became an important place for the Aedian army to transfer supplies and troops to the front line.

When Nilfgaard started to advance again, this high tower located on the quasi-frontline became the headquarters chosen by Herme, and its importance further increased.

"So, that's the God-Burning Tower?"

Wearing a set of plate armor but still wearing a Cossack noble fur cap, Herme came to the tower surrounded by guards and subordinates.

Because the tower was burnt black by the flames, it got the name Burning God Tower. Hemei was quite interested in it. This was the first time he saw such a tower.

On the one hand, this is to describe its appearance, and on the other hand, the locals want to remember what the Nilfgaardians did.

Although it was mercilessly burned by the flames, the tower still stood firm on this land, just like the belief of the goddess Meriteri.

"Yes, Lord Protector."

Valentine, Herme's new attendant, said, "This is a young man of sixteen years old."

Compared with Viato, this kid is obviously much more mature. He is very smart in terms of etiquette and behavior, and he is very quick and capable in doing things.

Of course, he is a distant relative of Hemei and the best person among the younger generation chosen by his hometown people.

As for Viator, he has already entered the front line and led an army to fight.

This kid was quite reluctant to leave Hemei. On the one hand, he had been with Hemei for so long, and on the other hand, the importance of leaving the center must have been greatly reduced, but he still had to leave.

Hemei planned to let this kid go to the front line to brush up his qualifications and represent his will in the military in the future.

After all, this boy has been his attendant for so many years, and he doesn't want anyone to fall in love with him.

Of course, the premise is that he successfully obtained so many military exploits and nothing happened to him.

If unfortunately he died on the battlefield, no one else would be blamed, and Hemei would have no choice but to choose someone else.

Gold-plated qualifications must be plated with real gold. Without real materials, no one will be convinced.

For the new squire Valentine, Herme planned to delay his knighthood for as long as possible. Young people should exercise for a while, which is good for their future.

I finally got a squire, and I should keep it for a few more years anyway, so as not to spend time getting used to the new squire.

Of course, if those young people knew that he thought this way, they would definitely scold them behind their backs.

Under the Burning God Tower and around the tower, new fortifications have been built. City walls, trenches and horses are all in place. Together with many patrolling soldiers, it looks like a fortress.

The fact that it can be built so well is thanks to the large amount of construction waste here.

The Aedirn army put all these ruins to use. The original monastery was made of very solid materials. Even if it was turned into a pile of ruins, there were still a lot of good things inside.

Of course, in order to take care of the nearby people and Meriteri believers in the army, they naturally did not forget to use these scraps to rebuild the statue of the goddess that was knocked down and destroyed by the Nilfgaardians.

This also has another meaning, which is to emphasize what the Nilfgaardians have done here.

The various atrocities committed by the Nilfgaardians are an important part of the war propaganda carried out by the Protectorate Government, and the blasphemous actions will naturally be highlighted.

At that moment, Hemei saw that the stronghold centered on the Burning God Tower was very busy.

There were soldiers running around everywhere, and farmers were delivering cartloads of grain to the tall team barn.

On the training ground, veterans are teaching new recruits how to use weapons so that they will not be killed due to lack of experience as soon as they go to the battlefield.

The blacksmith shop is also working constantly, and all kinds of equipment are waiting for them to be repaired. It can be said that it is extremely busy.

Outside the city wall, there are endless tents. Most of the tents have the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Aden, representing their status as military supplies.

The warehouse at Vengerberg is full of such tents, and Herme is taking them out for use now.

There are more than 50,000 Aedian troops gathered here. Hermei has gathered all the troops that can be assembled. There is a busy scene everywhere, and the new recruits are being drilled like crazy.

Herme was not afraid of the possibility of Nilfgaardian assaults from other directions, because the Nilfgaardian-controlled area was full of guerrillas who obeyed Vengerberg's orders, and they kept bringing news of the Nilfgaardians' mobilization, so
To be continued...