Chapter 1481: Establishing a Popular Foundation

The emperor of Longyan has basically become a mascot.

The King of Britain, however, only retains some rather unimportant powers.

Although their France is powerful and is also undergoing the Industrial Revolution, the Louis XV who lives in Paris, the Emperor of France.

Still holds absolute power, with a bloated government and severe internal strife.

The friction between the merchants who rose rapidly due to the Industrial Revolution and the old nobility is becoming increasingly severe.

The strength of the Empire needs to rely on these merchants who have become wealthy during the Industrial Revolution.

The old nobility relies on hereditary merits, and their ancestors' wealth was squandered by them long ago.

If they want to maintain their current decent lives, they can only continue to exploit merchants or farmers.

Merchants have money in their hands; they can intermarry with the nobility to let their own descendants also become nobles, and some merchants can even use the capital in their hands to force the French royal family to grant them titles.

These wealthy merchants will become the new nobility.

Although this has eased the conflict between the nobility and the merchants to some extent, it has not changed the essence of the problems of the French Empire.

Moreover, in this Catholic country of France, they revere the supremacy of divine power.

He received orders to fully support the pitifully few Catholics in Egypt, while simultaneously cooperating with the Holy Cross Army to exterminate those evil Protestants.

The Pope's orders are something the Emperor of France would certainly not refuse.

Therefore, there is also a group of special people in France whose status is so high that even nobles must give way when they see them.

That is the Catholic clergy.

Although Sashaer is far away from the French mainland, he is deeply mired in it.

He has deep feelings about this.

This increasingly declining French Empire no longer has any spare energy.

Egypt was originally a very important strategic zone for the Empire, but France has no way to provide aid to Egypt, even after the port fell.

Sashaer requested support many times, but the reply Sashaer received was perfunctory, telling him to think of a way himself.

What is even more ridiculous is that not long ago, the Pope launched a Holy War, and France immediately dispatched troops to form the Holy Cross Army.

To crusade against Prussia and the Longyan army, but it ignores the life and death of Egypt.

A trace of wavering arose in Sashaer's heart; the development of the Industrial Revolution broke some common sense in his cognition.

……

At this moment, in Europe, after Ling Chen's army advanced into the border city of Prussia.

They did not continue to move forward, but instead established a base here to prevent a counterattack from the Austrians.

At the same time, Ling Chen needs to expand here and assemble the power of Protestantism.

Establish a popular foundation so that Longyan can truly gain a firm foothold in Europe.

Winter is about to arrive; it has now entered late autumn.

After the Prussian civilians experienced the flames of war, large tracts of arable land were left abandoned.

But now is the time for sowing; people take food as their foundation, which is what a sage in ancient Longyan once said.

Ling Chen knows this principle well; the arable land in Prussia must be utilized quickly and cannot continue to be left abandoned.

After occupying the border city of Prussia, the first thing Ling Chen did was to have the priest and Diana find the Protestants here.

Distribute the winter wheat seeds brought from Longyan.

The condition is that after this winter wheat matures, they will collect one-tenth as military rations.

These seeds were brought with great difficulty by Longyan.

This wheat is a new variety developed by Longyan's experimental department, with a growth period of only five months.

Sowing now, after passing through the cold European winter, this winter wheat will mature early next spring.

Upon learning this, Diana and the priest solemnly thanked Longyan and thanked Ling Chen for his generosity.

With these seeds, this war-torn and vicissitudinous land of Prussia will surely regain its vitality once again.

Now the Prussian civilians are either fleeing or dying, and even those who survived have no way to keep the land from being abandoned.

Due to years of war, their food rations are not necessarily guaranteed, and as for seeds, they were probably eaten up long ago.

But now with these seeds from Longyan, those Prussian civilians who want to farm still have hope of survival.

Diana soon made contact with the Protestants here, or rather, these Protestants took the initiative to find them.

The Prussian Protestants have always believed that the Longyan army is the Holy Cross Army sent by the Lord to save them.

They are deeply convinced of this.

Ling Chen met with their leader.

"Oh, guest from a distant journey, messenger sent by the Lord, our Holy Cross Army General, I, on behalf of the Protestants here, offer you high greetings."

The Protestant leader, this young Father Xiusi, bowed deeply.

Ling Chen nodded slightly; although he came to support Protestantism, Ling Chen is completely ignorant of the direct etiquette of Protestantism.

So he just returned the salute simply.

Father Xiusi was stunned, looking at Ling Chen's way of returning the salute, which did not look like their Protestant etiquette.

He looked at Diana beside him in confusion, his eyes full of doubt.

As if asking why the General of the Holy Cross Army does not understand their Protestant etiquette.

Diana seemed to see Father Xiusi's confusion, stepped forward, and said: "Father, General Ling Chen does not believe in religion; he only came to help us because he felt the Lord's call."

Father Xiusi showed an expression of sudden realization.

The expression when looking at Ling Chen changed a bit, changing from the previous respect to worship.

In his understanding, this is a gifted person chosen by the Lord; regardless of whether the other party believes in the Lord or not, being able to be chosen by the Lord and guided to come here to save them.

Is enough to prove Ling Chen's uniqueness.

Father Xiusi looked at Ling Chen again, his gaze growing a bit more fervent: "So, it is someone chosen by the Lord."

Ling Chen did not understand at all what this priest before him was talking about; he was completely clueless.

He looked at Diana, and Diana nodded slightly, signaling Ling Chen not to deny it.

Ling Chen did not understand the rules of their Protestantism, but seeing Diana act this way, he noticed the change in Father Xiusi's attitude toward him, which seemed to have become even more reverent.

Ling Chen did not pay it much mind either.

"Father Xiusi, please be sure to warn those who take the seeds away that these seeds can only be used for planting," Ling Chen said with repeated exhortations.

While saying these words, the expression on his face was incomparably solemn.

"Rest assured, General, I will have the Protestants supervise, and there will absolutely not be a situation where they eat the seeds."

Father Xiusi made a guarantee with equal, incomparable seriousness.

Hearing this, Ling Chen set his heart at ease and let out a sigh of relief: "That is good. When we in Longyan were developing these seeds, we discovered that they were more likely to attract field mice, so we covered the surface of these seeds with a layer of poison."

"To prevent those field mice from stealing and eating them."

"If a person eats this stuff, although it won't go so far as to kill them, it definitely won't feel good. Of course, it depends on how much was eaten."

After hearing this, Father Xiusi's face turned pale in an instant, and he immediately stood up and said: "I must go out for a moment!"

"Father Xiusi, what is wrong with you?"

Father Xiusi did not answer, but left this place like the wind, rushing toward the restroom!