Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 795 - 703 Heresy Purge the Heretic

Chapter 795: Chapter 703: Heresy, Purge the Heretic!

Chapter 795: Chapter 703: Heresy, Purge the Heretic!

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Stanisław II was truly making a final desperate bet.

In the worst-case scenario, he and officers like Bilak would become prisoners of the Russians, and the tens of thousands of flintlock guns, thousands of tents, and uniforms meant for “surrendering arms” would also fall into enemy hands.

But he decided to take the risk.

Bilak’s previously demonstrated level of command was not outstanding, and the Military Committee had already considered replacing him.

Should he really be detained by Korezenikov, an officer would immediately take over the defense work in Minsk.

The Poles would then propagate in the army that “Bilak was shamelessly detained while negotiating with the Russians,” in order to inspire the soldiers’ fighting spirit.

After the King spoke to him about this matter, Bilak immediately accepted this perilous task without hesitation.

As for the military supplies, the Lithuanian Legion had lost more than 7,000 soldiers in previous battles, and most of their weapons were recovered.

Therefore, handing over 10,000 flintlock guns to Russia wouldn’t impact the Polish Army too much—the Warsaw Armament Factory would quickly make up for the shortfall in weapons.

And items such as tents and uniforms, in extreme cases, don’t even count as military necessities.

Two days later, Stanisław II, accompanied by officials including Pyatoli, proceeded to Saint Petersburg with great ceremony to submit his surrender.

At the ceremony before departure, numerous Polish journalists interviewed and recorded the event with indignation, and for a moment the scene became uncontrollable. However, afterwards, these individuals scattered back to the Freedom and Security Committee.

The next day, Russian intelligence operatives bought local newspapers from the Polish-controlled region of Minsk, which featured extensive reports on the “King going to Saint Petersburg to surrender.”

These newspapers were quickly collected back by the people from the Freedom and Security Committee, and the few that leaked out were simply dismissed as “mere rumors.”

Korezenikov led over a thousand soldiers to escort the King of Poland for an audience with the Tsar.

Primarily because Pyatoli had “inadvertently” revealed to him that Morco had also received news of Stanislaw II’s trip to Saint Petersburg.

To ensure that Morco wouldn’t “intercept” the credit for the King of Poland’s surrender on the way, Korezenikov decided to escort him throughout the journey.

Consequently, the Russian Army’s offensive halted, and the Polish soldiers in Minsk finally got a much-needed chance to rest and regroup.

Stanisław II sat in the carriage, hearing the Russian soldiers outside chatting, “We can reach Vitebsk by tonight.”

He frowned to himself: 7 days already, Warsaw still needs 33 days.

But it seems that my pace has been too fast, I need to think of a way to deal with this…

That evening, the surrendering convoy stopped at a manor in the western suburbs of Vitebsk.

Stanisław II pretended to be interested in the flower garden and, while the Russian soldiers were not paying attention, he scooped up a handful of soil and stuffed it into his mouth.

The fishy, bitter taste surged to his head in an instant, as nauseating as feces, but he still forcefully shut his eyes and swallowed with difficulty.

After dinner, the King of Poland, unsurprisingly, developed diarrhea, followed by a fever.

The manor’s doctor treated him and diagnosed dysentery.

All of the chefs responsible for the dinner were beaten half to death by the manor owner.

The next day, looking at the King of Poland who was almost fainting from vomiting and diarrhea, Korezenikov had no choice but to order a temporary halt to their journey.

It took a full week for Stanisław II to barely regain some vitality.

Sitting in the jolting carriage, he weakly looked out the window, while silently reciting in his heart: 14 days, Warsaw still needs 26 days.

…

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Vienna.

On the Schonbrunn Palace Square, Cardinal Muzareli, dressed in a magnificent robe and wearing a complexly patterned ceremonial crown, stood on a high platform, speaking in a holy and solemn tone to the thousands of faithful, telling them something.

Behind him were eleven Cardinals from various dioceses of Austria.

Several deacons continuously held Muzareli’s various certificates and the Holy See’s encrypted seals, proving the authenticity of his identity to the crowd in the square.

Muzareli’s voice was melodious, “…therefore, the Holy See has never intended to interfere in the war between Poland and other nations.

“All talk of ‘Crusaders’ or ‘Holy War’ does not come from the Holy See, nor is it the oracle of Jesus…

“None of you shall continue to spread such blasphemous words; you must adhere to the teachings of the Holy See…”

He then began to quote scriptures to argue why the Russian-Polish war did not fall within the category of a holy war.

Thirty meters away from him, Molt Schmidt raised his head to look at the Cardinal, clutching his right fist, but his eyes were filled with confusion, anger, and sorrow.

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Cardinals are created by the Pope himself and assist the Pope in administering the affairs of the Church. They also have the right to elect the next Pope in the event of the Pope’s vacancy. Cardinals are divided into three levels: cardinal bishops, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons. Initially, popes were not elected by cardinals, but by the people of Rome, but during the Middle Ages, this power was continuously restricted until only the cardinals could elect the Pope. The College of Cardinals is a system established by the Church, not a rank based on divine law, nor is it a level of holy orders. Since January 1, 1971, Paul VI decreed that only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to elect the Pope. Initially, Paul VI limited the number to a maximum of 120 cardinals who could elect, later changed by John Paul II. Although there is no hard rule that the Pope must be chosen from among the cardinals, in theory, any male member of the Roman Catholic Church is eligible to be elected as Pope. However, since the election of Urban VI in 1378, it has become customary for the Pope to be selected from among the cardinals. The ranks are divided according to Canon Law No. 350, into the episcopal order, i.e., cardinal bishops, the presbyteral order, i.e., cardinal priests, and the diaconal order, i.e., cardinal deacons. Cardinal bishops were originally specifically designated to the seven suburban dioceses of Rome; in 1965, Paul VI decreed that Patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches were included in the College of Cardinals, retaining their titular dioceses, their rank being equal to that of the cardinal bishops of the Roman Catholic Church. There are generally no more than ten cardinal bishops. Most cardinal priests serve as archbishops (or as bishops) of major cities around the world. They are often referred to as archbishops. Cardinal deacons are the lowest rank among cardinals. Before 1918, a layman could become a cardinal without first being a priest, and a cardinal deacon could be a layman; after 1918, according to Canon Law No. 351, a cardinal must be at least a priest. Those who are not bishops must receive episcopal consecration. After serving as a cardinal deacon for ten years, one may be promoted to cardinal priest. Note that all cardinal priests and almost all cardinal deacons are in fact bishops.