King-Chapter 1405 - 275, Emptying the Papal State_3

Those who managed to secure a slot in the vanguard fleet are all families with their own fleets. Although the Count Orlan’s Family didn’t have a fleet, his capable son-in-law did.

When renting the fleet, Count Orlan even had an in-depth discussion with Hudson.

In the end, the two reached a unanimous conclusion: the best way to eliminate the threat from the Clergy’s followers was to pack everything—people and goods—and load them onto ships.

For years, the Clergy had been implementing indoctrination education in their stronghold, turning the low-level serfs into blind adherents, their thoughts and actions entirely under the control of church clergymen.

As long as those clergymen are replaced with Kingdom clergy, these serfs would become the most obedient subjects.

The Alpha Kingdom is desperately short of people, and it wouldn’t matter how many were brought over.

In a sense, compared to one-off gains from tangible wealth, the labor force capable of continuously generating wealth is far more valuable.

The first contingent deployed to the Kingdom has three thousand troops, meaning it’s entirely feasible for the return journey to carry back fifty to sixty thousand serfs.

If the latter stages of the military campaign go smoothly, then for a long time to come, all the Kingdom’s ocean-going merchant vessels will operate at full capacity.

"Old Ancestor, Orlan’s idea is correct. Since it’s hard enough to get to the Papal State, we might as well not show them any courtesy.

Take everything that can be moved—people and goods alike—pack them up and take them away. Once they arrive in the Kingdom, they’ll be free from the Fake Church’s influence."

Governor Piers’ proactive stance greatly satisfied Robert. "Fake Church"—this label was truly amusing.

Deep down, he had already decided to return and instruct the Kingdom Government to amend the terminology in official documents, directly placing the word "Fake" before the name of the Clergy.

Just adding this one word creates a starkly different political significance, effectively revoking the Clergy’s legitimacy.

If other nations on the continent were to follow suit, even if the Clergy were orthodox in essence, they would still devolve into being known as the "Fake Church."

"Feel free to proceed boldly!

If you can truly empty out the Papal State, then let the Kingdom Government come to me with their complaints!"

Robert made sweeping promises.

As a bona fide heretic, he supported any action that undermined the "Fake Church."

If this could simultaneously strengthen the Kingdom, so much the better.

There was no grand hope of entirely emptying the Papal State; even moving a few million people would count as a monumental strategic victory.

With the unified stance of the top leadership, the battle for human resources immediately commenced in the Papal State. The first target was naturally Canoton Port, which was the first to fall victim.

Countless church clergymen lurking among the populace were caught off guard and unknowingly packed onto ships.

Mike and Hatcher were among the unlucky ones.

As fresh-blooded recruits of the Clergy, lacking adequate connections, they were assigned to a perilous task: infiltrating enemy territories and inciting believers to wreak havoc.

Brimming with fervent zeal, before the fall of the port, they had chosen a devoutly faithful household and obtained new identities.

Everything had been progressing smoothly. They were merely waiting for the enemy’s main forces to depart before taking action, rallying believers to fight to the bitter end against the enemy.

"Mike, something doesn’t seem right!

Even if the enemy intends to check our identities, there’s no reason to drive so many people toward the port, is there?

Could it be they’ve uncovered our true identities and plan to throw us into the sea?"

Hatcher asked with a mournful expression.

Fortunately, many others in the crowd exhibited similar reactions; otherwise, such easily identifiable behavior would have been immediately singled out.

"Stop spouting nonsense. The Lord of the Dawn will surely protect us! At worst, we’ll be taken to do forced labor; with so many people involved, do you think they’d dare kill all of us?

Let’s observe the situation for now and refrain from acting rashly. Once we arrive at the destination, we’ll reassess."

Mike pretended to be calm, though the trembling of his legs betrayed his true inner thoughts.

"What’s all this noise? Each and every one of you, stay obedient. Whoever dares to act unruly can test whether my blade is sharp enough!

See that row of rooms over there? Separate into groups of five, split by gender, and go in to clean yourselves up immediately."

The young soldier in charge of escorting them, seasoned from prior missions, barked out commands with authority.

This was already his fifth transport operation, and the process was second nature to him. First, pick out the troublemakers as a warning to others; once that’s done, the remaining crowd becomes much easier to handle.

If issues arise, deal with the people causing the problems first. The most troublesome individuals get handled first.

The remaining logistical issues could be sorted out once everyone arrived in the Kingdom, where someone else would take over the responsibility.

Following the masses as they entered the stone house and completed their cleaning routines, they were provided with clean clothing, which left Mike and Hatcher even more uneasy.

Such generosity doesn’t come without a price; given their apparent status, they were far from deserving this treatment.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel