The world-devouring dragon

(Correcting an error. I said France’s population was five million before. In fact, that was the number in the early Middle Ages. I was wrong... In the late Middle Ages, France’s population had reached 20 million, which was very huge.)

February 25, 1429, inside the Castle of Chinon.

The Château de Chinon is a castle located behind the Loire River on a dangerous terrain. Henry II moved here and later built it into an insurmountable fortress. During the war between England and France, the Crown Prince had been living here and issuing various orders from this castle.

In a sense, this castle seems to be the political center of the entire France, although... the entire France is in danger.

Only a few dozen miles away from Chinon is Orleans, which is also the front line of the struggle between Britain and France at this moment. France at this moment can be said to be completely supported by the defense line built by the Loire River and the city of Orleans. As France's actual Chinon, the center, is less than a hundred miles away from the front line. France has actually reached its most difficult moment.

Once Orleans is lost, the Loire River can no longer be defended. The English army directly crosses the Loire River. Under the attack from the north and south, France will no longer have any chance. The eight-year-old British King Henry VI will also take over France and hold both the British and French crowns. At that time, he will also become the most powerful monarch on the entire European continent.

So, what if Chinon is only a few dozen miles away from the front line? Where can France retreat to at this moment? With enemies everywhere and losing battles one after another, there is no way to retreat.

On this day, there was a rare sound of singing and dancing in Chinon Castle. Many noble men and women were invited to attend the banquet here, including clowns, magicians, and musicians. It was not grand but complete enough.

"oh……"

Laughter and exclamations between men and women sounded from time to time, but as the host of the banquet, Crown Prince Charlie was not happy. He was still thinking about the war on the front line.

Orleans has been besieged for four months, with no food supplies and no foreign aid. No one knows when Orleans will fall. This kind of life-and-death matter makes Charlie anxious. Even if there are delicious food and singing and dancing accompaniment in front of him, it is difficult to get down. pharynx.

The minister on the side noticed his complicated emotions and said to the crown prince in front of him.

"Your Highness, why don't you use meals?"

Charlie shook his head and sighed.

"How can I eat in this situation?"

The minister in front of him looked at the depressed crown prince in front of him, and quietly ordered the guards to stop the banquet and let the crown prince be quiet for a while.

The Crown Prince Charlie next to him was staring at the food in front of him in a daze. There was no doubt that he was a Crown Prince who was extremely embarrassed.

His father was mentally ill, and because of the failure of the Battle of Akukin, the entire kingdom lost nearly half of its nobles, and was forced to agree to inherit the throne to King Henry V of England after his death. The outcome of the Hundred Years War between England and France had already been decided during the reign of Henry V, but who would have thought that the two kings would die almost at the same time. This gave the French nobles an excuse to refuse to recognize the current British King Henry VI. that power.

And the mother Isabeau, who didn't like him, openly claimed that he was not the biological child of Charles VI, but the child of her lover, although Charles directly denied it, claiming that his mother was coerced by the British. That's true, but even he himself doesn't know the truth.

As the crown prince, he was heavily in debt.

The Queen of Sicily, the Royal Privy Seal, and even his chef were all his creditors. Many businessmen even borrowed large amounts of usury from him. Even the fish he ate were pond fish raised by local priests in Boer. Therefore, those priests are of course his creditors, and he doesn't mean to avoid debts when he stays in Chinon Castle...

No matter how you look at it, this country seems to have no hope, so that an idea suddenly came to Charlie's mind.

"Perhaps... it would be better if I retired?"

Would it be better to give up this birthright of the throne?

He is the Crown Prince of France, but he is also the Count of Anjou. He has a large number of in-laws in Britain and France. Even if he gives up the throne, his in-laws can protect him. Even if Henry VI really dared to ignore the opposition of the nobles and insisted on eradicating the roots, he would just hide in his Anjou territory.

This idea was so strong that Charlie was ready to move, but at this moment...

…

"The Saint of Lorraine?"

Listening to the messenger's words in stunned silence, Charlie did not answer directly, but first looked at the minister beside him. Only the minister could understand the confusion in his eyes, but the minister looked at the crown prince and said straightforwardly.

"This was not my arrangement."

There is a prophecy that has been circulating in Lorraine for a long time, "One woman will destroy the Kingdom of France, and another woman will revitalize the Kingdom of France."

To the dauphin's courtiers, the first woman was the dauphin's mother and a big problem, but the second woman was unknown. In order to take advantage of this prophecy, the Crown Prince concocted several Lorraine saints in the hope of boosting public morale, but none of them worked...

Therefore, when he heard that another Lorraine Saint had arrived, the Crown Prince almost thought that this was another matter caused by the minister.

"What kind of girl is that?"

The crown prince immediately asked the messenger, and then the messenger did not dare to neglect and spoke in detail.

"That was a common girl from the village of Donremy in the Lorraine region. She claimed that she had listened to the voice of God since she was thirteen years old, and God ordered her to help the crown prince ascend to the throne of France... Now, that girl is in the castle Outside, I am waiting for His Highness’s summons at any time.”

After questioning the messenger in detail, the crown prince began to think deeply. This Lorraine saint was different from the several Lorraine saints he had created before. Her reputation was now gradually beginning to be accompanied by her bold and brave actions. spread throughout the areas passed through.

However, the crown prince was still hesitant. He didn't know what this girl who claimed to hear the voice of God really meant.

"perhaps……"

An idea flashed through his mind that he couldn't even believe.

Two days later, the crown prince's advisers discussed it several times, and they had very different opinions on whether to receive the girl. Some people suspected that she was an assassin, while others felt that the current situation was such that it would be okay to receive the girl.

But in the end, the hesitant crown prince gritted his teeth and made a decision directly against all opinions.

"Whether it's true or not, if I can't even see a woman, what kind of prince would I be?"

However, the crown prince was not entirely so reckless. In the castle, he said to the courtiers in front of him.

"However, in order to prevent her from being an assassin and to test her authenticity, I decided to do a little test..."

…

So, after waiting outside the castle for two days, the girl from Lorraine who claimed to have received the apocalypse was finally able to enter the castle.

"Come in."

The guard who was always guarding the entrance of the castle carefully looked at the woman wearing a burqa in front of him, and after confirming that she was not armed, he said.

The woman in the burqa nodded, and then opened the hood on her head to keep out the cold, revealing a full head of blond hair and a pair of bright eyes. She curiously looked at the wide open interior of the castle in front of her, and the girl immediately stepped inside. Into this castle.