Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 237 State Guest Ceremony

Bang bang bang!
Heavy artillery roared on both sides of the Tiber River, and fireworks exploded above the river. Some looked like purple dahlias, and some were white cornflowers. After briefly brightening the corona, they turned into star rain and scattered.

The bronze gate of the Vatican was opened, and a convoy of armored limousines drove out. Two flags were inserted on the front of each car, one flag was the holy emblem of the Messiah Church, and the other was the family emblem of many nobles. Knights in white and gold armor ran on both sides of the limousines as ceremonial guards, and the steam they brought was as thick as a curtain.

People on both sides of the road waved flowers or fireworks to welcome the person, while whispering about the appearance of the person sitting in the ferocious iron python.

The leading white armored limousine was flying the Borgia family's rose and thorn flag, and it undoubtedly belonged to the current Pope, Lone Borgia. The second limousine was pitch black, with the Gregory family's cross flag on it, and sitting in it was Cardinal Cicero. Almost all the leading figures of the Papal States were in this convoy. They opened the car doors, stepped onto the red carpet, and formed a circle, waiting for the Tang envoys to come from the far east.

According to the reception standards of the Tang Dynasty for the Messianic Mission, the Papal States also held out the highest standards to welcome them. In order to show the people's yearning for peace, the Papal Palace deliberately reduced the religious feeling and tried to use a relaxed atmosphere to wash away the lingering smell of war in Florence.

Everyone had a standard smile on their face, with only a few exceptions. A teenager in military uniform stood on the high wall of the church wing, wrapped in a black cloak with a scarlet lining, like an angel folding his wings, looking down at Qin Huai who had walked out of the [World Python], with a hint of nervousness on his face.

Knights of the Blazing Order, Lieutenant Colonel, Cesare Borgia, fifteen years old.

He himself is a member of the state apparatus. With his current status, he naturally understands that although these people below have prominent backgrounds, they are still not real big shots.

Most of the cardinals who truly control the lifeline of the country are afraid of death and value their own lives and interests more than anything else. They will never have any contact with dangerous people like Qin Huai.

The joint dinner had just ended not long ago. He had a very unpleasant argument with the elders of the three major families at the dinner. However, due to the threats from the east and the south, anyone who wanted to target the [Red Dragon] needed to consider the weight of the Pope's Office and the Minerva Agency behind him.

The deadlock was not broken until a few days ago when Raphael sent back the news that Rundstedt was safe and sound. In the eyes of some cardinals, it was time to teach this increasingly annoying little black goat a lesson.

Seeing Rundstedt's handsome face and conspicuous white hair appear on the red carpet, the slight nervousness hidden in César's heart finally dissipated.

"Black Dragon, you are really still alive"

Xizel exhaled lightly, and before he could make any more moves, a delicate little girl hugged his thighs.

His sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Adele Borgia of Verdun.

Today, César came to greet the delegation, partly to confirm the status of his best friend, and partly because he couldn't resist Adele. A grand ceremony like the state guest ceremony is extremely rare. In order to show the strength of the Papal State, the cardinal spent more gold and silver than the Messiah's New Year's celebration.

It has been so many years since Cesare's family returned to Florence from the countryside on the outer islands, and Adele has never seen such a grand ceremony. No wonder she is so eager.
As a parent, César's style is very rigid, and he instinctively resists exposing his mother and sister to outsiders, because he feels that there are too many people hiding in this city who can hurt them. And this is indeed the case. More than a decade ago, the top power holders in Florence sent their minions to hold him down on a dark, cold, rainy night, forcing him to witness the white matter removal operation that harmed his mother, Mrs. Linlang.

After that, his mother, Madame Linlong, the lover of the Iron Pope Lon Borgia, became a quiet, threatening little rag doll.

But Adele will grow up eventually, and Césaire doesn't want to and won't control her for the rest of her life, so despite the unforgettable trauma of his childhood, he still did what a brother should do.

Cesare made full preparations for this trip. The viewing location was arranged in the wing of the church next to the station because it had a good view and was not open to anyone without permission. Even so, he still mobilized six fully armed guards, three of whom patrolled near the high walls, while Cesare wore a pistol under his cloak to personally protect Adele.

The other three guards stayed in the limousine to protect Madam Linlang. Recently, envoys from various European countries have come to Florence. In this large pond full of people of all kinds, Cesare did not want to leave his mother alone at home. Fortunately, she was very cooperative and never caused trouble for others. With three guards watching over her, Cesare was more at ease.

"Brother, brother! Is that the mobile armor you are wearing?"

Adele was jumping and chirping non-stop.

"It's not the same style, but it's kind of thing."

Cesar stroked Adele's soft long hair and spoke softly.

Seraphim are never exposed to the public. What they used to welcome the Tang Dynasty delegation was just an ordinary mobile armor with gorgeous decorations. It had no neural connection, but was manually controlled electronically. In fact, it was not comparable to Seraphim.

"Brother, brother! What about them?"

Xizel followed Adele's gaze and saw five divine knights wearing scarlet rune armor.

"Those are more primitive and heavier. They can barely be considered mobile armor."

Xizel looked at these [Flying Cavalry Guards] who were fighting with the Seraphim on the eastern battlefield, and his voice was low.

In front of the steps of the cathedral, believers in white robes lit candles as numerous as the sea of ​​stars and chanted holy words loudly. The Tang people in red clothes were surrounded, like the red sun in the white waves.

"Brother, brother! Why do they light so many candles?"

"Because Mass is about to begin."

"Brother, brother! What is Mass?"

"A ritual that makes people think that God will help you, but in fact God cannot help people."

"Brother, brother! Who is that fat bear-like man?"

"Don't talk about fat bear-like men! Girls shouldn't be so harsh! That's General Qin Huai, the chief of the Tang Dynasty's envoys. He came to Florence to conduct state affairs exchanges on behalf of the saintly emperor from the far east."

Thus the brother and sister talked, Adele like a kitten meowing constantly, and Césaire like a big dog whispering in reply.

In the distance, the man who Adele thought looked like a big brown bear raised his eyebrows and looked at the high wall on the side of the church.

Since reaching the fourth level of Taoism, Qin Huai's five senses have become increasingly sharp, so a whisper at this distance is nothing to him.

At this time, César had already picked up Adele. After special physical training, the frail boy's physical fitness had made great progress. Even though he was not armed with mobile armor, he could still hold Adele high up.

The moist wind blew from behind, blowing up Adele's light gauze skirt and Césaire's black cloak, and fireworks bloomed above their heads. Her bright little face was like an exquisite and famous porcelain, forming a sharp contrast with the black iron boy holding her, making her look even more precious and fragile.

[Red Dragon] and his sister?
Qin Huai stopped and shifted his gaze to the gray-haired man in the Pope's robe beside him.

This face has some similarities with the brother and sister's eyebrows and eyes.

"Is that your daughter?"

Long was slightly stunned. He didn't expect Qin Huai to suddenly ask such a question.

"Yes, Princess Verdun, my daughter."

Listening to Long's answer, Qin Huai nodded and casually praised him.

"Very beautiful, with an oriental beauty."

Hearing Qin Huai's praise, the faces of several nobles wearing the Medusa family emblem in the crowd behind Long became noticeably unhappy.

Similar questions arose between the brother and sister. Adele looked at the man standing at the front of the cardinals and turned to ask Césaire.

"Brother, is that our father?"

It turned out that this was the reason why Adele insisted on coming to see the delegation. It was her only chance to face her father.

Césaire's heart suddenly softened, and he didn't take her down from the stone railing: "Yes, his name is Ron Borgia, and he is the current Pope."

The waiters led the Tang Dynasty delegation into the VIP seats. The people watching the ceremony raised their hands above their heads and cheered. At one moment, tens of millions of arms were waving below, like the rising and falling tides.

The mass began, and amid the solemn sound of the organ, the Pope recited the sacred prayers, but in Qin Huai's quick glance, there was no religious expertise in this man's status bar.

An infidel pope?
The same feeling emerged in César's heart. As Ron Borgia's right-hand man, he knew very well that the man did not remember the procedures of the religious ceremony at all. It was Director Spencer of the Pope's Office who temporarily trained him and wrote the prayers on cards for him and hid them in his sleeves.

Xizel looked down at the devout believers with a cold smile. This city is so hypocritical, there are too many scams, even faith is no exception.

After the mass, the cardinal and the senior executives took turns to speak on stage, expressing their welcome to the Tang Dynasty delegation and their desire for world peace. Qin Huai also addressed Florence with the help of the delegation's civil servants, announcing their arrival.

With the speech finished, the state guest ceremony ended, and the pope, cardinals and high officials left the scene to the sound of church bells. They came in a ceremonial car, but walked back to the Vatican, with people lining the streets on both sides, armored knights holding huge holy emblems and flags guarding on both sides, and a large number of nobles following behind.

Fireworks blasted again, and the Tang Dynasty delegation led by Qin Huai disappeared from the public's sight. They were going to the Pope's Palace to attend the grand cocktail party hosted by the Messiah.

The entry threshold to the cocktail parties in the Papal Palace was very high, and many of Florence's upper-class nobles wanted to trade with the East to gain more benefits.

The nobles following the College of Cardinals were all screened people with sufficient background to be allowed to talk to the Eastern delegation.

As the core of the "Relics" operation, César was also qualified to attend the reception, but he was not interested in dealing with those superiors, nor was he willing to meet the executioner from the East. He took Adele's hand and went to find his limousine. Madam Linlang had been waiting in the car for several hours. Although she would not have any complaints if she sat there for a whole day, César still did not want her to wait for too long.

His limousine was parked on the side of the road, and because it had a military sign on it, the mounted police did not dare to stop it.

On that stone road, a torrent of great figures from the East and the West passed by, and the excited people ran after them. Occasionally, a strong light flashed on the roof. It was the Minerva Agency's latest camera recording such a grand occasion.

Xizel was blocked by the crowd. He was a little annoyed. While protecting Adele in his arms, he turned his head to look for the three guards.

He had a bad feeling, as if he had made a mistake, and this mistake was about to happen. Through the gap in the crowd, Césaire saw the door of the black limousine open, and the beautiful woman like cherry blossoms jumped out of the car, her high heels clicking, and she ran forward after the crowd, her skirt flying.

César had never seen her run like this before, just like a young girl seeing her lover. César suddenly realized the mistake he had made. Damn it! How could he park the car there? The figure of that man just flashed past his mother's car window!

In the crowded crowd, the limousine could hardly move. Césaire squeezed to the side of the limousine, entrusted Adele to the guards, and then turned and ran into the church.

The back door of the church led to another road, and he could choose to take a detour to the Papal Palace.

Rumble~
Convective rain, which is extremely common in Florence in summer, fell without warning, dispersing the excited crowd and forcing people to return home.

Looking from afar, the whole city was shrouded in a vast rain curtain.

The burly Templar Knights half-knelt on both sides of the main entrance of the Papal Palace, holding long-handled battle axes decorated with gold. The rising white steam melted into the rain curtain, blurring the knights' vision.

Melodious dance music was heard from the Papal Palace. Tonight, the leading figures of Florence gathered here to taste the royal tribute wine from the East and to show goodwill to the newly appointed Governor-General of Anxi. Therefore, the alert level was the highest throughout the year. Even an army could not rush in. If necessary, the heavy artillery hidden nearby could blow the entire Papal Palace into ruins.

Just as the knights were silent like statues, bright lights suddenly pierced through the rain, followed by the roar of an engine, and a [Stein heavy motorcycle] was approaching the Papal Palace at high speed.

who? !
The knights stood up suddenly, crossed their battle axes, leaned forward, and were ready to pounce at any time.

Although the two ancient alloy battle axes are ceremonial weapons, they can easily chop off a motorcycle. As for the heavy artillery group, it was arranged to guard against the Tang Dynasty delegation.

The motorcycle drew a beautiful arc in the rain, stirring up a large amount of water, and the rider jumped off and passed under the two crossed axes with an expressionless face. After riding in the rain for only a few minutes, his military cloak was soaked. When he passed the "door" formed by the raised axes, he raised his hand without looking back, and the cloak was hung on the battle axe of a knight.

Under his cloak, he was wearing a pitch-black military uniform with a shining flaming cross emblem on the collar and a red dragon embroidered with gold fluttering in the rain.

"Lieutenant Colonel Cesar!"

Lao Qin stood in front of Adele: Strong and muscular ≠ fat bear
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(End of this chapter)