【Fazhen】Empty Heaven

Joan wanted to set off quickly for Orleans, which had been besieged by the British for half a year.

At that time, the British army had occupied a large area of ​​land north of the Loire River, and the city of Orleans, which was located by the river, became a must.Charles's Privy Council generally believed that without Orleans, the royal army would probably face a large-scale retreat.Orleans cannot be lost, but there is no one to guard, and Joan of Arc happens to appear at this time.

But she didn't get what she wanted, and went directly to this city that was destined to be connected with her own destiny.She was indeed escorted away shortly after arriving at Chinon, but Charles sent her to Poitiers first.

After the fall of Paris, Charles placed the Grand Court following him in Poitiers, where dozens of learned men, both religious and secular, were ordered to interrogate Joan of Arc—at least that is how Joan herself called these inquiries of.

"Some of them didn't trust me at all," she told Francis later, "but in the end they did, though it took a lot of precious time. If it hadn't been for that, I would have arrived in Orleans by now, and maybe I would have Some unnecessary sacrifices can be avoided."

When she said these words, she was already standing at the head of Orleans with Francis.Francis did not follow her to Poitiers, but did not join her directly from Chinon until Charles had confirmed Joan's purity and sent her to Orleans.Along with him, there is also a large-scale royal army and corresponding supplies.

The British did not block Orléans completely.In fact, the city's transactions with the outside world have been going on.The British army lacked enough troops to besiege the city. They only occupied a few military strongholds outside the city, but this was enough to deter the people of Orleans.People in the whole city are in the shadow of the enemy's army, and the day of breaking the city seems to be just around the corner. At this moment, there is a prophecy that a "Saint" will lead the royal army to liberate Orleans.

When Joan of Arc and the royal army in silver and white armor entered the city, they received an extremely warm welcome from the people of Orleans.People surrounded the road, scrambling to see the appearance of the saint, touch her mount and even herself.At first Joan was a little apprehensive about the scene, but Francis rode beside her and smiled encouragingly at her, which gave her great courage, and she soon straightened up and accepted people's enthusiasm with dignity and kindness.

Francis seems to have gained the girl's trust from the beginning, perhaps because he is France and she came to save France.This trust is almost unconditional.While Joan was friendly with most of those around her—as long as they weren't hostile toward her—only Francis received the honor of complete trust.

"Well, do you have any ideas for tactics?"

After patrolling the city for a week, on the way back, Francis asked Joan like this.

The maiden hid her face in the shadow of her cloak to avoid being recognized by the crowd, so Francis could barely see her expression.But her devotion to God can be heard just from her tone of voice.

"Tactics is not the magic weapon for us to win, God's providence is. We will win because God is on our side."

Francis couldn't help laughing: "Oh, come on, little Zhenzhen! Don't open your mouth to me because it's a gift from God, you know I don't believe in any gods! Only France can save France!"

"Don't call me that, France!" Joan of Arc seemed a little annoyed, Francis would casually call out very affectionately, but she was not used to it, "I am a soldier now, and I hope to be called what a soldier should be called!"

"Oh, well—then you should call me Francis instead, shouldn't you?"

Jeanne fell silent.In fact, no matter how many times Francis reminded her, she refused to change her words and still called him "France".

Francis smiled, led the horse closer, and patted her on the shoulder: "Okay, okay, you are the hope of Orleans now, so you can't be depressed over such trivial things."

Joan nodded, but then shook her head vigorously: "No, I don't know—if I go out of the city with a battle flag, will people follow me? Will people be willing to help me?"

"Believe me, no one wants to end this war more than the people of Orleans themselves. The nobles may have their own plans, but the people here have only one idea. As for whether they will follow you - let us see Let's go!" Francis suddenly pulled the rein from her hand, and at the same time clamped the horse's belly, his horse quickly started to trot, and led the horse and horse behind him from the quiet alley to the busy street.

"You are—" Joan exclaimed, but Francis took the first step and tore off her cloak, revealing short blond hair and a slightly flustered young face.

"People of Orleans!" Francis shouted through the crowd, "do you recognize this girl?"

Pedestrians on the street stopped and looked up at the girl, and soon someone called out "Holy Maiden" and "Joan of Arc".The crowd quickly gathered around Francis and Joan of Arc, and the woman near her stretched out her hand to ask her to kiss her ring for God's blessing, while more people began to cheer.

Francis turned his head and smiled smugly at Joan, and then loudly asked everyone to be quiet.

"This girl, you all know why she came to Orleans!"

"Rescue Orleans!" cried the crowd, "get rid of the English!"

Francis signaled them to be quiet again: "Then, sons and daughters of Orleans, are you willing to follow the maiden, take up your arms, and charge against the English? Do you have the consciousness and courage to follow the daughter of God and challenge England? To the lands that should belong to France and Orléans?"

There was a burst of cheers from the people, and the voices were louder and louder.

Francis glanced at Joan on the horse, who nodded knowingly.

The people of Orleans quickly stopped shouting, waiting for Joan's speech more attentively than when Francis spoke just now.

Joan clenched her fists nervously under people's gaze, but her voice was firm and loud, without any trembling.

"I assure you, brave sons and daughters of Orleans! This city will be liberated, and England will be driven back to its own country! France—" she turned her eyes to Francis, her tone became a little excited, "France Will be victorious! Our noble Royal Highness will be a true king! — O people of Orleans, will you follow me and fight for our future king and for France?"

The people responded to her with the loudest cheers.They shouted "Long live the King," "Long live France," and her name rang out at the same time.

"Daughters of God! We follow the Daughters of God! Long live France!"

The woman closest to her screamed like this and kissed the back of her hand. What she saw from that simple face was the enthusiasm that the hardships of life could not erase.She froze for a moment, and suddenly felt power in her heart—not the power promised to her by the messenger of God, but the power brought to her by the trust of the people of Orleans.

"Long live France!" she exclaimed, her fists raised above her head in an uncontrollable agitation.

Francis' smile seemed to be the only rock that remained calm in this heated scene.He looked at her through the crowd swarming up, relieved and tender.

The loyalty to France, which had been taken away by successive years of war, seemed to gradually return to him.The extinguished flame was rekindled, and among the crowd, he felt that his frozen heart was melting away the ice amidst the cheers, becoming warm and powerful.

"Long live France." He pressed his chest and said with a smile, seeing the girl on the opposite side shed tears of excitement.

chastity.

You are an incredible girl.

For the people of Orléans, the liberation of the city was a miracle.

When Wang Jun marched out of the city, they still speculated about the outcome of the war with trepidation, but when a girl in silver armor appeared in front of the city gate holding her banner, everyone cheered up.

Everyone can be a warrior, and there is nothing more courageous than defending one's land and life.Armed crowds gather behind Joan, her banner embroidered with gold lilies and Jesus Christ fluttering in the wind, hunting.She called aloud, in an ancient way:

"Those who love me, follow me!"

The Orléans followed her out of town.They all loved her because she was holy and noble, because her voice and her flag convinced them that she could save Orleans and France.

Francis rode behind her, her silver armor shining like an angel's wings in the morning light, bringing the light of a morning star to a country that was about to fall.

The Battle of Orleans began to turn around from the moment Joan of Arc raised the battle flag.The royal army and the militia captured several strongholds of the British army one after another. Joan of Arc did not contribute any tactics, but she brought courage and strength. The French soldiers who fought beside her were inspired by her fearlessness and courage. It was found that the English soldiers who were deeply feared by them could also be defeated, and the number of enemy troops besieging Orleans was actually far lower than that of the defenders.

After a few days, they defeated the British army, recaptured all the military strongholds around Orléans, and the British army retreated.It was May 1429, 5, two hundred and nine days after the siege began, and the ninth day after Joan's arrival.

When the whole city was celebrating the victory, in the residence of the treasurer of the Duke of Orleans, where Joan of Arc stayed, the girl who was regarded as the savior of Orleans was enduring the pain caused by the arrow wound.

She was wounded in a local battle, an arrow was shot in her right shoulder, and the wound was deep, but she returned to the battlefield non-stop after simple treatment and a short rest, and persisted until the end of the war.

"You shouldn't be holding on, the wound is at least half a foot long!" Francis complained to her.At this moment, he was sitting next to Joan of Arc, ripped off a bandage and handed it to her.

She had just smeared olive oil on the wound, and the pain had eased a bit, but she turned her back on Francis, bit her lip and said nothing.

"Why pretend it's all right? Oh - I know, those English people who think you're a witch will be happy to see you bleed, because they think witches lose their power when they bleed, and the French will find out that their saint is actually It is also a flesh and blood body that can be injured. So are you going to return to the battlefield pretending that there is no serious problem?"

Joan of Arc didn't answer, as if acquiescing, but also as if forbearance.

Seeing her like this, Francis couldn't bear to continue talking.The girl with her back to him bandaged her wound in silence, he hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped forward to help her.

"Thank you, France..." Jeanne whispered, almost whispering.Francis saw her frowning side face, her lips were pale from the pain and blood loss, and her face was a little ugly.

What a stubborn girl.

Francis sighed, bandaged the wound neatly, and helped her put on the chain mail again.

"Are you scared?" he asked softly.

Joan nodded, looking aggrieved and afraid. "I know I'm going to get hurt, St. Marguerite said it...but I can't be timid. If I back down, people won't follow me. If I back down, France... I can't protect you."

Francis' hand resting on her shoulder trembled slightly, maybe she felt it, maybe she didn't.He frowned imperceptibly, and said in a nonchalant tone: "Oh, little Zhenzhen, brother, I don't need a girl to protect me. I'm France."

"Because you are France..." Joan finally straightened her chain mail and stood up to face him.Her eye circles were red, and her thin body didn't match the military uniform.After leaving the battlefield, she is no longer as heroic as a goddess of war, and she has lost the dazzling aura of "God's daughter". She is just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl who will be afraid and worried because of the blood and death on the battlefield.

"I'm France..." Francis suddenly stepped forward and hugged her gently in his arms.Joan was flustered, but Francis did not let her go.

"Do you know, Jean, before you appeared, France was about to die, and his heart was as cold as the ice floes of the Seine River in the cold winter night." Francis paused, tightening his arms, bringing Jean's face close to his heart , "But now, listen. France is alive, and you have awakened him."

Joan was stunned, her cheek was pressed against the dry and rough fabric of Francis' chest, and she heard his heart beating powerfully and firmly.

This is...France.

It is the cause of my fight, the France for which I will give my all.

"France... If I die," Joan secretly buried tears in her palms, "please bury me in the place closest to you."

Francis subconsciously wanted to say that you are still young and still have a long way to go, but then he thought about it, the life of a mortal is only a hundred years, he has seen too many partings, many people are born on this land every day, and Dying on this land is like sunrise and sunset, and life is endless.

And this girl is just one of them.

"I promise you," Francis said word by word, not thinking that this was a difficult promise to fulfill, and when he said this, he really believed that he could do it, "If there is a place closest to me, you It must be there."

Francis rarely breaks his word.Almost everything he promised was done.

But this time, he himself did not expect that everything would go so far wrong.

It wasn't until he sprinkled the girl's remains into the Seine River and stood by the river silently watching the rushing water sweep away everything that he realized that his so-called promise at that time could not even fulfill the girl's humblest wish.