Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 164 Dissatisfaction
At the coronation ceremony, King Charles of France publicly announced that Jeanne had been knighted and that her birth village of Domrémy had been permanently exempted from taxes. From then on, Jeanne Acre could add a noble D to the middle of her name, becoming Jeanne D. Acre, or she could be called Jeanne da Acre.

However, Jeanne politely declined King Charles's offer, so the king transferred her title to her brother.

This was supposed to be a pleasant thing, but...

"What? Make peace with the British and the Burgundians?"

At the court banquet, many nobles and generals sat together, happily celebrating their recent victory, but when Jeanne heard the news, she stared in astonishment at the French king beside her.

As a favor to Jeanne, this former country shepherdess was allowed to sit next to the king at the head of the banquet and participate in the core of French power.

Seeing the astonishment on Jeanne's face, Charlie shook his head.

“Jeanne, you know how to win a war, but winning the war alone is not enough. Currently, both the British and the Burgundians are willing to negotiate a temporary peace. We should agree…”

"There's no need for negotiations! They're just stalling for time!"

But before the Dharma King could finish speaking, Jeanne anxiously interrupted him, stood up, and said loudly.

Her loud voice even silenced the laughter below the banquet.

The nobles and generals looked at each other, bewildered. Charles, whose words had been interrupted, was also somewhat displeased, but he first glanced at the nobles and generals, made a few gestures to reassure them, indicating that it was alright. Then, laughter gradually returned to the banquet.

Jeanne realized she was being too excited and had to suppress what she wanted to say, and sat back down in her seat.

“My king, the English are only forced to retreat because of their heavy casualties. The Burgundians are just following the English. Don’t believe them. We should continue to press our advantage!”

Jeanne lowered her voice and earnestly pleaded with the King beside her.

However, Charlie looked at Jeanne in front of him and sighed.

"But... we have no money or food left. We should rest and recuperate for a while and wait for an opportunity. The British were indeed routed by you, but we are exhausted."

"We can borrow money from merchants to raise funds for the war. Once we capture Paris and drive out the British, we will have plenty of ways to pay back the money."

However, Jeanne persisted in trying to persuade him, while Charlie, who always trusted Jeanne, fell silent.

Is Jeanne right? Of course she is.

Since the victory, the businessmen, who had initially distrusted Charlie, are now willing to invest more funds in him, but Charlie himself is hesitant.

He was not a very ambitious person. After he was able to resolve his predicament, he did not want to fight anymore, or rather... he was unwilling to risk being defeated again.

Let’s quit while we’re ahead.

Charlie thought so, but Jeanne clearly didn't want to think that way.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade the Dharma King at all, the young girl lowered her head, remained silent for a moment, and then made a surprising move.

He stood up, ignoring the many astonished gazes, and left his seat.

"Jeanne!"

Behind her, a familiar voice rang out urgently, but Jeanne ignored it and stubbornly chose to leave.

At the banquet, the young general who stood up and called out to Jeanne hesitated for a moment before speaking to the Dharma King at the head of the banquet.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to leave for a moment."

As he spoke, he quickly followed the young girl and left together. The other generals exchanged glances, then stood up in unison and said...

"Your Majesty, please..."

"His Majesty……"

One, two, three... In the end, almost all the generals chose to leave their seats and follow the young girl, as if the Dharma King was not their leader, but the young girl was.

In the end, only the nobles who looked at each other in bewilderment and the Dharma King who was deep in thought with his eyes closed at the very top of the banquet were left at the banquet.

……

Two weeks later, something happened that astonished both Britain and France: the saint of Orléans led her generals and troops who believed in her and marched straight into the British-occupied city of Paris. The citizens of Paris refused to surrender and prepared to besiege the city.

However, upon learning the news, King Charles hurriedly ordered his messenger to compel the woman to withdraw her troops. In the end, the Saint of Orléans, who had only besieged Paris for one day, failed to capture the city and had to choose to retreat.

The British troops in Paris were overjoyed, while the French king was in a terrible predicament. Because of his unauthorized breach of the peace treaty, the British, together with the First Prince of Burgundy, were trying to hold the French king accountable, forcing Charles to admit that he should give up some territories as compensation for breaking the treaty.

After that, the King of France no longer allowed Jeanne to lead troops, but instead kept her in the court to learn the etiquette among nobles. During this time, the Duke of Alençon attacked Normandy in northern France and tried to get the Saint of Orléans to join the expeditionary force, but Charles did not agree.

Nevertheless, Charles's favor towards Jeanne did not diminish. Jeanne was granted the power to sit next to Charles, and in terms of status alone, Jeanne was second only to the French king, equivalent to the viceroy, and was wildly adored by all the people of France, making her an undisputed French idol.

So much so that French nobles couldn't help but complain: We didn't even know that the current King of France was a woman.

Yes, the French viceroy has been referring to the Saint of Orléans in this way for some time now.

According to the medieval ideal of a classical monarch, Jeanne was actually a very perfect feudal monarch. She was devout in her faith, morally flawless, led by example, brave and fearless, and had almost absolute authority in the army, able to forcefully make decisions when the generals were arguing.

Medieval Europe was a world based on a feudal aristocratic system, where monarchs often existed primarily as military leaders, and administration was considered the domain of ministers.

Therefore, in the West, Charles I, who entrusted almost all political affairs to his trusted ministers, rarely saw them, and spent his years on foreign campaigns, even being captured, was respectfully called "Lionheart." In the East, Zhu Houzhao, who was keen on military affairs and expansion, ate and lived with his soldiers, and as an emperor who should have been protected at the very center of the army, still had a record of personally killing enemies, and shared the same brave style as his ancestors, the Ming Taizu and Ming Chengzu, could only be sarcastically called "Wuzong" by his civil officials.

Yes, being a monarch in the Middle Ages was that simple; it was more like being a general than a monarch.

But this very fact led to a dispute within the French court.

"This cannot continue! Your Majesty, we cannot tolerate this arrogant woman remaining in the palace."

An elderly courtier offered advice, while in this small meeting, Charles, seated at the head of the table, remained silent, his hand supporting his head as he gently rubbed his temples, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

He didn't dislike that woman.

If it weren't for his trust from the beginning, that country girl wouldn't be where she is today. Even now, although he is dissatisfied with the woman's unauthorized actions, he still unexpectedly believes in her.

In a daze, those eyes that had once gazed at him so sincerely reappeared in his mind...

At that time, even he himself had the idea of ​​giving up, but only that woman kept saying that he was the only legitimate King of France.

Her trust was flawless, clear as glass; it was that trust that led him to choose to believe her, but now…

Seated on his throne, the silent Dharma King leaned back weakly, tilting his head back and staring blankly at the sky. He was unaware that a whispering voice seemed to be urging him to make a decision.

After a long while, the outstretched hand finally clenched into a fist.

(End of this chapter)