Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 165 Let the Arrows Fly for a While
The city wall is a symbol of the city. It is the city wall that separates a small and orderly space from the vast and disorderly wilderness.

In the eyes of city dwellers, the world outside the city walls is a barbaric place. Whether it is farmers or Bedouins... they are all dirty and dangerous barbarians.

However, the existence of the city depends on the oppression and exploitation of the surrounding farmers. The city needs to obtain raw materials for handicraft production from the surrounding manors and rural areas in order to maintain its own business operations.

And in the logic of business operations, what could be more tempting than monopoly?
Many parliamentarians live in cities, but they are also manor owners. Their manors are somewhat different from the manors that are knights' fiefs.

The manors of the knights' fiefs were intended to support the knights and provide freemen for military service.

Then their estates were actually more like plantations in later generations, providing commodity raw materials to the cities.

If they lost control of the manor, it would be difficult for them to monopolize the supply of raw materials to the city. At that time, their wealth would become a castle in the air that would collapse at the slightest gust of wind.

Because of this, hostility between the congressmen who participated in the secret meeting was inevitable after they realized the impact that Gellis's actions would have on their existing exploitation model.

Just as the city wall cuts the boundary between civilization and barbarism, it distinguishes the inside and outside of the city.

The urban areas within the city also carve out different worlds.

However, this cutting is not so absolute and perfect.

On the contrary, it is closer to the self-imprisonment of some people.

The arrogance of the first of the seven deadly sins made those congressmen truly believe that they and the people in the lower city belonged to two different worlds.

They have no idea how people in the downtown area live, nor do they realize that it is the residents of the downtown area who support their suffocatingly wealthy lives.

The boundaries between different urban areas are not as clear as they think. The poor are everywhere in their mansions, but they turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to them.

Therefore, the day after these congressmen conspired, Gellis received the relevant news.

The shadow of the city wall blocked the scorching sun. A target was hung on a haystack thirty steps away. With the sound of strings snapping and arrows whistling, Lorian, Waldor and the others became more and more skilled.

Of course, these young people are still unable to pull heavier bows, nor can they accurately hit the enemy from dozens of meters away, but this is a good start.

This neglected group gradually learned how to use weapons and tasted the feeling of defending themselves with weapons.

Next to these people, Father Antoine came to Gellis's ear and whispered the news he had learned.

As he listened, Gellis nodded from time to time.

"What are you going to do? Do you need us to stop the other party's actions first?"

In response to Antoine's question, Gillis shook his head.

"Do you think there will be a Judas among those around me?"

Hearing this, Father Antoine subconsciously turned his head to see those young men constantly drawing bows and shooting arrows.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say, and he couldn't even express what he was worried about.

"Let the arrows fly for a while."

Garys asked the priest to wait and see what happened. He didn't need to take the initiative to intervene now. Instead, he needed to let things ferment for a while.

Time is not on the hands of those rich people. With the full support of Bishop Amedai, Gairis now controls all the granaries in the city and has replaced the defense of various key locations with his own people.

On the day he performed the miracle for Amedee, Gérice mobilized 600 men to the city walls.

As time went by, and with the strong support of the Karak City Church, Gailis had a deeper understanding of the city.

With a whistling sound, Lorian's arrow hit the bull's eye, and those young people in tattered clothes cheered happily together.

Listening to the energetic and lively voice, Gailis couldn't help but say to the priest: "Antoine, don't you think it's sad? These young people, the most comfortable time in their lives so far is actually the days of siege."

"They no longer need to look for work every day to earn their daily bread, and they no longer need to work from morning till night and be scolded by their employers."

"Their families also have a stable supply of food, so they seem to have nothing to do."

"It's strange, really strange, that peace has not brought these children a life of food and clothing."

"On the contrary, it was the war and the siege that made these people, who were originally humbler than grass, become important."

Listening to what Gellis said, Antoine wanted to say something.

He felt that it was not the war and the siege that made those young people important, but the arrival of Garys that changed the fate of these people.

If it was a normal city defense, the granaries in the city would certainly not be open to the public to such a large extent.

In fact, it would become the norm for grain merchants to hoard grain and for the poor to be forced to go to the city walls and die for the rich in order to get a bite of food.

Now, with the support of Bishop Ame.

Garys distributed enough food to all families participating in the city defense mission to make them 80% full.

Families in the lower city who did not participate in the city defense mission could also get almost 50% full food for free.

Garys did not deliberately control the consumption of food. Instead, he took advantage of the siege to ensure that the people in the lower city had no worries about food and drink.

"Prophet, if this continues, the granary will soon be empty."

Antoine couldn't help but remind him.

"It's okay. There's more than enough time. It's enough for the arrow to hit the bull's eye."...

As the authority of Karak City, even if the Municipal Council recognized Garys' position as the city's defense chief, they would still continue to inquire about Garys' defense situation.

In this regular meeting, Gellis stood in the center of the parliament hall, and many of the parliamentarians standing beside him looked unhappy.

Councillor Etienne took the lead.

"Knight Villeroy, could you not explain the unusual consumption of food in recent times?"

"Based on the current daily food consumption, all the food in the granaries will be used up in two months at most."

"You know, according to the grain storage plan of the granary, those barley and wheat should have been prepared for defending the city for half a year."

"As far as I know, the total number of soldiers you mobilized every day should not exceed 800 people. How did you spend the food for thousands of people?"

In fact, Gellis is not opposed to reasoning with these congressmen, so he spoke directly.

"Councilor Etienne, if you wanted to starve the families of those soldiers to death and then have the soldiers break into your house and burn it down, you could have just said so directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."

With just one sentence, Congressman Etienne was retorted, and then Gaires continued.

"I don't know if you have done the math, but as far as I know, most adult men in the Lower Town only earn 3 silver dirhams a week."

"A family of five, with both parents working and two children working as child labourers, earns only 2 silver dirhams a week."

"Based on the daily prices in Karak, six silver dirhams is barely enough for them to survive, and they can't save even a copper coin."

"Now all the workshops in the city have stopped working, and the poor people have no money to buy food."

"That's why I'm saying, Congressman, if you want to starve them to death just say so."

"Of course, there is a solution. Senators, as long as you donate 1 gold dinars, we won't have to continue defending the city, right?"

Listening to Garys' words, the congressmen all had expressions that did not change.

A congressman with a long beard suddenly stood up and shouted: "Gailis! We made you the chief of the city defense, not to let you spread surrender or defeatist remarks!"

"Now, food in the city is being consumed so quickly, don't you have any sense of responsibility?"

"Now that no one is coming to attack the city, why keep so many parasites that only eat and do no work!"

Led by this one person, the parliament hall suddenly became noisy and accusations against Garys came flooding in.

"idiot!"

"waste!"

"Son of a bitch!"

Accompanied by the surging words of this group, Etienne felt a little proud. He just needed this scene.

In this way, he would be able to make a suggestion later to directly abolish Garys's position and re-arrange their people on the city wall.

However, just when these congressmen were enjoying their cursing.

The door of the parliament hall was knocked open with a bang.

Dozens of citizens armed with weapons rushed directly into the hall.

These people's clothes were dirty and worn, and only a few of them wore military uniforms or cotton armor.

And their facial expressions were more angry and ferocious than each other.

Garys turned his head and looked at the congressmen, but did not question them. Instead, he asked Waldo beside him calmly, "Why did you come in?"

"Father, they are scolding you, which means they are scolding me! I listened carefully outside the door and couldn't help but rush in."

There was a determination on Waldo's young face, a kind of undying support for Garys.

He couldn't tolerate these high-ranking congressmen farting loudly here.

At this time, Etienne, still in shock, asked loudly:
"Gallis, we are in a meeting! What are you doing?!"

Then Gérice looked up at Etienne sitting in the councillor's seat.

"I didn't do anything. I can only say that if you still want to starve the people in the lower city to death and then have soldiers rush into your house and burn it down, you can just say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."

Bang! A string sounded.

Lorian shot an arrow directly at the wall behind Etienne.

Etienne was so frightened that he ran away with his head in his hands, and he accidentally fell off his seat.

Those citizens couldn't help but burst into laughter, and no longer had the respect they once had for these congressmen.

　First update

　　
　
(End of this chapter)