Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 175: City Air Makes People Free

【Die Stadtluft macht frei】(German proverb)
【The air in the city makes people free】

Different economic models will bring different lifestyles.

Almost without exception, in any agricultural society before modern times, the majority of farmers would become slaves or become a status quo ante.

It can even be said that it was not humans that domesticated wheat, but wheat that domesticated humans.

It was wheat that tempted humans to shift from free migration to a state of being constrained by the land, allowing wheat as a crop to expand unprecedentedly in nature.

In order to obtain a stable output of wheat, farmers will try to occupy the land.

However, the moment they succeeded in occupying the land, they became unable to give up their pots, pans, and utensils, and became people who were confined to the land.

And the moment private ownership was born, land became transferable.

Those who initially claim to be the owners of the land may not be farmers, or even farmers may lose their land.

These poor people who rely on the land for their livelihood but have had their land ownership taken away by private ownership will become complete appendages of the land.

It can be said that wheat seduced humans and the land captured farmers.

In the East, these peasants who lost their land were called tenants, while in the West, these land appendages were called serfs.

These were the topics of conversation between Gérice, Amédée, Antoine and the others.

"Job spoke a word from his conscience: If I have taken the field, and it has cried out to me, and the furrows have wept together; if I have eaten its produce without paying for it, and have caused grief to its owner, let it bring forth thorns instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley."

"But from my personal point of view, even a wise man like Job had to swear such a poisonous oath, which shows that it is normal to take other people's land, and eating the products of other people's fields without paying for them is happening all the time."

"And such things and such behavior are obviously contrary to the teachings of Heavenly Father."

Antoine was the first to nod his head. After a moment's reaction, Amedee and John also frowned.

Gellis posed the question from an angle that neither of them had ever considered before.

For farmers, privately owned land is like a prison.

When the ownership of land does not belong to the farmers but to others, it is equivalent to handing over the keys to the prison cell.

The meaning of Garys' words was very clear. It was impossible for him to say that he was against farmers farming.

In fact, Gellis was not only against the possession of land by manor owners and noble lords, but was directly against private land ownership itself.

Amedai hesitated for a moment before saying, "The true master of the land is only God."

[The land shall not be sold forever, for it is mine; and you are strangers and sojourners with me.]

—Leviticus 25:23
This verse directly states that the land belongs to God and the Israelites are merely sojourners and aliens living on it.

It appears in the law provisions for the Sabbath and Jubilee years, indicating that the Israelites had no permanent right to the land.

This emphasizes that the ultimate ownership of the land lies with Heavenly Father.

As for Old John, although he is not illiterate, he is just a confused character in this high-intensity debate.

I just stood aside and listened to Garys arguing with the bishop and the priest, and the bishop and the priest could only follow and agree.

It can be seen that the knowledge in Garys's mind is so high that it is a bit scary.

If this is not divine revelation, then what is divine revelation?

In short, Old John’s current attitude towards Garys is to follow the prophet and win all the way!

"Lorian, you know that young man."

Antoine and Amedee both nodded. Lorian's performance during this period was quite outstanding.

Although he seemed to be of ordinary background, he showed an exceptionally calm character. When commanding other soldiers to fight, he not only led the charge, but also arranged the rotation of the soldiers defending the city in an orderly manner.

Perhaps he is far from being a military general, but he is still young and has unlimited possibilities.

"That kid came to me a few days ago and asked me a question."

"For some unknown reason, Lorian asked me how to free the serfs."

"I think that boy has something else to say."

“At the time, I wanted to tell him my opinion on the manorial system, but after careful observation, I felt that it was not necessary.”

"So I just had a few words with him."

"One is: For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not be entangled again in a yoke of slavery."

"The other is a plain law of other cities: every serf who has lived within the city walls for a year and a day is infallibly free. Prescription cancels all rights his lord had over him and his property."

As Garris repeated these two sentences, his eyes sparkled with vividness and revealed a brilliant vitality.

He couldn't wait to see what surprises Lorian would bring him.

Listening to Gailis's words, Father Antoine smacked his lips. As the priest of Lorian's parish, he had a certain understanding of Lorian.

I have already guessed what Lorian is going to do.

……

Serfdom is a status, and freeman is also a status.

But just as some of the freemen lived in poverty and worse off than the serfs, some of the serfs lived in prosperity and worse off than the serfs.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, serf knights even emerged in northern Italy and southern Germany.

Amina's family is such an anomaly.

Although she was a serf, her family was wealthy. Because of the impact of Frankish culture, Amina, as an Arab woman, even had the opportunity to learn to read and write.

It's very strange that whether it's the Frankish culture or the Arab culture, there are many incompatibilities between them.

But when they collided with each other, on the frontier of their respective cultures and beliefs, in this place where many ethnic groups and religions mixed, many shining sparks were created.

[It’s gray…]

[I don’t know since when, this world has become dark]

[The colorful childhood is only praised in books and has nothing to do with the present world]

【…It takes your breath away】

Some inexplicable short sentences of poetry always linger in my mind.

Perhaps, deep down, Amina felt that the slightly sad verses were a true portrayal of this land.

However... in this world of all gray, there are still some colors.

By a coincidence, an encounter in the city, and a number of accidents, a person unexpectedly broke into her heart.

That kind of unbridled freedom is full of indescribable beauty, which is completely different from the life on the manor.

Just like all young men and women, the throbbing in their hearts tied them together.

They longed for each other, crossing the boundaries of the flesh and tasting each other between heaven and earth.

Even the Frank proposed to her.

But Amina refused.

The gray world will remain gray after all and will not change because of a little bit of color.

Because if Amina marries the other party, the result will not be that Amina will be free, but that the other party will be bound.

Their children would only inherit Amina's status as serfs.

There is a real gap between the free people in the city and the serfs in the manor that is almost at the level of reproductive isolation.

As Amina finished collecting firewood from the woods, she felt as if she was being watched.

After moving forward cautiously for a while, she felt there was no risk, so she put the firewood on the ground and planned to rest for a while.

At this time, a figure appeared beside her.

When I turned around, I saw a familiar figure.

"Amina, can I kidnap you?"

Lorian's clothes were much neater than before, as if he had dressed up specially.

Moreover, Lorian had an aura and majesty that he had never had before.

After experiencing this siege, Lorian had a clearer understanding of what courage is.

It was the prayer that Father Gellis had taught us.

My Lord,

Please grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Please give me the courage to change the things I can change;

【And give me the wisdom to know the difference between the two. 】

Amen

Today, Lorian is absolutely certain that the reason why a person becomes a serf is definitely not the will of the Lord.

It was just a coincidence in the world, just because Amina was born into a serf family.

It was only by chance that he was a citizen, a natural free man, because he was born in the city.

And this so-called coincidence can change with just a slight push, pushing the development of things into the unknown.

Take the siege a few days ago as an example. There was only a wall between Lorien and becoming a slave.

So there is actually only a wall between Amina and becoming a free person.

What's more, there is Father Gellis inside the city walls now, a man who performs miracles in the world.

He, Lorian, has decided to use his courage to change the things he can change.

Amina covered her plump and soft lips with some surprise and whispered, "It's my honor."

The poor in a city and the serf women in a manor, they did not even have a unified faith, belonging to Christianity and Islam respectively.

But these two people from two different worlds are about to embark on a grand adventure that belongs only to the two of them.

As for Waldo, who was squatting not far away, what could he do when he saw this pair of adults kissing each other as if no one was around?

As Waldo had a life-and-death relationship with Lorian, of course he could only obey this guy's ideas!
And, to be honest, the two of them came well prepared, with bows and crossbows, arrows, spears and axes.

If they really meet a blind guy, Lorian and his Waldo are ready to fight to the death.

After all, the two of them came to "kidnap" an ignorant girl.

……

The city has a different atmosphere from the manor.

That is the taste of privilege called freedom.

Like the clergy and the nobility, the bourgeoisie of this era was itself a privileged class.

As an absolute minority of the population, the citizens enjoyed their own unique courts, separated from the feudal despotism outside the city by city walls.

Even though there were also strong personal dependence relationships within the city walls, they were much better than those of serfs who were tied to the land and became appendages of the land.

Yearning for freedom and hating their past lives, many serfs tried to change by escaping to the city.

Based on this phenomenon, many cities have made different judicial regulations.

[An unrecognized serf should not be taken from there, but a serf certified by an honest man, whether a Christian or a Saracen, should be handed over to his master without dispute.]

—The Laws of Castrocarbon (1156)
Saracens is what Catholics call the Muslim population.

This legal provision can be interpreted in two ways.

1. Anyone whose master is uncertain must be treated by the law as a free man.

2. Anyone who is determined to have an owner will have absolute control over him or her.

In other words, as long as there is a chance, one can go to a place far enough away, so far away that the lord of his hometown can no longer hunt him down, so far away that one has to cross mountains and seas to reach the Holy Land.

Then a person can actually become a free citizen from a serf.

In fact, not only can you become a freeman from a serf, you can also become a noble knight or a wealthy family in the kingdom...

Of course, Lorian couldn't possibly tie Amina to the ends of the earth. He directly took his lover to his home.

Due to his good performance during the defense of the city, Lorian received a considerable bonus, which he could use to improve his life.

Simply put, he moved to a bigger house, but it was still located in the downtown area.

Since the city of Karak actually serves as a marketplace, a market is held here every week and a large-scale "exchange meeting" is held every year.

A large number of farmers will come to the city to sell their agricultural products or purchase the supplies they need.

It is impossible for Lorian to really keep Amina in a beautiful house and let her stay at home.

Therefore, when people from the village went into the city, they would always run into Amina inadvertently and then bring the news back.

In front of these familiar people in her hometown, Amina could not hide her own origins at all.

In this situation, Arnaud de La Fleury, a short and fat middle-aged Frank, a landowner who was a knight but had never participated in the war, came to the door with two followers.

A series of rapid, heavy knocks rang on the door of Lorian's new home.

"Open the door——!" A violent and sharp voice came from outside the door.

"Open the door, you have the ability to steal people, but you don't have the ability to open the door, don't hide inside and keep silent, I know you are at home!"

"I know you little whore Amina is hiding here!"

Lorian in the room frowned, and beside him was Amina who couldn't help shivering.

He wanted to comfort the girl, but he didn't know how to start. After tapping his fingers on the table impatiently twice, he slowly stood up and gestured to Amina beside him, signaling the girl to hide in the room.

However, just as Amina walked into the inner room.

The door of Lorian's house was kicked open with a loud bang.

There was a loud, sharp sound, and wood chips flew everywhere.

Then I saw a short and fat guy with a fat face standing outside the door.

This man was Arnaud de La Fleury.

This guy was dressed like a businessman, but he had a sword at his waist and a burning rage in his eyes.

Behind him followed two followers, both holding short sticks in their hands.

"Lorian!" Arno roared angrily as he entered the room.

"Hand over that little bitch who ran away. She's my serf! She's my property!"

"If she dares to run away again, I'll break her legs!"

Facing Arno's ill intentions, Lorian did not retreat but took a step forward.

"Amina is not here," Lorian replied in a low voice, "Even if she were here, I would not hand her over to you. I kidnapped her..."

Arno became even angrier when he heard this, and he clenched his fists tightly.

You know, he had been eyeing the girl Amina for a long time, but as soon as he turned around, she disappeared!
If he hadn't heard the serfs chatting, he would have had no idea that Amina had come to the city.

"I'll give you one more chance. Hand him over, or else..."

Just when Arno was about to use Amina's parents as a threat, the two followers behind him suddenly felt that something was wrong. As soon as they turned around, they saw a group of people rushing towards them with sticks.

Then, without saying a word, those people relied on the longer sticks in their hands to attack those who were standing outside the gate of Lorian.

And Lorian took advantage of the fact that Arno, the short and fat middle-aged man, had not reacted yet and rushed forward and punched him in the face.

In this situation, Arno had no time to draw his sword.

Instead, he was hit by Lorian's punch and his nose was bleeding. He rolled on the ground in a mess, covered in dust.

As he struggled to get up, Lorian kicked him in the chest again, causing him to fall heavily outside the threshold.

At the same time, Waldo, who came with his brothers on the street, kicked Arno again.

Maybe in the past, they didn't even dare to look up at these gorgeously dressed masters, but now, it's different...

Arno's ornate sword was taken from him, his clothes were torn from him, and then the three of them were thrown out of the neighborhood.

During this period, Arnault repeatedly emphasized that he knew Congressman Etienne and that he would ask the members of the municipal council to teach these bastards a lesson.

But the more Arno said he knew Senator Étienne, the harder the punches hit him.

It was because Lorian had been following Garys for so many days - and because of his kindness, he stopped his brothers' actions and prevented them from beating anyone to death.

In this situation, Arno was naturally unwilling to accept it, so he greeted the two followers beside him.

Regardless of the fact that his clothes were tattered, he went to the upper town to find the congressman he knew to teach those bastards a lesson.

After Arno walked into the upper town, he saw an acquaintance just a few steps away.

"Hey! Isn't this Arno? Why are you beaten like this?"

The visitor was also surprised to see Arno. They hadn't seen this country landlord for some time. How come he had a bruised face and tattered clothes?

"Hey! Don't mention it. I just got beaten up by a bunch of bastards in the downtown area."

"Hey hey!"

As Arno spoke, he accidentally pulled a bruise and started crying out.

"By the way, is Councillor Etienne still at home? I want to go talk to him about this!"

"How can this city be so lawless! Someone seduced my serfs, and I came to ask for them, but not only did they not give them to me, they even had the guts to beat me up!"

"If we don't clean this up, will Karak City still be able to do business in the future?"

The other person, an acquaintance of Arno, changed color when he heard him talking about Senator Etienne, shook his hand and turned away.

Well, from now on, he and Arno are no longer acquaintances.
Arno looked confused, not knowing what was wrong with this guy. Why did he run away when we had just started the conversation?

It was at this time that Arno noticed that he had arrived at a square in front of the church, where many citizens were gathered.

And on a platform in front of the church, there was a young man standing on the stage, preaching something.

Originally, Arnault didn't want to get involved in this matter. Now he was eager to find Senator Etienne to complain.

As a result, when he passed by, he heard the young man on the stage shouting loudly.

"In heaven, there are no serfs!"

"There should be no serfs in our world!"

Then he stopped and turned to look at the young man on the stage again.

This person, this person!
What nonsense are you talking about!
Then Arnault heard the young man on the stage continue to talk nonsense.

"In Heaven, we are all brothers and sisters, and first and foremost those who were followers of the Prophet!"

"They are the ones who have faith in Abraham, are the descendants of Abraham, and together with us they worship the only merciful God...who will judge everything at the end of history!"

"Our Father! He is merciful not only to those who worship Him, but even to those who, through no sin of their own, do not worship Him!"

"Even though they do not know the Lord, they are still the Lord's people. The Holy Spirit shines on them! It guides them to carry out God's will according to the instructions of their conscience!"

"Such people can also obtain eternal salvation!"

"As the supreme, only, merciful, and loving God...whether we believe or not, we are all His people! We are all created by Him in His image! We will all be brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of Heaven!"

The young man on the stage pointed at the sun in the sky and shouted loudly, and the crowd under the sun also set off a fanatical response.

　A chapter of 6,000 words, updated twice
　　
　
(End of this chapter)