Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 23 True and False Tax Farmers

Garys naturally understood what the man in front of him wanted to express. Therefore, he found it so ridiculous that he needed to spend some time to figure it out.

First of all, the Saladin Tithe, as the name suggests, was definitely aimed at Saladin. Basically, a war was about to break out, so Jerusalem temporarily added a tax item to raise more money to defeat the enemy.

Who was Saladin? He was the Sultan of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and the Arabian Peninsula, ruling the most powerful country in the Muslim world. Everyone knew that he was mobilizing to retake the holy city of Jerusalem, and he would not stop until he did so.

But this "tax farmer" is wearing a headscarf? A Muslim in a Christian-dominated country, collecting taxes against Muslim leaders.

Oh no! Muslims in Jerusalem are collecting taxes from Christians in Jerusalem to fight against Saladin's recovery of the Islamic holy places?

Gailis could not help smacking his lips. He could only say that the magic of reality was indeed somewhat unexpected to him. Originally, Gailis at least thought that the tax farmer should be a Christian.

After all, Reynard's external image is that of an extreme religious fanatic who has a zero-tolerance attitude towards pagans. When he is unhappy with his life, he captures some Muslim pilgrims, throws them off the high walls of the castle, and listens to their screams to have some fun.

And when he was happy, he would take his knights to attack passing Muslim caravans and earn some extra money so that he and his men could live happier lives.

But what was the result... First, the pagan mercenaries attacked the royal convoy of Garys and his group, and now they have run into the Muslim tax farmers under Reynard. This is truly a "religious fanatic" and a true crusader. His devotion to faith has broken through the boundaries of faith.

Of course, Gellis also knew that the arrival of the Crusader lords did not fundamentally change the religious composition of the population in the Transjordan region. It can even be said that the establishment of the Crusader Kingdom, for many grassroots villages, was just a matter of replacing the Iqta feudal lords of the Seljuk Empire with castle owners from Europe.

In essence, both of them were feudal lords, and there was not much difference. The newly arrived castle owners even found the former tax farmers and entrusted them to continue collecting taxes from the tax farming areas where they were located.

After all, those tax farmers are familiar with the job. As long as they can deliver the money to the lords in terms of quality and quantity, why would the lords bother to question the beliefs of their subordinates?
Similarly, for these tax-farmer families who have successfully found new jobs, why should they care about the name of tax collection? After all, collecting taxes is their job, and religious belief is their life. Work and life should be viewed separately and cannot be confused. After collecting taxes and taking benefits today, they can go to the mosque to pray tomorrow and donate more money. I believe that Allah will surely forgive their actions. After all, they pay so much duty every year for the harmonious life of believers.

Faced with such a situation, although Garys could understand the twists and turns here, he still felt a bit overwhelmed, and no matter what, he could not pay the tax. After all, he was ready to tear his face off against Reynard.

"What will happen if I don't give it to you?"

"You won't give it to me?" The fellow with a face full of flesh asked back.

Garys nodded directly, and then he saw the Arab man punching Garys, and the two thugs on the side also rushed over to hold Garys down.

These people were so skilled and fearless in fighting that they didn't care that Gillis lived in the village chief's house or that they were in a Christian village. It can be said that their arrogance was engraved in their bones, and they would punch at the slightest doubt.

After all, in their eyes, they were the tax farmers, and behind them stood Lord Reynard. What did a group of peasants have to worry about?

“It’s really annoying.”

Garys felt disgusted by this world that had long been accustomed to resolving conflicts with violence. What was even more disgusting was that he had to respond with violence in order to make these unrepentant people listen to reason. So when would a truly peaceful world be established? Facing the oncoming fist, Garys slightly turned his body to avoid it, and then gave it a gentle push. The Arab tax farmer, who had a face full of flesh, lost his balance and fell forward.

As for the two thugs with wooden sticks, they seemed aggressive, but when facing a guy like Garys, whose physical fitness could not be measured by ordinary people, they were even more vulnerable than building blocks.

In the blink of an eye, Garys swung out two punches, hitting the two men in the upper stomach. The two men felt as if they were electrocuted and stepped back a few steps to both sides. Gradually, they felt a wave of nausea and pain coming over them. They curled up like shrimps, feeling nauseous and losing the ability to move.

"Simon, find someone to strip them naked and throw them out of the village!" After giving this order, Gairis ignored the Arabs.

But as they walked back into the yard, Isabel tugged at Gaillis's sleeve.

"what happened?"

"He is not a tax farmer. He did not show Reynard's coat of arms, nor did he bring any soldiers with him."

Gellis just nodded and said nothing.

Not long after Simon led the villagers to throw the knocked down and stripped guys out of the village, the news quickly spread in the village, leaving many villagers at a loss. Not long after hearing the news, Cardoso hurried to Garys, looking quite nervous. When he saw Garys, he didn't even say honorifics, but immediately asked, "How did you offend him!"

"Him? That guy is not a tax farmer, is he?"

Cardoso hesitated for a moment, then replied: "He is not a tax farmer, he is the nephew of a tax farmer!"

"Then why is he here?" Gaillis asked again.

Cardoso was a little confused about the answer, but Garys actually had some guesses about what was going on.

It was nothing more than extortion. Before the real tax farmer arrived, they found someone to collect money in the name of the tax farmer. When the tax farmer came two days later, they pretended to know nothing. It was obvious corruption and bribery.

After waiting for a long time, Cardoso sighed and said, "This is the rule."

"Rules? From today on, there are no such rules. You don't have to pay any taxes that you shouldn't pay! I came to Jerusalem to do only three things: fairness! Fairness! Still damn fairness!"

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(End of this chapter)