Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 268 Tashan Base

It is almost December in Palestine and there is no clear and cool weather. Instead, it is cloudy and rainy.

On days like this, the sound of camel bells rang, waking up the village that should have been resting in the dusk.

Everyone in Bandi village looked to the south and saw their old friend Alex, who was riding a donkey and leading a few men, pulling camels along the way.

Just looking at Alex and his men, all dressed in turbans, no one could tell that he was actually the captain of a standing army company under the Second Kingdom.

Now, the camels behind him were loaded with scarce goods from Nablus, which made many villagers in Bandi village cheer.

After the team entered Bandi Village, the leader Alex got off the donkey and handed the reins to a young man with a smile on his face.

"Is Charles here?"

"Lord Paladin is not here." The young man who took the reins answered casually.

Alex smacked his lips.

"I've already told you to just call him sir, don't call him sir, that's not the way it is in their sect. Oh, he should still be in the village, maybe he went back to Tashan."

There is still some distance from Tashan to Bandi Village. Alex, who had just been traveling for a day, didn't have the energy to climb several hundred meters above sea level at night just to return to Tashan Monastery.

"Well, Mr. Paladin is over there at the breeding farm."

Alex breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. He could spend the night in Bandi Village today, and it was a good opportunity for him to tell Charles about the recent news.

War is not a coloring game. It is not possible to fill in a grid and make it seamless.

For example, the Kingdom of Jerusalem's control over territory depended on towns.

When Saladin divided the iqta, he also took towns as the center and radiated to the countryside.

This meant that outside of towns, rural areas were judged to belong to different regions simply by who they paid tribute to.

The situation in the Second Kingdom was slightly better, because at least a hierarchical system had been established to regulate conflicts between rural areas.

The same cannot be said for Saladin. Even after more than two years, he has not yet cleared out the many thorns in the area he controls.

Alex and his company were the thorn in the side of Saladin's control.

Time goes back to two years ago, when Garys led Balian and seven companies to the north to relieve Tyre.

During this period, a Battle of Mount Tabor was fought to help relieve the monastery on the mountain.

Due to the special terrain of Mount Tabor and its strategic location, Alex's company was left here, and five artillery pieces were added to strengthen the defense of the monastery on Mount Tabor.

There were originally only about twenty resident monks in the monastery, and they could be self-sufficient. But with the addition of an entire company of more than 140 mouths to feed, they could no longer be so free and easy.

Especially since Saladin's army marched north, during the long confrontation between Acre and Tyre, the trade activities from Transjordan to Tyre were stagnant for nearly a year.

In order to solve the supply problem during such a long period of time, Palatine Charles in the company, who had received various technical training, carried forward the spirit of Garys and organized a self-reliance and well-off movement.

Since there was limited arable land on Tower Hill, Charles not only reclaimed land near the monastery, but also carried out pioneering work.

It radiates to the surrounding rural areas with Mount Tabor as its center.

A small base was established under the noses of the Turkic forces in the city of Nazareth.

Yes, Mount Tabor is exactly 20 miles southeast of the small town of Nazareth. It only takes three hours to reach the city of Nazareth.

In this situation, in order to conceal their identity, the company Alex was in, with the permission of Tyre, named itself the Greek Brotherhood, and advertised itself as the Orthodox Church to the outside world.

Saladin was hostile to Catholicism, but at the same time an ally of the Eastern Orthodox Empire, so he was relatively tolerant and relaxed towards the Orthodox Church in his territory.

Alex even managed to find a job for himself and became a member of Saladin's staff.

It is called a Greek brotherhood, but it is actually similar to a rural production cooperative. It not only builds farms, but also holds regular rural gatherings to teach agricultural techniques to farmers who are willing to join the brotherhood, but it also requires those farmers to pay membership fees.

At first, few people believed it.

After all, how dare these guys from outside the area say that they know how to farm?
Everyone has been farming for more than ten or twenty years. Who doesn’t know those things?
But after hearing the call from Paladin on Tower Mountain, the people of Bandi Village joined without saying a word, without any hesitation.

Of course, this is understandable. After all, it was Garys who personally saved the village.

On that fiery night, it was Garys who led the Paladins to kill all the looters who came.

If that is not a miracle, then what is a miracle?

Charles's identity as a Paladin was a naked expression of respect for Garys in the Bandi village.

With such sentimental bonus, it is very clear what choice Bandi Village will make.

Of course, with Paladin Charles in the lead, although a membership fee of 20 kilograms of grain was collected from each household, the Bandi village was never treated unfairly.

Alex, the company commander, took some soldiers with him and formed a small caravan with farmers from Bandi village to trade throughout Palestine.

The purchased goods are also sold to the members of the brotherhood at prices close to cost price.

These days are quite happy.

On the one hand, they transported the output of the rural areas near Tashan to the towns for sale, and on the other hand, they purchased various things that were in short supply in the rural areas of the Tashan base.

Of course, it also takes into account the purpose of finding out Saladin's true strength and gathering intelligence everywhere. The intelligence obtained will also be passed to Tyre or Transjordan.

Alex walked for a while in the village and could see that there were no traces of the attack two years ago.

Time erased those scars, but the Order and the Company lit a bright light in the village.

In Alex's opinion, the complexion of the villagers is actually significantly better than that of villages in other parts of Palestine.

After all, thanks to Saladin's great kindness and the meticulous work of various heroes, most of the rural areas in Palestine have been nearly bankrupt in the past two years.

On the contrary, the villages near Tashan seem particularly special.

Not only were there no tax farmers to extract taxes from them, but thanks to the brotherhood, they were able to eat meat or eggs every now and then.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that there are really no tax farmers. After all, the village of Bandi is right under the nose of Nazareth. If you don’t want to collide with Saladin’s army, you still need to live a low-key life.

It’s just that the tax farmer’s name was Alex. He was a bandit who occupied Tashan and oppressed the monks of the Catholic monastery. He was nominally an Orthodox believer and even set up a Greek brotherhood for himself.

This group of Brotherhood bandits is very powerful. Not only do they occupy the steep terrain of Tashan, but Alex also has nearly two hundred strong men under his command!

The Greek villages nearby all support the Brotherhood and no one else recognizes anything other than the Brotherhood's name.

These Turks came here to make money, not to kill people.

Since Alex, as the leader of the Brotherhood, was willing to be recruited and given a position as a tax farmer to pay taxes to the city of Nazareth, the young and old men in the Turkic tribes were naturally unwilling to fight for their lives.

After Alex was successfully recruited by Saladin, the Turkic tribes in Nazareth, when they saw Alex wearing a turban, would respectfully invite him to drink some fermented grape juice with them.

This was both a sign of respect for the military power of the nearly two hundred strong men in Tashan Village and a sign of appreciation for the fact that Alex never defaulted on paying taxes.

In this day and age, in this chaotic world, if you have money but no sword, you are like a fat sheep and anyone can slaughter you.

The one who has soldiers and swords under his command is the boss, but if he not only has soldiers and swords but also money, then he has to give in to everyone.

When the tax was negotiated, Alex was fully armored, and nearly two hundred bandits under his command were lined up in a row. A dozen nearby villages also came out to strengthen their momentum, and they surrounded the gate of Nazareth several times.

The Turkic lords were forced to swear on the Koran that they would continue the tax quota of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and never increase taxes.

There was actually a characteristic in the Middle Ages: when taxes were levied, they were said to be 5% or 4%, but in reality there were often some strange things going on.

After all, how could the lord know how much grain a village could grow?

Therefore, except for those lords who were not afraid of arousing public anger and facing peasant uprisings (such as Reynald), most of the feudal lords in Western Europe were actually willing to abide by the feudal contract.

In those contracts, whether there is any physical object or not, it is often not a direct agreement on how much tax to pay, but rather a determination of a fixed share.

For example, a certain village, based on the calculation of 4% in a certain year, would have to pay roughly 5 pounds of grain, and that would be settled.

No matter how much is paid specifically, this is the amount written on the contract.

Due to the destruction caused by wars in recent years, most villages in Palestine are actually unable to pay tribute according to the original contracts signed with the "Crusader" lords.

Alex, along with his hundreds of brothers, simply asked the Turkic lords not to increase taxes, but at the same time ensured that taxes were paid according to quality and quantity, so the Turks actually accepted it with a pinch of their noses.

You have to know that no matter what the tax farmers around you say, when it comes time to pay taxes, even if you kill them, you won't get any money out of them.

The farmers really have nothing to steal!
Even if the peasants were captured and sold as slaves, they would not be able to make any money.

After all, this is a war. The slave market in Damascus has long been oversupplied and prices have plummeted...

In this situation, the Greek Brotherhood, a group of bandits that was able to pay taxes on time and had the force to "suppress" the peasants, stood out and had outstanding performance capabilities.

The Turkic lord of Nazareth even thought about helping Alex get promoted and simply annexing several surrounding tax-farming areas, which would save him a lot of trouble.

The reason why Alex and his gang are able to pay taxes stably and keep the villagers in good spirits is because of this.

The point is that the many agricultural technologies promoted by Charles Paladin have greatly improved the productivity of rural areas near Tashan. Although the amount of tax to be paid has not been reduced, the total amount has increased after all, and everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.

The original tax rate of nearly 50% has unknowingly become less than 30% as grain production has increased.

Alex walked through the village of Bandi and met Charles near the farm.

Today, Charles is truly a farmer, with dark skin and lots of calluses on his hands. He looks particularly tough in the sunset, forming a harmonious scene with the farmland.

Alex waved to Charles, and when Charles noticed it, he couldn't help but smile.

"How about it!"

"not bad."

The two people, who hadn't seen each other for almost a month, laughed heartily a few times.

Charles also picked up the pitchfork in his hand, ready to finish the day's farm work.

The work we did today was to lead the villagers of Bandi Village to make compost.

Composting technology is actually not something unique to China. It can be traced back thousands of years.

As early as the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman periods, people discovered that mixing and piling up animal and plant remains could improve soil fertility.

Early composting methods were simple, usually just piling up organic materials and letting them decompose naturally without any control.

This method is inefficient and is greatly affected by climate and microbial activity.

The advantage of China is that through long-term practice, it has summarized methods such as "circling manure" and "fermenting manure", which are relatively more efficient.

And Garys naturally went a step further, using the wisdom "given" by God to determine the nutrient requirements for crop growth.

And based on the "truth", we summarized and concluded a composting method with more theoretical guidance.

Emphasis is placed on calculating the carbon-nitrogen ratio, controlling humidity, and avoiding pest infestations.

Of course, this new composting technology is also quite a burden in terms of manpower. If Charles had not personally taken the lead in doing farm work, many farmers would actually be unhappy about it.

After all, these empty words will make people do more work. What if grain production does not increase? Wouldn't it be in vain?
Of course, it has been two years now, and everyone has long been convinced of Paladin Charles.

I feel that Lord Paladin is worthy of being someone who has worked with the Prophet Garys. He is very knowledgeable when it comes to speaking principles, and can do farm work as well as three people.

The key is that the agricultural techniques he talked about are really useful!

No one can help but believe it.

The principle of composting is actually to convert organic waste into stable humus through aerobic decomposition of microorganisms, while releasing nutrients.

Charles, the farm work that you are leading the farmers to do today is to stack the carbon sources and nitrogen sources in layers according to a certain proportion.

Bottom layer: Place coarse materials such as branches or hay to facilitate ventilation and drainage.

Second layer: Add fresh grass or manure.

Third layer: Sprinkle a small amount of soil to provide microorganisms and cover up the odor.

Repeat the above steps until the compost pile reaches about 1.5 meters high.

Each time you stack it, you should also spray it with water to make it moist but not waterlogged. The material should form clumps when you hold it in your hand but not drip.

Once completed, the compost pile is covered with straw, burlap or a thin layer of soil to maintain moisture and temperature and prevent nutrient loss.

Charles had already completed this step with the villagers five days ago.

Today we spent the whole day turning the pile.

The purpose of turning the compost is to mix the materials evenly and introduce air to ensure oxygen supply and prevent the generation of bad odors.

Aerobic microorganisms are the core driving force of the composting process. They feed on organic matter, release heat and break down organic matter through metabolism.

However, if it is in an anaerobic environment, the compost pile will produce odor and gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, which will affect the quality of the compost.

Therefore, turning the pile and ventilating and oxygenating it are the keys to composting.

Moreover, a large amount of heat is generated during the composting process. The heat released by microbial metabolism is the main reason for the temperature rise of the compost. Of course, high temperature helps kill pathogens such as insect eggs and weed seeds, making the composting safer.

However, if the heat is too high, it will also inhibit microbial activity, so it is necessary to turn the pile over and cool it down in time.

Under the guidance of such a systematic "truth" that is in line with God's teachings, one has to laboriously turn the compost every 10-15 days, and this has to continue for several months.

According to Charles' calculations, it would be the right time to wait until the wheat in the fields is about to fill with grain next year so that additional fertilizer can be applied, thereby increasing the wheat yield in the fields.

In addition, Charles also built a systematic chicken farm, duck farm, pig farm, etc., organized villagers to herd sheep, and built collective farms.

Although the farm was not large, with Charles acting as a veterinarian, the livestock grew unexpectedly well and provided a considerable amount of meat, eggs and milk.

At the end of the 12th century, if someone could eat eggs every few days and meat at least twice a month, this was a treatment that ordinary farmers could not enjoy.

And under the leadership of Charles, the villagers of Bandi Village have basically achieved all of this.

When Alex and Charles walked side by side, people around them could clearly distinguish their attitudes and the expressions on their faces.

Although the Turks in Nazareth all acknowledged that Alex was a hero, the members within the Brotherhood knew that Charles was undoubtedly the core of the Brotherhood.

If an ordinary person could achieve this, he might become complacent.

But Charles became more pious, humble and modest, trying to blend in with the peasants.

Because Charles knew that he could achieve this point perhaps because of his own efforts, but the most fundamental reason was because of Garys.

Without the knowledge he received from "God", Charles would have no way of knowing what diseases the animals would get, let alone how to treat them.

In fact, if it weren’t for Garys, who performed a “miraculous” resurrection on that rainy night and easily killed those Bedouins.

He, Charles, should have gone to purgatory that day.

Yes, Charles was actually one of the original apostles and one of those who witnessed the resurrection of Garys.

Therefore, he never questioned Gailis's identity and listened carefully to Gailis's teachings.

He was one of the four servants at the time. He was originally a coachman pulling Isabella's carriage, but now he is moving step by step towards heights that were unimaginable before.

In this situation, Charles, who knew the source of his knowledge, was naturally more pious and humble, so as to avoid losing Garys' care and God's favor due to his pride and complacency.

While Charles is an apostle, Alex is of nobler origin as his father is a knight, but most of the time he is willing to listen to Charles' opinions.

"How is it now? How are prices changing in Nablus?"

As the two walked side by side, Charles asked from time to time.

"The number of chickens and ducks over there has dropped by almost 30% because of us. Many villagers in nearby villages are dissatisfied with us."

Charles nodded. This was consistent with what Garys said about the impact of the new heaven and new earth on the old heaven and old earth.

When their brotherhood completes certain agricultural technological progress and has more output to sell, it will inevitably have an impact on the surrounding rural areas.

Although animal husbandry may seem insignificant, it is actually a way for many people to make money. It’s just that people don’t pay much attention to it and therefore lack awareness.

When their brotherhood, relying on their large numbers, carried out technological reforms and dumped agricultural products abroad.

Those farmers around here who still rely on selling agricultural products to make money and pay head taxes will actually find it difficult to survive.

After all, the amount of agricultural products that the town wanted to buy was limited, and the brotherhoods could get lower prices if they sold more.

This means that other farmers cannot sell their products, which means it is difficult for them to obtain currency and pay taxes, and ultimately their families will be broken up.

Of course, it doesn't mean that there is no way out. As long as the farmers are willing to join the brotherhood, the church, and follow the correct path of Garys, there will be a bright door waiting for everyone in the future.

Although contact with Tyre or Transjordan was intermittent, Charles, as an apostle, was confident that he was qualified to preach.

Therefore, the drop in agricultural product prices in Nablus is not entirely a bad thing for him.

Alex informed Charles of the information he had collected.

When Charles heard one of the messages, his expression changed and he became slightly happier.

"By the way, I also received news that Transjordan launched a counterattack against Jerusalem, and Saladin seemed to have suffered a not-so-small loss..."

When Charles heard this, he thought of something and said to Alex:
"It seems that both Tyre and Transjordan are currently counterattacking Saladin's forces. We should actually prepare for the subsequent counterattack."

Alex nodded. The reason why he was in a hurry to see Charles today was actually because of what Charles said.

However, Charles' next words made him grin.

"Tonight, we will rush to the Mount Tabor Monastery to discuss the battle plan and gather the scattered warriors outside tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to see how the Turks in Nazareth will react to Saladin's repeated failures."

(End of this chapter)