Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 323: Antioch's Flashback Ten Years Ago

Antioch, the City of God, was once the largest city in the Mediterranean region.

In the Roman era, the area within the city walls alone reached about 15 square kilometers, almost half the size of Chang'an City of the same period.

Even after the Crusaders conquered Antioch in 1098, the area within the city walls shrank to 6-7 square kilometers due to population decline and adjustments to the defense system.

But even so, Antioch far exceeds the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Holy City of Jerusalem, in terms of area.

Of course, from Garys's point of view, the Holy City is actually not that great, just a larger county town.

Well, the wall of Jerusalem is only about 4 kilometers long, and the area within the wall is actually estimated to be only about square meters.

Compared with the crowded living environment within the walls of Jerusalem, the situation of the residents of Antioch was much better.

The more relaxed living environment also brings about relatively low human and animal pollution, reducing the probability of infectious disease outbreaks.

Moreover, after Gelis completed the feat of expelling Saladin, nearly one million people in a long strip of land stretching from Antioch in the north to Transjordan in the south, along the eastern Mediterranean coast, were all depopulated.

Whether it is from political legislation or the spread of religious ideas, at least everyone has begun to recognize that each other is a human being and should have human rights.

Human rights do not discriminate based on race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion or any other status.

Human rights include the right to life and liberty, the right not to be subjected to slavery and torture, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to enjoy these rights without discrimination.

Even if the right to vote in the kingdom still cannot achieve equal treatment of all beliefs in the short term, at least people should be human beings, rather than existing as talking property and livestock.

As early as ten years ago, after the large-scale war ended, Lance gave a speech at an internal meeting of the Governor's Palace in order to reform Antioch.

At that time, he was facing many officials, former nobles, and priests in the church in the conference room.

He didn't care at all whether the people on the scene were confused, puzzled, angry or sad.

All he had to do was to implement Garys's will on this land.

"…From now on, soldiers who have served in the army for more than one year and officers who have been officers for more than two years can transfer to civilian jobs. Those who choose to transfer to civilian jobs need to sign a six-year employment agreement and accept the employment arrangements of the Governor's Office on the basis of respecting their personal opinions."

"The first thing we need to do now is to close down all the manors in Antioch. Those retired soldiers and officers are our backbones, and they are also the grassroots personnel for this rectification."

"Breaking down the manor is just the beginning. Considering the complexity of the Antioch region, I propose to build collective farms first, and for some places where conditions are not yet mature, consider dividing the land as a pilot for land reform..."

The agricultural revolution is a prerequisite for the industrial revolution, and the rapid development of agriculture is an inevitable path for the rapid development of the economy.

For a man like Lance who has certain urgent pursuits, he will certainly not wait for everything to happen naturally, nor will he wait for orders from Jerusalem.

Since he is the governor, he has the final say over the three acres of land in Antioch.

At that time, he was aware of Yannen's work situation and saw many problems in the transformation of the manor into a farm.

In general, the transformation of manors into farms is closely related to the level of the backbone of the farm.

Farms managed by technical Paladins, based on their worldview that conforms to the truth and their independence from conflicts and disputes among local people, are often able to prioritize solving practical difficulties and quickly improve the living standards of local people.

In addition, they have certain theological attainments, and they are always very convincing when promoting Garys theology.

This enabled the former Saracen serfs and poor Frank freemen to support the church and the kingdom together.

And some veterans who received military education are working on the estate-to-farm conversion.

Although it may not necessarily improve the living standards of local people quickly, being fair and keeping one's word can gain the respect of local people, so it can also effectively promote some work that is beneficial to local people.

Thirdly, some of them, because they are "powerful people" promoted from the local area or have selfish motives, are likely to mess things up. This mess not only affects the income of local farms, but also affects the local people's perception of the kingdom.

When Lance was conducting research in Transjordan, he heard Old John complain a lot.

During the reform period, many people were too selfish and were afraid of everything when they started working, so that the local situation was not much different from the original serf manors.

With the experience accumulated in Transjordan, although the situation in Antioch was more complicated, Reims became more drastic in promoting reforms.

Indeed, he did not have enough Paladins to serve as the backbone to fill the grassroots level.

However, because Antiochus participated in the counterattack on Jerusalem, it had thousands of soldiers who had received long-term military training.

After the war, these people, including their officers, became useful talents in Lance's hands.

Antioch was not very big, and its population was not that large, at most only about 200,000.

With nearly 4,000 mobilized soldiers, Antioch actually had one person in every ten families serving.

These soldiers may not be able to read, but they have fought side by side with Garys on the battlefield and witnessed Garys's great power in breaking through the city alone.

Naturally, my heart was filled with reverence for the theology of Gellis, the Pacification Order, and the Governorate of Antioch.

People have subjective initiative. The efficiency of doing something on their own initiative and doing something under the orders of others is completely different.

In the theological education of the Pacific Order, changing the corrupt society and promoting agricultural productivity was already a shortcut to heaven. Therefore, those soldiers, even if they were illiterate, could shout slogans and stand up to support Antiochus' agricultural reforms.

And not only that, as early as ten years ago, Lance invited teachers and students from Alhadi School to come to Antioch to establish a university to cultivate talents in various fields. Of course, due to the times, this university is not a higher education stage, but just a school.

According to the regulations of Reims, the university provides education to all those who can pass the entrance examination. Even students who cannot pass the entrance examination for the time being can actually attend classes at the university, but they cannot receive subsidies from the Governor's Office.

According to the instructions given by Gellis, the University of Antioch is not only an educational institution, but also a scientific research institution.

This was completely different from contemporary European universities.

In a sense, the concept of the Dark Ages was actually created by Europeans during the Renaissance and even later for the purpose of self-reflection.

Of course, this does not mean that the Middle Ages were not backward and ignorant, but it was not as stereotyped as many people think.

For example, strictly speaking, if the concept of the Dark Ages really existed, then it should have begun to end around the 11th century AD.

Although Europe's literacy rate still cannot be compared with that of the Middle East or China, the aristocratic group's emphasis on knowledge has begun to be highlighted after the 11th century.

The world's first modern university, the University of Bologna, was founded in 1088, eleven years before the First Crusade.

The birth of the University of Bologna is completely different from the university designed by Gérice. First of all, it was not a university established by a lord, government, or parliament.

The birth of the University of Bologna is closely related to the unique legal system of medieval cities. Bologna at that time, like the cities in the old Kingdom of Jerusalem, had very strict laws and even implemented a system of collective responsibility.

That is, if A and B are both from Hungary, when A makes a mistake, B will also be punished.
In such a situation, a large number of students who came to Bologna to study formed societies. After their emergence, these societies chose to directly hire local scholars to teach them. When multiple societies of the same nature united together, the first university was born.

Students formed clubs, clubs hired teachers, and when clubs united, the first universities were formed. The power of student clubs in such a teaching institution is completely incomparable to that of later China.

After consultation with the local government of Bologna, the rights of students at the University of Bologna were established.

If students are not satisfied with their professors, they can choose to strike or fire them. When the university needs to make important decisions, students vote collectively.

Students can enforce their demands on course content and how much professors are paid. The hiring, firing and pay of university professors is decided by an elected committee consisting of two representatives from each student organization that governs the institution.
During this process, professors, as teachers, also formed cliques and factions to form their own organizations in order to counter the power of student groups.

Professors examine students' levels and decide what academic achievements are required to obtain a degree. In this way, no matter how powerful the students are, they cannot claim to be a scholar who has received a university education unless they receive a diploma from a professor.

Such a peculiar system became a model for Western universities. Educational institutions like the University of Bologna mostly provided theology and law education, and then there was the concept of three arts and four arts. After Arab medicine was introduced, specialized medical schools were also established.

The content taught at the University of Antioch naturally goes far beyond this scope.

Initially, Al-Hadi School only taught three categories: natural science, theology and medicine.

But Reims has already begun to ambitiously realize the comprehensive university that Garys once mentioned.

In addition to the above three major categories, branches such as agronomy, linguistics, and geography have begun to be added.

In addition to Lance's shamelessness in recruiting people from all over the place to teach, Garys actually also taught at the University of Antioch.

At that time, Gellis gave a serious lecture on the urgency of agricultural reform at the new Antioch University.

“Before I start, I want everyone to understand one thing: the Lord’s teachings are not just something you recite, but something you must put into practice in your life.”

"Some people have heard these principles, some have not, and some have vaguely sensed them in their work and trade. Today, I will explain them clearly."

"The grace of God is all over the earth. He sends sunshine and rain to make crops grow and fields produce abundant harvests. But I want to ask you, if the grace of God is so abundant, why are there still people who do not have enough to eat?"

“Why do some people work hard all year long, only to have to worry about their next meal in the winter?”

"For a town to prosper, it must have enough food to support it. Just a few rich people filling up their granaries cannot replace blacksmiths to forge iron, craftsmen to build houses, scholars to write books, and soldiers to defend their homes."

"The Scripture says, 'If a man does not work, he shall not eat.' But I tell you that if someone works hard and still does not have enough to eat, there is something wrong with the world."

"Some people may say, why not let more people farm? That way there will be more food, right?"

"But that's not the case! The land is limited. No matter how many people there are, the land is limited, and the harvest will not grow endlessly. What's more, the farmers themselves have to eat. If the harvest from the land is not enough, the extra people will make everyone poorer!"

"Why is this so? Because the land should feed everyone, but if the food is hoarded by a few people and the price is controlled by them, then those who really work hard will not be able to survive! The Bible says: 'Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you will eat it all the days of your life.' But I want to tell you that this curse did not fall from heaven, but was created by those who only care about their own enjoyment and make others suffer!"

"If everyone is trapped on the land and can only barely survive, then craftsmen, merchants, scholars, and warriors will not be able to survive, and cities will not be able to develop. If we want to change all this, we must ensure that everyone can have enough food and live a good life through their own labor!"

“When will the Kingdom of Heaven come?”

“When the hungry are fed, the oppressed receive justice, and the working people are no longer exploited, then the Kingdom of Heaven is already among us!”

“May God grant you wisdom and let you understand that true faith is not just empty slogans, but to make the people of this land live a better life!”

In addition to this setting speech, Gellis also gave some examples so that those present could understand what the future would hold.

One person can cultivate ten acres of land. If two people cultivate ten acres of land together, the output can certainly be increased through intensive farming, but in fact the per capita grain output will decrease.

For a small peasant society, it often falls into a misunderstanding that in order to obtain more food, more labor is needed, and more labor requires more food. The more food is grown, the more agricultural population there is.

But the fact is that no matter how much food is planted on the land, it will never be enough to eat. Since there is not enough food for themselves, how can they sell their grain to the market to feed the urban population?
Therefore, if we want to pursue the rise of urbanization, the focus should be on surplus food rather than total food production.

(End of this chapter)