Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 356: A heavy punch!
Gregor said a lot, and his brother said a lot, too, and Alexandros was not a heartless man after all.

Even if the other party is still young and not suitable for fighting, he is indeed not suitable to be left here. Since we have already followed him for two days, it doesn’t matter if we follow him for a few more days.

Besides, letting these two people join the caravan does not mean asking them to fight and kill. It is completely fine for them to just help out and handle some chores.

Besides, if nothing unexpected happens, the situation in Trebizon will be turned upside down this year, so the more trustworthy people there are, the better.

Alexandros understood the situation of the Gregor brothers as orphans.

After all, many of the early Paladins were actually orphans adopted by Garys.

Once such helpless and desperate people come out of this situation, even if they don't achieve anything, at least they will be trustworthy.

After leaving Rioska, the caravan quickened its pace. Both Arsalan and Alexandros had a premonition that similar attacks would not stop, but would only increase in number...

……

The news of the attack on the farm outside the city was not only received by Alexandros and his men, but also by the dignitaries in Trebizond.

And this is pretty bad news among all the bad news.

In recent years, national affairs have become increasingly difficult.

First there were various disputes over the throne of Constantinople, and then the Crusades were aimed at Constantinople.

A few days ago I heard that the Georgians intended to expand westwards, and now even the Turks are uneasy and continue to harass and plunder.

What’s even worse is that Constantinople, the world’s most desired city, has fallen for the first time in history!

Even though the dignitaries of Trebizond did not really care about the decrees of Constantinople, that could not erase the sacred status of Constantinople in their minds.

That is not just Constantinople, it is the New Rome, more eternal and sacred than any emperor.

Now, perhaps the Millennium Empire is really about to perish, and they don’t know what to do for a moment.

It seems like the end of the world is just around the corner.

In a sense, their spiritual world, after nearly a thousand years of rigidity, is indeed coming to an end.

But apart from these sad sighs, what made them even more heartbroken was the Turkic attack on the farm.

You have to know that those farms are not military villages, but the properties of these dignitaries!
A serf was killed here, which means they lost a lot of money!

The matter of Constantinople is too far away for the Georgians to deal with, but there must be a way to deal with sporadic looting by the Turks, right?

In the town hall of Trebizond, dignitaries gathered together and talked about recent events.

Apart from the lamentations over the fall of Constantinople, there was also the attack on the farms outside the city.

Similar incidents have occurred four times in a row.

One resulted in a massacre, while the other three disrupted farmers' spring planting plans.

All signs indicate that there is a group of Turks who have set their sights on the estates of these dignitaries.

This is understandable. After all, the farmers who are not from their estate have long been burdened with heavy taxes, so how can they produce oil?
Having said that, after the Governor arrived at the lobby, the dignitaries present rushed forward and gathered around the Governor.

"My Lord! We can't live like this! The Empire is in turmoil, and the Fortress of Constantinople has fallen. Even the local scoundrels are rising up to cause chaos. If you don't take strong measures to stop them, I'm afraid it will arouse the greed of other ambitious people. By then, our entire city may not have a good ending!"

"Hit hard!"

"Hit hard!"

The crowd shouted, they couldn't deal with the Latin uncle, and they couldn't control the Georgians, so could it be that they couldn't even control a group of Turkic bandits?
The governor, who was held up by the crowd, coughed twice, then hummed his hands, signaling everyone to be quiet. "This bandit! He must be surrendered!"

"But the money for suppressing the bandits..."

"Cough cough..."

After two simple coughs, everyone present understood what the Governor meant.

Although the Eastern Empire was not as poor as the Ming Dynasty, the local finances were not necessarily the same.

Take Trebizond for example. At least two-thirds of the farmers on the land are protected by the dignitaries present. The tax collectors have no way to deal with them when they go to collect taxes.

Although Trebizond is also an important transit port on the Silk Road, it can maintain the operation of its own bureaucratic mechanism by collecting commercial taxes.

But isn't this a war in the midst of chaos?
These have been difficult years, and the governor's family has no surplus food.

If he wants to send troops to suppress the bandits, it is impossible for everyone present to not bleed heavily.

Faced with the governor's threat, everyone had no choice but to finalize the charter after some bargaining.

It's nothing more than everyone contributing money, the governor contributing effort, and together they suppress the bandits, and everyone is happy.

And in this process, the person who contributed the most was Ioannis.

As a role model for the younger generation in the city, he took the lead in donating money to suppress bandits. He alone spent a thousand Baizant gold coins, which was in sharp contrast to the other stingy people.

For a time, even the governor was full of praise for Ioannis, saying that he was the leader of the younger generation in Trebizond and was destined to be a good successor in the future.

Ioannis just smiled and said that this was what he should do. Serving the empire meant serving everyone.

……

A pool of stagnant water is lifeless, and catfish mixed among the sardines can pose enough threat.

It can be seen that only when things are uncertain can there be a new future.

The foreign enemies that could be dealt with violated the interests of the dignitaries in the city, causing them to unite for a time.

Similarly, in local rural areas, farmers also have to consider self-defense.

Regardless of whether those people were real Turks, they were killing people anyway.

As part of the noble manor, the village can still seek help from the nobles it depends on at this critical juncture.

And those relatively independent villages are becoming increasingly difficult at this juncture.

They found themselves abandoned, with nowhere to turn for help.

With one exception: the caravan organized by Zoe and her group.

The reason why this caravan wanted to get involved in this matter, apart from the fact that Arsalan wanted to clear his own people of suspicion, was also because of Zoe.

Although the Paulicians have been basically wiped out nowadays, only a few villages and a few individuals remain, and they are still passing on the tradition in secret, and they no longer have their former glory.

But they still have to make a living, so there are people like them participating in the caravan, providing manpower and taking dividends.

"So, you think this is our chance?"

(End of this chapter)