Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 436 The History of Egypt

They lose their creativity and ability to resist, living in the shadow of a massive system, like serfs toiling beside the ruins of the pyramids.

Although Egypt no longer builds pyramids, the pyramids have not disappeared; they still stand there.

Though time may pass, it will not collapse.

As for the pyramid in people's hearts, it has become even more solid and towers into the clouds.

Ahmed, the Bai, was somewhat unhappy about the arrival of the legionary soldiers after realizing he could handle the mob on his own.

These days, thieves come like combs, soldiers like fine brushes, and officials like shavings.

The soldiers in the legion are not just soldiers, but also officers.

Ahmed's heart bleeds at the mere thought of having to entertain these damned money-grabbers.

The key point is that when he looked at Sebastian, he could sense a predatory intent in the other's eyes.

That look in his eyes was as if he were observing the farmers in the village during the harvest season, calculating how to extract enough profit from them.

However, unlike before, now it's his turn to be scrutinized.

As the local rich man, Ahmed naturally had to take responsibility for entertaining the legion's soldiers. He needed to prepare a banquet to satisfy Sebastian and his men so that they could escape this calamity.

But how can a group of Franks be kept satisfied?

Ahmed understood that it was a minor transgression, and he needed to bring out enough alcohol to get these people drunk.

Things went much more smoothly after Ahmed successfully served enough dates and wheat juice at the banquet.

After Sebastian got into a good drink at the banquet, he started chatting and talking like an ordinary person.

They started by talking about women, then moved on to wealth, and finally, when Sebastian was red-faced and drunk, he asked, "You! Ahmed, tell me. You Egyptians, the pyramids, the statues, and those dog-headed monsters, haha, those are the gods your ancestors worshipped, aren't they?"

Ahmed was somewhat bewildered when he heard this; he didn't understand what the Frankish man was saying.

His ancestors?

Didn't his ancestors worship Allah?
How did this turn into talking about a dog-headed, human-bodied monster?
What does that kind of pagan worship have to do with him?
Seeing that this country bumpkin Bayi was dull and ignorant, Sebastian lost interest and turned to ask Nasser, who was standing to the side.

"Tell me, what did you Egyptians believe in before? I've heard that Egypt's history is probably thousands of years old!"

Nasser handed Sebastian a glass of wine and then briefly mentioned the Pharaohs' era.

These things are also mentioned in the Bible, so Sebastian could also talk about them.

As for the country bumpkin Bai standing to the side, he was completely bewildered.

For Egyptians, history seems somewhat vague and distant.

If Nasser had not received a systematic education in the church, he would have been completely unaware of Egypt's long history and the immense suffering it had endured.

According to the church priest, the civilization in Egypt may have existed for more than six thousand years, while in the Christian understanding, the world has only been created for six thousand years.

This is so ancient that it is hard for people to imagine, almost comparable to the mythical era of the Garden of Eden.

But so what?

The ancient land of Egypt has endured suffering that no one else could have imagined.

In the 17th century BC, Egypt was ruled by foreign peoples during the 15th Dynasty.

Then, in the 6th and 4th centuries BC, the Persian Empire ruled twice, during the 27th and 31st Dynasties respectively. From the 31st Dynasty in the 4th century BC onwards, for a full 1,500 years, Egypt has been ruled by foreign powers.

After the Persians came Alexander the Great of Macedon, then Alexander's general Ptolemy established the Greek dynasty, and then the Ptolemaic dynasty's lands were seized by Rome.

Then, in the 7th century AD, the Arab general Amr ibn al-As conquered Egypt, ending Roman rule.

Then came the Shia Fatimid dynasty, founded by Turks and Berbers, which invaded and seized Egypt from North Africa. Later, Saladin, as a Kurd, seized power in Egypt.

Finally, there is the Crusades of today.

Hyksos, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks and Berbers, Kurds, Franks!
As Nasser drank, he recounted how many masters Egypt had ever had.

As they drank and talked, Nasser's eyes welled up with tears.

The Nile, how bountiful it is, yet the people it nurtures are so submissive.

Egypt, such a powerful land, with millions of people living there, yet unable to control their own destiny.

One powerful nation after another regarded this place as a granary, using the flesh and blood of the poor to sustain their empires.

The people here, oblivious to their own mistakes, continue to fawn over the conquerors.

“Hahaha! You’ve certainly said a lot, Nasser.” Sebastian swirled the wine in his glass.

"One pharaoh, hundreds and thousands of slaves. A shepherd comes and can take his entire tribe with him; a king comes and must mint coins, build roads, and construct granaries for him..."

"Egypt will always have a master."

Faced with such ridicule, Nasser could do nothing but force a smile.

Aside from this casual conversation, at the banquet, the two centurions of the legion also discussed with Ahmed, the Bai, how much money to allocate to reward their soldiers.

In addition, at least thirty of the mobs that were brought under control had to be beheaded so that Sebastian and his men could take them back to report.

Everything was arranged, and both the host and guests seemed very happy at the banquet.

Nasser called a soldier to help Sebastian back to his room. After declining Ahmed's suggestion to find a young girl to sleep with, he stayed alone in the courtyard.

He gazed at the stars and the bright moon in the sky and thought for a long time.

Perhaps he had drunk too much, or perhaps he had been thinking about it for a while.

After everyone had rested, he drew his sword, left the Bai's front yard, and went to the stables.

The farmers who participated in the riot during the day were tied up in the stable.

These farmers don't understand how things have come to this.

They just wanted the landlord to charge less rent. They didn't resort to violence; they simply gathered together and knocked on the landlord's door with hoes.

then……

Everything that happened exceeded their expectations.

It wasn't just that he was defeated by his own villagers later, but also the arrival of the subsequent Crusaders.

Of course, they had no idea that their heads had already been reserved for military merit.

(End of this chapter)