Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 53 I don’t eat beef

"With just those 240 pounds of millet, people will starve when the harvest is lean next year! Starve to death! They are blatantly forcing the farmers into despair!"

"But that's not all. Everyone here knows that our kingdom has made laws for us Franks! It is not allowed to collect head taxes from everyone here, but when have you not paid head taxes? Men pay one dinar, women pay half of it, and children pay half of it. A family of four has to pay two dinars! All this money was swallowed up by Ahmed!"

"In order to pay these two dinars, your family has to work non-stop all year round and spend all day on various side jobs!"

"You spend all day mowing grass, herding sheep, raising chickens and ducks, but in the end you can't even keep what you eat, you have to sell it all! You work hard all day to make pottery jars, but you can't use them and have to sell them! If you don't have livestock at home and can't sell the pottery jars, you'll have to sell your children!"

"Everyone here, our ancestors either followed Lord Godfrey to the border, or followed His Majesty Baldwin I to fight all over the Holy Land. For many years, several generations have worked hard, paid taxes and served in the army. In terms of seniority and contribution, who can compare with that upstart Reynald!"

"That guy just climbed into the widow's bed and then jumped up to become a lord. Do you think this is appropriate?"

“I don’t think it’s appropriate!”

Garys' deafening shouts swept through the arena, mobilizing people's hearts and making everyone present feel excited. Of course, many of these speeches were untrue.

Geiris's account of Frankish life is somewhat exaggerated; it is more a prophecy of the future than a description of peasant life in the past.

The days are getting harder and harder, and the taxes are getting higher and higher. The new recruits present all believe that if they don't stand up and reduce the taxes, sooner or later, selling their children to pay the taxes will become a reality.

As for the part about Reynald climbing into the widow's bed, it was actually because the Leper King personally pimped for Reynald because of his outstanding contribution in the Battle of Montgisard, in order to appease and stabilize Reynald.

But it doesn't matter. What Garys needs is that the new recruits present are full of fire and passion to eliminate injustice.

After Garys finished this meticulous presentation, many people who originally did not take it seriously had their mindsets corrected, and they became increasingly aware that if they and others did not stand up, their lives would be even worse in the coming year.

There seems to be no end in sight to these miserable days. How should we live?

……

The efficiency of the feudal era has always been a mystery. You say it was slow, but the Leper King was able to mobilize an army of nearly 10,000 within a few days to fight against Saladin.

With an army of less than 10,000, they defeated Saladin's 30,000 troops, then chased them for hundreds of kilometers, making Saladin terrified.

You would say it was fast, but it took Eric several days to form a team to kill Ahmed's family, and then it took another several days to get food and horses along the way.

Then, following the Roman Road, Eric first arrived at the town of Alhadi before leading his army to Ahmed's residence.

He first ordered his men to surround the Muslim town so that no one could get in or out.

Those who come with bad intentions will not be welcomed by those with good intentions. Eric and his hundred-plus people stood on the streets of the town, and immediately every door was completely blocked, with no way to escape.

When the leaders of the town, such as Khalid and the mayor, saw Eric's actions, their legs trembled and they stuttered so much that they couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

"Sir... please get off the horse first... come into my house and sit for a while." As he said this, the mayor of this town tried to lead the horse.

But before Khalid could get close, a dismounted servant beside Eric walked over and kicked him to the ground. Then there was a sound of a sword being drawn, and the shiny new blade was placed on the mayor's neck.

Eric, riding on his horse, glanced at the pagan with disgust on his face.
Unlike knights like Gellis or John who were born and raised in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Eric came from Europe. When he entered the court of the Leper King, he was almost fifteen years old and his worldview had already been formed.

The noble groups who were born and raised in the land of Jerusalem have a deeper understanding of Islam and often have deeply intertwined business interests with the Muslim groups. Therefore, they tend to be ambiguous when looking at the issue of pagans and do not have a particularly strong enthusiasm for jihad.

On the contrary, Franks like Eric and Reynald, who came from far away Europe, would have a strong sentiment for the Crusades.

But Eric did not directly order his servants to kill the pagan on the spot. Instead, he said: "Pay the 40% business tax, Saladin's 10% tax, and the head tax here within one day, otherwise I will kill you with 10% of the tax!"

Did Eric have an account book? No, so the taxes he reported were meaningless and were just an excuse to rob and extort the people of Alhadi.

After hearing Eric's slightly hoarse voice, all the townspeople present felt as if they were in an ice cellar. They had already been plundered by Ahmed this year, so how could they have so much money to pay so much tax!
"Sir! We have paid all our taxes for this year!"

Even though a sword was held to his neck, in this urgent situation, based on his feelings for the townspeople, the mayor, who was originally stuttering, actually spoke a fluent rebuttal.

But this... was also the last sentence he said in his life.

As the mayor uttered the last word, his head flew up and blood gushed out like a fountain.

Then the servant wiped the blood off the sword with the mayor's slightly gorgeous clothing.

Imam Khalid on the side was stunned. He lost his balance and fell to his knees. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and supported his body with his hands, so he did not kowtow to Eric.

"Have you paid your taxes? I don't know! I didn't see it! Your taxes were not sent to Castle Karak! The tax payment has been delayed for a long time, and I have no patience, you know. So, now! Immediately! Right now! Go back and hand over your money to pay this year's taxes!"

"Now, who is for it and who is against it?"

When Eric finished saying this, all the Muslims nearby were like quails, and no one dared to look up at the knight. In their eyes, this man was like a demon, ready to devour anyone he wanted.

"By the way, prepare dinner for me. I don't eat beef."

　Second update
　　
　
(End of this chapter)