Chapter 53 I don’t eat beef
"With just those 240 pounds of millet, someone will definitely starve during the lean season next year! Starve to death! They are nakedly trying to force farmers into desperation!"
"But this is not the end. Everyone here knows that our kingdom has enacted laws for us Franks! You are not allowed to collect poll tax, but in which year did you not pay poll tax? One dinar for a man , the woman is half as much as the man, and the child is half as much as the woman, and a family of four has to pay a full two dinars! Ahmed swallowed all this money naked!”
"In order to afford these two dinars, your family has to work non-stop all year round and spend all day on various side jobs!"
"I cut grass all day, herd sheep and raise chickens and ducks, but in the end I couldn't even keep food for myself, so I had to sell it all for money! I worked hard all day long holding clay pots, but I had to sell them if I didn't use them! If there were no livestock at home, The pots can’t be sold for a price, so they have to sell their children!”
"Everyone here, our ancestors either entered the border with Lord Godfrey, or followed His Majesty Baldwin I to conquer the Holy Land. Over the years and generations, we have worked hard and paid taxes to serve as soldiers. In terms of qualifications and contributions, , who can’t compare to that upstart Leonard!”
"That guy just climbed into the widow's bed and became the lord. Do you think this is appropriate?"
"I don't think it's appropriate!"
Garris's deafening shouts swept through the martial arts arena, mobilizing people's hearts and making everyone present feel excited. Of course, there are many untruths in these speeches.
Regarding the life of the Franks, Garris exaggerated a bit. It was more of a prophecy of the future than a description of the past life of the farmers.
These days are getting sadder day by day, and the taxes are getting higher year by year. The recruits present believe that if they don't stand up to suppress the tax amount, sooner or later, selling one's children to offset the tax will become a reality.
As for Leonard climbing into the widow's bed, it was actually the Leper King who personally pimped Leonard out of Leonard's outstanding contribution in the Battle of Mengisa to appease and stabilize Leonard. .
But it doesn't matter. What Garris needs is that the new recruits present are full of fire, and what he needs is that they have the passion to eradicate injustice and peace.
After Garris completed this meticulous preaching, many of his attitudes that were not taken seriously were corrected a lot. He became more and more aware that if he waited for others and did not stand up, then the next year would probably be a disaster. It will be worse.
How can we live in these miserable days with no end in sight?
……
The efficiency of the feudal era has always been a mystery. Call it slow. The Leper King could mobilize nearly 10,000 troops to attack Saladin within a few days.
With an army of less than 10,000 people, they defeated Saladin's 30,000 soldiers, and then chased him for hundreds of kilometers, beating Saladin to death.
If you want to call it fast, it took Eric several days to form a team to kill Ahmed's family, and then it took several more days to eat horses and people along the way.
Then along the Roman road, Eric first arrived at the town of Alhadi, before leading his army to the Ahmed family mansion.
He first ordered people to surround the Muslim town.
Those who come are not good, and those who are good will not come. Eric and his group of more than a hundred people stopped on the streets of the town and were immediately blocked from door to door, making it impossible to escape.
Several leaders in the town over there, such as Khalid, the mayor and others, saw Eric's actions, their legs were shaking, and their mouths were so stuttered that they couldn't even speak a complete sentence.
"S-Sir... you, please dismount first... come to 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 attendant next to Eric came over and kicked him to the ground. Then there was a sound of drawing a sword, and the blade was as bright as new. On the mayor's neck.
Eric, who was riding on his horse, glanced at the pagan with disgust on his face
Unlike knights like Gareth 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, and his views were already set.
The aristocratic group born and raised in the land of Jerusalem have a deeper understanding of Islam, and they often have deeply entangled business interests with the Muslim group. Therefore, when it comes to treating the issue of pagans, they tend to be ambiguous and not There will be particularly strong enthusiasm for jihad.
On the contrary, Franks like Eric and Leonard who came all the way from Europe would have a strong crusade plot.
But Eric did not directly order his attendants to kill the heretic on the spot. Instead, he said: "The 40% business tax, Saladin's 10% tax, and the head tax must be paid here within one day, otherwise the 10% tax will be paid to me here within one day." Kill!”
Does Eric have a ledger? No, so the tax items he reported were actually meaningless. They were just an excuse to rob and extort people in Alhadi Town.
When they heard Eric's slightly hoarse voice, the townspeople present felt like falling into an ice cellar. They had already been robbed by Ahmed this year, so how could they still have so much money to pay so much tax!
"Sir! We have paid all our taxes this year!"
Even though he had a sword on his neck, in this desperate situation, the mayor, who had stuttered because of his feelings for the townspeople, actually opened his mouth to speak out a fluent argument.
But this... was also the last thing he said in his life.
When the mayor uttered the last word, his head flew up and blood gushed out.
Then the attendant wiped the blood off the sword with the mayor's slightly more ornate clothes.
Imam Khalid on the side was stunned, unable to stand firmly on his feet, and fell to his knees directly. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and supported his body with his hands, which prevented him from snapping at Eric.
"Have you paid your taxes? I don't know! I didn't see it! Your taxes were not sent to Karak Fort! The taxes have been delayed for a long time. I am impatient, you know. So, now! Immediately! Now! Go back and hand over your money and pay this year’s taxes!”
"Now, who is in favor and who is against?"
When Eric finished saying these words, all the Muslims nearby were like quails, none of them dared to raise their heads and look at the knight. In their eyes, this man was like a demon who chose others to devour.
"By the way, prepare a dinner for me. I don't eat beef."
Second update
(End of chapter)