Chapter 160 Woe to you! This city of bloodshed!
[How can there be friendship between a wolf and a lamb? Likewise, there can be no friendship between sinners and righteous people. 】
[How can hyenas and dogs get along? How can the rich and the poor live in peace with each other? 】
[The wild ass in the wilderness is the prey of the lion; similarly, the poor are the meat of the rich. 】
——"The Wisdom of Ben Sirah" 13:21-23
A chasm cut through the city, and the crowd was divided into two waves.
As for whether Adil will keep his promise?
Even Garris believed that the other party was most likely telling the truth.
This is quite scary.
In the entire 18 years since Saladin came out, there has never been any rumor about him breaking his promise.
Saladin's political credibility is at the opposite end of the spectrum from Leonard's in the Middle East.
Such excellent credibility brought Saladin immeasurable political assets. With Saladin's endorsement, Adil's promise was equally convincing.
After all, in Egypt, under Adil's rule, about 10% of the population was Christian.
If Adil can tolerate the presence of Coptic Orthodox Christians, it seems that he can also tolerate the presence of Catholics.
Without any reasoning, Garris could already imagine the temptation that the members of Parliament would face when Adil's messenger made this request.
Their weakness and wavering will be exposed to the sun without any cover-up.
"From now on, no, I should say from the moment the rich people hear the news, they have begun to feel that they are not the same nation as the Franks in the Lower City. Ha~"
As he said that, Garris couldn't help but chuckle.
Adil is indeed powerful. Since it is difficult for the army to break through the city wall, let the people in the city wall get out on their own!
"10 gold dinars for men, 5 gold dinars for women, and 2 gold dinars for children. The prices don't seem like much. It seems that any coolie can earn 10 gold dinars after working for a year."
"But, they have to live, food, clothing, housing and transportation cost money, and they also have to pay taxes!"
"Half of the people in Karak will never be able to afford this money!"
"And they may be betrayed by the other half of the people at any time, especially the rich."
"Because not only can they afford their own ransom, but they can also pay double the ransom to continue to maintain their prosperity and wealth."
"Those in the city who cannot afford the ransom will become Adil's spoils and be taken back to Egypt and sold as slaves..."
Garris made a rough calculation, if the Karak City Council agreed to the other party's conditions and decided to surrender.
Then Adil could get about twenty thousand gold dinars as a ransom and be able to take three thousand people as slaves.
Adil didn't have to die a single soldier and made a lot of money!
As for the rich people in the city and those in the middle class, although they were bleeding badly, they could at least avoid the disaster of war.
The only ones who will truly face a tragic future will be the citizens near this church, only the poor.
Garris couldn't help but take a few deep breaths, his face became solemn, he was really angry.
"Amedei, why did you come to me and tell me this? You can surrender, right?"
Faced with the questioning of Gairis, Amedeh also gave his reason quite frankly: "Because as a bishop, I have no way to retreat. Even if I pay the ransom, at most I can give myself freedom."
"However, without believers, the church is no longer the church. Without believers, the church is not a church at all, but just a pile of stones. Without believers, the bread will always be just bread and cannot become the Eucharist."
"How could I continue to be a bishop if half the people in this city were sold into slavery?"
"Adil cannot allow a Catholic church to exist in Karak City. He will replace me with other rituals, such as Coptic Orthodoxy or Orthodox Christianity." "At that time, the new bishop will drive me out Church.”
"By then, my fate will not be much better than that of the poor."
Amedei's words were mixed with sadness. Others could surrender, but he could not.
When he figured out this truth after repeated torture, he made the decision to come to see Garris...
Listening to Amedee's sincere words, Garris looked at the cross of Jesus and the suffering face of Jesus, and chuckled.
It was difficult for him to judge whether Amedee really sympathized with the poor, or whether it was the interests of his position that led him to say such words and show such emotions.
But it doesn't matter. It can only be said that it just provided an opportunity for Garris himself, an opportunity to completely control Karak City.
"Amedai, I remember you once said that you should let the rich learn the wisdom in the Bible and become charitable and compassionate."
"Yes, I said that."
"Now, what do you think?"
"Jesus said to his disciples, 'Truly I say to you, it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.' And I say to you, 'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'"
Amedai expressed his views by reading a passage of scripture, which is Matthew 19:23-24.
This passage is Jesus’ teaching on how it is difficult for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven. It emphasizes that wealth may become an obstacle to entering the kingdom of heaven. It reminds believers not to rely too much on material possessions but to pursue the value of true faith.
For now, the expressions and choices of the rich just once again prove the correctness of Jesus’ words.
Bishop Amedei's previous vows were completely slapped in the face, so much so that he became a clown and even came to Garris for help.
As a Catholic bishop who cannot surrender, only the poor who cannot surrender can support him instead of plotting to betray those around him first.
Garris not only chuckled, he also stood up, came to Amedei's side, pressed Amedei's shoulders, and began to read softly.
"Woe to you! This city of blood is like a rusty pot."
"The rust has not been removed, and the pieces of meat must be taken out one by one. There is no need to cast lots for them."
"The blood that is shed in this city shall not be covered up, but it is poured out on a pure rock; it is from me, a vengeance of wrath."
"Woe to you! I will pile up firewood in this city of blood."
"Empty the pot and sit on the coals to heat the pot and make the copper red, melt the dirt in it and remove the rust from it."
"What I have said will come true. I will do what I say. I will not turn back, I will not regret it, and I will not regret it."
Listening to these murderous words, Amedei raised his head in astonishment. He naturally understood the metaphor in Garris's words.
The meat in the pot is the poor in the city, and the poor are the fish and meat of the rich!
And the rust in the pot is naturally the rich man in the upper city. Garris will pile a lot of matches to make the copper red, melt the dirt in it, and remove the rust on it.
When Bishop Amedei stared at Gairis's face, suddenly and at some unknown moment, a crown of thorns appeared on Gairis's head out of thin air, together with the crown worn by the crucified man behind him. Exactly the same...
"Come, Bishop, let us set fire to this city with a pile of firewood, and use the most holy fire to purify the city of rust."
Garris's words were very soft, but extremely clear. When Bishop Amedei listened, he was already trembling from the bottom of his heart.
I made a mistake. I didn’t just write four updates today, I actually wrote five updates.
So I returned three chapters. I still have 300 monthly tickets left to pay. (Just one more update left)
(End of chapter)