Chapter 249 Forced Class
However, having said that, Saladin actually dare not say that he will definitely have the upper hand.
Although the army on his side is growing steadily linearly, the Crusaders' side may double in size.
Compared with His Majesty the Pope of the Holy See of Rome, His Majesty the Caliph who lives in Baghdad in the Islamic world is really not good enough.
Even though the total number of Sunnis in the world these days is tens of millions, it may be equivalent to the population of the Southern Song Dynasty and more than the Catholic world.
However, the authority of the caliphate has extremely declined. It is recognized in name only, but except for religious calls, it is unable to directly intervene in every corner of the Islamic world through the administrative system.
In a sense, on a secular level, the Caliph of Baghdad has reached the status of Lord of Baghdad.
Even at certain times, a relatively shameful caliph was driven out of Baghdad directly, and he was not even worthy of being the city lord...
As for the Pope, even though he is often expelled from Rome, he still has a certain degree of appointment and removal authority over the local church system.
Relying on a relatively tight transnational bureaucracy, in this day and age, His Majesty the Pope is really able to sway people in major countries and organize coalition forces for the Crusades.
At present, there are about 10,000 to 20,000 crusader troops of Shinra alone.
If you include the French Crusaders and the English Crusaders who may arrive next, it is very likely to exceed the upper limit of Saladin's military power.
However, this is not the limit...
It can be said that the Third Crusade was Saladin using the Ayyubid Dynasty to fight against the Catholic world on his own. As for other Muslim countries...most of them were fishing in the water.
With his population of tens of millions, Saladin was able to crush the Kingdom of Jerusalem in terms of manpower advantage.
But in the face of the mobilized Catholic world, Saladin prayed a lot more.
It is true that other Muslim countries are too stupid!
The idea of striking first was also lingering in Saladin's mind.
Moreover, the progress of artillery has also made great progress in the past six months, which provided Saladin with a lot of confidence.
……
In a slightly luxurious reception room, Balian held the plan and looked at Garris who was silent.
In Balian's eyes, this young true hero seemed to be a little flinching, mixed with a hint of awe of Garris.
Indeed, Gaerys is not a secular monarch in any sense, and Balian has not performed any rituals of allegiance to Gaerys.
In terms of the relationship between the two parties, Balian is also Geillis's cheap father-in-law.
His adopted daughter was sitting next to Garris, holding Garris's left hand.
But some existences are special after all.
For a human society with strong prophet worship, after the emergence of a prophet who was favored by the "god" of Stone Hammer.
In essence, there is a BUG.
Because for people like Balian, the education they have received since childhood is that all kinds of nationalities and people do not listen to the words of the [prophet], and then they suffer.
However, Garris not only showed his "miracles", but also made many prophecies, and even received a lot of wisdom and enlightenment like a divine revelation.
It can be said that for those who recognize Qairis as a prophet, Qairis does not need to issue any orders.
Because his words and deeds can be recorded in classics and passed down for generations as scriptures!
It is the incarnation of God’s will on earth.
"18% bond interest..."
"Isn't this a bit high? Such a five-year bond is actually equivalent to doubling your wealth."
"It's not high, it's a means and a reward for loyalty."
"As a means, I need to raise such a sum of money to establish an investment company. The newly established company will coordinate the development projects of Tire New City."
"As for what loyalty rewards are, you should also know that those who can lend money to the kingdom at this juncture are, in a sense, the most loyal subjects."
Garris's eyelids were slightly lowered, but he didn't finish his words.
What the newly established investment company can do is far more than just building a new urban area. It will actually open the curtain of a new era, and it is bound to grow into a giant beast.
The reason why bond financing was used instead of pre-selling shares was that Garris needed to personally control the company for a period of time.
Of course, not everyone is confident enough to invest in such a newly established company.
These days there is also a lack of the concept of "legal person", and there is no such thing as limited liability.
The construction of the new city of Tire has become an urgent matter.
This is urgent, not just for the people in the old city of Tire.
But for the swarming Crusaders, if there is no place to stay, then a large number of non-combat losses of personnel will become inevitable.
After the effects of the Crusaders' arrival in Cyprus were conveyed to Tire, the new city development plan proposed by Geris was passed by the House of Representatives in a strange and strange way.
Those nobles don't care whether there is a place for people at the bottom, and they fail to realize how much harm a lack of planning can do to people's health and safety.
Of course, even if you know, you may not care.
But they knew that if the Crusaders who came from afar were not properly accommodated, then recovering the old territory would be an empty talk.
Since we are already building a camp, we might as well just build a new city area.
It can also serve as a new city for Tire after the Crusaders leave.
The plan submitted by Garris was submitted to the parliament through the channels of members of the Balian family.
Compared with the perfection of this plan, the ideas proposed by others are too thin and lack details.
Because Galis systematically inspected the living conditions of all classes in Tire and conducted an investigation on market prices, he also had a concept of capital flow.
Therefore, in Gallis's new city plan, everything from the initial capital preparation, transportation of building materials, labor costs, and review and acceptance are all mentioned.
At a glance, it is so complete that it is extremely feasible.
Of course, the most critical point is that the 18% bond interest gives the gentlemen in the House of Representatives an extremely reliable way to share the dividends from the development of new urban areas.
Whether the kingdom will still exist in five years is indeed unknown, but even if the kingdom does perish, where can they transfer their property?
These days, there is no convenient way to transfer property as in later generations.
As the nobles of Jerusalem, they indeed share the prosperity and losses of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
A limited liability company was built with the Kingdom as a guarantee, mortgaged a large area of land, and raised funds through the issuance of bonds.
The emergence of this new financial thing always makes it difficult for many people to understand it.
In this era, perhaps only some Italians can have a certain understanding.
But if such a complicated thing is simplified into borrowing money from the kingdom, and the kingdom provides high interest.
Even the most uneducated citizens in the old city of Tire can understand what is going on.
For the Jerusalem nobles who lack the ability to transfer property, if they can figure out the stakes.
You can understand that this is a gamble with no choice.
Five years later, the Kingdom of Jerusalem still exists, and the Third Crusade is a great success, so everyone here will benefit.
If the kingdom collapses in five years, then as the nobles of Jerusalem, we might as well all die.
Therefore, Garris's plan was approved early, and many Venetian and Italian businessmen, including many Venetian and Italian businessmen, subscribed to the bond.
As for Balian's Ibelin family, or Isabella herself, they provided great support in this process.
Now, the company's preparatory work has actually been completed.
The reason why Garris appeared at Balian's house was more to clarify some details and communicate with Balian.
After trying their best to reduce misunderstandings, the groundwork was officially launched.
The new urban area of Tire City relies on the old urban area and is undergoing initial construction on the northern land of Tire.
Of course, for now, this is not so much a new city as it is a new military camp.
A considerable number of German Crusaders have followed "Red Beard" Barbarossa to land in Tire and participated in the construction of their own military camps.
……
The sun was very bright, and the slightly salty air blew from the sea. In such a land where construction was started, Giannis felt a little dizzy.
Indeed, a person's destiny must not only consider personal struggle, but also take into account the historical process.
Many times, the turning point in life is unpredictable and appears suddenly.
Two months ago, I was still carrying bags at the pier. I was kicked out by the hotel owner because I got drunk and got into a fight with someone, leaving me homeless.
Two months later, I joined a new position. As a "squad leader", I led my former workers to carry out wood-cutting activities here.
No, this, who would have thought that the brother who slept in the same room with him was actually a distinguished guest of the Balian family, and now he is personally planning to build a new city.
He believed the other party's words, took Nesa's money, and used connections to buy some bonds.
Although the total amount of this bond is not high, only 5 gold dinars, in any case, it proves that he is one of the kingdom's "own people".
Because of the bundled interests, he is also considered a reliable target politically.
Even without Garris coming forward, the people in this "Chamber of Commerce" were all friendly towards him.
After all, it seems that in this "chamber of commerce", whether it is the accountant, the engineer, or the armed patrol Paladin, they have subscribed to more or less part of the bonds.
Originally, he was worried that the money he and Nesa had might go down the drain.
But as soon as the "Chamber of Commerce" started working, based on the condition of being reliable, he was asked if he wanted to come over and be a monitor, and he could get a salary of three gold dinars every month.
This money may not seem like much, but it is a stable job, which means that Giannis no longer has to live a life of dreams and dreams, but can actually save money.
It seemed that the future became brighter at this moment.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there are no worries.
If Giannis wants to keep his job, just as he seemed to have promised Garris when he was drunk, he must become literate and arithmetic.
There will be an assessment every month. If you fail the assessment, you will face the possibility of having your money deducted. If you fail the assessment several times, you may be directly expelled.
In order to keep his lucky life, Giannis has to go to class three times a week.
Learn simplified Latin, understand addition, subtraction, multiplication and division within 100, and review "Christian doctrine".
These courses are all organized by Levant Investment Company and mainly take up time after work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The "commercial firm" did not clearly stipulate whether ordinary workers should take these classes, but as a squad leader, he has nine people working under him.
Giannis was forced to attend these classes, which made him particularly dizzy on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
"Boss, did you go to class yesterday?"
While working, the young man on the side saw Giannis's mental state and asked subconsciously. The fear in his words was self-evident.
He himself also attended the class for two days. After all, those with a clear mind knew that this "commercial firm" clearly valued those who were literate and numerate.
But after two classes, more than half of the people felt that they might not be suitable for learning in this life.
They have passed the most suitable age, and trying to make them literate and numerate is as difficult as pulling out a rusty sword.
Therefore, only a few people can persist and attend classes for a long time.
"Don't call me boss, call me monitor!"
"Okay! Monitor!"
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The young man on the side smiled and joked a few words.
Then Giannis couldn't help but sigh again.
"Alas..."
"Actually, I have some basic skills in literacy, and I am not really good at arithmetic. But last night, I went to memorize the Bible!"
"Ah?!"
The young man on the side was shocked.
The vast majority of believers actually don’t read the Bible, and even if they read it, they wouldn’t really memorize it.
This is not only the case in the Middle Ages when there was a lack of books, but it is also often the case in later generations.
Religion seems to be divided into two on this issue.
The laity are often the purest and most ignorant lambs, herded by priests who are shepherds.
Priests and priests who shepherd the Lord's sheep naturally have to read various scriptures, but it is enough for lay believers to recite some relatively simple scriptures and pray daily.
What's more, the Bible these days is still written in Latin, which has given way to various local national languages in terms of language currency.
During mass in the church on weekdays, most believers actually do not understand the scriptures that the priests and priests recite in Latin.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with the "style" of God's scriptures being written in a language that mortals do not understand.
No wonder the young man was shocked when he heard that Giannis was going to memorize the Bible.
This is undoubtedly torture, absolutely torture.
They are idiots who don’t want to be priests, so why should they read the Bible...
Compared with religious fanaticism, filling one's stomach seems to be more important.
"Boss, do you already know a lot about the Bible? Come and read a few sentences for us!" The other workers on the side all started to cheer together.
There was a cheerful atmosphere as the group made their way to a nearby logging camp.
But Giannis memorized it after all.
“The offering of ill-gotten gains is an insulting sacrifice, and the Lord will not accept the offering of the wicked.”
"The Lord is good to those who hope in Him in the way of truth and righteousness."
"He who takes away the food earned by other people's blood and sweat is the executioner of murder."
"Whoever deprives a servant of his labor is a murderer of blood..."
Giannis spoke ordinary Frankish, so the workers on the side could understand what he said.
For a time, the original cheerful atmosphere disappeared and was replaced by silence.
When they were about to reach the forest, some of them sighed.
"That's great..."
"Indeed."
These days in the company are like a dream, wages are paid weekly.
The first houses built were reserved for their workers.
I am in charge of food every morning, noon and evening.
If you have a mother-in-law at home, you can bring her over whether it's for washing clothes or cooking, and you can also get a share of the money.
If you have children, you can actually go to class with them.
Although most people these days actually feel that literacy is useless.
But if you can read and count without money, why not?
Besides, it’s my kid who has to suffer in school anyway, not me. This is really true.
Behind their group, there were two cities.
One was built from volcanic rock, and the rock contained eternal order. It had been moved here to build the city wall for hundreds of years.
There are many joys and sorrows there, and tens of thousands of people live in numbness.
On the other side, although it is still just a construction site, a hut has been built, which is simple and fresh.
After understanding arithmetic, Giannis calculated it for himself and for the workers in his class. In terms of their salary, as long as they could control the urge to spend money.
After a year or two, everyone will be able to buy themselves an apartment if they eat, drink and sleep in the company.
Whether it’s bondholders like Giannis or workers themselves, there’s clearly an internal price for buying a home.
In other words, the houses and urban areas they are renovating now are their new homes in the future.
"That's great..."
"Indeed."
After these strong young men holding axes walked into the forests of northern Palestine, they heard one after another in the mountains: "The tree has fallen!"
Indeed, it’s a log-falling sport.
……
In the 12th century, Palestine also had relatively abundant forest resources.
In fact, in the 12th century, the natural environment of the Levant was far from deteriorating to the point of later generations.
It has quite magnificent natural landscapes, which can be seen from north to south, whether it is forests, river valleys, cliffs, Gobi, or deserts.
The annual rainfall in the Tire area can reach 700mm, which can be said to be abundant rainfall.
A large number of low-class poor people within the city walls of Tire had something to do and migrated to the construction sites outside the city to work.
The city's appearance and environment seemed to have improved overnight.
Regarding this issue, Garris often discussed it with the Paladins around him.
"In our era, whether in rural or urban areas, we are actually facing a problem that most people have never thought about - unemployment"
"A farmer is busy farming for a year. It is said that he is busy from beginning to end, but how much time does he really invest in farmland production? Eight months out of 12 months are not the production of staple foods."
"How much money can an urban apprentice get if he works hard for a full year? If he doesn't get paid for his work, how different is it from being unemployed?"
"As for those idle urban gangsters and beggars, let alone them."
Education is not only educating workers like Giannis, but also educating the upper management of the company.
The main key members of this so-called Levant Investment Company are almost all technical personnel from the Transjordan region.
Many of them are Paladins during the training or inspection period.
For these people, Garris naturally has to take on the responsibility of providing more in-depth education, at least to let these people have a certain understanding of social economy and politics.
"Work, in our time, is a privilege."
"A job that allows you to directly obtain coins is something that most people can't get."
"For this reason, whether we previously reduced taxes for local farmers or whether a large number of Crusaders came to Tire City for consumption, most people in Tire City actually have no way to obtain them because of the lack of clear jobs. Profit.”
"But our company is different."
"It is true that the company's money is borrowed, but the borrowed money is actually circulated in large quantities to the bottom of Tire City through our weekly wages."
Garris is writing and drawing on the blackboard. The teaching he is currently teaching is not a rigorous economics course.
He actually named this course Social Sciences, and his main purpose was to instill some "common sense" cognition.
Just like Garris naming another course Natural Science, it is all to allow his followers to understand the world from a clearer and more rational perspective.
It’s not that I really want to become an economist or natural scientist.
What I'm talking about today is actually to let these people in the company understand how they have had a positive impact on Tire City.
Let them understand why corporate loans have changed the lives of the lower-class citizens of Tire City.
In later generations, this is actually just a very superficial "infrastructure economy".
Regardless of whether the aristocrats who invested large amounts of money in bonds would have doubled their wealth afterwards.
These workers who participated in the construction of new urban areas will go from a state of absolute poverty to a place where their families have enough food.
If we talk about the wealth of the nobility, it has completed the change from 10 to 20 in this process.
Then the workers actually completed the change from 0 to 1.
The worker's 1 is indeed not worth mentioning compared to the noble's 20, but compared with the original 0, it is already infinite.
To understand it from another perspective is: as long as I am poor enough, any little bit of progress will be of great significance.
(End of chapter)