Chapter 37: The sad level of productivity in the Middle Ages
Rome, Lateran Palace
This sacred palace, which has been the residence of successive popes (and the bishop of Rome in the early days) since the conversion of Emperor Constantine, has become a bloody purgatory at this moment. On the pillars of the verandah in the palace and on the trees in the courtyard, corpses of all kinds were hung everywhere. In addition to priests with mushroom hair, some were also disheveled women. The palace was also in a mess, with ransacked halls and messy furniture everywhere. The floor and steps were also covered with dirty black footprints, and blood-stained drag marks could be seen everywhere.
——A few days ago, he was still entrenched in this sacred Lateran Palace and ruled the Papal States. He even ambitiously planned to "establish a new center" and was at odds with the Catholic Church in Avignon. We have all become a passing cloud at this time.
These once-prominent guys, together with their illegitimate sons, fought in futile and desperate resistance, were rushed into the palace by the angry people, captured and beaten, and then, dying, were removed from the top floor of the palace amidst various cheers. It was pushed out of the window, like a fledgling that had not yet fully feathered. Under the gravity of the earth, it turned into a few weird things full of abstraction and looking bloody and fleshy. And in those outrageously spacious and luxurious bedrooms, their mistresses, ladies and maids fully withstood the "passion and blood" of many desperate rioters, serving as the most wonderful sideshow of this riot. , outside the dormitory was surrounded by people with high hormones all day long. After hearing the news, people kept rushing over and squeezing in, and people kept crawling out staggeringly... until these poor women couldn't stand it, and finally broke off one after another. gas.
However, Pope Clement VI, who was surrounded by papal guards and strolled through the Lateran Palace to preach for the victims, held an obsidian rosary in his hand and looked at the tragic scene with an expressionless face, his heart filled with a kind of The joy of relief - God is always the fairest. The arrogant sins of these Italian wealthy and powerful people who have controlled the Holy See for many years and have shut out the recent generations of French popes have finally been repaid in this world!
——For most of the time in history, almost every pope always had a lot of troublesome political opponents in the Papal States around him. Since the Holy See was moved to Avignon, the attitude of the Italian dignitaries in the Papal States towards successive French popes has become even more rebellious to the extreme.
The so-called "Papal States" is interpreted in Latin as the states affiliated with the church. That is, the secular territory nominally ruled by the Pope of Rome. The Papal State is not a unitary state, but a loose community composed of many independent or semi-independent city-states, small states and noble territories.
Strictly speaking, the Papal States during the Middle Ages and Renaissance cannot be regarded as a real country, but a loose combination of several feudal city-states or small countries, each with the Pope as the supreme lord. To use an analogy, , is a reduced version of the Holy Roman Empire! Considering that the position of the Pope is not hereditary from a dynasty, nor does it come from a popular vote, and foreigners will run for office from time to time, the political structure of the Papal State is more like that of the Polish Aristocratic Republic in the Middle Ages, leaving aside the spiritual realm. The degree of centralization in the secular sphere is so overwhelming that it is impossible to say anything about it.
Even in the Crusade Era, when the papal authority was relatively high, due to the political law of "my vassal's vassal is not my vassal" that was common throughout medieval European feudal society, the pope's rule over most of the territories under his name was still in name only. Yes, the real masters of each city-state in the Papal State are still the local princes and nobles. In order to make them more peaceful, the Pope even often launches crusade to attack the neighbors. When the Crusades completely failed, the authority of the church declined significantly, especially after the Holy See moved out of Italy and to Avignon, France. The pope of this era was so depressed that he could not even control the city of Rome. Not even an inch of land that truly belongs to you is gone.
Despite this, Pope Clement VI never gave up his attempt to regain the Papal States again. He tried every means to infiltrate his power into Italy and suppress the most powerful feudal princes in the Papal States. After repeated setbacks, he even did not hesitate to use the most powerful force. Drastic means.
In 1347, just before the outbreak of the Black Death, that is, last year, the Catholic Church, which had always been conservative and outdated, unexpectedly launched a bloodless "color revolution" in Rome. Cora di Rienzo, elected by enthusiastic citizens The tribunes and governors of the city of Rome immediately announced the re-establishment of the Roman Republic - and the establishment of this republic also received strong support from Clement VI... It can be seen that in order to suppress the Italian princes of the Papal State and increase their sense of presence, the frustrated Pope Clement VI no longer cares about anything.
Unfortunately, Pope Clement VI’s plan to seize power this time was really untrustworthy. The man he relied on, Mr. Cora, was a street activist. His eloquence and ability to incite were top-notch, but his ability to govern could only be described as ridiculous. He was almost only interested in recreating the glory of ancient Rome. A dreamer, even the most basic political common sense is lacking - this guy just became the protector of the people Official, he didn’t even fully control the city of Rome, so he thought he was Caesar and Augustus. He didn’t even communicate the news with the Pope, and he issued orders to the kings of all Europe in the voice of the head of Rome, asking them to do this and that. , which offended countless princes for a time and became a laughing stock in the European political arena.
Then, the Tribune of Cora completely ignored the cruel reality that his "Roman Republic" did not even have an army. He probably thought that his words could outshine soldiers and horses, and he did not pay much attention to building an armed force, so he began to publish a message with great ambition. Another reform announcement, trying to abolish the expensive privileges, and even confiscated their property and land, thereby exploding a hornet's nest... So, just a few months later, a large group of mobs incited by the nobles launched an arrogant siege against his government, and in an instant Subverting this farce-like "Roman Republic".
In front of the sharp sword, the self-respecting Cora had no choice but to shave off her beard, managed to get away with it by disguising herself, escaped from Rome in a hurry and headed north, and is now wandering in an unknown corner. As a supporter, Pope Clement VI also aroused public anger in the Papal State. His nominal vassals began to communicate in Rome to discuss countermeasures, and even prepared to try to overthrow the papal throne of the mastermind behind the scenes.
Fortunately, at this critical juncture, the Black Death broke out. All struggles between people were immediately buried by death...
Therefore, Pope Clement VI had no sympathy for the tragic deaths of the entire families of these political opponents, and was even a little afraid. He secretly complained that he had urged the angels too hastily when he was preparing to set off - —If I had arrived a little earlier and hadn't waited until these difficult bastards died in the riot, the next task of taking over the Papal State would have been much more troublesome.
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
It is precisely because of the above considerations that after the riots subsided and the "angels" said that the matter had nothing to do with them, the Pope did not punish anyone, but generously forgave every sinner's faults - I guess he still had some thoughts in his heart. While applauding the complete eradication of so many political enemies - and treating them equally in the subsequent plague prevention and control process, even those who were injured during the robbery and killing were also healed.
But the problem is, even though each of these thugs cried bitterly and said that they wanted to change their minds and change their past mistakes. But soon afterwards, there was a saying in Europe that "even if you burn and loot the Papal Palace in Rome, as long as you sincerely repent afterwards, you will be forgiven by God." This has inspired generations of Christian violent elements. When looting religious sites, emancipate your mind, drop your baggage, fight hard, and work hard...
Well, anyway, before that, the robber barons were not polite when they attacked the monastery and ransacked the church. Even some kings who were frightened of poverty were taking robbing monasteries as one of their hobbies, so they were hostile to the church. In other words, if you have too many lice and don’t itch, you won’t have to worry about too many debts!
When the Pope passed a corridor with open windows, he saw that angels had erected a huge cat statue outside with cement. The angels had been insisting that the source of the plague was rats and God. In order to punish humans for the unfair cruelty and killing of cats over the years. If you want to repent of your sins, you must love cats as much as you love the Lord... Although the Pope was dubious, he still took the lead in getting a cat to raise.
In any case, it is much easier to raise a cat at home than those ascetics who wear sackcloth, wear thorns, and beat themselves with whips.
I don’t know what kind of magic power the angels used. This giant statue of the cute cat, which is as high as three stories high, was basically completed in less than a day. Thousands of Roman citizens and pilgrims from other places knelt around the cat statue on three levels inside and three outside. While putting money into the donation box at the foot of the statue, they prayed in various dialects for mercy. God and the "forgiving" cats forgive their sins.
——Although it seemed a bit awkward for medieval Europeans to be asked to bow down and worship a statue of a cat, you must know that Christianity is strictly against the heretical behavior of "idol worship". But faced with the scolding of angels and the threat of plague, people really have no choice - they have been suffering in an atmosphere of infinite despair for a long time and no longer want to let go of the last straw.
Then, these penitents who reformed and gave generously before the angels received the promised rewards.
"...Meow! Something more dazzling than the sun, something cuter than a holy cat, please appear in the flow of time. In your great name, I swear in this light, to these things Lambs who believe in the Lord, grant equal salvation, Meow! (Japanese)"
——Accompanied by the incantation chanted loudly by a certain "angel", a dazzling white light that the believers had been waiting for for a long time crashed down from the clouds. In an instant, it poured down like a tsunami bursting through a bank, flowing across a large area like a substance. ground. And it goes on and on and seems to have no end.
The light is so dazzling and brilliant, so holy and peaceful, so ecstatic, although eye-catching but not dazzling, as if it is the most peaceful, gentle and clean existence in the world. Not only does it instantly purify the hearts of all witnesses, It also allows every plague patient to recover from their illness instantly!
In an instant, all kinds of chaotic shouts of "Thank the Lord" and "Praise God" were like a roaring mountain and a tsunami, resounding from the square into the sky.
Standing in the corridor of the Lateran Palace and seeing such a scene through the window, Clement VI couldn't help showing a proud smile - the people of Rome, and even the entire Papal State, were now completely Being included in the palm of your hand. No matter how unruly those famous Italian families who claim to have produced many generations of popes are, they can only kneel at their feet in fear...if they have not been swallowed up by the plague.
However, when he thought of the high price he would pay for these miracles, Pope Clement VI couldn't help but feel a burst of heartache in his heart.
"... One and a half million ducats... Tsk, tsk, it should be said that the angels' appetite for bribes is really on a level only found in heaven? Such a price is enough to buy nineteen Avignon cities! Of course. , if it is to save such a great plague, then it is worth it. But the problem is, such a large contribution does not require real estate such as manors and mansions, where should I go to raise funds..."
How on earth is this huge sum of money to be distributed among the various dioceses? Specifically, how much money should be raised from which cities? Or is it a physical object of equivalent value?
Bathed in the afterglow of the holy light, Pope Clement VI touched his chin and fell into deep thinking on how to satisfy the angel's demand for bribes...
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
Seven days after the "Advent of the Angels", with the gifts of angels - the holy light to cure the plague and the lightning to punish the thugs, the Holy See of Avignon from France has naturally taken over Rome, the holy city belonging to God.
Those rebellious Italian noble lords in the Papal States who had been disobedient to the law for many years, as long as they still had a breath, sadly sent people or rushed to Rome in person, crying and shouting to the Pope who had been blessed by the angel. Pope Raymond VI knelt down to repent and confess his sins, asking only to be healed by angels and to be given a "sacred seal (vaccination injection)" to resist the plague. As for the conditions of professing vassalship, paying taxes, repenting, consecrating land, and handing over property, they all agreed without hesitation - even if they were to lose their lives, how could they care about dignity and power?
Of course, after surviving the plague, will they regret it or not? That is something that needs to be considered after they survive.
None of the angels paid much attention to the above-mentioned changes in political situation and reversal of situation. As long as the Pope is still doing everything possible to collect money and property for them, let this old man pretend to be a tiger - all the time-travelers who came to save these medieval Europeans, whether they have enough moral integrity or lack of moral integrity, whether they are Japanese or Chinese, others Everything is easy to talk about, except for the money issue, which I will definitely not let go.
It is a pity that even though Pope Clement VI has devoted 200% of his efforts to plundering, and the believers who have just come back from the brink of death are also extremely generous in donating money, there are still so many who are suffering from the plague. The extinct rich even contributed all their belongings... However, due to the sad productivity of medieval European society, the final amount of money still could not satisfy Doraemon, who was heavily in debt.
——In a certain temporarily requisitioned conference room, a group of angels with snow-white wings on their backs were discussing the matter of copper odor without any scruples.
"...The total is only 3.8 billion yen? How can the majestic capital of the Roman Empire, the center of Christianity for thousands of years, and the spiritual hub of the European Catholic world, only be able to squeeze out so little oil and water? How far is it from paying off that terrible loan shark?" There's still a lot to be desired!" Doraemon counted the accounts with a frown, "... Could it be that the city of Rome has been squeezed to the limit and can no longer squeeze out more money? "
< br>
"...I'm afraid I've reached my limit. When I was blackmailing the church, I had already moved away the gold and silver instruments, the statue of Jesus and the Virgin Mary in the church, and almost provoked a riot among the priests. In the end, I had to give it to them. Many brightly colored 3D-printed plastic icons and ritual objects were provided instead, and a batch of religious-themed oil paintings printed on plastic sheets were also given, which barely appeased them," Wang Qiu said, shaking his head.
"...Moreover, because we took too many gold and silver coins from the city at once - in fact, we took almost all the coins, causing the circulation of goods on the market to fall into crisis, and market sales were even forced to It has degenerated into barter, and the Holy See cannot even collect the transaction tax. For this reason, we have to make a lot of 'holy coins' out of plastic and give them to the church to try and see if they can issue them."
Professor Guo also added about the tight money situation in the Roman market - something like a small village that can give out hundreds or even thousands of gold coins to reward adventurers will only exist in Dragon Quest. In RPG games like this. If it were in real medieval Europe, many remote villages would not even have a single gold coin... Even in a place with a large population and wealth like Rome, after more than 100,000 gold coins were taken away in cash at one time, It will also fall into an extremely terrifying currency shortage crisis.
Next, Professor Guo also took out a bunch of "holy coins" samples for everyone to see. These holy coins are made of smooth hard plastic and come in three types: gold, silver and green. The pattern on the front is Jesus crucified, and the pattern on the back is a cute cat head raising its paws. It very subtly and appropriately caters to the main theme of Christianity and Doraemon's preferences...not to mention whether this light and airy coin is Being recognized by the market, at least in terms of anti-counterfeiting, it can stump counterfeit money dealers for five hundred years - where can I find plastic these days?
In short, the above situations have fully demonstrated that the wealth of the city of Rome has indeed been squeezed to the limit by these pseudo-angels.
"...It only took one week to collect 3.8 billion yen in the city of Rome, which is actually quite good. As far as I know, many believers have already donated their fur shawls and woolen coats. Come out, I really can’t bring out any more good things!”
Paladin Levi touched his chin and considered it for a while, and finally sighed and comforted everyone, "... although the city of Rome today is still ranked high in Europe, after all, it is no longer the city of the Roman Empire. A cosmopolitan city with a population of one million, especially in recent decades, is no longer even the seat of the Catholic Church. Naturally, the wealth accumulated in the city will not be too much, let alone the so-called rich people of this era. Modern society is often not even well-off. As for the poor in medieval Europe, I don’t know why they can still survive. According to the social standards of this era, a set of clothes in many poor families can be passed down from grandfather to grandson. , and the number of decent dresses in rich families can often be counted on one hand. As long as a person has three changes of shirts, he is considered middle class!”
Hearing this, the "purple-haired angel" Minami Rika and the "blonde angel" Marikawa Shizuka who were sitting in the audience couldn't help exchanging meaningful glances - these two are bare-butt naked people who don't like to wear clothes. Unless they have to wear sanitary napkins during menstruation, they usually don't even bother to wear "****underwear". But even so, in their The bedroom is also filled with several cabinets of all kinds of beautiful women's clothing. There is a drawer just for bras and panties... In comparison, those medieval Europeans whose whole family could not afford enough clothes for a crate should have How sad. Hmm, why do you suddenly feel a subtle sense of shame about being a rich man but robbing poor beggars?