Chapter 278 Looking up from the turbid world
Jeffrey is a relatively keen person. He is at least much sharper than Guy and Amery. He can intuitively feel that the current system of the Kingdom of Jerusalem has undergone drastic changes.
The party struggle at the top of the kingdom had no impact on the normal operation of the kingdom.
This is already very, very weird.
After learning about the performance of the Second Kingdom in the past few years from Ameri, Jeffrey knew very well that the so-called parliamentary partisanship in the past two years was essentially a joke.
The reason why this joke can continue is simply because Balian doesn't mind. To be more precise, it needs some people to decorate the appearance.
They have completely controlled the operation of this country at the actual governance level, and naturally they do not care whether the crown continues to hang on Sibylla's head.
Do those "officials" who have never spoken out and handled various affairs of the kingdom in obscurity during this series of political turmoil really have no political pursuits?
Of course not, just because in the parliament, the Balian and Conrad factions who support reforms and can provide more positions have an advantage.
When you have the upper hand, naturally only the victor can be generous.
But Sibylla died after all, and the Balians could not tolerate the crown hanging on the head of a person who was definitely hostile to them, that is, Guy.
During the day, he cited the actions of the British and French Crusaders, which was actually a test to determine the bottom line of the other party's tolerance.
After all, it doesn’t cost much to raise a group of clowns, but if the clowns themselves have armed forces, how will the other party react?
In terms of results, Balian showed a bit too calmly.
He obviously has a trump card that he doesn't know about.
Jeffrey was really not sure what that trump card meant.
Did you miss something?
……
Indeed, Jeffrey missed a lot. While he was focusing on the upper echelons of the kingdom, sorting out the relationships between the characters, and thinking about power and political struggles, many people in the dark corners were still worrying about food for the future. .
At first it was anger, then anxiety. After a few days, walking became difficult, and even thinking became very difficult. Emotions and feelings became a burden, the mind and body gradually separated, and death could come at any time...
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Aaron has had this feeling before. The strongest feeling was when the city of Tire was besieged by Saladin's army.
At that time, thousands of Saracen troops sealed the city gates, and the normal operation of the city of Tire came to a standstill. His father had no income at all, so he could exchange for some food by guarding the city wall.
Since his father had to guard the city wall, he naturally ate most of the food. All he could get was a small amount of black bread mixed with a lot of wheat bran.
But Aaron survived after all, the city of Tire also ushered in great changes, and the family's life improved little by little.
But this kind of good is also limited, especially when he unexpectedly lost his identity as an apprentice, and it seemed that his whole life would be gloomy.
If a good man named Garris hadn't provided him with a lot of help, maybe, maybe... he would have disappeared from this world.
Now, again, again, Aaron felt the hunger he had felt before.
Because before he grew up, his father, as expected, had an accident. He fell on the dock and was still alive, but his leg was broken.
In a sense, such "accidents" are inevitable.
Garris had given him some money, which seemed like a lot, but in the city of Tire where prices were skyrocketing, it was simply not enough to spend.
The amount of food that the family could provide suddenly dropped back to the time when he was besieging the city and he was still growing. If he didn't want to continue to be hungry, he had to find a way to get food.
They do small jobs and try their best to make money, but it is actually difficult for child workers to support themselves, let alone bring food to their families.
After various obstacles.
Aaron appeared in an alley, looking at the food in other people's hands in the shadows, the money bag jingling around his waist, his eyes glowing green.
If he takes action, can he get the food? Or steal some coins?
A young man laughed and walked past him into the alley. Little did he know that Aaron had already hidden a wooden stick behind him. As long as there was a little more driving force, Aaron would take action.
He had never done anything like this before, so he had no idea how successful it would be.
He just relied on the most basic desire for food to become a little reckless, but his brain lacking glucose made it difficult for him to think clearly about the risks.
Taking two deep breaths, Aaron took two steps forward and followed the young man, but when he took the third step, a hand was suddenly placed on his shoulder.
"Don't."
Aaron didn't care that the voice was familiar, and subconsciously turned around, took out the stick behind him and hit the man behind him.
The opponent didn't dodge, he just stood still and let the thick wooden stick hit his chest, making a dull sound.
The other party did not pay attention to his behavior, but said something he had never thought of: "How many days have you not eaten? Is your strength already so low?"
"Three, three days?" Aaron answered subconsciously, without recalling who the other party was.
"Let's go, let me take you to have something to eat first."
There was no pursuit, no anger, or even any pity. It was just a matter of course, holding his hand and walking out of the dark alley and into the sunshine.
I stumbled a little at first and couldn't stand steady, but after the opponent stopped, I felt that the sun was a little dazzling,
Aaron used his hand that was not being held to block the sunlight, but he still felt a little dazzling because the person holding his hand seemed to be emitting light.
"Garys?"
"Yes, it's me"
……
It was a bit of a coincidence. Indeed, this was the second time Garris had met Aaron.
Last time, Aaron was malnourished and passed out on the roadside. This time, it was almost the same, but he didn't even have the strength to grab food.
Gareth saw this scene, but he didn't say anything accusatory. It was superfluous to say anything when a person was about to starve to death.
Garris took Aaron home, got some bread, and boiled it in hot water to make porridge. The amount was not very large, so he handed Aaron only half a bowl.
"Eat slowly, eating too much is not good for your health."
Even though Garris said this, Aaron still finished the little porridge in a few mouthfuls.
"Tell me, how are you doing recently..."
Aaron was silent at first, but he was still a child after all. After Garris showed his kindness, he spoke out a series of the pain in his chest.
From his father's injury, his uncle's malice, and the actions of many people in Tire, a barrage of bullets came out.
"Okay, I understand." Aaron is just a microcosm. In fact, Gareth has encountered such a child more than once, and every time Gareth will do something within his ability.
Silence, long silence.
Garris sighed: "Do you still understand the arithmetic I taught you?"
"Uh..."
Aaron was a little unsure.
"How many copper fils can be exchanged for one silver dirham coin?"
"20 pieces."
"How many copper fils coins can be exchanged for 5 silver dirham coins?"
"100 pieces."
The starch he just ingested was decomposed into glucose with astonishing efficiency in Aaron's intestines, and rushed into his head along the bloodstream, allowing him to answer Gareth's questions efficiently.
"70 coppers, how much silver can be exchanged for?"
Please...you...Collect_6Ⅰ9ⅠBookⅠ(Six\\\Nine\\\Book\\\!)
When Garris asked this question, Aaron couldn't figure it out for a while. It took a long time before he answered in confusion.
"Three and a half?"
"Well, it seems that you haven't forgotten everything yet."
At first, Garris taught Aaron some addition, subtraction, multiplication and division within a hundred. After this year passed, Aaron's level did not improve, but it did not decrease either. He still maintained a level of a prenatal education graduate.
This is also the general level of most citizens these days. Most are illiterate and know some arithmetic, but not much.
Aaron can quickly calculate multiplication and division, and understand the concept of 0.5, which is beyond the state of his peers.
Literacy in the Middle Ages may be useful, but it is unlikely to be useful. It can only be said that it is a life skill that can be used many times.
It is very normal for people like Aaron to be illiterate.
But since you can understand arithmetic, there is still work to do.
"The newspaper office in the city needs people to deliver newspapers. You can go and have a look. You can make a lot of money in a month."
"The main thing you can do there is ask people for advice on how to read. After you become literate, you will find that there are many positions waiting for you."
Garris pointed out a direction, but didn't say much. The two met by chance, and he had done his best to do this.
After thinking for a moment, Garris did not hand the money to Aaron. Instead, he went to the kitchen to get a lot of bread, put it in a bag, and handed it to Aaron.
Aaron, who was sitting in his seat, couldn't help but ask a question: "Why do you want to help me?"
"Because I said to provide food and starve, if you don't give him food, you will kill him."
Where Jeffrey couldn't pay attention, Garris could see that he was standing in this turbid world and looking upwards, there were layers of hell emerging one after another.
Only those nobles stand in the world and can discuss how to live a human life.
But now, Garris is bringing the hungry ghosts of hell back to the earth.
This is resurrection, no one dies alone anymore, everyone is with Gareth, and everyone reveals their life in this resurrection.
Aaron was just one of them, an insignificant one. Besides him, there were many others who took the bread from the hands of the Paladins and saw the brilliance from countless people with faces that resembled Garris.
Of course, the Paladins not only provide bread to feed the body, but also fill people's spirits.
In Tire, Beirut, and even in the newly recovered city of Acre, people have begun to read the contents of the newspapers in the streets and alleys, letting many civilians on the side know what has happened in these years.
Isabella, this originally somewhat unclear name, was combined with the girl who often appeared in the crowd, and was regarded as a representative of the New Deal.
Garris, a name that was originally more unfamiliar, gradually rose to prominence along with the reputation of regaining lost territory.
The newspaper has published several issues, and each issue has something to say, but at least it is a topic that ordinary people will care about.
There are even many clarifications on certain conspiracy theories.
In an era that has not experienced information bombardment, there are very few channels for people to receive information. The Paladin group is a good person with some reputation among the people. The news they read is naturally particularly convincing.
Regarding the original suspicion of the succession to the throne, the people at the bottom were originally not very concerned about it. However, after hearing that Guy was competing with Isabella for the throne, any Frank would find it difficult to maintain an expression on his face.
It was true that the battle in the Sea of Galilee was so miserably lost. The thought of such a waste still occupying the throne makes people shudder.
Let such a person be the king. If there is another battle on the Sea of Galilee, wouldn't the entire kingdom be over?
As for the Saracens or Greeks, although they remained silent, many private discussions began to emerge, all of which were questioning Guy's ability.
At the same time, the propaganda about the Parliament and its members in newspapers intensified again.
Many Franks suddenly realized that they could actually have a voice in the Kingdom House through the members they had previously introduced.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem actually showed many characteristics similar to those of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. It also had a situation where a small ethnic group controlled a large ethnic group.
The Franks are also similar to the Bannermen. Although they do not have hard-core crops, they often have considerable political privileges.
Therefore, the Franks are not the kind of pure lower-class civilians who only know how to lick the boots of the nobles when they see them. They also go to battle to resist foreign enemies and maintain the security of the kingdom.
In the past, it was because only nobles could attend the Kingdom Council, and ordinary Franks could not intervene in the succession of the throne, so everyone did not care much about the succession of the throne.
Nowadays, the kingdom provides a lower house where the members elected by the people can go up and argue. This has caused many people to join forces and visit relatives and friends to discuss issues with those members.
Everyone thought that who should be the king had nothing to do with them before, but after experiencing Guy's fiasco, everyone felt that it had a lot to do with their own lives.
Therefore, Guy must step down no matter what!
In Guy's mansion, although Jeffrey had heard some rumors from the lower class commoners, he still did not pay attention to them.
What do the common people at the bottom know? What can they do?
Just another rabble.
"Améry, how about we take a step back tomorrow and say that we hope to keep Guy's crown, but not his inheritance rights?"
Jeffrey discussed with his two brothers beside him.
Politics is the art of compromise. Both sides will make various compromises. Now that Balian is strong, blindly tough confrontation will not achieve results.
(End of chapter)