Returning to his lodgings, and having done the rest of his work, Bishop Torres knelt down in front of the small shrine that was placed in his bedroom, and reverently confessed to the icon of Christ:

"Lord, I am guilty, and I confess to you......"

After sincerely confessing his sins, Bishop Torres went to bed with peace of mind, still thinking about how much he had earned in the trade he had just made. But he was too tired, so it wasn't long before he fell asleep.

Because he had been forgiven by God in his confession, Bishop Torres slept very soundly and slept until noon the next day.

In the afternoon, Bishop Torres and Victor went to meet with the slaves, who had been identified as Christians. Most of these slaves have lived here for generations, and most of them no longer speak the language of their ancestors, except for the religious beliefs they still retain, and most of them can only speak Arabic or Turkish.

However, this does not diminish their gratitude to the French and the Holy See who have liberated them today. Especially when Victor, together with Bishop Torres, assured them once again that they would not only be free, but also a piece of land that was entirely their own, the former slaves were eager to get down to their knees and lick their toes.

"My children," Bishop Torres said in Turkish, "I have heard that not all Christians have left Egypt, and that some of our brothers have been hidden by the infidels. These pagans are unwilling to free these brothers of ours from slavery and toil.

God Almighty has heard the prayers of our brothers, and he has seen your suffering over the years and your devotion to God. So just as He appeared to Moses and commanded Him to deliver the Jews from slavery to the Egyptians and to guide them into a land flowing with milk and honey, He appeared to His most pious servant, His Majesty Napoleon Bonaparte, the most loyal warrior of men, the King of men, the anointed One of God, the great Roman Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, and gave them a supreme command that was not to be ignored or disobeyed:

'Go, go to Barbary, and save my lamb from the pagans.' Not only will We set them free, but I will make reparation for the pagans to cede their land. And We will exalt them, and they will be far above the pagans who used to enslave them. ’

My children, this is God's will and it will be done. Now I and the Anointed of God, the Consul of Tréville, sent by His Majesty Bonaparte, Emperor of the Romans, by order of the Pope and the Emperor, have negotiated with the leaders of the pagans, accusing them of breaking their promises and hiding some of our brethren. With God's help, the pagan leaders could not deny it, so they had to allow us to inspect all the slaves in their possession to see if there were any of our brothers among them.

Brothers, those who have been hidden by the infidels are the Lambs of God and the brothers of all of us, just like you. You have lived with them for a long time, and you will continue to bear witness to the glory of God in the future. So, at this time, I beg you to come with us to the screening to save our brothers who have been hidden by the infidels. Will you help us, help your brothers? ”

"We do." The people below shouted.

"Very good, very good, your piety, God has seen it, and you will be rewarded in heaven in the future." Bishop Torres said, "You used to be on a manor, so you put one of the most reliable and intelligent people out to help us ......."

Looking at the boiling crowd below, Victor couldn't help but feel a heavy burden on his shoulders - the religious fervor of these people was a little too high. It is really not an easy task to compete with the Holy See for influence over them.

Early the next morning, Ben Harden Pasha sent personnel to the residence of Bishops Victor and Torres and invited them to go with them to the screening activity.

After settling the issue of the conflict of interests, Ben Haden Pasha really no longer set up obstacles for screening, and even took the initiative to provide some convenience. Honestly, this greedy heretic is still very business-ethical. In such a situation, the whole process of screening went very smoothly, and basically anyone who could be a Christian slave was chosen.

In fact, for those Christian slaves, the fact that there are more "brothers" rescued is not a particularly beneficial thing for them. Because according to the agreement, the land allocated to Christians for cultivation is fixed, which means that the more Christian slaves are rescued, the less land they can be allocated.

But the simple slaves did not think of this for the time being, and they did not think about it at all, inspired by religious fervor.

But when the screening is over, the more realistic question arises, that is, how to distribute the land.

If before, relying on the appeal of religion, the Holy See took the lead, then in this matter, Viktor, who holds the administrative power, will definitely work hard to win back a city.

Victor gathered the liberated Christians for a meeting to explain to them the policies related to the land.

"Gentlemen," Victor deliberately did not use the ecclesiastical title of "brothers" because of the struggle for leadership with the church, "first of all, congratulations on your freedom. But gaining personal freedom is only the starting point, and there is still a lot to be done to achieve financial freedom and a happy life. Some of you, if you still have property and relatives in Europe, you can choose to sell your share of the land that is rightfully yours for francs and return to Europe. If you are willing to stay here, then you will be given a piece of land of your own. Just farm and pay taxes according to the rules. ”

At this point, Victor paused to allow the liberated Christians to digest the news. In fact, the liberated Christians already knew about this news. But that's all through various gossip. At this time, the authoritative official news from Victor still excites the Christians. They shouted, "Thank God! ”

This statement made Victor very unhappy, because what he needed was for those people to thank France and chant "Long live the Emperor", not for them to thank God.

Although, in theory, "thank God" is not wrong. Because, theoretically, His Majesty the Emperor also came to save them by the will of God. So theoretically, they should indeed thank God. But they thanked God first and foremost, which only strengthened the influence of the Church, which apparently displeased Victor.

It's just that Victor couldn't sink his face and said, "Don't thank God, thank the emperor." So he could only wait for the men to finish before continuing:

"If you continue to stay here as a yeoman farmer, then you will face a problem, and that is the question of your nationality. To put it more clearly, what country are you from now? As a general rule, you should be from the Ottoman Empire. But the land allotted to you is the land belonging to the French Republic. This brings us to the question of how to pay taxes.

Since you are cultivating the land of the French Republic, you should naturally pay taxes to the French Republic. But you are also from the Ottoman Empire, so you must also pay a poll tax to the Ottoman Empire, and serve as conscripts as other Ottoman subjects. In addition, as a believer, you also have to pay the tithe. In general, although you will be able to get a piece of land, your life will not be easy in the future.

However, His Majesty Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Great French Republic and Emperor of Rome, is very concerned about your well-being. That's why he has made such a generous offer for you. First of all, he proposed to the French State Council to exempt you from taxes for three years. That is, within three years, you can pay one less tax – which should make it easier for you to get through the initial tough times. ”

"Merciful Your Majesty!" Someone hurriedly shouted.

"Praise be to the merciful Majesty, and may God bless him, Amen!" Then someone followed.

"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!" Someone even shouted.

This reaction made Victor happy, and he continued to throw more bait.

"In addition, His Majesty Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Great French Republic, Roman Emperor, has granted you the same treatment as European Christians, namely, that if you are willing to swear allegiance to the French Republic and are able to pass the French language examination, you are eligible for French citizenship abroad. Once you have this status, you are no longer subjects of the Ottoman Turks, and you will no longer have to pay taxes to the Ottoman Empire, including poll taxes, and take on other errands.

And if you are bullied by any other country or power, we in the French Republic can support you. Remember, no matter where you are in the world, the mighty French Republic and the invincible French army are always behind you, and remember that once you pass the exam, you are a French citizen. You will be granted asylum by the French Republic. Even if you kill someone here, the Ottoman Turkish Empire has no right to try you, and only the courts of France can convict you. ”

"Huh? ......" Obviously, what Victor said surprised and envied these newly liberated Christians.

"Mr. Consul, Mr. Consul, are you saying that we can become French citizens as long as we pass the French exam?" A liberated Christian asked.

"Yes, French citizens abroad. There are still slight differences compared to ordinary citizens, for example, in terms of suffrage. Victor said.

Suffrage or something, the liberated Christians don't understand it at all, and they don't care. But there is no need to pay taxes, no errands, which is a real benefit.

"But who can teach us French?" Another young liberated Christian asked. Judging by the color of his skin, he is clearly of black descent.

"That's a very good question." "Young man, what's your name?" ”

"My name is Django," the man replied, "Django Floyd." ”

"All right, lad." "Your Majesty Napoleon Bonaparte, the First Consul of the Great French Republic, the Roman Emperor, has long thought about it—he is such a good Majesty who can understand the plight of the poor. He will send a special teacher to teach you French for free. The teacher will arrive quickly, and when he arrives, we will arrange a special location in the evening for you to learn French. Now young people, do you still have questions? ”

"Yes, Mr. Consul." Django hesitated suddenly, then said, "You can tell I'm of black blood. But my grandpa was really white. But they say that a person who has a drop of black blood on his body is a black man. I'd like to ask...... Like me...... Can a black man like me become an overseas citizen of France? ”

"Of course it's not a problem." Victor immediately replied, "Django, I ask you, will God's heaven reject you because of the color of your skin?" No. Our God is merciful and treats every believer equally. Shouldn't God's anointed ones do the same? I can even tell you that in Saint-Domingo, the overseas territory of the great French Republic, a black man without any white blood even became its governor. So what do you have to worry about?

Do you know, my friends, what kind of country the French Republic is? ”

"Mr. Consul, you just said that the French Republic is the most powerful country in the world, with an invincible army." Django replied.

"Yes, the French Republic is the most powerful country in the world." "But the French Republic is not just the most powerful country in the world. Let me tell you, my friend, with great pride that the French Republic is a free country, a democratic country, and its credo is: 'Liberty, equality, fraternity.' 'It is a self-evident truth that all men are created equal; France believed that we should not determine a person's worth by his birth, wealth, skin color, etc., and that the only thing that can determine a person's value is a little freer, and that is his devotion to God and his virtues. What is France? France is a paradise on earth, a beacon of light, and a city on a hill. Now, do you guys have any questions? ”

"Long live France!"

"Long live France!"

And everyone shouted.