More than 10,000 German immigrants, except for a thousand skilled apprentices who were employed in the armory of Seleucia, making simple spears, arrows, and chain mail, were all men and women who were assigned to the fields of the Sacred Estate, and there were 4,000 in Seleucia alone, and about 6,000 together with the tenant farmers who were originally there.

Gawain and this group of people had a special clause in the contract: that is, as long as they cultivated the sacred land for five years and completed the annual contract, they could open up their own private arable land in the wastelands, woodlands, marshes, etc. of Seleucia and West Cilicia, and after the completion of the development, the provisional government recognized their ownership and inheritance rights, and exempted them from taxes for a certain year, and this decree was applied to the rest of the peasants (mainly for the peasants who originally lived in the area).

On the basis of this decree, Gawain and Anna naturally concocted a new "Provisional Land Ordinance of the Seleucian Military Government", that is, the entire area of non-arable land forests, swamps and sandy lands were owned by the military government, and the landlords and yeoman farmers of Jinat had to pay an additional forest land tax if they wanted to use it, and in this way they would take the equivalent of 100,000 new acres of land in their pockets. In addition to the increase in taxes, this decree also facilitated the Provisional Military Government's competition with the Jinat landlords for the tenant farmer population: in short, as a tenant farmer, rather than paying an extra forest land tax under the Jinat landlords (which would certainly be passed on to them), it was better to transfer to the direct battalions of the military government, and anyway, to work on the holy estates, go to the woodlands to cut firewood, or use water for irrigation, which was free of charge, after all, "their own people".

After the recognition is correct. Anna used the new "Red Hand Seven Ridges" heraldic seal and stamped it at the end of the decree. Just now she danced and stood at the head of the Acropolis. Looking at the Qianmo Valley below, I was complacent, and it was for this reason.

The current tax payments, after scraping the land of the group of Jinat landlords, are already equivalent to thirty or forty thousand Byzantit gold coins in kind and taxes combined, although compared with the taxes of the previous empire at its height (after the abdication of the Empress Dowager Theodora in 856 A.D., the total amount of the imperial treasury was 7,800,000 gold solides, and in 1025 when Vasily II died. The treasury has 14,400,000 gold coins) is still a bit shabby, but it is a good start for a corner of the country.

However, Gao Wen, who put aside the books and papers, sighed, walked to Anna's side, and looked at the farms dotted below, "Now that the population of the entire region is so small and the arable land is insufficient, it has to support nearly 10,000 people in the Saim Division. It's really stretched. ”

"How can this be?" Anna wondered how it should be normal for her to feed 10,000 soldiers.

Gawain continued to sigh and leaned against the battlements next to him. "I think it's a very heavy burden for twelve people in this world to support a soldier, a priest, a tax collector, a bureaucrat, and so on. It can even lead to the decadence and collapse of the country; Not to mention, a considerable part of the fields and cultivators nowadays. It is still in the hands of the nobles of Jinat, so if you convert it. We have to feed a soldier even if we have less than ten men, and we will soon have to expand the port, the bazaar, the camp, the maintenance of the fleet, the construction of a large hospital and the workshop of the soldiers, it is true that your father's territory is much larger than ours, but the army of the empire can only be maintained at about 40,000 men. ”

Hearing this, Anna also fell silent, she didn't expect the truth of the truth to be so cruel and embarrassing, "But if you spread the military service on the heads of the Jinats, you should still be able to maintain the military strength of the two brigades and regiments to conquer the Holy Land." ”

"Impossible!" Gawain hugged Anna's waist, but his expression was categorical, "I have calculated accurately, the establishment of two brigades can be retained, but the expedition can absolutely not support it, and only one brigade can be maintained. In addition, if two brigades were to go out at the same time, wouldn't the territory be coveted by the Jinat nobles? How can I be at ease with leaving you in Seleucia without the protection of the army? ”

Gawain's words, Anna understood, the two brigades went out to fight just a fantasy, and now the northern and western gateways of Seleucia are in the hands of the Callegos family, and now that they are fledgling, they can't shoot at them, and one day that blind old general may lure her father and other enemy armies into the house, and it will really be ruined, and now Gawain obviously wants her to make a choice:

The conquest of Antioch and Jerusalem should go to the Red Hand Brigade or the Guardian Brigade?

"Come by the name." Finally, Anna replied a little frustratedly.

The answer is obvious, the "defenders" can really only be temporarily dismantled, guarding and defending various military towns, pacifying the localities, and ensuring taxes and farming.

"Then, the Guardian Brigade will be temporarily downgraded to the 'Garrison Sequence', and the Sacred Warriors will remain unchanged, but they will not enjoy the distribution of the spoils." Gawain stroked Anna's hair.

"Okay, okay." Anna crouched in Gawain's arms, "Don't get hurt. ”

"Well, when the Holy City is restored, I will return with a full load, and Seleucia will surely be restored." Gawain promised, and then Anna's heart stabilized.

"It's so dangerous, I've probably blinded this little girl, and in short, I won't admit for the time being that the Guardian Brigade is such a hastily assembled rabble, half of their officers are Greeks, and they are only loyal to Anna, so they will stay in Seleucia, and keep watch on each other with the group of Genat Greeks - I will take my favorite Red Hand Brigade to the great victory of the conquest of the Holy City, so that in this triumph, Anna will obediently obey me in the future, and Uncle Ben will be the one who controls the bridle!" Touching Anna's braid in his arms, Gawain couldn't help but laugh.

"Hmph, obviously I don't want the brigade I formed to make meritorious contributions, it doesn't matter Anna, as long as you firmly control the internal affairs and multiply agriculture and commerce, you can gain prestige among the people and the brigade, and then come to train the Guardian Brigade and improve the armament, sooner or later the latecomers will prevail, the big barbarian, you are my subordinate minister." Anna, who was hugging Gawain's waist, thought of it with a smile while rubbing Gawain's shirt affectionately with her little face.

A few days later, a letter came from the eastern Cilicia region, from Baldwin: the main force of the pilgrims was slow to move, and was still in Heraclia, probably because they did not receive our support pledges, and because of the scorching heat, neither Ademar nor Bohemond dared to act rashly. And I have taken the rich city of Adana, and I need the help of your army to drive Tantared from the city of Mamistra over there, and then we will divide it evenly!

In the letter, Baldwin also said that in Eastern Cilicia, General Orson of the castle of Lamprun was willing to make an alliance with us, and that Constantine of Armenia. Ruben was closely associated with Tancrad, "the offensive and defensive posture of the two sides has been formed, and the decisive moment has come, which determines who will finally reach the glorious holy land." ”

After reading the letter, Gawain handed it to Muzafi Addin, "to your mistress to circulate." By the way, there is also this letter, from the Holy See in the city of Rome, which was also sent, but to remind her that Gawain rejected the Holy See's request to coronate me. ”

Sure enough, just as the hermit Peter had predicted, Urban II made a conclusion about Gawain's actions with "my heart": because Gawain had promised him that after gaining a foothold in Seleucia and Cilicia, he would do his best to ensure that all the pilgrims who came from land and sea would not slacken.

The Pope was even happier to be able to plant a nail in the Orthodox Roman Empire, and he even asked at the end of the letter: Does Gawain need to be like King Za'tar Constantine. Burning, like that, wearing the crown he personally sent to be crowned? If necessary, he would immediately send a "noble" figure as his agent to crown Gawain's skull with a glittering, Catholic crown with the title of "Caesar of Seleucia".

But Gawain quickly declined in his reply.

He didn't want to be the target of public criticism, and Berdeen's kind of thing didn't end well at all, not to mention Anna's feelings.

At the very least, the time has not come.

Then, under the blowing of the sea breeze, Gawain walked to the front of the small table, where there was still the last secret letter, from the city of Bari, which was sent by the left-behind prefect Francisco, and Gawain carefully poked open the edge with a dagger after the servant left, and read:

It turned out that the Grand Senate of the city of Bari had passed a resolution to raise funds for the purchase of twelve half-used galleys capable of transporting goods in Amalfi, Pisa and Venice, which would soon be escorted by the Venetians to the city of Seleucia.

"Great." Gawain couldn't help but be overjoyed, now Jalguba and Andreev have returned most of the soldiers of the sailor company to their old trades, plus hundreds of local Maldedians, all of whom are very good sailors, the only thing lacking is the boat, Francisco can be regarded as a great help to me, as long as this small fleet is in place, the maritime trade in all directions can be operated!

Suddenly, Gawain pinched it, and under the text of Francisco there was something attached, and he flipped it over, and it was a small letterhead, on which were bundled with black silk flowers, and Ingalina's handwriting was legible.

"My dear Gawain, how ecstatic I was to learn that your footsteps had finally stopped in Seleucia, to be able to resume written correspondence and greetings with you. I have done very well in the manufacture of silk in the city of Bari, and it is time for me to come and be by your side, for the Italians are very treacherous, and I feel that there is more room for this endeavour in Asia Minor, and in the autumn I will come with the twelve galleys with Madame Chiser, who is also very concerned for her husband, your lord of the camp, Mr. Merlot.

May Christ Almighty bless you with health and vitality and love your Ingrida. Mesadini. ”

Gawain slowly rested the letterhead on the small table, then put his finger on the wing of his nose, "No, Ingrena, I have to protect - no matter what, go to Tarsus and Vesat first. Merlot met to discuss the matter. ”

(End of this volume) (To be continued.) )