Eagle Byzantium

The land outside the city was originally the location of the Roman royal family's land. Gao Wen felt that the Turkish Sultan's approach was obviously better than Emperor Komnenos: in Seleucia, it is said that the same is true in Konya, that is, the royal land occupies a very important share of the local area and is the most fertile. The income generated is used to pay military salaries and national expenses, while the iqta fiefs of the various Ghazi are concentrated in the border areas. Even so, these iqta fiefs have no hereditary power: when the Ghazi warrior dies in battle or passes away, his fiefdom will be reclaimed by the Sultan's court in most or all of the inheritance law, and will soon be handed over to another warrior willing to fight for the Sultan through documents as a reward to encourage him to kill the enemy.

However, many brotherhoods wearing red cross-sword smocks are holding weapons and constantly driving away local farmers who are trying to take advantage of the chaos to occupy these lands. They also use wooden poles and fences to enclose these lands, and order the original tenants not to escape at will and continue to farm for the new owners.

Gawain saw this scene and understood that he and Anna had replaced and surpassed the original emirs and beys, and concentrated these lands in their own hands in the name of holy beneficiary estates. These lands are not only in the suburbs of Seleucia, but also around various large military towns. This is why he split up the various detachments in the division and went to garrison and investigate.

In short, he and Anna are now the "most powerful landlords and landlords" on this land.

These suburban farms have complete facilities such as mills, barns, garages, and stables. The tenants live in rows of huts separated by roads or ponds. The huts are very simple. Apart from the main wooden beams, there are only a few pottery jars and cart boards on the edge. There are a few trees planted on both sides of the road. But it is not large-scale. The fields produce mainly barley, wheat, and peas, mixed with vegetable gardens and gardens for the Turkish beys to enjoy, and there are also a large number of pastures, because the Turkish and Greek nobles like war horses and cattle plowing, surrounding the walls of Seleucia. There are also many tool workshops.

Following the road through them, for about three li, Anna and Agnes's bras and shirts were also soaked with sweat. In such weather, they lost their original "interest in playing". No more chattering and laughing, only Stavlachos was still constantly replenishing ice cubes for the princess to quench her thirst and cool down. Agnes's servants held up umbrellas to provide shade for everyone.

The red umbrellas gradually moved away, and soon arrived at the Akum market. This kind of seaside market was familiar to Gawain when he was in Bari. But the scale and style of this place were not as good as the trade market with Roman corridors in Bari. It was a market with a large double-story basilica-style building as the core. It was close to the seaside for ships to moor, and tall wooden stakes were erected in the open space around it. These wooden stakes were used to set up tents or engrave commodity prices during trade, so that merchants could sell goods under them. The bottom floor of the double-story building could provide a place to store goods, and the upper floor was originally the office of the tax collectors and inspectors of the imperial market. But now it is in name only. The three trade days originally held every year were suspended because the Turks were not keen on sea trade. When they occupied this place, the merchant ships from the surrounding islands were unwilling to come here, and the market was abandoned. The trade base was moved to the northern river valley, with the Arahant Monastery as the core.

"There are not many people here in the barbarian country. There are only some fishermen." When the sedan chair stopped at the seaside, Anna looked at the desolation and the huge and lonely commercial trading station, wondering.

"Yes, it has been abandoned for a long time. Originally, many wealthy and thriving military towns and cities in the empire could provide trading locations and technical support for the surrounding villages, but now because of the invasion of the Turks and your father's tax collection, they are all abandoned." Gawain was also a little sad, looking at the ruins of the ancient colonnade on the hill over there (this place once carried the pride and glory of the Roman Empire) and sighed.

"Isn't it normal for a country to levy taxes? Without taxes, the army cannot be supported, and without the army, the country will perish." Anna was dissatisfied with Gawain's accusation and protested.

"Then Princess, follow me to the rural commune north of Akum Market." Gawain was prepared for Anna's confusion and made this suggestion. Besides, this was also a necessary part of their inspection.

At the hottest time of the day, the whole team arrived at a rural commune. When the sedan chair stopped, Anna and Agnes were silent. The scene in front of them was something they had never seen before. The two girls, one was born in the Purple Palace, and the other was born in a famous manor on the island of Lesbos. Even if Agnes Plani had seen the countryside, she had only seen the Phrygian and Paphlagonian eunuchs nicknamed "little grandsons" by her grandfather running around inside the walls and beautiful arches of her family, moving the contract documents of the family's land to the storage room, or transporting the surplus materials of the manor's abundant harvest to the vehicles, and exchanging them for a lot of money and ornaments from the merchants.

The estate at Plani was just a small palace, but it was "located in the countryside". Later, Agnes went to the Spring Valley on the edge of the imperial capital and saw the vendors in the Snake Column Square, the fishermen in the fishing village, and the hunters selling furs. But this real countryside of Asia Minor - like Anna, it was the first time she had seen it.

The desolate huts were in a concentric circle, facing the empty and barren sand in the center. A few hairless and skinny poultry were pacing and drinking the muddy water in the swamp. The fences were crooked, and the stables were empty. There were no cows, mules or horses in them. Behind the huts, there seemed to be small fields divided by humans, but most of them were covered with wild grass growing wildly. Behind the collapsed earth walls, there were some poplar trees scattered around, and a dirty long-haired pig was chewing the leaves on them. The fields in the distance also looked completely ruined and abandoned. The racks in the vineyards were crooked, and a few gray, ragged people like animals were half dead in various corners.

"This is the village under the rule of Emperor Komnenos or Sultan Konya." Gawain immediately said to Anna beside the sedan chair.

"Maybe this village has been abandoned..." Anna was still naively defending.

"No, Anna, Agnes, 80% of the rural communes in Anatolia are like this, and 20% are even worse. Now there are only two choices left, either we revive Seleucia to save this twilight, or we let it continue to fall apart, as long as we can collect taxes, squeeze the last drop of oil and water from these peasants, let everyone die miserably, and then wait for the next generation to come and replace them!" Gawain's tone was like the scorching heat, making Anna sweat on her forehead. (To be continued ~^~)