My name is Nasser, a Bedouin pilgrim.

Every morning, while it's still dim outside, I have to crawl up from the haystack and toil in the fields.

The single-humped camel I rode in on had to be pawned to a Jewish merchant because I couldn't afford the entry tax to Hebron (Haliel).

But that only sustained me for a month. In the second month, I was forced to fall under the command of a local chief and become a field laborer.

The days of scrounging for food in the fields were monotonous and boring.

Until that day, when I saw the new lord, that Frankish Count named Losa. His fully armed cavalry was escorting a carriage carrying a fierce dragon head.

My god, that was definitely a dragon, not any other kind of rare beast.

The new lord was actually a dragon slayer!

He rode a tall horse draped in white horse clothing.

He was handsome, and his armor was bright and eye-catching. He was accompanied by two female knights who were enough to make one's heart stir just by looking at them.

I must admit, I was taken so aback that I forgot I should step aside and bow in greeting.

His cavalry wanted to drive me away, but he stopped them.

He kindly inquired about my difficulties in daily life using Kurdish — by the holy fire, this heretic lord spoke fluent Kurdish.

I was so scared that it took me a while to stammer, "My lord, I hope for some increase in wages; otherwise, after a year of diligent farming, I can't even fill my belly."

The handsome heretic lord generously agreed to my request.

And soon, my life changed.

The chief begrudgingly said he would improve our welfare, raising the daily wages during the harvest season from two copper coins to 3.5 coins.

At least this would allow me, while working each day, to afford a small portion of dried figs as a snack, and at dinner time, I could even have a small glass of wheat juice or a bowl of stew.

Praise Count Losa.

May the holy fire protect this generous dragon-slaying hero!

…

Inside the Lord's Hall.

The huge banner of the double-headed eagle hung on the wall, and below it was a line of Latin words — Bathe in Dragon Blood.

A dried and tanned giant dragon's head was fixed at the center of the two banners, above the lord's throne.

The leatherworker's craftsmanship was excellent. The earth dragon's fierce dragon horns and eyes seemed ready to come alive at any moment and bite.

It had been five whole days since that dragon-slaying night.

Leonard and his men had already built the basic structure of a wooden castle inside the city walls. Next, they would use the byproduct — "stones" — from mining iron ore to gradually replace the wooden castle with a brand-new castle.

And the Tree of Life had already taken root near the mines. The so-called lone tree making a forest — it won't be long before the Tree of Life, nourished by the dragon's blood, develops into an oasis.

Even the hydrological environment there would change, with groundwater gathering into a basin and gradually forming a lake.

It is foreseeable that this place will flourish in the future.

Losa named this new city — New Habsburg, adding it to his direct domain.

Thus, he owned one city, two castles, and three fiefs.

In the empty corridor, the sound of heavy iron boots echoed on the marble bricks.

The steps were slow yet strong.

The young count, dozing on the throne, raised his head slightly upon hearing the noise and asked, "Have you found evidence of Hussein funding the bandits?"

"We have."

Jeanne's armor had a few bloodstains left on it.

She smiled and said, "The hundred City Guard Army members you selected are excellent warriors. They are battle-hardened and know how to cooperate. They used a solid infantry phalanx to surround and annihilate the bandits funded by Hussein."

"I must admit, they are worthy of that Eagle Banner and the long-forgotten ancient Empire in history."

"Naturally."

Losa nodded slightly, "Since we have the evidence, prepare to take action against Hussein."

"Remember to leave enough captives, ensuring our side's safety. Bring them all to Hebron. I want to read their sins publicly and send them to the gallows by my own hand."

There are many ways to govern the people.

The simplest is encapsulated in two words: "intimidation."

A benevolent lord might be loved, but they will never be feared. The combination of kindness and power is the correct way.

After ordering the chiefs and local gentry of Hebron to increase farm laborers' wages, some dissatisfaction towards the new lord Losa began to grow.

But out of fear for Losa's dragon-slaying reputation, they were so frightened that not even one dared to oppose, hence all agreed to Losa's demands.

This was not what Losa wanted.

Someone opposing him would allow him to make an example, but the monkeys were too clever, with none willing to be the "chicken," forcing Losa to find one actively.

"By the way, seal their properties properly. Name the lands 'One-Third Fields,' which means those farming this land need only pay me one-third of the yields."

"These lands are prioritized for Christians, or heretics willing to convert."

Cut out the middlemen!

Jeanne softly snorted, "If I may speak frankly, Hernusburg and its lands should be my fief."

Losa, indignant yet self-assured, said, "Pay back the money I used for your upgrade first, let's talk then!"

Jeanne was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Alright, I will carry out your will, Lord Losa!"

Watching Jeanne leave.

Losa silently calculated.

In this era, without mentioning Western Europe's peasant slaves.

Counting only the free citizen farm laborers, the taxes should be between fifty to seventy percent.

This includes religious taxes.

The so-called tithes are not really just paying one-tenth of one's income and movables.

For instance, the Saladin Tax is an extra tithe.

Only one-third is indeed quite generous for a lord.

Does Losa lose by collecting one-third?

Of course not!

Because the output at Maler's Blacksmith Shop is gradually increasing, he will lease a large number of farm tools to the farm laborers in the domain to increase production.

Plus, eliminating the middlemen's profit margins.

This one-third is much more profitable than it used to be.

...

Henusburg, Cypress Village.

The tax collector in Cypress Village is a Saracen named Hussein. During the Fatimid Dynasty, when they still ruled Jerusalem, he was already the tax collector of this village.

He owned thousands of acres of land, and though nominally belonging to the Frankish nobles of Henusburg, it was more accurate to say that the land was his as long as he paid an annual fee.

In the center of the village, his residence sprawled over a vast area and could accommodate hundreds of people.

The private guard he maintained had thirty soldiers, each armored.

Not inferior to the resident army of the local lord.

Hussein's face turned somewhat unpleasant as Hernusburg had been granted to a female knight by the new lord.

He tried to visit her underling in Hebron but was shut out.

This made him consider sending his bandits to ambush the female knight who had yet to take office.

"Sigh, what an unwise woman. If you were like Lady Julia, wouldn't you still be accepting my tributes and enjoying the luxury life of a noble?"

Hussein sighed softly.

If given a choice, he wouldn't want to resort to such drastic measures.

But it was evident that this new lord had no intention of compromising with him, and once his activities were exposed, leading to an army of the Count of France's army being called upon, he would have no place to die.

But at this moment, a servant hurried in to report, "The new lord of Hernus has arrived with over twenty armored cavalry and fifty heavy infantry. They are about to reach the village entrance."

Hussein's face turned a bit pale.

"How could there be so many?"

The previous lord of Henusburg only had over twenty armored soldiers!

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