Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 662 The Art of Being Ruled
In the evening, two large cars stopped in front of a small courtyard in the west of Cairo. Meltem jumped out of the car and asked everyone else to get out.

"Where is this place?" Joanna asked as she jumped out of the car.

"This is Nafisa's home." Lady Jeanne answered from behind, "She is the girl who worked as a kadi that I told you about. She was my old friend when we were in Egypt."

"You all know each other?" Joanna said unexpectedly.

"I have been in Egypt for a while. Our nun often brings me here to visit." Lady Jeanne replied easily: "In fact, I may be more familiar with the religious buildings and people here than she is."

She pointed at Meltrum and smiled.

"Nafisa's father was a well-known scholar and knew my teacher." Meltem explained to Joanna, "I haven't been to Egypt many times, but I can see her every time I come. Unfortunately, her father and brother died in the 'plague' a few years ago. She was lucky and survived, so she took over this job."

"'Plague'? I'm not very good at Chinese, what is this?" Joanna asked as if she had no idea what was going on.

"It's what you call the Black Death," Meltem told her. "In Arabic, it's not called this name. People usually use 'great destruction' to refer to this kind of serious plague. But in the past hundred years, the most serious plague should be this disease. As for the name plague, it was Brother Kang who told me. He said that these plagues should all be manifestations of the same disease. Because the plague comes from the worms on rats, it is called plague."

"Is that so? There are many people who study the Black Death, and I have heard of many of their theories. But I have never heard anyone mention this idea before." Jeanne interrupted curiously, "Little bug? What a strange idea..."

"How could what Brother Kang said be wrong?" Meltem disagreed: "That's because your scholars are too ignorant. You still need to learn more."

After she finished speaking, she shook her head in a solemn manner, put her hands behind her back, and walked to the back car. A few people got off the car, and Meltem told them to unload everything from the car and move it to the yard later. Lady Jeanna knocked on the door and led everyone into the yard.

The person who came to open the door was a young girl wearing a large robe and veil, which was common in the area. Lady Jeanne greeted her, and Meltrum also bowed to her. Then they introduced Joanna to her.

"Nafisa, we have collected some antiques and would like to borrow your yard to display them for a while." Jeanna said, "It will probably be inconvenient to move around in Cairo in the next two days, so they may have to be kept for a while."

"What kind of antique is it?" Nafisa asked curiously.

"Didn't they demolish Bab al-Zuweira a few days ago? A lot of relics from the Fatimid era were found in that city gate. Some of them are very old and were probably collected at that time. They are also quite valuable." Meltem said, "The old men next to the Khalili Bazaar have always wanted to destroy these antiques. After hearing about it, some of my friends paid to buy them."

"But during this period, traffic in and out of the city is still under control, and it is not convenient for us old acquaintances to step forward and transport things in a big way. If we still leave it at the construction site, those people will come to make trouble every day, and they have also sent workers to help, so it is difficult to drive them away. Taiji told me that it would be better to move it to another place so that no one can see it and they will be out of bother. That's why I thought of you."

As she spoke, several people behind her began to carry stones into the yard.

"...I haven't agreed yet, and you've already started working." Nafisa said speechlessly.

"Oh, I know you will agree, my dear sister." Meltem grabbed her hand and started to act coquettishly.

Nafisa was at a loss for a moment, and Jeanna and Joanna couldn't help laughing beside her. The Assassins who were moving stones behind were all elites who had undergone rigorous training, so they didn't laugh with them. They just kept looking over here with a stern face.

"Okay, okay." Nafisa could only soften her tone. "Anyway, I think the city will be in chaos these days, and no one will come to visit here. But I promise you, you can't keep it for too long. These are all Shia things, right? If old Yusuf comes over next time and sees a pile of these things in my yard, he will probably faint from anger..."

"Don't worry. It won't take long." Meltem said quickly, "But do you have any news? Why do you say that there will be chaos in the city?"

"Isn't this certain?" Nafisa shrugged. "In the past few days, Roman officials have been issuing orders and notices in the city, but no one has paid any attention to them. I guess they can't stand it for too long and will take action against those who oppose them openly or covertly."

"Aren't they restraining the soldiers?" Jeanne asked curiously. "The Romans have very strict discipline. Soldiers cannot attack the people in the city without orders. How can you be sure that they won't restrain themselves?"

"Wars are very expensive. Such an expensive and risky action must have enough benefits for everyone to do it. Therefore, after the war, the victors will plunder everywhere to make a profit." Nafisa replied: "If they didn't plunder directly, it means they wanted something more valuable so that they could resist the temptation of getting rich directly. The previous orders and notices should all serve this goal."

“Ah, that sounds reasonable.” Meltem said in surprise, “You can think that way…”

"This is just a simple conflict of interest. When one person does something, it may be out of faith; but when a group of people do something, there must be some benefit. This has been the case since ancient times. Even saints have to pay people to organize them to do things." Nafisa replied: "You are also someone who has managed things. You should be able to think of it once I tell you."

"I haven't thought of using this line of thought to infer their actions." Meltem asked curiously: "Then what do you think they will do next?"

"Normally, if two people in the community fight over money, they will quarrel fiercely; if two businessmen fight over the supply channels, they will even want to kill each other completely." Nafisa shook her head and said:

"Just think, denying people money can arouse such hatred. If what they want is more valuable than money, how angry will they be if it is destroyed? How drastic will they be? "

"I guess the Romans can't hold it in for too long. They kept silent before, probably because they were preparing. So these few days, I have told the neighbors not to go out casually. They should also prepare the necessary supplies quickly and not go to the Grand Bazaar during this period." She looked at the others: "You have dealings with the Roman high-level officials, so you should know more, right?"

"We don't know much, actually - we may not be as vigilant as you." Jeanna smiled and said, "Mr. Guo and Wen Kui have been very worried these days, but that's all. If you hadn't told me, I probably wouldn't have thought that the situation was so serious."

"I'm just an ordinary grassroots religious judge. When my father was alive, I could use my connections at Al-Azhar University to meet with the emir in charge of this area, report the situation to him, and ask for help. But most of the time, my response fell on deaf ears. It was good enough if I could be of use once in a while..." Nafisa spread her hands helplessly. "After my father passed away, even this relationship was gone. This is how the world is: For small people like us, it's hard enough just to survive, so we dare not be careless."

"If you know anything, please tell me." She also said, "We live in fear every day. It's not easy."

"Why didn't you go over when they were recruiting people?" Joanna was not familiar with her, but after hearing this, she couldn't help asking, "At this time, whoever comes forward first will be treated as their own first. If you have such a strong relationship, you don't have to be afraid of anything. They will definitely give you more benefits."

"That said, I don't dare." Nafisa shook her head repeatedly: "There are definitely benefits, I believe this, but even if you give it to us, we can't keep it."

"In Egypt, rulers change frequently, but even when there are the most Mamluks, the ones who serve in local areas are just lords who manage fiefdoms." She told Joanna, "So the people who actually hold power in local areas don't change that much. Some families have even been local bosses since the Fatimid era. These people are qualified to get this benefit."

"If I step forward and respond to the call, the Romans will most likely reward me, or even share some profit channels with us - they have just arrived and need to establish their prestige, so they shouldn't be so stingy. But will they stay here forever? The only people I can persuade are my neighbors on the same street. How can I fight them?"

"Oh, you are afraid that those people will come to retaliate when the Romans can't take care of you, right?" Joanna understood: "That's understandable. In the city-state where I came from, all kinds of vendettas are happening all the time, and some of them are just to fight for a little profit margin. If you are not strong enough, it will be very dangerous."

"Based on the slogans they put out before, they really won't stay for long." Meltem thought for a moment and sighed, "Oh, if only we were stronger."

"Even if they don't leave, the situation won't change much." Nafisa explained: "They have plenty of ways to deal with us, even some commercial and public opinion means are enough. The Romans can't always be like our biological fathers and take care of everything." "Also, it may be okay at the beginning, but after we gain a foothold, even if those who are hostile to us use violence to kill a group of us, there may not be anyone who will stand up for us."

"That's not the case." Joanna said in surprise, not being able to react for a moment.

"People in power always prioritize their own interests," Nafisa replied. "We are indeed the first to submit to them, but only when they are unstable do they need an example to call on everyone to join them and establish their rule. Once they have established their foothold, our importance will decrease."

"At this time, the benefits brought by us 'insiders' are already fixed and cannot grow quickly. The cooperation of those local tyrants can bring more additional benefits. The rulers will definitely choose to turn a blind eye and sacrifice our interests in exchange for their cooperation."

"In Egypt, the competition and hatred between tribes and big families has always been fierce. Even if they kill us, the higher-ups will probably just express regret and ask for a scapegoat. This kind of thing has happened too many times in Egyptian history. There's nothing we ordinary people can do."

"So, no matter how high the Romans' reward is, I don't think many people will agree. After all, the benefits that can be earned, when distributed to each person, are actually not that much. The increase in income comes with the risk of one's entire livelihood or even life. Unless someone is about to starve to death, I'm afraid not many people will be tempted."

"Oh, so that's how it is..." Joanna murmured.

"Other people's ideas may not be the same as mine, but everyone must have their own concerns, so it's normal that not many people respond." Nafisa said: "Outside Cairo, there are some very ancient huge cone-shaped buildings. Did you see them when you came?"

"Those pyramids? We all know about them." Jeanne nodded.

"It is said that in that era, the Egyptian king ruled himself. After that, we have been ruled by various groups for who knows how long. The kings, sultans, and caliphs above us have changed countless times." Nafisa spread her hands and said, "How to rule others is a science. Many people will study it, and sultans and emirs will also let their children receive education in this area. But conversely, how to be ruled is actually also a science. We Egyptians have rich experience in this regard."

"So you're going to wait until the situation is over?" Meltem asked, "But I see that Brother Kang has been investigating or holding meetings with various people, and he doesn't seem to be taking any sudden action..."

"You'll know who he's meeting with if you observe," said Nafisa.

"I had a meeting with her this morning." Meltem pointed at Joanna. "Those Italian businessmen went to urge him again, asking when this bottomless pit could be ended. He finally persuaded them to leave. But they were still not satisfied and went to look for Toghan Taiji again."

"Merchants over there are like this, they get anxious easily and have a lot of trivial matters to deal with." Joanna said helplessly and self-deprecatingly: "But Taiji should be able to just give them an excuse - everyone does this anyway, just make excuses a few times, and then it's over once the matter is resolved."

"You want to control the food supply to the citizens to get them to side with you, but this idea may be a bit problematic." Nafisa reminded: "During the famine, people were already starving to death, and this method was still effective. But in the current situation, I'm afraid it won't work."

"In Egypt, the upper limit of people's living standards is very low, just enough to avoid starvation. But the lower limit is generally within this range. Unless there is a problem with the Nile River or an epidemic breaks out that causes a reduction in agricultural production, there will generally not be widespread starvation."

"A few years ago, there was indeed a famine in the city due to the plague. At that time, the Sheikh sent people to the tribal areas of Upper Egypt, spent a lot of money to purchase food, and distributed more than 20,000 breads in the city at one time. Because of these disaster relief measures, many people still think he did a good job. But if you do this when there is no famine, no one will be grateful to you - they are just barely able to survive, and you are just filling their stomachs after distributing it. You can't win people's hearts by doing this."

"Besides, if you want food, you have to spend money to buy it, but your opponents can control the fields outside the city, granaries, and even the transportation industry. Their costs are much lower than yours. It is normal for these Italian merchants to be anxious."

"Sure enough, the food is all in their hands." Jeanne muttered.

"This is common sense." Nafisa said, "The dynasties that ruled Egypt never really cared about these things. The court was usually only concerned with collecting money, so after the collapse of the Umayyad dynasty, the business here was monopolized by the Jewish Ratna Chamber of Commerce. They not only controlled various material trades in Egypt. From India to the Mediterranean world, their trading posts were everywhere."

"In the late Fatimid period, the 'Karimi' Chamber of Commerce of Arab merchants also emerged. They first obtained the monopoly of pepper, and then gradually expanded to other spices, and even various commodities and transportation industries. The Mamluks also gave these people great support, replacing the role of Jewish merchants in exchange for the services they provided."

"These people's base is in Cairo, and their sphere of influence extends from Cochin Port in India to Alexandria. You businessmen must know them." She said to Joanna: "To go against these people... To be honest, even I think it is not a wise choice."

"Trade is too important to Egypt. It has always been one of the pillars of fiscal revenue. Even if we send troops to kill them directly, it will only lead to the collapse of trade routes. Many industries around the city will fall into chaos, and even the tax farmers who collect grain will probably disappear. This is not just a matter of money. The whole society will be in turmoil." She shook her head and said, "It is not realistic to train a group of people to replace them in the short term - we can't bring the Jews back, right? I guess the Romans will not take action against them directly, but they will definitely do something to warn them and tell them that Egypt has changed its master."

"I don't know about that." Jeanna said, "In addition, this morning, the big merchant from the Yuan Dynasty also brought a group of followers to Cairo. As for the rest, there is nothing else. The Taiji is still eating, drinking and having fun with the Mamluks."

"Are we really going to do it?" Nafisa hesitated.

"Anyway, you really have to be careful here." Jeanna warned: "It's not safe for you to be alone at home. Let's have dinner at your place tonight. We will also leave two people with you for the next few days to prevent chaos in the city and prevent more bad guys from running around."

Nafisa quickly expressed her gratitude.

Jeanna took some food from the car, and they continued chatting in the yard. It was getting dark, and when they were about to say goodbye, an Assassin suddenly ran in from outside and said something to Meltem.

Meltrum stood up immediately.

"What's wrong?" Jeanne asked quickly.

"A real fight has broken out!" Meltrum said in surprise.

"What's going on?" Joanna didn't react yet.

"I'm not sure. They say the Eighth Legion has entered the city." Meltem replied, "There must be something urgent. They didn't even notify everyone in advance."

"Then what should we do?" Joanna also became nervous.

"Let's not run around for now. Let's keep watch here." Meltem was calm and rational, contrary to his usual behavior. "Nafisa, get everyone on your side to gather together and block the intersections on both sides of the alley, then tear open the wall behind your yard."

"Okay, okay." Nafisa agreed quickly, but still couldn't help asking, "But why do we need to tear down the wall?"

"If there's a fire, it will spread from the bazaar over there." Meltem pointed. "It doesn't matter to us, but your people will definitely panic in an emergency, and we can't expect them to climb over the wall in an orderly and quick manner. I think it's better to block the intersection to prevent thieves from taking advantage of the fire and then open a difficult-to-find passage here in advance. If they really need to escape, they can go this way. There is a canal over there that can lead to the Nile River, which is relatively safer."

Everyone hurried to do as she said. Soon, there was indeed a noise coming from a distance.

"Have they gained some experience?" Joanna muttered, "It's even bigger than the one in Dadu..."

(End of this chapter)