Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 74 "Isaiah" 4118 (First Order!)
Because it has been drizzling these days, dark clouds often block the moonlight in the night sky.

Zayd couldn't see Garys' face clearly, but his eyes left a deep impression on him.

As a Muslim, Zayed should have been very happy to hear the news that Jerusalem would fall next year, but he felt a strong chill.

Apart from the fact that Ghairis claimed that he was the brother of Jesus and the Imam of all nations, Zayed also remembered another identity of Ghairis.

The agent of the Jerusalem royal family in this territory, in Zayd's understanding, is actually similar to the emir, which basically means general or lord.

A lord of the Kingdom of Jerusalem easily made a prophecy that Jerusalem would fall next year...

Is this a bit out of line?
Or does it mean that this young man in front of him actually doesn't care about the fate of Jerusalem at all?
In any case, Zaid finally chose to laugh it off.

"How could that be... My Lord, doesn't Sultan Saladin have a treaty with Jerusalem? Besides, there is no sign of war in Egypt."

As merchants who resell materials, they must have a certain degree of sensitivity. According to Zayd, perhaps Saladin will completely cleanse Jerusalem in the future, but it should not be so soon.

"Peace treaty? Hehe~"

Garys chuckled and didn't say anything further on the topic.

"Tomorrow, the sluice gates here should be opened to release water. By then, many villagers from nearby will come here. Your caravan will start business and will surely make a lot of money."

Zayed also smiled awkwardly. He did not refute what Gairis said because according to past experience, in the land of Transjordan, farmers are only a step away from extreme poverty. How can they have the money to consume?

The reason why I followed here was actually more out of curiosity about Garys himself, rather than really expecting to make any money from the farmers.

The dark clouds dispersed, the moonlight shone on the earth, and Zayd could see the construction site clearly.

In the upstream area, a river mouth has been dug, but the water has not yet been released.

In Zayd's eyes, if the water is released, the water flow will be directed to a depression, and then be led out, along the height difference, the canal continues downwards. There are also many water-powered equipment arranged beside the canal, which can be operated by leveraging the power.

When the water level is about to calm down, it will be diverted to the farmland on one side to facilitate water supply for the farmland. After being diverted from the farmland, it will eventually merge with the original river.

The whole project is actually not complicated, and the amount of earthwork is reasonable because it makes use of the existing terrain, and is not particularly outrageous.

But such a simple water conservancy project, which could not even be considered an "engineering" in later generations, was not common in the Mediterranean in the 12th century.

Compared to the Roman era's obsession with various engineering projects, the big guys in the Middle Ages were more inclined to go with the flow.

Most lords were too lazy to improve or build new water conservancy projects, and the coordination of manpower rarely went beyond the scope of the manor.

For the Catholic world, the relevant engineering knowledge can even be said to be lost.

Under such circumstances where the noble lords had no ambition to make progress, their ability to coordinate human resources was extremely poor, and they also lacked relevant technology, one can imagine how poor the agricultural production in Europe would be.

In mainland Europe, it can be said that only those areas that have been deeply influenced by Islamic culture, such as Spain, southern Italy, or the Byzantine Empire that inherited ancient Greek and Roman technology, still retain a considerable amount of engineering knowledge.

These regions used more advanced irrigation technology, such as water wheels and cisterns, to aid agricultural production than was available in contemporary Western Europe.

However, the situation in the Kingdom of Jerusalem is somewhat special. To be more precise, the village of Skarl where Geris exists is obviously more special.

Unlike the European Catholic world with backward agricultural technology, the Kingdom of Jerusalem is also said to be a Catholic Crusader state, but its technological foundation is relatively advanced in the Middle East technology group.

In addition, the Kingdom of Jerusalem had a long-standing habit of intermarriage with the Eastern Roman Empire, and those Greeks brought relatively advanced Greek technology groups to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Isabel's mother was a member of the Komnenos family of the Eastern Roman Empire. While Isabel was half Greek, she was also influenced by Greek knowledge and culture in the court of Jerusalem.

As for Garys, let alone him, his knowledge is so high that it is difficult to measure in this era.

"It's really good." Zayd praised sincerely.

For the Arabs, having this technology does not mean that they can actually implement it. The long-standing infighting among Muslim warlords has seriously damaged the engineering and organizational capabilities of the Muslim community.

The howling of wild animals came from afar, as if they were declaring their sovereignty to Garys and the other two, telling Garys that you are still powerless to challenge nature.

……

"Open the gates in the upper river to release water! All five gates open!" John shouted loudly.

"Open the gates on the upper river to release water! All five gates open!" Someone responded from a hundred meters away.

Accompanied by the majestic voices of many people, a total of five sluice gates on the river channel of the reservoir were opened, and the river water from the river rushed into the reservoir along the river channel reinforced with stones.

Unlike ordinary designs, Garys and his team designed very complex multiple sluices in the upper river channel of the reservoir. They wanted to ensure that the amount of water entering the reservoir per unit time would not deviate too much during the dry season and the flood season.

Through the study of changes in the sand and soil quality of the river, Gérice and Isabel determined that the height difference of the river in this area was quite pessimistic, and a simple model of water-blocking dam would not be likely to be effective.

This is a result of the Mediterranean climate in the Palestinian region.

The typical feature of the Mediterranean climate is the different periods of rain and heat.

In seasons with lower rainfall, the temperature is higher, the sun shines directly for longer, and the water evaporates more. As a result, river water levels naturally drop sharply, and many rivers may even dry up.

If Gellis wants to use the abundant effective accumulated heat in summer to change local agricultural production habits, then irrigation with sufficient water is essential.

Effective accumulated temperature is the sum of effective temperatures of crops during their growth period, which basically reflects the linear relationship between the crop's growth rate and temperature.

To put it simply, when the temperature is high, crops grow faster.

However, due to the limited summer rainfall, the Palestinian region is basically unable to take advantage of the abundant high temperatures in summer, which is a pity.

Compared with the time required for breeding, the construction of small water conservancy projects, which consumes a lot of manpower, has become a quick and easy option.

However, even with a certain amount of water for irrigation, it is difficult to grow wheat in Transjordan in the summer.

But instead of growing wheat, you can grow something else, like sorghum, which is native to Africa.

Sorghum originated in Africa and was domesticated in sub-Saharan Africa.

After the Arab conquest began, Islam spread to all parts of the world. A large number of Arab merchants and Muslim pilgrims transformed the Islamic world from a vague concept into a common understanding.

Knowledge is colliding, technology is spreading, and excellent crop varieties from all over the world are also constantly being exchanged.

Sorghum from Africa, citrus from China, sugarcane and cotton from India appear in every corner of the Islamic world. For Gairis, it is not difficult to obtain sorghum seeds, as neighboring Egypt has a long history of sorghum cultivation.

Better water irrigation will bring longer crop cultivation time; convenient communication with the outside world will bring more drought-resistant crops to choose from; coupled with Garys' scientific analysis of the nutrients needed by crops, the subsequent breeding of improved varieties will be carried out...

After this series of combined efforts, it would be unacceptable if the income from the farmland in the river valley of Skar Village did not increase.

Increasing grain production without increasing the number of farmers actually means an increase in per capita food rations and a larger proportion of commercial grain.

This means that more non-agricultural population can be supported.

It can be said that the agricultural revolution is the most basic cornerstone for a series of subsequent productivity innovations.

Not to mention, while Garys and his team were digging irrigation water, they were also using water power to drive machinery.

Because it had been raining lightly in the past few days, the water level of the river passing by Skar Village has risen, and the reservoir is filling up at a relatively fast speed.

When the water level passed a marker, John shouted again, "Close the No. 1 sluice gate on the upper river by half, close the No. 2 sluice gate by one-third, and keep the other sluice gates unchanged!"

"Close the No. 1 sluice gate on the upper river by half, close the No. 2 sluice gate by one-third, and leave the other sluice gates unchanged!" Someone repeated John's instructions a few dozen meters away.

As the order was issued, the sluice gates on the upper river channel were adjusted, and the rate of increase in the overall water level in the reservoir was visibly slowed down.

When the water level exceeded the second marker, Garys, witnessed by hundreds of people, slowly walked to a high ground where a mechanism was set up.

When Garys pushed the mechanism hard, the sluice gate at the reservoir outlet was pushed open.

The slightly turbid water slowly flows out from the outlet sluice and rushes into the downstream canal.

As the slope of the canal increased, the water flow became faster and faster, and then drove the first water-powered mill wheel.

With the creaking sound, the hydraulic grinding wheel drove the grinding wheel above to start rotating.

Simon had been waiting for a long time. He helped Cardoso beside him to pour some wheat into the bucket.

The wheat jumped into the mill chamber through the mill eye, and accompanied by the sound of "chi la la", the flour with rich wheat aroma mixed with bran flowed out from the millstone.

After Simon and Cardoso collected the flour together, they took out the fine sieve they had prepared in advance and sifted out the bran, leaving only the fine flour.

Cardoso picked up a little bit with his fingertips, feeling the fineness of the white flour, and then put a little into his mouth.

The mixture of starch and digestive enzymes in the mouth brings a hint of sweetness and fishiness.

Everything is getting better.

But this is just the beginning.

Given the rainfall environment of the Mediterranean climate, it is certainly not the case that Garys and his team went to such great lengths to dig thousands of cubic meters of earth just to build a water mill.

In fact, thanks to the height difference, the hydraulic machinery here has great potential.

The long downward canal not only drives a water-powered mill, but also water saws, water pumps, hydraulic hammers, and waterwheel-driven forging furnaces...

These hydraulic devices can free many people from repetitive manual labor. This is an extremely effective and simple solution for the cult with an extremely scarce population.

Although some of those hydraulic machines have been built, some are under construction, some are still in the planning stage, and many are still in their prototype stage.

But it is conceivable that in terms of future planning, this river valley in the village of Skar is heading straight for the heyday of the Middle Ages and is about to open the door to productivity in the Renaissance.

When the water flow gradually slows down, it passes through a sluice, and part of it is diverted into the natural river channel, while part continues to flow through the farmland along the canal.

The turbid water was not clear, but it moistened the dry hearts of the farmers and made many numb people feel excited.

It was quite difficult for the farmers who came to watch to understand the significance of those hydraulic equipment.

But what does it mean to have canals running through farmland?

This will mean that even if the arrival of the precious winter rains after sowing is delayed, they will still have enough water to help the crops germinate and grow; it will mean that even if the spring rains are a little scarce, they will still have water to fill the wheat.

And when summer comes, the dry and cracked land seems to be able to grow more crops.

Whether it was the villagers of Skar Village or those villagers from other villages who came to watch the fun, based on their past experience, they were all impressed by this "water conservancy" that was not grand, seemed simple, but was extremely practical.

What flows in the canal is not only water, but also the hope for a good harvest next year, which is another proof of God's love for the world.

Heavenly Father, it was You who sent Your beloved Son back into the mortal world. He who died from the wound of the sword did not have the power to part the Red Sea, nor did He cause the rain to fall.

In His hands, five fish and two loaves could not feed a thousand people, and the deaf and blind could not receive sight.

He could not turn water into wine, nor could He walk on water.

But as the scriptures say:

[I will open rivers on the high places, and fountains in the valleys]

[I will turn the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into springs of water]

Isaiah 41:18
He did it…

The joyful atmosphere spread throughout the valley, and countless people were infected by it. It was as if it was a festival, which made everyone happy.

The Arab merchants who came from afar also joined in the pagan carnival and danced with it.

But such a joyous festival will not last long, because the purpose of the villagers from nearby villages coming here is far more than just to watch the excitement and witness the opening of the floodgates.

The real heavyweight events were held in the afternoon.

The time of reckoning has arrived, and with the cool autumn breeze, it's a good time to call some guys and make blood debt pay with blood.

But before that, Zayd and his caravan business was open.

　First update. Let’s see how much I can write today… I will post as much as I write.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)