OBS Chapter 541 He doesn't mind us being poor, so why would we mind him being powerless?
Chapter 541 He doesn't mind us being poor, so why would we mind him being powerless?
"There's another peasant uprising in the north!"
A townsman, his face covered in dust and panting, ran through the outskirts of the town, pushed through the crowd, and squeezed next to Min Caier to report.
Since Münzer's return from Padua, his fame has spread like wildfire in the villages and towns near Padua.
More and more people came from all directions, some were escaped serfs and homeless wanderers, and some were current or former clergy like Minzer, all of whom wanted to see with their own eyes this man who dared to confront officials and bishops head-on.
After hearing the news, Min Caier first poured a glass of water from the house and handed it to the townsman, saying gently:
"Speak slowly, don't be in a hurry. How many people are there in that peasant army? Who is the leader? Where did they start the uprising?"
His eyes were calm and steady, revealing a calmness and concern, as if he was taking a vital matter seriously.
"I'm telling you it's incredible."
The townspeople danced with excitement.
"The peasant army revolted in the northern Counties of Magde last week. It is not clear who led it, but there must be at least tens of thousands of people, and not only peasants, but also many soldiers joined in, and surrounded Magdeburg Castle."
As soon as these words were spoken, the people around them immediately exploded with discussions, and the noise was as noisy as a vegetable market.
Someone immediately suggested excitedly:
"Why don't we all rise up together and attack from both north and south!"
"No, that's too risky."
Min Caier frowned, his expression serious, and spoke in a calm tone.
"Let's not talk about the lack of contact between us. In terms of distance, Madege is too far away from here. It's difficult for us to support them, and they can't support us either. In addition, they made such a big fuss this time that the Council of Nobles will surely send troops to encircle and suppress them. We will most likely fail then."
"Of course, we can't just not help at all."
Minzer continued.
"If they succeed, we will wait for the right time and join them in the uprising; if they fail, we can also help them. In this way, we can not only obtain intelligence, but also improve our strength."
As he was speaking, someone outside suddenly reported loudly:
"Mr. Muenzer, the tax collectors are here again!"
Min Caier was no longer panicking. He immediately raised his voice and said to the people present:
"Notify all residents in the town. The elderly, children, women and children should hide in the town. The rest of the town residents should go to the designated locations under the leadership of their captains. The rest of the people should follow me to check on them."
Outside the town, the tax collector was riding on a tall horse with an upright posture, walking on a country road with hundreds of soldiers behind him.
William, who was standing next to him, volunteered to be a guide to help the tax collector when he heard that the tax collector was coming to collect taxes.
He followed the tax collector with a fawning look on his face, a hint of flattery in his eyes.
"Well...Mr. William, do you think the people I brought are enough to deal with those troublemakers?"
The tax collector crossed his arms across his chest, his eyes revealing a hint of arrogance and confidence.
"That's enough. There are only two or three hundred people in this town. If you include the elderly, the weak, women and children, there are only a few hundred people left. Without armor and weapons, they can't defeat the standing army of our empire."
William echoed from the side, his face full of smiles and his eyes flashing with ingratiating light. It is said that these unruly people are afraid of being soldiers. Now that there are so many soldiers, those unruly people will probably be scared and run away. Then he can make a fortune through the mine and by the way, hang Min Caier up and beat him up to vent his anger.
Soon the team arrived at the outskirts of the town, only to see a group of people waiting for them at the door in full gear.
The tax officer took a closer look and was shocked. He then asked William with a puzzled look on his face:
"Are you sure there are only over a hundred people? I think there are quite a lot of people."
At the entrance of the town, a large number of townspeople holding spears were standing in front, and on both sides were miners and lumberjacks holding pickaxes, shovels, and axes. The tools in their hands were flashing coldly in the sun, as if they were ready to go into battle at any time.
There were also several people hanging rags on poles and waving them as flags. There seemed to be hundreds of people.
At this moment, Minzer walked forward. William saw him at a glance and said to the tax collector:
"That's him! He's Münzer."
The tax collector looked in the direction William pointed and saw a young man in monk's clothes. He was tall and straight, with a resolute face, and his eyes revealed determination and wisdom, as if there was an invisible power emanating from him.
He immediately scolded:
"Min Caier, why did you gather these people here? Do you want to resist the tax violently?"
Min Caier replied neither humbly nor arrogantly:
"Hasn't the tax already been collected this spring? If we collect taxes now, how will the townspeople survive in the winter?"
"I don't care about that. I just know that I have to collect taxes according to the list!"
The tax officer spoke rudely, his tone was stiff and cold, and his eyes revealed a hint of arrogance and unreasonableness.
"Someone, disperse these rioters!"
The tax collector shouted immediately, and the Yoda soldiers behind him pounced on him like wolves, with cold flashes in their weapons.
"Spearmen, take the lead!"
Min Caier also gave orders immediately, and the townspeople holding spears immediately pointed their spears at the Yoda soldiers. Because the spears were long enough, they directly blocked the Yoda soldiers on the opposite side at a certain distance, forming a solid line of defense.
When the tax officer saw that the other side actually dared to resist taxation violently, he immediately shouted:
"Min Caier! You dare to resist taxes? Aren't you afraid that the Noble Parliament will send troops to crush you?"
There was a hint of trembling and fear in his voice. Although he was still trying to threaten Min Caier on the surface, his eyes revealed a hint of uneasiness. He originally thought that the other party was just talking, but now it seemed that the other party was going to kill him.
"Even if you collect taxes, most of these townspeople won't survive this winter. It's just a matter of dying sooner or later. If you provoke them, you'll probably be the first to die!"
Min Caier's response was resounding, and the tax officer was sweating coldly at this time. Looking at the soldiers who were blocked, he didn't know whether he should give more orders.
There was hesitation and fear in his eyes, and his feet trembled slightly unconsciously, as if he had already felt the anger and determination of the townspeople.
Seeing that the tax collector was scared, William was furious and immediately scolded the townspeople:
"You are a bunch of troublemakers! Min Caier is no longer a deacon, he is no longer a clergyman, if you follow him you will die, the army, the city council, and the church will not help you!"
However, in response, a stone hit him directly in the face. The townspeople on the other side picked up the stones and cursed:
"You black-hearted noble, you're here again!"
Their voices rose one after another, filled with anger and hatred, as if they wanted to vent all the dissatisfaction in their hearts.
"What does it have to do with you whether Mr. Minzer has a job or not?"
"He doesn't mind that we are poor and still wants to help us, so how could we possibly mind that he has no power!"
Just as the two sides were confronting each other, a team suddenly emerged from the side and rear of the tax collector. Most of them were dressed as farmers, holding flails and pitchforks in their hands, and killed the tax collector by surprise.
"Withdraw! Quickly withdraw!"
Seeing more and more people coming, the tax collector decisively turned his horse around and retreated, his face full of fear and panic. Even William, who had cursed the most, saw that his superiors were retreating, so he also retreated. In this way, the originally aggressive tax team did not see the townspeople fleeing in all directions, but saw their own miserable appearance.