Chapter 360 The Choice of Meereen
The scorching sun was baking the earth, and wisps of steam mixed with the smell of rotting corpses permeated the air, forming a suffocating smell.
Sima wrapped his mouth and nose with sackcloth, and under the command of the blue saints, carried the corpses to the deep pit next to the temple.
When the pit was filled, the Unsullied threw torches and kindling into it.
The blazing flame rose up, and the scorching air made Sima take a few steps back involuntarily.
The saints in robes of various colors prayed around the cremation pit, and the indistinct Ghiscari sacrificial rites rose into the sky along with the scorched smoke.
There are three of the same cremation piles inside the city, and more outside the city. Wisps of thick smoke carry the spirits of the dead Meereenese, Yunkai, Astapor, and mercenaries from all over the world slowly into the sky. , I just don’t know if there are really gods in the sky to guide their souls.
After two days of busy work, all the corpses inside and outside the city were cleaned up, but the blood stains left on the streets and walls were not cleaned up for a while.
Just at this time, a heavy rain came, covering the ancient city of Meereen. The streets and alleys became streams, and the reddish blood took away the stumps and ruins in the corners.
When the rain stopped, Meereen seemed to have a new lease of life.
Sima stepped on the slippery bricks and stones with her bare feet, walking cautiously on the street.
Seeing a group of Unsullied patrolling in front of him, he subconsciously gave way to the side of the road, and was just about to kneel before realizing that he was already a free citizen.
The thought panicked him, overwhelmed him.
I am free, but I still have to eat.
"Adults." Sima summoned up the courage to ask, "Are there any corpses to be transported today?"
"The corpses have been cleaned up." Unsullied said.
Hearing this, Sima's face showed uncontrollable disappointment, his mouth moved, as if he wanted to ask something but he didn't dare to speak.
"The referendum is held in the colorful brick square today, you can vote." The Unsullied said again.
"Referendum?" Seema didn't understand what it meant, but she didn't dare to ask more after seeing Unsullied's indifference, so she nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll go..."
The Unsullied will not talk too much, and continue to walk, and stop to inform the referendum when they meet pedestrians.
Sima looked at it for a while, and came to the colorful brick square with curiosity and apprehension, and saw that thousands of people had gathered here.
Two large wooden boxes were placed in front of the copper pillar in the center of the square. People lined up in front of the wooden boxes and threw something into them one by one.
A group of young people in gray robes outside were handing out wooden sticks to the newcomers and giving explanations.
Seema leaned over to listen for a while, only to realize that this so-called "referendum" is for all Meereenese to vote on whether to restore slavery.
Throw the sticks into the box on the left if you agree to restore, and throw them into the box on the right if you disagree.
Xima took a look and saw that there were obviously more people queuing on the left than on the right.
Do you all want to continue being slaves?
He thought with complicated emotions.
At this time, the gray-robed young man walked up to him and stuffed a wooden stick into his hand:
"Do you know what this is for?"
"Know, know..."
"Okay, then go to the queue, leave after voting, and don't come in again."
"Okay, okay." Sima nodded again and again, but when he was about to step forward to vote, he hesitated.
To tell the truth, who would want to be a slave if he could be a free man?
But after being a free agent for a while, after experiencing the initial excitement, Sima only felt panic and confusion.
He didn't know what to do.
Earlier, the Dragon Queen called on everyone to plant beans, so he went, but all the bean sprouts that were planted died within a few days. Some said it was due to lack of water, some said it was due to poor soil, and some said it was the curse of the gods...
Xima didn’t understand, he had never farmed before.
Later, someone persuaded him to grow olives, but this time Sima kept an eye out and asked the wise man specifically.
It turns out that after the olives are planted, it takes three years to mature and harvest.
Xima knew that she would never be able to survive the bumper harvest in three years, and she might have starved to death long ago.
At this time, he really missed the days of serving the good lord.
Although he was a slave at that time, at least the Lord Good Master would give him food.
Now he is free, but he has to find a way to fill his stomach, and this is so difficult, even harder than being a slave.
Therefore, Sima held the wooden stick and joined the longer team on the left.
About half an hour later, Sima threw the wooden stick into the box, and suddenly felt the urge to cry.
"Misha..." he murmured, and the figure of the Dragon Queen couldn't help appearing in his mind.
On the Great Pyramid on the west side of the square, Daenerys stood by the terrace on the middle floor, looking at the voting scene below, feeling slightly sour in her heart.
"It cannot be blamed on them." Samwell walked to her side and said softly, "Freedom and bread, Meereen still has to choose bread after all."
"Blood with blood." Daenerys said.
"Necessary price, helpless choice."
"They call me Misha, but I can't save them, I let them down..."
Samwell held Daenerys in his arms and comforted him: "It's not your fault. Breaking the old order is not difficult, what is really difficult is rebuilding a new order."
"I don't think there is anything wrong with the old order." Xaro Xhoan Daxos walked over under the leadership of the guards.
The business tycoon from Quels bowed gracefully, and said:
"Respected Your Majesty the Storm King, Your Majesty the Beautiful Dragon Queen, please forgive my rudeness, but I think the old order of Slaver's Bay is the most suitable."
Daenerys glanced at him in disgust, and said coldly:
"Of course you would say that, because the slave trade can make you a lot of money."
"No. You misunderstood me." Xaro said with a smile, "Dear Your Majesty Daenerys, you have a sentimental heart, but your view of the world is still a little naive. Many seemingly evil things are actually It is the most suitable. Like rain."
"Rain?"
"Yes, we curse the rain when it falls on our heads, but without it the world would starve. So did the slaves.
Don't rush to refute, think about Qarth, think about its achievements in the fields of art, music, architecture, trade, etc. It is these achievements that distinguish us humans from beasts, and make us the thirteen giants, just like you, sitting on the top of the pyramid.
But instead of bricks supporting the majestic Qarth, it is the backbone of countless slaves.
You ask yourself, if everyone spends their life facing the loess, who will look up at the endless starry sky?
If everyone is struggling to survive, who will build a magnificent temple to praise the gods? Who will create wonderful oil paintings and compose moving music?
For the greatness of mankind, some people must become slaves. "
"No, slaves are different from rain." Daenerys frowned, "I have been wet by rain, and I have been trafficked. It feels different. No one wants to be enslaved."
Zaro proudly pointed to the colorful brick square, and said with a smile:
"If I'm not mistaken, there are obviously more Meereenese willing to be enslaved."
Daenerys was speechless, and it took a long while before she said:
“There are no slaves in Westeros, and the Seven Kingdoms also have splendid civilizations, magnificent castles and wonderful music.”
"Although I haven't been to your hometown." Xaro smiled, "I have met many merchants and sailors from Westeros, and I learned from their mouths that the peasants of the Seven Kingdoms live a very difficult life." How much better than a slave.
Yes, they are free, but so what? No, he was still trapped on the land all his life, and most of the harvested food was taxed, and the rest was enough to fill his stomach. If there is any catastrophe or war, it will be the end of a broken family, even worse than a slave.
So, what good is freedom to them? "
Daenerys wanted to refute, but couldn't say anything.
Moreover, she has never been to Westeros at all, and her impressions of it all come from her brother's story.
She looked at the man beside her, hoping that he could refute the businessman's heresy.
Samwell finally spoke, but he didn't directly address Xaro's remarks, but asked a seemingly irrelevant question:
"Your Excellency Xaro, how long do you think it will take 10,000 people to build a stone castle with an area of about five acres and a height of about eighty feet?"
Xaro thought for a while: "About two or three years."
"I only used it for less than a year." Sam Wells said, "And it was still under the condition that foreign enemies invaded and interrupted the progress of the construction. If you don't believe it, you can ask the sailors from Westeros, the river How long did it take for Eagle Island in the Bay to be built?"
"I believe you." Xaro said respectfully, "But what does this have to do with the topic we are discussing?"
Samwell still did not answer, and asked again:
"How long do you think it will take to build an artificial river with a total length of more than 700 miles?"
"Seven hundred miles?" Xaro's eyes widened.
"That's right. The 700-mile artificial river can irrigate nearly 50 million acres of arable land along the way." Samwell said with a smile, "Don't think about it, you probably have never seen such a grand project."
"I really haven't seen it."
"Stormland is carrying out such a project. I have mobilized nearly 100,000 laborers, and this number will increase to 500,000 in the future. Believe me, this artificial river will be completed within five years. But if this project is handed over to If the same number of slaves are employed, it may not be possible to complete the work in dozens or even hundreds of years.”
Xaro frowned, looking disbelieving.
Samwell didn't care either, and added with a smile:
"Whips and shackles may not be the most effective tools of governance."
These words made Xaro fall into deep thought, but after a while, he came to his senses:
"Your Majesty Caesar, you won't go back on your word, will you?"
"No." Samwell pointed to the square in front of him, "I respect the choice of the people of Meereen."
"That's good." Xaro breathed a sigh of relief.
(end of this chapter)