Guo Kang is not blindly arrogant. Because today, it is not that the Khan's court has no defense against them.
Just like arranging for Moscow to supervise other countries, in the north, the Khanate also used its cooperation with Novgorod to actually curb Moscow's power.
The Republic of Novgorod is located in the northernmost part of the continent, and the city is located on the Volkhov River. Along the river to the north is the huge Lake Ladoga. From the lake, follow the Neva River and you can enter the Gulf of Finland.
The land in Novgorod is very barren. Although it looks vast, most of it is an uninhabited land near the Arctic Ocean, and food is very scarce. However, because the city is located between the two major business circles of Beihai and Ross, water transportation is convenient, so commerce is developed and has become the backbone of the city.
The trade routes that traverse the north and south of the European continent have a very long history, older than most of the civilizations here.
Amber is abundant around the Baltic Sea, so in prehistoric times in Europe, merchants began to collect and transport these gems and sell them to the south where they could make more profits. Baltic amber was found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. The Greeks also used this treasure as a sacrifice in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
Later, Emperor Nero sent people to explore the source of these things and find out the direction of the trade route. Later generations named it "Amber Road".
Compared with the shortcut through Germania, the trade route in the Rus area came much later, but with the development here, commerce also flourished.
Perhaps because of this, unlike other principalities, Novgorod is a less "Russian" city-state.
Hundreds of years ago, the then Grand Duke lost the war and was deposed by the citizens. Since then, there has been no real Grand Duke here. The power of the country is in the hands of the citizens' assembly called "Witch", and the actual leader is the mayor elected by businessmen and citizens.
There are indeed nobles who serve as grand dukes in the city, but they are already employed. It's just that in this era, the most powerful local nobles were indeed these nobles, so many relics were left behind. However, only in times of war does he have greater power. In normal times, he is just the leader of the garrison and is subject to great restrictions.
Some grand dukes who are more capable of fighting and have high prestige can serve for a longer period of time and have a relatively larger say. But if you are just an ordinary grand duke, you may even have to sign a contract to ensure your legal power.
Diplomatically, due to its close proximity to the Baltic Sea, Novgorod had close relations with the Hanseatic League and was an important member of the alliance. The largest trading station of the Alliance merchants in Eastern Europe is located here. All parties are very familiar with each other as they often cooperate based on common business interests.
It can be said that in terms of system, national relations and culture, this place is closer to northwest Europe than to other Russian countries in the hinterland of the continent.
Compared with Moscow, the Khan's die-hard henchman, these two countries almost represent two completely different opposites of the Russians.
The conflict between them lasted for a long time.
In Guo Kang's world, Novgorod was eventually conquered by Moscow due to military failure, but the difference between "going to Europe" and "going to Mongolia" has never disappeared, but has long been rooted in the core of Russian civilization. Until the time he lived, the sense of separation caused by these two trends still troubled the Russians.
Novgorod and Moscow, the successors St. Petersburg and Moscow, the emperor and the tsar, Europe and Asia, Westernization and locality... These paired concepts and symbols give Russian culture a unique feature.
Of course, in this era, Novgorod businessmen will most likely not regard Moscow landowners as their own.
In fact, Novgorod is an important force that checks and balances Moscow. The Khan's court lacked control over the central countries, but in the northernmost Novgorod, governors and troops had been stationed since the Civil War.
Because in the eyes of the locals, as long as it doesn't hinder their ability to do business and make money, it doesn't matter who is in charge of the army. The so-called Governor is nothing more than a replacement for the original Grand Duke.
A side effect of developed commerce is that there are so many bandits on land and water. Every year, the Republic invests a lot of money to recruit mercenaries to escort caravans and eliminate bandits. In addition, Lithuania in the southwest and Moscow in the southeast both covet the wealth of the Republic. Necessary security is indispensable. Otherwise, it is likely to end up with a life of making money and no life of spending.
All services must be paid at an appropriate price. It’s really unrealistic to want to save money and get good service at the same time. If you want to lower commercial prices, you have to increase your political and diplomatic weight. They are very clear about this.
After the Civil War, Novgorod was eager to get rid of suspicion and at the same time be prepared to deal with the impact of a major reshuffle of power in the Rus region.
Although it is located in the far north, even Batu's army could not reach this place, but the problem now is that the Purple Horde Khanate controls the vital trade routes.
Keen businessmen and politicians can already discover that, unlike the previous Eastern Roman Dynasty, the Purple Horde Khanate was more keen on expanding along trade routes.
After intervening in Georgia and sending troops to invade the Volga River Basin, they have directly bordered the Persian region and controlled the main route through the Caucasus and the southern Russian steppe - this is also a very important place, from the Bulgar Khanate to the Golden Horde The Khanate had become wealthy by controlling the trade route intersection here.
Although the eastern section of the Prairie Silk Road has never been opened, considerable large-scale trade has been organized through the current four regions of Persia, the Eastern Mediterranean, Russia, and the North Sea. Several key sections were controlled by the Purple Horde Khanate.
If they are offended, then the Purple Horde does not need to do it themselves. Moscow and other scoundrels will cut off the republic's trade network and plunge the merchants into bankruptcy - everyone suspects that they have long wanted to do this.
Therefore, now the Novgorod Republic needs to find new ways to get itself out of the predicament.
Businessmen do not want to pay too much, but the necessary chips must always be given. In this case, it is better to transfer some less important sovereignty. Their special location makes them fetch a good price.
