Although it's hard to hear the words about "Tu Huan", these are indeed the truth, so it's hard for everyone to say anything.
"Our grandpa also came to the throne after usurping the throne. This in itself is nothing. Hasn't this been the rule in Rome for so many years? But the problem is, they didn't do it well." He said.
"The Lascaris family is just a military leader, but they defeated the Latin Empire, defeated the Sultan of Rome, and defeated Bulgaria. No matter how they did it or whether they did a good job in the aftermath, they can always win. Therefore, the small court of Nicaea can turn around."
"The fact that the Valleolo family bullied orphans and widowed mothers to seize the throne is actually nothing. It has happened in history. The problem is that after usurping the throne, what they did was not as good as before."
"This is a common problem in all civilizations." Guo Kang is used to this: "Regiments that usurp the throne are generally unable to solve the problems of the previous generation, but only aggravate the problems. If there is no trouble, it will also create new ones. Trouble is coming."
"They are an obvious example." He compared: "The Laskaris family was hunted down by the Frank army and survived by fleeing into Asia Minor. In order to survive, they began to learn from the pain and carry out reforms."
"Since the 12th century, Rome has become increasingly feudal. The traditional military districts were gradually abandoned, and the country's military power became increasingly weaker. It could only rely on unreliable mercenaries, thus falling into a vicious cycle."
"So, after stabilizing the situation in Nicaea, the Lascaris Dynasty began to try to rebuild the military region, and made a lot of progress. If you have seen their measures, you will feel very familiar."
"What measure is it?" Heroine Jeanne asked curiously.
"The first is to reduce taxes. The imperial court announced a reduction in taxes, and the castle has been lost, so all the previous tax arrears do not need to be paid." Guo Kang answered.
"Secondly, it is to encourage production. The emperor took the lead in cultivating the fields and raising chickens himself. Finally, he sold the eggs in the royal farm to the Turks of the Roma Sultanate, and used the profits to buy a crown for the queen. Therefore,' The 'Egg Crown' has become an allusion."
"Another point is to control commerce and call for frugality. The emperor asked his subjects to stop purchasing luxury goods, especially officials and nobles, and should only use goods produced locally in Rome and made by Romans. He also suspended the commercial privileges of various Italian countries, High trade taxes were set up as barriers to prevent them from penetrating the country."
"These measures allowed local production to resume, and soon warehouses in various places were enriched to provide support for military operations. Successful military operations also ensured the stability of the country. Therefore, the two are complementary to each other. "
"Military reform is a more old-fashioned topic." He felt that everyone else should know it, but the heroine Jeanne really didn't seem to have read much, so he had to give a general introduction: "Actually, it's the same as here. Divide the land among the peasants and soldiers and put them into service.”
"The emperor managed the country with the help of nobles and high-ranking bureaucrats, but he also claimed to be the 'protector of the citizens and peasants.' He used the army of civilians to deal with the nobles who stretched their hands, confiscated the property they accumulated, and used it to reward the middle- and lower-class officers and soldiers. .”
"In this state, the dynasty's army has sufficient combat effectiveness. The Greek army has been known for its low combat effectiveness for a long time, but under this system, it can still defeat the Frank knights and the Turks."
"So I said, this is a very old-fashioned thing. Look, this idea and result are very familiar."
"Actually, it's still the same as farming." Tuohuan said the core point directly.
"Yes, it's very cliché, very vulgar, and I can't even read history - but I can fight." Guo Kang grinned and said with a smile: "This principle is too simple, it just depends on who can do it."
"Then why can they and you do it, but others can't?" Heroine Jeanna asked curiously.
"Because if we can't do it, we will die." Tuohuan shrugged: "We survived, so we must have done it."
"ah……"
"People are lazy. The common people want to be lazy, the nobles want to embezzle, the emperor wants to be extravagant... These are all inevitable things." Guo Kang explained for him: "I don't know any solution, but for now, The best solution is to survive the pressure. Apart from that, I really can’t think of a better way..."
"Does it have to be a circle of powerful foreign enemies?" Heroine Jeanne asked curiously.
"Internal pressure is fine too." Guo Kang added, and then looked at Tuo Huan: "I remember I concluded before that the tax in Seris is the lowest everywhere. Have you ever thought about why this is? Yes. Is it because the court over there is inherently kinder?"
"If not...because their civilians are better at fighting?" Heroine Jeanna thought for a while and asked.
"Yes. The truth in this world is that simple." Guo Kang nodded: "So I often feel that the idea of decoupling is right. In the end, doesn't it all depend on force in the end?"
"The Valleolo family is incapable of using force, so they can't do anything." Tuo Huan also began to give examples: "They are not Caesars and have no ability to overwhelm the nobles to gain power, so they can only give up state power in exchange for others. acknowledgment of them.”
"Because we really can't win, in order to please the big nobles, we have to give up measures to suppress annexations, carry out more enfeoffments, and return to the feudal system. Previous attempts to restore military regions were abandoned halfway."
"And this kind of concession creates a vicious cycle. Without the support of a strong military, the government is actually nothing. Turks, Italians, and even Bulgarians and Serbs can manipulate the court at will." He compared it: "Look , we said before that this dynasty is like the Haixi Song Dynasty, so it is not an injustice to him."
"In this way, the Song Dynasty did not restrain annexation." Little Jeanne also became interested.
"Yes. They themselves put it nicely, saying it was to develop people's livelihood, but I think it is the sequelae of usurping the throne." Guo Kang disagreed: "The legitimacy is low, the officials are giving back food, and they can't make achievements that convince everyone. Then the only choice is They engage in such cowardice to please military leaders and scholar-bureaucrats, and ultimately make the country worse."
"However, whether the people or future generations look at the ruler, no one cares about his situation or understands their difficulties. They only look at the results - if they can't defeat them, they can't defeat them. If they lose, they won't be able to defeat them. There is no use looking for excuses."
"Because since he becomes an official, victory is his obligation." Guo Kang shook his head and said, "If you can't do it, you can quit. Anyway, there are many people who want to do it."
(End of chapter)
