Perhaps because he was worried that the situation would be too embarrassing, Tuohuan, who had always been the peacemaker, sensed something was wrong and took the initiative to suggest that everyone should discuss business matters quickly.
The Queen Mother looked at Mrs. Elena, who nodded and said, "We have already considered Mr. Guo's previous suggestions."
"We support your plan, but we also hope you can do us a favor. If an agreement can be reached, then my husband and I will come forward and try our best to help you lobby everyone." She said to Guo Kang.
Guo Kang had no objection to this. General Cao's seniority and qualifications gave him a natural advantage in lobbying. Guo Kang is very confident in his plan. The biggest problem now is that others may not be willing to listen to him. With the old man coming forward and asking everyone to listen quietly to his explanation, his plan would be half successful.
Of course, for such a major matter related to the strategic direction of the Khanate, it is expected that the other party will ask for an exchange. Rather, this shows that they really value this matter and put it in a position that their family must seriously weigh. It is much easier to deal with such straightforward people.
He nodded, turned to look at Theodora, and then found that Tuo Huan was also looking in her direction.
The keen Joanna saw their actions at a glance and burst into laughter again.
"I thought it was Mr. Guo's plan, but it turned out to be Her Royal Highness's decision?" She magically swung a fan out of her hand, covering half of her face, and looked at the people with interest.
Guo Kang didn't know how to answer for a moment, and he and Tuohuan looked at each other in confusion.
In fact, it is a normal choice for the two of them to do this: Guo Kang is used to thinking about his own things all year round, but he is used to being carefree when having sex. She still knows best the methods of negotiation, compromise, and conspiracy inside and outside the palace.
Moreover, Theodora specifically said before that important matters should be discussed with her. So Guo Kang didn't want to be arbitrary and wanted to see if she had any other opinions first.
But I don’t know if it’s a good idea to talk about this kind of thing publicly.
After all, Joanna is an outsider. If everyone knows that the new generation of Rome's strategy will rely on women to make decisions, will it make everyone doubt that noble women are involved in politics again?
Therefore, he quickly explained: "Although this plan is my idea, they have helped from the beginning to the end. Therefore, I also habitually seek their opinions first."
"Actually, you don't have to worry about it. When we talk about this step, we have already reached a consensus on the general direction. The next step is actually just to exchange views and coordinate with each other on the details. Right?"
As he spoke, he looked at Mrs. Elena, who nodded in agreement.
"That's it." Joanna showed a relieved expression, put away her fan, and explained to everyone: "I admire Mr. Guo's vision very much, so I have been funding him before. If it is a plan led by him, I can continue with confidence. Supported.”
"Is it important that he takes the lead?" Tuohuan asked curiously.
"Of course." Joanna replied: "Although we merchants can accumulate wealth, we are very fragile compared to kings and lords."
"In Italian cities, there is a story about the 'Lenna Fox', which is very popular among the citizens. We are actually similar to the fox in the story. When facing lions and wolves, we seem to have wisdom to rely on, but No one knows when one will be eaten. So, it’s okay not to be cautious.”
"That's it." Tuohuan looked half-comprehensive, but continued: "As for the other businessmen, can you convince them to fund this plan with confidence?"
"We have always paid close attention to Egypt's transportation and trade routes. If the plan can be guaranteed to be carried out smoothly, not only our family will invest, but other interested businessmen will also join." Joanna promised: "I have contacted several City Councilor, as long as the time is right, their inspection team will come to visit. I have just reported the progress of this matter to the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother smiled and nodded, looking very satisfied with this. There are no other problems with having sex.
"So, Mrs. Elena, do you need any help?" Joanna asked again.
Everyone else's eyes turned to Elena again, only Theodora curled her lips in dissatisfaction.
——Originally, Guo Kang and Tuo Huan had already made this gesture, and she should have taken advantage of the situation and made the final statement to agree to this plan. However, before she could speak, Joanna took over the topic in the name of Guo Kang within a few words.
Theodora grew up in the court and was very sensitive to this kind of confrontation, so naturally she would not be happy. But no one else, including the Queen Mother who summoned everyone, was unaware.
In this case, she couldn't delve deeper, otherwise she would appear to be petty, and it would even make everyone think that she was taking credit from Guo Kang.
"Oh, our request shouldn't be difficult." Over there, Mrs. Elena said straight to the point: "Mr. Guo remembers the Novgorod 'Petrovich' battle group, right?"
"Remember." Guo Kang nodded.
The "Petrovich" battle group was the first battle group established in the Rus region, outside the traditional direct jurisdiction of the Khanate. At that time, "Old Peter" Guo Di built a fortress at the mouth of the Neva River and recruited local people to join the army for defense, and this army was born.
The Novgorod Republic is not always united. There is a clear distinction between urban citizens and free citizens in villages and affiliated towns.
Citizens hold a lot of wealth and have a higher status, and they always look down on other country bumpkins; but when surrounded by powerful enemies, they need to organize these people to protect their property.
Adequate arms were necessary for security, but Parliament often left them to work and was unwilling to give the freedmen more political power. In this case, armed free people are more dangerous.
Therefore, the policies formulated by the city council often fall into embarrassing situations: the vassal towns are not loyal, and have declared independence or defected to other forces in the past. Within the control area, the quarrels caused by this differentiation have never stopped.
Therefore, the big businessmen in the parliament have always tended to contract out difficult and time-consuming defense affairs. In this matter, they packed up the defense of remote areas, as well as those annoying free people in the countryside, and threw them to the provincial agencies of the Purple Horde Khanate.
This kind of governance idea, which was different from other principalities, surprised the Purple Horde Khanate. At the same time, it also produced a number of strange territories that were scattered but were actually managed by the Khan's officials.
Guo Di originally led his men to the mouth of the Neva River. The locals told him that this was the place where Batu Khan's good friend, Alexander Nevsky Anda, defeated the Swedes and became famous in one battle. Guo Di then inspected the surrounding terrain and built fortresses at key locations to guard against another enemy attack.
After that, the local soldiers he summoned gradually settled there to farm. Seeing this familiar situation, the officials reported to the Khan's court and suggested that it be managed as a direct territory. Therefore, administrative divisions were also established here and battle groups were organized.
Because they were directly recognized by the Khan's court and had a backer, the locals were happy. They called the fortress "Petersburg", and the members of the chapter received the nickname "Petrovich", which means "Son of Peter". This is also the origin of its name.
(End of chapter)
