Compared to others, Guo Kang is indeed the kind of person who prefers to reason with others. Of course, he was not only talking about the Russians, but also reminding Joanna.
Although her attempt to meddle in military power seemed a bit ambitious, she really couldn't be blamed. These days, she is not the only Italian who wants to build her own armed forces. It can even be said to be a trend.
In today's Italian peninsula, the economic and military strength are really not proportional. This is actually a very dangerous situation, which is equivalent to telling others that this place is full of fat sheep and can be slaughtered at will. No one with a little knowledge would be willing to accept this.
Regardless of this era or later, local people have always envisioned protecting their own safety through various means. Unfortunately, these attempts almost all failed. The situation in Italy even got worse and worse, and until modern times, there were not many signs of improvement.
"I know that there are many people in Italy who hope to learn from the experience of ancient Rome and revive military power. If nothing else, I have seen more than one example. This shows that this may not be an idea that only a few people have. Yes." Guo Kang said to her.
"After our rise, some people even believed that our system combined the powerful Eastern military system with Roman tradition, and used practical actions to prove that behind the powerful military system, there is the same set of logic - this is not me What they are saying is what an Italian scholar said directly to Master Wang before. They believe that as long as they understand this logic and follow this 'formula' step by step, they can achieve the same good results."
"But you see, political, military, economic, etc., all aspects of the elements are closely integrated. Sometimes it is even related to the geographical environment and cultural traditions. I am not very good at whether the 'formula' exists and whether it can be used. For sure," he admonished.
"Then you yourself are also trying to expand the scope of the military region, want to build new army farms everywhere, and promote this system in other places?" Joanna asked: "What is the difference between this and the local people doing it themselves?"
"The difference is that for others to do this, they need to change too much. They can easily touch the interests of various internal and external enemies, arouse their dissatisfaction, and thus be extinguished." Guo Kang replied: "For example, if you are active in Italy , trying to control the city-state's army. But this actually means little. The enemy can easily attract external intervention and put an end to your attempt."
"But we have a complete set of ready-made systems, a group of officials who can implement policies - and most importantly, there are enough troops to deal with various unexpected situations to guarantee the new military region. In this way, the situation is completely different."
This matter is also a very real problem, and the Florentines themselves will encounter it in the future.
At the beginning of the 16th century, Machiavelli, who got the opportunity, trained a militia for Florence according to his own ideals and with reference to the methods of ancient Rome.
At the beginning, this army performed really well, winning the war against Pisa and successfully annexing it. However, a few years later, the Pope attracted the Spanish army, which defeated Florence without any suspense and crushed Machiavelli's efforts.
When facing opponents of different sizes, these training methods, organizational techniques and other issues lose their meaning.
It is true that small countries can reform relatively easily. But once big countries start taking action, small countries often have nothing to do with them. Moreover, in the face of truly difficult situations, big countries have a much higher error tolerance rate.
Guo Kang was also a witness to this conclusion back then. He had learned how the Seris people tried almost every method in the world in a hundred years - if it were any other civilization, none of them would be the same method. The better question is that no one can afford to try it over and over again, and of course there is no condition to find a more efficient method.
The peak period of civilization can be evaluated in many different ways. But what matters most is its performance during the trough period. This extremely resilient civilization is like an unkillable hydra. The enemy could only look at it in horror. Under constant attacks, it still gradually regained its status. And this may be the most valuable characteristic of a powerful civilization.
Although Joanna has not experienced it yet, this conclusion is not difficult to understand.
"Hey, it's really difficult to start everything from scratch, especially in a place like Italy." She sighed and said, "That's why I hope I can ask you for help."
"It's not the best to ask us for help." Guo Kang pointed out: "This involves a complicated exchange of interests. If there is a slight mistake, everyone will be dissatisfied."
"If you ask me, you might as well just join Rome. After all, Italy is the home of Rome. It's not a shame to recognize your ancestors and return to them."
"Our two sides have different sects. How can we recognize our ancestors and return to our clan?" Joanna said unexpectedly.
"There are too many people with different sects, so this is nothing." Guo Kang shook his head: "Rome is a universal empire. Whatever religion you believe in does not affect the organization of the empire itself."
"I have discussed this kind of thing with Tuohuan and the others before. If things go well in Egypt, we can consider re-establishing the four major patriarchates." Guo Kang has always liked to introduce his strategic plan:
"Our Patriarchate of Constantine here remains in its current state and is mainly responsible for managing the Orthodox Church; in the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Caliph serves as the Patriarch and is mainly responsible for managing the Tianfang Church; in the Patriarchate of Rome, the Pope serves as the Patriarch , mainly responsible for the management of the Roman Catholic Church."
"In addition, the religious situation in Antioch in the East is very complicated. There are both Orthodox and Catholic activities there, as well as many Tianfang believers, and even ancient sects such as Nestorianism and the Armenian Church. We can just set up a church there. Committee, allowing them to elect their own patriarchs, jointly manage and coordinate academic affairs, and serve as a concrete testing ground for the concept of 'three religions in one'."
"..." Joanna was stunned again, and it took her a while to react.
"Can believers accept this?" she said in surprise.
"The vast majority of believers don't even care much about the situation outside their own villages. As long as you don't arrest the priests or imams they like, they won't bother to care about you at all. These measures are too high-standard. They only need to deal with the nobles and senior church figures. ." Guo Kang said.
"As we all know, these high-level officials generally cherish their property and lives and are very easy to talk to. So it just sounds like there is a lot of noise. In fact, nothing will happen. When these measures are stabilized, we can go further. First Set out to heal the great schism in the church that year.”
"Are you confident that you can do it?" Joanna asked quickly.
"Of course. Just bring the Bishop of Rome back to the capital and work jointly with the Patriarch," Guo Kang said.
"Then other people will blow it up!" Joanna still couldn't accept it: "The French were not so exaggerated back then."
"It's okay, we can learn from the ancestors of the French." Guo Kang told him: "I have discussed it with Tuo Huan. If possible, let the Great Khan come forward and give territory to the Bishop of Rome. Didn't the Papal State lose a few pieces of land before? Well, send it back to him."
"Huh? Why is this happening?" Joanna asked.
"If there is a gift, there must be a gift in return. This is just a formality, but it is actually an exchange of land." Guo Kang explained: "We plan to exchange five hundred miles of land for the Vatican. The Bishop of Rome will definitely agree."
"After the exchange is completed, we will be responsible for replacing the Pope and managing various institutions there, including the entire Papal State. But the Bishop of Rome himself will not have a cathedral after the exchange. So, we took him to Metropolis and gave him He sealed a new church. Look, isn’t that fair?”
Joanna began to think hard. Although she looks like a very smart person, this ancient wisdom of Seris still seems a bit beyond the scope, and it takes a while to react.
Guo Kang was not in a hurry, waiting for her to think about it.
At this time, the voice of password and response came from the door.
"It's almost here." Guo Kang looked at the clock tower in the distance and couldn't help complaining: "It's almost two-quarters of an hour. Are you going to put on makeup?"
(End of chapter)
