In addition, Guo Kang also expressed to the priests that if he hoped they could elect representatives and join the new army, they would help with various subsequent tasks.
In fact, both Orthodox and Catholic churches have a tradition of sending clergy to accompany the army. Whether it is to appease the morale of the troops, or to personally participate in the battle, there are many examples. In terms of establishment, there is also a tradition of setting up military parishes.
However, due to various conditions, the system for dispatching clergy and their specific tasks have not been clearly defined in the past. It basically depends on the performance of the priests themselves. After the Purple Horde Khanate discovered this habit, they immediately learned it.
Patriarch Zhang's idea at the time was that the clergy themselves should be able to lead troops to fight, manage the army, and realize the integration of military and government. However, it was later discovered that these requirements were a bit too high, so they settled for the second best and encouraged clergy to participate in peacetime training and act as reliable assistants during wartime. Moreover, he also formulated a set of regulations and established a special department responsible for providing additional training to clergy and then selecting them as needed.
Europeans call this model "theocracy."
In Guo Kang's time, people often associated this term with the world of Tianfang Religion or the Pope of Rome, but in fact, this term originally referred specifically to the Eastern Roman and Orthodox churches.
The unity of church and state comes from Latin, written as "Caesaropapism", the spelling is "Caesar" + "Pope". And Caesar was more of a military dictator than a political office. Therefore, Guo Kang believes that a more accurate translation of this word should be "the system of combining military and sacrificial services".
In this way, the Seris people can see at a glance what its meaning is.
It was used by the Catholic Church, generally to accuse the Eastern Roman emperors of forcibly interfering with the church. Many times, "Caesarism" and "Byzantineism" are synonymous and can be replaced with each other in documents.
It is difficult to say whether this word is derogatory or whether it is sour grapes. Because the Tianfang Sect and the Roman Catholic Church do not have such a complete system, they cannot learn it even if they want to. Only the "Gaulism" of the French can be regarded as partially learned.
However, in terms of the integration of military service and sacrifice, the Seris Dynasty was much more perfect than the Eastern Roman Empire. The Purple Horde Khanate also had natural advantages in many aspects because of this Central Plains habit. Being able to establish a group of clergy with clear functions and organization in the army is one of the effects.
The priests welcomed this very much.
"I heard that the target of the new army this time is Alexandria." A priest said happily: "It was one of the five patriarchates back then, but now it is separated from us and occupied by the Tianfang Sect. It is too old. If I have the chance, I would like to see it with my own eyes.”
Guo Kang nodded, indicating that he understood their feelings.
The establishment of the new Ross Army means a new organization; and if the intervention in Egypt is successful, then it is likely to announce the reintegration of the Alexandria Patriarchate into the organization. Considering its important religious influence, the priests were naturally happy to participate in this event.
To be honest, to be able to persist in the rural environment of the Ross area for so many years, these people probably are not focused on gaining fame and reputation. However, his subordinates can be morally high enough and don't need to be paid, but as the leader of the plan, he can't really ignore various rewards. Therefore, the possible benefits and the effort required must be explained to everyone first.
Of course, there are also some situations where you need to be informed in advance so that they can be mentally prepared.
"I know that everyone knows the history of the church and knows about Alexandria's wealth and important position in all aspects." He said to everyone: "However, the situation there is not very good now, and the facilities are very dilapidated. When we land, it is possible that Will choose other ports."
"Hey? Did you suffer a disaster?" Some priests had really never heard of it.
"Yes." Guo Kang said: "In 1365, King Peter I of Cyprus organized a Crusade. According to their own statement, the predecessor of this country was the Kingdom of Jerusalem established by the Crusaders. The ancestors of the royal family claimed to be The king's crusader lord Guy de Lusignan. Because of this reputation, many Catholic countries were willing to help, allowing him to successfully raise an army, and also raised funds with the help of the Knights of Venice and Rhodes. He took the transport ship and said he was going to attack Jerusalem."
"However, this was actually a deception strategy. After the Crusaders boarded the ship, the fleet sailed to Alexandria. This move not only deceived the Pope, Venice and other allies, but even deceived many of its own people. "
"Alexander's defenders were naturally completely unprepared. Even the local governor had gone on a pilgrimage, leaving no one in the city. The Crusaders quickly defeated the guards and looted the city."
"As in other previous cases, as soon as the looting began, the army fell into a state of complete disorder. The Crusaders slaughtered indiscriminately in the city for three days, killing most of the citizens and capturing thousands of people and transporting them as slaves. Due to its important geographical location, many merchants from Catholic countries also settled in the port, and they were also robbed and killed by the Crusaders."
"In addition, they are still carrying out senseless destruction in the city. The Lighthouse of Alexandria had been damaged in the previous earthquake. After the Crusaders arrived, they smashed it again and now only a pile of stones is left. Peter I They tried to lead the army to continue attacking Cairo, but the Crusaders had already looted enough and just wanted to go home quickly, so they all left the team on their own. This was the end of the Crusade."
"After that, Alexander never recovered." Guo Kang told them: "The Mamluks later allocated funds to repair the port and attracted some merchants to come and operate it. However, the vitality of the entire city was greatly damaged, and a lot of trade shares were also transferred to Other Newports. If we go there now, we will probably only be able to see the scenery and monuments."
"Hey, I knew it." Father Andrei shook his head and said, "If you get involved with the Crusaders and Venice, it will definitely lead to bad things!"
"Yes. The First Crusade massacred the cities of Antioch and Jerusalem, and the Fourth Crusade massacred the cities of Constantinople. In addition to this, four of the five patriarchates have been destroyed by the Crusaders. ..." Father Mikhail was also quite emotional.
The city of Rome was not much more destroyed. Guo Kang thought.
However, he thought for a while and said: "I really don't blame Venice this time. Alexandria was the most important port in the southeastern Mediterranean at that time. Venetian businessmen invested heavily here, and even spent money to contract a large concession, using Come and build a large commercial warehouse.”
"As a result, the Crusaders who brought them robbed all their own properties. In addition, important business nodes were destroyed, and it was difficult to find replacements immediately in the short term, so they suffered heavy losses. This time the Venetians were considered It’s bloody bad luck.”
"There is no beneficiary from this unfortunate incident." Guo Kang shook his head: "Peter I, who started the war, was either leading his army on an expedition or lobbying in various European countries because he was obsessed with fighting, so he didn't care about his family's affairs all year round. His queen just Take this opportunity to commit adultery with your lover.”
"Later Peter returned to Cyprus, and the queen was afraid that the matter would be exposed, so she took the initiative and recruited three lovers to kill Peter I together. It is said that this was not an assassination, but an aboveboard action, and even the guards at the door did not stop it. .”
"There was only one king in Cyprus who could fight. The subsequent kings had no talent and were quickly besieged and cannibalized by a circle of forces. Finally, when Emperor Timur's uncle marched into Asia Minor, we took the opportunity to regain it. This one didn't That’s the end of a country that benefits anyone.”
(End of chapter)
