Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 523 Heavenly Father, Caesar and the Tribunes

Outside the venue, Tuo Huan was pacing back and forth, waiting for his appearance. Theodora sat at the table across the room, writing something quickly.

In the evening, all the elders who could arrive were summoned urgently and an impromptu meeting was held. Just now, Prime Minister Wang Lao made a report, introducing the general situation of the turmoil, and then admitted his mistake to everyone and announced his resignation.

After his report, the senators would briefly discuss the matter. After that, it was Tu Huan's turn to take the stage. As the person in charge of the investigation and aftermath work, he would make a staged summary of the current progress.

"Guo Kanganda should be the one to talk about this matter." Tuohuan glanced at the manuscript in his hand and complained: "I have been sleeping, what is there to say..."

"I asked you to talk about the various tasks afterwards." Theodora corrected without raising her head: "Isn't this exactly what you did after you woke up?"

"I don't think there's anything to say about this." Tuo Huan said bluntly: "Aren't these just a summary of documents? Any clerk can talk about it. Let me say something..."

"Brother Kang's status is not high enough, and the same goes for any petty official you find. This is the political rule. Although it is annoying, for us, it is more terrifying without it." Theodora put down the pen and raised his head: "And If you don’t follow the rules, I’ll do it myself.”

"Okay, okay -" Tuohuan had no choice but to admit defeat.

"Don't be perfunctory." Theodora warned: "This time you are indeed asked to appear in advance. It is normal to be insufficiently prepared, but this is not someone deliberately making things difficult for you. This arrangement is to respect political rules and maintain political balance. .”

Although it seemed to be improvised, the elders did not know whether this was an arranged process, so they remained silent as usual and allowed him to continue speaking.

There were more than two hundred elders sitting in the conference room. Tuohuan recognized them all and was relatively familiar with many of them. But even so, this is the first time that he has publicly taken charge of public affairs and reported in accordance with formal procedures. If it hadn't been for what Guo Kang had done, this work should have started a year later, after they had finished conquering the remnants of the Magyar party or southern Italy.

"It sounds like I want to compete with him for credit." Tuo Huan complained: "As for..."

"For us, I've thought about that as well."

Tuo Huan wanted to say something else, but the door to the waiting room suddenly opened and a clerk ran over to inform him. Tuohuan quickly took the manuscript and walked into the venue.

Prime Minister Wang had just finished his speech and was leaving the venue bent over. Although Tuo Huan knew that he should have understood what happened before, and with the coordination of other Zhuguo, he discussed the follow-up handling method with everyone and reached an understanding. What is announced here is already the result of the discussion. But obviously, even just announcing this to everyone still shocked him. After a few words of comfort from a few familiar elders, he returned to his position and remained silent.

"That's it for the summary of the disposal work." Tuohuan said, "However, I still have some summaries to say."

"At that time, Zigong asked Confucius, what is needed to govern? Confucius said that there must be sufficient food, sufficient armaments, and the people must trust the court. Zigong then asked: If you have to, you must get rid of one or three of them. Which one should be removed first? Confucius said: Get rid of armaments first. Zigong asked again: If you have to get rid of one item, which one should be removed first? Confucius said: Get rid of food. Since ancient times, people have to die. , but without the trust of the people, it will not be able to gain a foothold." Tuo Huan said, "Everyone should know this allusion."

"That's okay to understand." Bai Saihan nodded: "If he hadn't been arranged to prepare in advance, how could a child do such a big thing at once? But we really didn't expect the specific timing, otherwise it should be possible to do more It ended neatly.”

"Hey, that's what I said..."

After saying these things, it’s time to make a summary. However, after finishing reading those few qualitative words, Tuo Huan frowned and put the manuscript aside.

"This is not to suppress him, but for his own good. This matter, even if it turns out to be successful, is already beyond the scope of what he can bear. Someone must support him. Otherwise, I'm afraid there will be endless troubles later." Di Odola shook her head: "Credit and responsibility are equal. If more people try to share his credit, they are actually throwing everyone into the same boat. From now on, no one can easily attack him with this matter. .”

Paisai Khan was also standing next to the seats where the senators were sitting, talking to some people. Tuohuan walked over and heard him answering questions there, and said in a positive tone: "Yes, I have agreed to this matter of Mr. Guo. He had chatted with us before and talked about the issue of soldier selection. I told him that if he discovers any violation of military law in the legion, he can also investigate, report, and correct it. He probably took action immediately because he thought of this matter."

But now that it has happened, there is no point in worrying about it anymore. Tuohuan then picked up the file and began to introduce the aftermath work in a strict manner.

"Brother Kang has done such a big thing, and the court must express its attitude. Due to emotions and reasons, we cannot deny his actions, so we can only recognize his contribution. But in this case, he has gained too much merit at once, More than anyone else of your generation. If something like this happens, I can only let you appear in advance as a response."

After saying that, he happened to see Tuohuan, so he left the elders, returned to his seat, and then waved to Tuohuan, indicating that he could start.

"Is this your specific instruction? Did he have a plan in advance?" asked an elder.

He looked around at the crowd and talked about his previous experience: "I have talked about this matter with Mr. Guo Kang just mentioned. I asked him at that time that the official name of our dynasty has four words, called 'Senatorate' and the Roman people'. So among the Senate, Rome and the people, if one must be given up, who should be given up first?"

"He told me that we should give up the Senate first." After he finished speaking, he looked at everyone's reactions and saw that they were a little surprised and began to concentrate, so he continued to explain.

"I was just as surprised as you guys at first. But then I thought about it and found that the reason is very simple. The position of senator is just a false title. Official positions and titles, to put it bluntly, are only useful when others recognize them." He As he spoke, he asked: "Our ancestors only ran a farm in the countryside of Bulgaria at first. At that time, how could there be any elders, princes and various officials?" "They built water conservancy projects and organized farmland little by little, even if the leaders We also have to get up early every day to clear the thorns and shrubs on the wasteland. We have to stay up late at night to guard against wild beasts and thieves. For decades, our fields were everywhere on both sides of the Danube, and people from all over took risks and fled to seek refuge, saying: 'Romania has Food!’ So the great leader was honored as khan and the leader was elected as elder. This is how these positions came about.”

"So, even if there is no Senate, it is not a big deal. As long as people still hope to fill their stomachs and not be plundered by barbarians, this leadership institution can be restored at any time. Whether it is for us or ordinary citizens, These are the least important.”

After saying that, Tuo Huan looked at everyone's reactions, and sure enough, many people seemed to understand what he meant. They no longer looked confused, but began to figure it out.

"Then we started thinking again and asked Rome and its people, if one had to be given up, who should be given up. The conclusion was that Rome should be given up," he continued.

"We weren't called Rome at the beginning. When our ancestors established their foundation, we actually didn't even have a country name. When we needed a flag, we just used our surname to make up for it. The first Khan didn't even know how to name his self-proclaimed title. Old Prime Minister Guo Yuanting helped him with diplomatic documents, so he simply wrote 'Hebei Liu Gong'. It wasn't until he got married later that he started to set up a purple tent and call himself Rome."

"However, compared with the Greek dynasties, we are the most powerful." Tuo Huan compared:

"The dynasty changes of the Greeks were nothing more than the original princes and nobles usurping the throne with the help of mutiny and rebellion. The Cao family and the Sima family were the same in all dynasties, and the people were accustomed to it."

"As a result, the country was won too easily and unorthodoxly in all dynasties, so that the dignity of the imperial court was ruined, and the disasters of the Eight Kings occurred one after another. Military chaos and barbarism continued for thousands of years without stopping. The Greeks were not ashamed, but proud. The great country is torn apart, and the territory of our ancestors has been lost to the enemy. What's the use of having the name of Rome?" He shook his head and said.

"My great ancestor Liu Gong was originally just a farmer by the Danube River. He was not an official or vassal of any Greek dynasty. He never accepted their benefits or appointments and rebelled against them. Just because he couldn't bear to see the people suffer, he carried three feet Long Sword led the tired farmers, running around, working hard to run the country, and gradually became stronger, and then he accepted the invitation of the capital and inherited the title of Rome."

"Since the founder of the city, Romulus, there have been dozens of imperial dynasties, but no one can win the country more righteously than this dynasty." He said confidently: "Is this because we won the hearts of Rome first? That's not the case. . But it’s because we won the hearts of the people that we became Rome. Otherwise, why would we be successful and not those Greeks?”

"I heard from my grandfather that when General Li Tiance led his army to the west, we were not used to using Roman flags. Instead, we were Alemannic people who liked to call themselves the 'Holy Roman Empire'. But when the elders along the way saw us coming, they They all said, 'The Romans are finally here'; when they saw the Alemannic army appearing, they said, 'The barbarians are here to rob again.' As time went by, even the Alemannic people who defected to us thought that their king's army was A group of barbarians. Is this a matter of flag and name? Obviously not, it’s just what people want.”

"Emperor Zhaolie said that if we want to do great things, we must put people first. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said that the monarch is a ship and the people are water. Therefore, even if we lose the name of Rome, as long as the people recognize it, the name will come back naturally."

He paused again and looked at three sides from the podium. He found that the elders were really touched. Although they obviously had their own ideas, they all took the initiative to think about it and even recorded it.

"These should be just simple principles. Two children could think them through back then. But now -" he knocked on the wooden platform: "I think some of us have forgotten these common senses. ”

"We in Rome want to protect the interests of all the Roman people, and naturally we must try our best to protect the interests of the senators. However, some senators and upper-class people have begun to corrupt the country and harm their own protectors."

"For the outside world, we don't want the barbarians to come in again, and let the Poles, Alemanians, Italians, etc. show off their power here. That would not only be bad for the civilians, but also very bad for us - don't you think Do you really believe that if Rome disappears, those barbarians will still protect your interests, share and coexist with you, instead of killing you and directly taking all the benefits?"

"It's the same internally," he emphasized; "If we make the people anxious, they will try to change a group of people. As I said just now, whether it is called Rome or not, it is the Senate or not. You have a choice. Therefore, for the sake of the country and ourselves, we must be cautious when dealing with the people!"

"Our ancestors recognized this problem long ago. They arranged triple guarantees for us to maintain the stability of the country and convince the people."

"The first level is our faith. We all have different fathers and belong to different families, but we all have a common father in heaven. In front of the eternal Father, all of us are also a big brother. Families are all brothers and sisters. This is the most basic common relationship. Maintaining this faith family is also our most basic 'common desire'. On this basis, a universal country - Rome, can be established more stably stand up."

"The second level is our leaders. Rome is a country of citizens, and citizens are members of the legions. The leaders of all legions are the common leaders of everyone. In ancient times, the head of Rome and his subordinate institutions relied on civilians The power restrains the nobles, not the other way around. This result is also a natural development, and it is the choice that is most beneficial to the country."

"The third level is a series of monitoring and feedback systems. Many times, it's not that we don't want to, but that the opinions of civilians cannot be easily known to those in power. Even if the situation is known, it may not be the true wish of most people. . Therefore, in ancient times, the Romans arranged tribunes to reflect the opinions of the common people. These positions were intended to express the thoughts of the people and allow them to obtain appropriate power in state affairs."

After he finished the introduction, he changed the topic: "However, now these three layers of protection have become loose and have even collapsed!"

"Our church has met the requirements for safeguarding the faith this time, but to expose such a big thing, it relied on a consultant, not even their own monk. I heard that the Catholic church in the west has already There has been serious corruption, leading to rampant heresies, and many people at the top and bottom are dissatisfied. Are we in the Roman Orthodox Church going to follow in the same footsteps?"

"Our Khan's court did not provide the help that should have been provided in time this time. If we really paid attention to it, then the many obstacles this time would not have happened." He said bluntly: "The problem can be accumulated to this point. Everyone involved in the administration, including myself, all have responsibilities that they cannot shirk."

"And our system of tribunes has completely disappeared. In different fields, this official position has either changed its meaning and been used for other purposes, or it has simply been abolished."

"This is not good news." Tuohuan shook his head: "If all these guarantees fail, our people will not give up. They will find other ways on their own, and this, for Rome and our senators here, It probably won’t be a good thing.”

"Everyone, think about it carefully!" He put away the manuscript and announced the end simply: "That's all my summary!"

(End of this chapter)