Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 590 Roman Truth and Common Sense
Tuohuan only half understood what Guo Kang said.

He didn't really like studying this kind of problem, and Guo Kang kept talking about it, giving a bunch of examples. Finally, he had to say, "I know your conclusion. But you should discuss the process with Master Wang. I was completely confused when I was studying theology..."

"It doesn't matter. Master Wang doesn't know much about theology. This doesn't affect the management of the church." Guo Kang pointed out: "Our organization has always been like this. The Patriarch only needs to hold meetings every day and ask for funds everywhere; but the scholars who are responsible for debating scriptures and writing annotations have to take into account many aspects..."

"what?"

"Really? I now feel that the Patriarch's biggest responsibility is to beg for alms." Guo Kang told him, "But Master Wang is really good at this. I heard that the church hasn't had so much funding for a long time."

"That's right. I think he can ask for money from the Catholic Church. I don't know how he did it." Tuohuan thought for a while and said.

"It's also a matter of timing." Guo Kang said, "When the Bishop of Rome was strong in the past, this side happened to be very weak. The Catholic Church did not take the Orthodox Church seriously at all, and the envoys sent were all bossy. The Greeks here are not afraid of debating with them, but even if you win the debate, it's useless. At most, they will send a crusade to destroy you..."

"After our rise, the Catholic Church began to face corruption and division. Churches in different places had different ideas, and the French and Italians were fighting among themselves all the time. The prestige of the church was lost, and the opposing popes therefore needed support from others - not only in secular terms, but also in religious terms."

"At this time, whoever can get the support of other churches will certainly gain a huge legitimacy advantage. In addition, we are now powerful and our words carry weight, so they are naturally willing to pay money in exchange for our acquiescence or even support."

"I thought the two sides had already torn apart, but I didn't expect that there are still people who recognize each other." Tuohuan commented.

"I remember that, at least before the Fourth Crusade, they had not completely torn their relations apart," Guo Kang said. "Although they blamed each other every day, it was mainly the Bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Dadu who were fighting for the dominance of the God Worshipping Society. It was just that military conflicts broke out later and the relationship reached a freezing point."

"That being said, when the need arises, the two sides can still cooperate. Of course, it would be best if the other party could submit to us, as it would bring great religious prestige and many benefits. Therefore, this relationship has been maintained."

"Oh, it's really troublesome..." Tuohuan complained again.

"It's okay, this is a daily routine." Guo Kang scratched his head. "Two brother churches accuse each other of corruption, modify the prophet's intentions for their own benefit, and even excommunicate each other. This is normal. It has happened many times in history and will definitely continue to happen in the future. Whether it is the God Worshipping Society, the Islamic Church, or anything else, it will be like this. You'll get used to it..."

"Since you understand this so well, I'll trouble you to think more about it in the future." Tuo Huan immediately said, "And the education issue I just mentioned, you'll also need to think more about it."

"Those are actually simple," Guo Kang said. "Education is based on the national management structure. In our case, we just need to go with the flow. The most difficult work has already been done by our ancestors."

"Comparatively speaking, our educational institutions are much larger than those of the surrounding countries. Even if they have money, they may not be able to afford it, because our education and administrative institutions are integrated into one. This is not something that everyone can do."

"I heard that when the country was founded, there were not many people who could teach. At that time, Henan and Hebei were in chaos all year round, and even church education had collapsed. Those who were willing to follow us were all illiterate lower-class people who had no access to educational opportunities."

"People in different places speak different languages. Although there are not many people, their languages ​​are very diverse, and sometimes people cannot understand each other. Therefore, cultural education and the establishment of the army were carried out simultaneously; and our country was built on the basis of the army." I have read the documents and notes left by my ancestors and great uncles. They often mentioned that the country used for comparison was not the Tang Dynasty or the Yuan Dynasty, but the Western Liao Dynasty. He asked Tuohuan: "Have you ever thought about why the Western Liao Dynasty failed to take root there, but we succeeded?"

"When we founded our country, we didn't have as many people as Western Liao." Tuohuan shook his head: "I haven't thought about it carefully. Is it because the enemy is too weak?"

"That's one aspect. On the other hand, our own people are too incompetent." Guo Kang replied.

"Our own people are bad?" Tuohuan didn't understand.

"Yes." Guo Kang explained: "The place where the Western Liao Dynasty was founded is a transit point between the Central Plains and Persia. It has always been a prosperous place for trade. Caravans travel frequently, and the people are well-informed and have been exposed to everything. The local culture is also very developed. As early as ancient times, there were cities, writing and their own civilization."

"So long ago?" Tuohuan said in surprise.

"Yes, that place was one family with the Persians in the early days, and the history of civilization is about the same." Guo Kang said: "The locals and the Persians are different branches of the same ancestor. The culture and customs of the settled residents there are also similar to those of Persia."

"But later, at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Persians preached to the Turks, which resulted in a large number of Turks pouring into Tiemenguan and destroying the local Persian regime. After that, the area began to become Turkicized."

"When Western Liao was established, this was the local cultural background. Sedentary farmers had a long cultural tradition, and nomads had long been exposed to Persian culture, and most of them accepted the Muslim religion. As we all know, the Muslim culture is actually a kind of Persianization."

"In the Western Liao court, there were only about 200 Khitans and Han people. This number was too small, so it was already difficult for the Western Liao monarchs and ministers to maintain their own cultural characteristics, let alone change others. But on the other hand, they were able to establish their country by relying on military advantages; and this military advantage was linked to the 'Eastern culture' they brought. If they gave it up, they would become weak and incapable of fighting like the local self-proclaimed kings. Why would others obey them? As a result, they were naturally stuck in this awkward situation."

"Our situation is much better now." He compared: "In the past, the people living in Henan and Hebei were actually a messy hodgepodge. Slavs, Bulgars, Penechegs, Cumans... basically there was everything." "Their culture was far less developed than that of Western Liao - well, to say it was underdeveloped might be a compliment. Although Bulgaria and Hungary have tried to get involved here, and Greek civilization has also infiltrated this place to some extent. But overall, the cultural level of the locals is still in a state of... not far from ancient times, and has not been polluted by civilization. Here, as long as the operation is done, a missionary can have a great cultural impact. Naturally, our ancestors had a chance to gain a foothold."

"Is that so? Then I can probably understand." Tuohuan nodded: "No wonder you said you wanted to educate the Ross region... It's a place with a cultural blank, so it's easier to educate."

"That's right." Guo Kang nodded. "I've been busy with these things recently. I want to get these documents sorted out before the next big thing comes. That's why I don't want to waste time drinking and bragging with those people."

"What are you writing again?" Tuohuan asked curiously.

"Write a book on common sense." Guo Kang picked up a booklet at hand and said, "The first one has been written, and the rest are still being sorted out."

Tuohuan took it, flipped through it, and found that it contained some short questions and answers, all simple questions like "How many months are there in a year", "What is the name of our motherland", and "How many people are there in God's family".

"Is this for enlightenment?" he asked.

"Yes." Guo Kang said: "If we want to promote education, we have to start with the most basic things. Not only learning to read and recite military orders, but also popularizing common sense to everyone."

“Cultural backwardness is not a lack of literature and art, but a lack of basic understanding of the world. Furthermore, if people across the country can have a common basic understanding, then this common understanding of the world is also a valuable consensus.”

"A big country has a vast territory, a large population, different environments, and different production methods. Logically, people from different places will definitely develop different customs and habits, and naturally develop different group identities. People from different places will also distinguish between "themselves" and "others", and then it is easy to go to opposition. Therefore, a unified big country is a rare phenomenon; loose alliances are sometimes a rare situation with the efforts of strong men; a pile of loose sand is the daily routine of human regimes."

"To maintain unity, we have to start with these small things. One or two things may not be very useful, but if they accumulate, they will always be helpful. The unification of the Central Plains was achieved through gradual adjustment. Let's work hard slowly."

"I have already discussed this set of books with the church." He pointed to the manuscript in his hand. "Since the local people's cultural level is too low, even the clergy are not very reliable, so we can only do it in different levels. My current plan is to divide these common sense questions into five levels, and train everyone according to their cultural level."

"We feel that the Ross region is vast and scattered, so local governments and churches must first unify their own statements. Newly recruited officials and monks must also study according to this set of books."

"For this kind of thing, you have to do it yourself." Tuohuan said.

"Master Wang insisted that I come." Guo Kang replied, "He said that the scholars under him have limited vision, so I have to come. I already have so many things to do...but this is really important, so I didn't refuse."

"After writing these books, I will give the manuscripts to the court and let the Ministry of Rites review them. I guess there will be some wrangling at that time, but I can just hand them over to Master Wang. This manuscript will be presented in the name of the church at that time."

"What are you going to call it then? Common Sense?" Tuo Huan pointed at the cover. "It seems that Russians like things that are...grand and spectacular. Yours is too plain. Also, write your name on it. This is a great contribution. The church doesn't need to propose it on your behalf."

"The Kiev Church said that the law of the principalities was called "Russ Truth," which means the common rules of this land. If you want to popularize common sense, you can also use this term." Guo Kang replied:
"Russians do like this kind of saying, but I think these names are too lofty and out of touch with reality. Moreover, what I wrote is not a sacred article at all. It is just a collection of knowledge suitable for ordinary farmers at this stage. Many items will gradually change over time. How can they be called truth? If the names are too lofty, I am afraid that it will bring trouble to future generations and make them afraid to change them casually."

"Besides, even though the impact is huge, I am not going to come forward myself. For things like this, it is better for the entire church to take the lead. Otherwise, I will stand out too much - this is not a good thing in either the religious or secular aspects."

"You're overthinking it." Tuohuan said without hesitation: "You name it 'common sense'. After the Russians learn it, they will also regard 'common sense' as a synonym for 'truth' and start to respect it. This cannot be changed by your name."

"Uh……"

"And I estimate that if the plan succeeds, then given its influence, it will soon not be written by you." He put down the booklet and continued, "This is written by the Heavenly Father through your hand - it is all the Holy Word of the Heavenly Father, not yours. So you don't have to worry about the issue of signature."

"Uh……"

Guo Kang was even more speechless.

"Look, you understand these... common sense, but they understand the Slavic land." Tuohuan suggested: "I think you should listen to the church."

"..."

(End of this chapter)