Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 603 The End of History

"How did the ministers respond?" Luo Guanzhong asked curiously.

"They didn't think there was anything wrong with the strategic direction. They just repeatedly explained that things had to be prioritized." Joanna shook her head and said, "Mother later said that there might not be anything wrong with their thinking - because compared to the Roman advance, the threat from relatives was more imminent."

"The Romans actually made very slow progress. It took them more than ten years to control the Bulgarian region in the lower reaches of the Danube. It took them thirty years to annex Transylvania. In comparison, their operations in Crimea and south of Kiev were much faster, but even so, it took only ten years."

"In Romania, it's because there are too many foreign enemies who are too strong, otherwise it wouldn't be so slow. Look, in Greece, it's much faster." Guo Kang said, "It's also because your cheap relatives are too difficult to deal with. Although they are always fighting among themselves, they are still better fighters than the Greek nobles."

"It depends on how you compare. Even the Greek side is actually very slow." Joanna shook her head and said, "Although dynastic wars may last a long time, most of the time, everyone is trying to attract relatives and accumulate troops. The real victory is usually determined by one or two battles. After that, the losing side will soon collapse, and the vassals and mercenaries will defect to the new master. The entire war is over."

"It is an exception to the rule that you fight your enemies for territory after territory. I have never heard of any kingdom expanding in this way before. The ministers and advisors at that time did not understand it at all."

"I was very curious before, and I even asked my mother specifically, wanting to know how my grandfather, as the most powerful monarch in Eastern Europe at the time, viewed the Romans. As a result, she told me that for a long time, my grandfather and his trusted ministers did not have any opinions - they did not pay much attention to you."

"Not really." Guo Kang was a little surprised himself. "We fight with the surrounding countries every day. At that time, Poland and Hungary, the two big countries, along with the surrounding territories, belonged to him. How could he not know this?"

"It's a different situation." Joanna shook her head. "The Roman provinces are 'Roman's. But most of the territories in Hungary and Poland are only his in name."

"After the end of the Árpád dynasty, many Hungarian nobles used the lack of legitimacy of the new king as an excuse to make trouble everywhere. The internal problems were actually bigger than the external ones. It took him a lot of energy to suppress them. As for Poland, the Polish nobles agreed to let him serve as the Polish king concurrently, not because of his ability."

"My mother has always been proud of my grandfather. She believes that even if he cannot be called the greatest monarch of Hungary, he is still the most powerful king in modern times. But even so, the problems within Hungary and the Anjou family have taken up all his time, making it impossible for him to take care of Poland - this is what the Polish nobles really want."

"The most he could do was to have his mother, the sister of King Casimir III of Poland, go to Poland on his behalf, at least nominally to show his authority over the country. But as soon as the old queen arrived in Krakow, she encountered deliberate harassment from the Poles."

"Kazimierz was once a powerful king, but in this land, no matter how great a person is, he will not leave any influence after his death. The nobles had no respect for the late king's sister and directly massacred the more than 100 Hungarian followers she brought with her to demonstrate to the royal family. My grandfather had no choice but to ask my mother to return home quickly to avoid any risk to her own safety."

"On the map, these territories are all 'his'. But can these lands and people really contribute to the country like the Roman provinces? I don't think so. It's a rare thing that they don't fall behind."

"I only knew that the nobles there were very domineering, but I didn't expect it to be this bad." Guo Kang himself was a little surprised: "Here, people say every day that your grandfather was very powerful. He unified a large area of ​​territory unprecedentedly, which put a lot of pressure on us. It turns out that it is this level of 'unification'..."

"That's not wrong. The authority of other kings is not as high as his." Joanna shrugged. "The nobles here don't dislike a certain king, but hate all kings. The Polish nobles are the most extreme among them. It's probably normal that you don't understand the political environment over there."

"In this environment, you can try to stand in the king's perspective and look at the East." She reminded: "What kind of place is Wallachia and Bulgaria? Everyone knows it. Here, the various forces are complicated and have not been unified for a long time, and there is a lack of management. The locals are poor and arrogant, and there is really not much oil and water. Conquering such a place is not very attractive to the king and the royal family."

"Local nobles do fight with them from time to time. They lose and are even pushed back. There were many examples long before your rise. The main army of the kingdom has also tried in the past, but after the failure, they never had much interest, let alone fighting them to the end. On the contrary, Italy is famous for its developed economy and weak military power. It goes without saying which side is better to develop towards."

"Although their cultural level is not as high as that of the Greeks and Orientals, those guys in the palace have also survived wars and conspiracies. How could they really be fools? It's just that we have encountered completely different opponents, and our previous experience is not very useful." She finally shook her head and said:
"What's more, even if they knew the future and had the opportunity to choose again, I think the royal family would make the same choice as before. Because even if the Romans become powerful and destroy the kingdom in a few decades, so what? If we don't deal with those relatives who make trouble all the time, they may come to our door tomorrow and want to kill us. We can't wait for decades to come."

"It's even more unlikely that we can unite to fight the enemy. How can we guarantee that they won't take advantage of the battle between the Kingdom's army and Rome to steal our home? It's obvious who to deal with first."

"Even looking back at the results, it can't be said to be wrong." She gave an example: "Queen Joanna herself was detained and killed, and Duke Durazzo was later captured and beheaded by the Hungarians. King Charles II became the victor and finally seized the throne of Naples, but was later assassinated by my grandmother during the battle for Hungary."

"Over a hundred years, my ancestors have built up a huge dynasty and family line, but now the King of Naples is the only male direct descendant of the entire family. I heard that he is now seriously ill and has no children. It seems that the entire family will eventually end in my hands."

"However, after the Romans invaded, my mother and several relatives survived. This was because the Romans hated the local tyrants who bullied the countryside more, and were willing to keep the kings and queens of higher ranks as mascots."

"So, if we lose to the Romans, we still have a chance to survive; if we lose to our relatives, we will definitely be doomed. I now feel that it is probably because the consultants are experienced and have a deep understanding of the unspoken rules and logical nature of the political struggles among European countries that they made such a seemingly short-sighted choice."

"Hey, this is not surprising." The old sea urchin master and his apprentice and the messengers also sighed: "It's the same situation over there."

"Are you also fighting among yourselves every day?" Luo Guanzhong asked curiously.

"Yes, we have figured out a pattern." Idris looked at the teacher, nodded, and replied: "Everyone here, from Tunisia to Andalusia, was originally the same country. However, the empire at that time soon disintegrated, and it disintegrated more than once."

"My family's distant ancestors were natives of Andalusia. They may have appeared when the Umayyad family occupied the area and fought against the Abbasid Dynasty. After that, the family branches migrated between Morocco and Andalusia several times before finally settling in Granada. Therefore, we have seen almost all the dynasties that have risen and fallen here."

"The rule of the Umayyad family was unstable most of the time. If there was a strong caliph, everyone would listen to his orders; once the caliph was incompetent, the various places would immediately fall into a state of separatism. These small separatist states were called 'Taifa' states. Many Taifas were actually city-states, with only one city and a little land around them. They had almost no resistance to foreign invasions, allowing the barbarians in the north to invade repeatedly and gradually expand their sphere of influence." "Over time, everyone could not tolerate this kind of cannibalization, so the Emir of Seville took the lead in going to North Africa to call on the emerging Almoravid dynasty to come to the rescue."

"I've heard of this." Guo Kang nodded: "But at this moment, the civil unrest hasn't started yet."

"In fact, there was not much peace. There were conflicts between the two sides before the Almoravids moved north." Idris replied: "The Almoravids were originally an armed religious group. They were disgusted with the corruption and depravity of the social atmosphere at that time. The people ignored religious rules, and the emir and senior clergy lived a luxurious life and only knew how to enjoy themselves. So they began to gather followers, preach and practice asceticism. They opposed the doctrines of the then popular Sufi sect Ansari and advocated the teachings of the Malik sect, hoping to enforce religious laws, curb corruption and extravagance, and restore the pure faith of the early years."

"After establishing the country, the Almoravid dynasty conquered the east and the west to expand its territory. After receiving a request for help, they quickly went north and repelled the armies of the Crusaders, and their reputation soared. However, they have always had many conflicts with the local forces in Andalusia."

"The central rulers were very dissatisfied with the Taifa princes in various places because Andalusia's economy and culture were prosperous, the princes loved art, and their lives were... not very pious. In the eyes of the simple-living Almoravids in the early years, this was a sign of decadence."

"Moreover, the people of Andalusia themselves don't like them, because the local prosperity is largely based on the heavy taxes imposed by the princes. They extort the people's money to build magnificent buildings and support scholars and artists. This certainly makes the city prosperous and the business is extremely prosperous, but the people, especially those outside the city, don't enjoy anything, so they are naturally very unhappy."

"So the locals accused the Taifa princes of paying tribute to the Christian countries with their hard-earned money. The Almoravid dynasty was at its peak at that time, and the ruler of the dynasty, Tashfin, was happy to see this situation. After formally consulting the caliph in Baghdad, he deposed most of the local rulers in one fell swoop."

"However, the local forces were not eliminated directly. Instead, they became more resistant to the central authority. After entering the developed areas, the Almoravids themselves began to change. Tashfin was a capable and skilled leader who defeated the northern barbarian armies many times. But his son Ali grew up in the city and was completely different from his father."

"Ali was very interested in architecture and calligraphy, and his sister was even a poet. During this period, the royal family built many iconic buildings, sponsored many philosophers and writers, and formed a new style of poetry. Due to the rapid development of literature, paper in the city was in short supply and the price soared. Merchants opened papermaking workshops in order to obtain higher profits. There were hundreds of such workshops in Fez alone."

"However, the dynasty declined rapidly militarily. Ali was first defeated by the Kingdom of León, and then by the Count of Portugal. It was also after this defeat that Portugal became a kingdom. After the military suppression capability weakened, the former believers also tore apart and sought independence. Fires also broke out in the rear of North Africa."

"The subsequent rulers were forced to turn their attention back to North Africa to deal with the emerging Almohad dynasty. As for the pagans in the north, they would rather cede land and pay compensation in order to seek short-term stability. However, after the battle in North Africa failed, the Almoravid dynasty quickly collapsed, and large tracts of Andalusia were also occupied by the Crusaders. The loss of these lands and populations greatly damaged our strength. The reason for this was all caused by these messy internal disputes."

"This isn't a typical internal fight," Guo Kang pointed out. "It's not even one country. It's just that the local forces are holding each other back."

"Well...if the believers were not considered as one group, then that would be true." Idris scratched his head. "But the Almohad dynasty that followed was really a fight to the death."

"What's going on with them?" Luo Guanzhong became even more curious.

"The Almohads were originally an armed religious group. They began to gather followers, preach and practice asceticism because they were disgusted with the corruption and decadence of the social atmosphere at that time, the people's disregard for religious rules, and the emirs and senior clergy who lived a luxurious life and only knew how to enjoy themselves. They opposed the then popular Malik doctrine of the Murabit and advocated new religious laws, hoping to enforce religious laws, curb corruption and extravagance, and restore the pure faith of the early years." Idris introduced it like he was reciting a text.

"Didn't you say it once just now?" Guo Kang reminded: "It seems that you just changed the name..."

"They are all the same." Idris spread his hands. "Every time, a new force rises in the poor mountains and deserts of southern Morocco. They always raise the banner of restoring orthodox doctrines, preach everywhere, and organize people who are dissatisfied with the status quo."

"However, once they entered the city, huge changes would occur within a generation or two. When the Almohad dynasty was at its strongest, it was able to defeat invaders. But by then, the upper class had already begun to indulge in music, literature, and architecture. Even Mansur, the ruler at the peak of his power, was known for his calligraphy. Their military power would also rapidly decline, and they would soon lose their combat effectiveness. Later, the Almohad dynasty fought the Crusaders in Tolosa and was defeated miserably. The dynasty was severely damaged and quickly fell into civil strife."

"The royal family members no longer respected the Caliph and established their own kingdoms. In order to fight for the throne, they competed to expand their armies. The dynasty's own army was not enough, so they joined forces with the Crusaders to deal with their relatives. In the late stage of the civil war, all parties hired a large number of mercenaries from Castile and Aragon to fight each other. The losers fled everywhere, while the winners rushed back to the capital of Marrakech in North Africa to try to at least stabilize their hometown. As a result, Andalusia's defense became even more empty."

"The dynasty's financial and military resources were exhausted in the civil war. The hired mercenaries who poured into the south took over the mountains and established themselves as kings. The barbarian countries also moved south again, but this time, they came as allies."

"The Andalusians were very dissatisfied with the actions of the Almohad dynasty and decided to arm themselves, organize militias, expand the city walls, and resist to the end. However, the militias in various places were too weak to fight against the barbarians. Moreover, the Crusaders at this time had already condensed into a few kingdoms, which were able to better concentrate their forces and manufacture more advanced weapons. Even the city walls and fortifications could not protect them."

"In just twenty years, almost all the cities fell. In the whole of Andalusia, only Granada behind the mountains survived. This is the situation we are facing." He sighed and said.

"The rise and fall of dynasties is normal." Luo Guanzhong was open-minded: "All dynasties have similarities, and we know that. This kind of thing is indeed worth lamenting, but there is no need to be too depressed."

"My teacher also told me so, but I think the key is not the cycle of history." Idris shook his head: "I think the biggest problem is that the cycle can no longer continue."

"Since the beginning of the Umayyad Dynasty, the situation in Andalusia has become worse with each generation. The territory has become smaller and smaller, and the princes have become more and more skilled in betraying their believers and the people. I even doubt whether there will be another cycle if this continues. Will our history end here?"

The old sea urchin himself was unable to get a word in. The other messengers also fell silent.

(End of this chapter)