Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 604 Offensive and defensive momentum
Everyone was silent for a moment, each with their own thoughts. Finally, Ridwan from Tunisia spoke first, "We are far away from the front line. The country has become stronger in recent years, and many people don't have a sense of crisis. It may be difficult to convince them."

"However, our Sultan fought many battles and defeated many enemies. It took him more than ten years to run the country. He must be very clear about the various interests involved. We will also try our best to persuade him."

"Okay." Guo Kang nodded.

"Then there is no problem on our side." The envoy of Tlemcen also said: "Our Emir authorized me to negotiate without involving war. We really don't have the power to start another war, but business matters can still be negotiated."

"We will participate." The old sea urchin said, and shook his head: "We have to participate. The year before last, Castile attacked again and occupied two fortresses. They didn't come last year, probably because they were accumulating strength. It's hard to say when they will come again."

"The pressure on us is increasing. The reason why we can still survive now is that all parties have many internal problems. Our current situation is that we are dancing on four eggs: Castile, Aragon, the Marin Dynasty and the Hafsid Dynasty. We cannot offend any of them and just barely maintain ourselves like this," he said metaphorically.

"Because although the Crusaders are more united than us, they are only slightly better. They often fight among themselves for no apparent reason, which leads to interference from other powers. In the previous Castilian Civil War, both England and France intervened. Therefore, although they have the military advantage, they still have to be on guard against their fellow believers and cannot put all their strength on our side."

"But I also understand that this state of affairs cannot last too long. Once the balance of power is broken and one side declines or becomes too strong, we will definitely be finished."

"I understand that. Although the distance is far, we can still help and give you an extra bargaining chip." Guo Kang said immediately.

"The main focus of our Great Qin is still on the Eastern Mediterranean. However, Iberia is also the old land of our Great Qin. If the locals are invaded by barbarians, we will certainly try our best to support them as long as we can." Luo Guanzhong also took over and helped explain: "No matter whether it is emotional or logical, it makes sense. In this way, we have a legitimate reason to fight, and we can report to the court and request implementation."

He spoke very skillfully, and explained the moral and legal rationality of the matter right from the start. Guo Kang nodded and did not add anything more.

"I understand." Ridwan nodded: "Rome's strategic focus should still be in Italy and Eastern Europe."

"That's right." Guo Kang admitted.

It was true that we couldn't send many people there. On the one hand, it was because of the distance and cost, and on the other hand, it was because Rome's strategic direction was not there. In the whole plan, the goal of this route was always to contain the enemy.

Naples is the largest country on the Italian peninsula, and now this once huge royal family is about to die out. So the situation in Italy is likely to change in the short term. From a historical perspective, whenever this happens, it will inevitably lead to the intervention of surrounding countries such as the Holy Roman Empire, France, and the Kingdom of Aragon. Everyone, regardless of strength or distance, will want to get a piece of the pie. It is no secret that many people in Rome also want to take advantage of this opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Sure enough, Ridwan and the others looked at each other and seemed to have figured it out.

"In this case, we can think of a way to contain the Kingdom of Aragon." The old sea urchin said first, "They and the Kingdom of Sicily are one family, and they have always coveted Naples. If something happens in Italy, they will definitely intervene. If we work hard and take action on their homeland, we should be able to help your country reduce a lot of pressure - of course, our strength is still too weak, and we may not be able to undertake this task alone. Otherwise, there is no need to ask for help separately."

"We understand." Guo Kang nodded. "How many people can be spared depends on the progress in Egypt. But no matter what, I will try my best to persuade the court and the Senate and provide help to the best of my ability."

Of course, in Guo Kang's opinion, "appropriate" help is actually the best. If too many troops are sent, the local forces will feel guilty and think that Rome, like the North Africans before, is here to rob money. In this case, they may turn to the Roman Catholic side.

As for religious issues, they were not a problem in Iberia. The local Muslim princes often swung back and forth, paying tribute to Castile and Aragon, which was not new. Moreover, even when they were strong, there were no shortage of pagans in the government and the country.

When the Almoravid dynasty took control of Andalusia, they quickly learned the art of balance without any guidance. Compared with local believers, the caliph trusted the black mercenaries from the south of the desert and the Iberian Crusaders more. He often appointed these confidants to serve as officials and guards in key positions, or sent them abroad as tax collectors. Because they were more loyal to the caliph, rather than being entangled with local forces.

The locals naturally don't like this policy. After all, when the pagans ruled, they were harassed and taxed by the armed forces of the Crusaders every day. Now that the jihad has won and the Christians are in power, they are still harassed and taxed by the armed forces of the Crusaders every day. Isn't this jihad in vain?

However, even after the fall of the Almoravid dynasty, the situation did not improve. Instead, like many other situations, it repeated itself with the rise and fall of dynasties. The locals had no way to deal with this, and after a long time, they became numb... However, his main concern was indeed Egypt. He brought these people with him, first of all, hoping that they would come forward and help mediate during the conquest of Egypt. Although they were going to march together with the local forces in Syria, those people also had their own ideas and might not be completely reliable. Bringing more envoys and prestigious scholars from several countries should be able to act as intermediaries when dealing with the local Muslim community, helping to reconcile the relationship between the two sides, establish initial trust, and provide assistance for subsequent management.

As for what happens next, it’s easier to say.

"We probably won't go to Italy for the time being." Guo Kang thought for a moment and said to them, "Of course I know that no one can forget Rome. My great-grandfather's last words before his death were that he hoped we would revive the kingly way and return to the old capital. However, this mission is not something that can be rushed."

"We are always concerned about the changes in the situation there because Italy is an important business partner of ours." Ridwan also explained: "However, we will not interfere with who controls it. It is not our territory. We just want to maintain the stability of basic routes and do business with everyone in peace."

"Then don't worry. There won't be many changes over there in the short term. Now we should focus on the north." Guo Kang said: "The situation in Alemanni is becoming more and more chaotic. Our country's strength is not enough to fight wars in two main directions at the same time. Therefore, we may need to maintain a state of contraction for the time being, so as to invest decisive forces at the most critical moment."

"If we can weaken the barbarians sufficiently, then Rome will be easy to capture. On the contrary, if the barbarians are still strong, acting hastily will only cause them to feel an unprecedented crisis and may even cause us more trouble."

"Plus, Italy is a very sensitive place. Historically, whenever a marginal power enters, other parties will definitely interfere. This highly symbolic action may make them temporarily put aside their internal conflicts, which is not good." At this point, he hesitated, thinking of the example Joanna mentioned before, and added: "Of course, it may be that I overestimate them. Even so, they may still prioritize fighting among themselves. However, when planning things, you cannot underestimate the enemy. You must prepare according to the most severe situation, so it is better to be vigilant."

"What Mr. Guo said is that we should be lenient with the enemy and take the situation into consideration." Luo Guanzhong also helped, saying, "From past experience, as long as we master the rhythm and strategy and take advantage of the enemy's psychology, it won't be difficult to deal with them."

"That's how the story Miss Qiao just told ended. After the Queen of Naples was killed, the various parties fought for a long time. The original heir of the Queen was the Duke of Durazzo, who won the support of Hungary and most of the local forces by giving away benefits. However, in order to check and balance him, the Queen also introduced another French adopted son. Although this accelerated the speed at which others took action against her, it did create a lot of trouble."

"Although they were both adopted sons, the queen had no biological son after all, so in terms of legitimacy, the French adopted son was not inferior to the other. He also received support from the royal family, raised a large army, and quickly invaded Italy. The local tyrants believed that France wanted to annex here again, and they gathered to resist. The various territories in the south and most of the northern city-states were determined to fight them. Although the French army was powerful and quickly occupied the capital, resistance and harassment in various places continued one after another, and it was never completely settled. In the end, the French adopted son died of exhaustion and illness in the barracks, and the French army also disintegrated and retreated."

"The French are still our allies. So when they wanted to fight for the right of succession, the Khan advised them to first solve the problem of people's hearts and then solve the problem of the battlefield, and not to rush to march. But those nobles, although they are relatives, have blood feuds with each other; and the fight for the throne, according to the customs here, I am afraid it will not be delayed. Therefore, the other party did not listen, and repeatedly urged us to help support them."

"In order to persuade us to contribute, the French proposed to cede the port of Brindisi to us. The Khan reluctantly agreed. In order to cooperate, we sent troops to attack Durazzo's territory in the Balkans to contain the enemy. After several years, when the War of the Succession of Naples was over, we had eliminated the enemies in Achaia and Durazzo. However, the French were not making good progress, and although we assisted them well, we still could not help them succeed."

"At this time, Duke Durazzo had defeated his opponents, officially succeeded to the throne, and obtained the recognition of all the princes. All cities recognized his authority, and the Bishop of Rome also stood on his side. He was the most powerful man at the time."

"In order to recapture Durazzo's lair, he threatened everyone, saying that if they didn't take the initiative, the Qin people would definitely attack. You know, the Qin State has always implemented the county system and has no feudal tradition. By then, all the nobles will probably lose their status and power. In addition, the Qin people value agriculture over commerce and have always disliked the autonomy of commercial cities. The privileges of the cities will definitely be deprived. The Qin people also have their own beliefs and churches, so the special status of the Bishop of Rome will naturally be difficult to maintain. In this way, in the name of resisting Qin, they raised military funds and recruited troops."

"The lords of various parts of Italy, the wealthy merchants in the city-states, and the power of the Bishop of Rome were indeed afraid of this, so they responded one after another. Representatives from all over the country came to Naples and took an oath, declaring that they would unite the city-states in the north, the Papal States in the middle, and the kingdoms in the south. The whole of Italy, from south to north, formed a vertical alliance. The new king of Naples was elected as the leader of the alliance, commanding the armies of various countries to attack Qin. The armies of various countries are said to have 100,000 people, and they are gathering in an endless stream."

"When the news came, we were not afraid. Instead, the court took the initiative to send troops across the sea to fight the enemy, quickly defeated the Neapolitan army stationed in Brindisi, and seized the port. Faced with this situation, the coalition forces lost their courage. The various armies shirked responsibility and hesitated, not daring to move forward. None of them wanted to be the first to fight against the powerful legion, hoping that the allies would go first. The two sides confronted each other outside the city for more than two months. The coalition forces' military funds and supplies were exhausted, and the merchants and nobles were unwilling to continue to pay, so they withdrew in a hurry."

"In this way, our Great Qin only fought a skirmish, which did not cost much manpower and supplies, but the various forces in Italy were already exhausted and in trouble. Afterwards, the Italian alliance was dissolved, the agreement on the alliance was abandoned, and the lords and commercial city-states from all over the country competed to cede their interests to bribe us."

"The strength of both sides has reversed, and the troops we sent are also strong enough to restrain them. So we took the initiative to attack, repeatedly attacking the enemy troops who were looting supplies, and attacking cities that lacked protection because of the scattered mercenaries. From Taranto to the port of Ancona, we pursued the retreating enemies all the way and wiped out the defeated troops. Taking advantage of this favorable situation, we intervened in the disputes between countries, readjusted the borders of mountains and rivers, and set rules for local forces and required them to abide by them. From then on, the strong countries obeyed us, and the weak countries came to pay tribute regularly. With the help of a war, the situation there was determined."

"We sent fewer soldiers than the French, and the war didn't last as long as they did, but the results were so different. This is because the French only cared about occupying territory from the beginning, and then they were in a state of defending the territory for a long time. Their army has always been reckless and liked to plunder everywhere, which annoyed everyone in the local area. As a result, benevolence and righteousness were not implemented, and the form of offense and defense changed. Naturally, we were in a difficult situation and finally couldn't hold on. Our situation is exactly the opposite."

"The situation this time is the same. No matter which battlefield we are in, we need to wait for the best opportunity, find the enemy and annihilate them. This is also the purpose of our preparations and the opening of so many auxiliary fronts. It is also because of this that as long as we succeed, everyone will definitely get rewards beyond the battlefield itself." He finally reminded everyone: "I hope you will give it more consideration."

(End of this chapter)