Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 688: We brothers lost the debate to a woman again, let’s shake the Guozi!
After discussing for a while, the two were still a little confused.

"What I can understand now is that if you can't eradicate the problem, then you should just not do it," Zhu Wenkui said frankly. "As for the other theories, I don't really understand them either."

"I don't think you need to spend too much energy on it. Unless you are really talented, you can always quickly unravel the mystery, find the most essential reasons, and then explain them to everyone." Tuo Huan said directly: "As for most people, they are not cut out for this. Thinking too much will hinder actual work."

"Our culture doesn't respect such people. If you talk too much about big principles, people will think you are just good at idle talk, like a Greek. I think this is also very obvious in the Central Plains. But in some places here, you really can't help but talk about big principles. If you don't put a hat on it like a doctrine, people really won't believe it."

"This is easy to understand. It's just that the cultural level is too low." Zhu Wenkui said: "Miss Tang told me that religion is a kind of promise. To put it simply, we can refer to the terminology of those Italian businessmen and classify its core as 'credit'."

"All human organizations need credibility to survive. People work for you and obey your orders for a better future. No matter how it is achieved, no matter whether the promises are more practical or more imaginary, in short, you have to give people corresponding benefits."

"When my great grandfather started his army, he promised everyone to drive out the foreigners and restore social order. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the country was on the verge of collapse due to endless wars and the people were suffering, so this promise was very attractive. He also won victory after victory and finally fulfilled his promise. Therefore, his subsequent promises were easily believed by others, and the corresponding demands he put forward would also be followed by everyone. This is how the 'legitimacy' of our Ming Dynasty came about."

"Sometimes, promises are not so realistic and difficult to verify. Merchants who come here to do business often have to pass through India, so over the years, we have learned a lot about the customs there. India's native religion is controlled by local Brahmin priests. Their promises seem to be another routine."

"The priest told everyone that as long as they followed his requirements, strictly followed the rules throughout their lives, worked hard to do things that were consistent with their status, and didn't slack off or overstep their boundaries, they would be rewarded - basically, they would be able to escape from suffering after death and have a better life through reincarnation."

"But to be honest, we don't know much about that place. Miss Tang is an expert in this area, but she doesn't know how the Brahmins verify this statement with the believers." Zhu Wenkui scratched his head, hesitated, and said, "Anyway, I think it's a bit strange. Do they really believe whatever they say?"

"That shouldn't be the case. It goes against human instinct." Tuohuan said.

"Yes. In theory, no matter what kind of promise it is, there must be a verification process before more people can believe it. Even religion is the same. You see, the various Christian denominations have a relatively complete and reusable standard process to determine and publicize miracles, thereby increasing authority and credibility." Zhu Wenkui gave an example.

"As for Miss Tang's sect, the goal they promise is more than just religion itself. For believers, the promises provided by the doctrine are not just a distant heaven, but changes that can be seen in this world, which will make people's lives better. And sometimes, this goal is not necessarily very big."

"The same was true of the religious sects at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. My great-grandfather and his people participated in it at that time, so they were very clear about the logic behind it. Many religious sects actually promised that as long as you abide by the religious rules and establish an organization based on them, the gods and Buddhas will bless you to succeed in expelling the gentry bullies and get a better life - these folk religions are almost all of this kind of thinking. So it's not difficult to verify."

"This is a kind of...what the Greeks call self-realization." Tuohuan thought for a moment and uttered a word that he was not sure if it was accurate or not: "In the name of gods and Buddhas, it will increase everyone's consensus and make the organization more stable; a stable organization will be more combat-effective, whether it is mutual assistance or forcing the government to make concessions, or even directly rebelling to kill Yuan Shen, there is a basic basis for reliance. And with this ability, even ordinary people will have the possibility of changing their lives. So do you think this is a blessing from gods and Buddhas..."

"That's what I mean." Zhu Wenkui nodded. "She told me the same thing. Looking at the entire continent, the more powerful the organization, the more realistic the 'promise'. The power of the imperial court is stronger than these folk religions, folk religions are stronger than Christianity, and Christianity is stronger than these miscellaneous wild religions. That's probably the principle."

"In the final analysis, all religions seek to be effective, because this is the most direct way to convince people. So, the most effective and reliable thing is, of course, what everyone achieves with their own hands."

"Moreover, Miss Tang also told me that sometimes, even the part about whether the gods and Buddhas are effective can be temporarily ignored. When she was a fairy nun, she was still very young, and the performances she performed for the believers were not flawless at all. Most people are just not well educated, but they are not stupid. People with a little experience can actually easily see the problems."

"The spells and pills we give out to everyone often have no effect, and the people involved cannot be unaware of this. But everyone also knows that this promise is just an additional consolation. As long as the real goal can be fulfilled, this kind of thing doesn't really matter to everyone."

"That's right. Master Wang has told me many examples before." Tuo Huan nodded: "Maybe we are the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and we are not the traditional Christian sect, so we can still feel what she said."

"I guess the core ideas are similar - but then again, I dare not say whether this is the only way." Zhu Wenkui said: "Like the Indian religion, I personally feel that their promises are not convincing. I don't know why people believe in them..."

"This kind of thing is actually quite serious. Because if you can't fulfill your promises and prove your credibility, then the believers will easily fall apart. In this case, in order to avoid being exposed, the cult can only make up stories and brag about it, claiming that they have fulfilled their promises."

"Just think of it this way: a proper Christian church, whether it's us or the Roman Catholic Church, must have a complete system and a standardized doctrinal system, and can't just brag about it, right? But suppose there is a heretic, because they are too humble and the priests are not well-educated, so they start to brag from the beginning, and keep promising that the Last Judgment is coming and the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth has been built. After that, how do they justify these excuses?" "There are actually quite a few such heresies." Tuohuan pointed out: "But generally speaking, those who can go against the will of heaven to this extent are already considered cults. The believers of such heresies are often very crazy and find it difficult to cover themselves up, so they will soon be wiped out by the orthodox church. In this way, there is no need to think about how to justify it."

"It is indeed the case in reality. But even if they exist for a longer time, I think they will collapse on their own without being eliminated." Zhu Wenkui said: "Because they are exaggerating too much, they can only keep trying to prove that they are the kingdom of heaven on earth. And in order to continue to convince believers to accept this setting, they can only use various methods to forcibly prove their advantages over other organizations. They must convince everyone that they are always better than others."

"For a religious group, this is quite dangerous. As long as the believers are not fools, they will find the problem sooner or later. Once there is something that cannot be successfully argued, it will lead to the collapse of the entire faith. Normal believers will disband, and those who continue to insist are only some mentally retarded and fanatical believers with little knowledge and judgment. This kind of sect will not be able to exist for long."

"I think the Inquisition is responsible for letting it survive to this point." Tuo Huan still didn't quite accept this hypothetical case: "How could something like this appear in the normal world? Isn't Rome mentioned in the bullying setting..."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not as professional as Brother Kang. I'm just giving an example." Zhu Wenkui waved his hand and said, "You can ask Miss Tang for details. Although she has limited knowledge of Tianzhu's situation."

"Didn't she just pass by here just now?" Tuohuan asked.

"Yes. They were very curious about the situation over there, and while the merchant ship needed supplies and maintenance, they also went to investigate the settlements around the port." Zhu Wenkui replied: "However, the locals were very unfriendly to them. When she went to investigate the local religious relics, a large group of Indians, who probably thought they were easy to bully, gathered together to track them down and wanted to capture her. She killed more than a dozen people before scaring them away, but her relationship with the locals was completely broken, so she had no choice but to get on the ship and run away."

"It's really outrageous..." Tuo Huan shook his head: "Forget it, let's wait until Guo Kang'an arrives to ask about this kind of thing."

"He looks at things from a different perspective, which is often an advantage. Maybe people outside the world have different perspectives. With multiple perspectives, you will definitely see things more comprehensively."

"What does 'people outside the world' mean?" Zhu Wenkui suddenly heard this word and felt a little curious.

"I heard it from the woman named Nafisa. She said that the Muslims believe that there are seven heavens above the world. Some sects also believe that Hu Da would hide some important people from the outside world. Conversely, people from outside the heavens might also be sent by Hu Da to complete some tasks that we mortals are not aware of yet."

"I think it makes sense. You see, Patriarch Zhang once saw an angel and listened to his teachings. At that time, the angel returned to heaven in flames. Later, Guo Kang'anda was found by Uncle Guo, also in flames. I think he may also bring us the true words of Heavenly Father." He compared.

"Nafisa said that some Sufi sects claim that through mysterious rituals, people with high moral character can hear the voice of the heavens and gain enlightenment. I feel a bit like that. Maybe he is the other way around."

"Who is this woman?" Zhu Wenkui asked.

"It's the one who came to complain last time and was detained by us." Tuo Huan said: "The people in Cairo said that the man has been unwilling to accept it. This is the first case involving the legion since we recovered Lower Egypt, so I called Li Xuanying to interrogate her. But our level is not good enough, and she told her a lot of things..."

"Why are you calling Li Xuanying?" Zhu Wenkui said in surprise: "He is not a judge, or a professional..."

"The woman we tried last time was his lover," Tuo Huan said. "I thought he had learned something from her, at least knew how to deal with such a sharp-tongued woman. But he failed."

"It's better not to look for someone randomly." Zhu Wenkui quickly advised: "Looking at the situation, I'm afraid we brothers can't make it. Let's wait for Brother Kang to come. He is the only one who can be regarded as a 'master' here."

"Yes, I sent someone to deliver the letter. He will come after the meeting." Tuo Huan promised: "We'll talk about it then."

(End of this chapter)