Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 714 The Church also owes Rome its due
Zhu Wenkui had never thought about the issues raised by Da Lama Wang. After hearing what he said, he gradually realized what was going on.

“The Central Plains was too powerful and had never experienced this process of civilization heading towards irreversible collapse; other places were too barbaric, and even if there were a few civilizations occasionally, they would often appear abruptly and then disappear quickly.” Da Lama Wang sighed, “But Rome was stuck in the middle, which was awkward.”

"After the disintegration of Rome, the history of Europe has been a process of gradual decline of civilization. We also know that the barbarians do have their own creativity, they can organize armies and develop technology, but they can never take the most critical step. Just like the people in the legend who were just created and have no soul, they only have a body but no real spirit."

"As a result, the whole of Europe is constantly breaking apart. Compared to their ancestors who wore animal skins and carried crude tools, today's barbarians are actually getting stronger. Their military power is constantly developing, and their wealth is also expanding. Now there are warriors wearing full iron armor and holding firearms, and merchants who travel around the world and are rich enough to rival a country. These are all unimaginable to their ancestors. However, the hope of national unification and the revival of civilization is becoming increasingly slim."

"Look at the real situation under these prosperity: let alone reviving the Rome of the classical era, can anyone restore the territory of Charlemagne's era? Logically speaking, they are also a barbarian country, and they call themselves the Western Rome, so why can't anyone do it? Taking a step back, can Sigismund and others restore the imperial power of Frederick's era? Can the French royal family now restore the authority of the Capetian era? These are facts before our eyes, and I believe that anyone who knows a little bit of history will understand them."

"In our view, whether it is the Greek Empire, the Alemanni Kingdom, or the Church, they are just the remnants of that glorious era, just the transitional process of Rome's demise. But Rome's accumulation is quite rich, which makes this process of demise long and painful."

"People who read history books say that the history of the Central Plains is full of blood and tears. Every cycle of dynasties brings wars, plagues, and a large number of deaths. In Europe, everyone suffered a lot of disasters, fighting every day, but in the end they still couldn't achieve unification. So many people died in vain, and each time they fought, they became more fragmented. In this situation, is there really any hope?"

"The situation in the Alemanni is the same now. We can't tell them directly, but think about it, whether Sigismund wins or the Hussites win, will the result be better? I don't think so." He shook his head: "No matter what the final result is, if they are allowed to continue like this, the division between the Bohemians and the Alemanni is inevitable. Even the signboard of the 'Holy Roman' may not be able to be maintained."

Zhu Wenkui was speechless for a moment.

"Our church has held many internal meetings to discuss these issues. I am not just belittling them." Da Lama Wang shook his head: "Some people are even more aggressive than me. You, Guo Kang Anda, even said directly that even if those European countries have the opportunity to dominate in the future, they are just technological barbarian warlords and cannot be relied upon. Therefore, we still have to take action ourselves."

"Father Hu is an idealist who comes from the lower class. He understands the suffering of the people and has his own ideas and the ability to take action. Commander Yang is also a veteran who has worked his way up from the grassroots. I can see that he really wants to do something. But the problem is that the knowledge they have is very biased, so when it comes to making decisions, it's easy for them to go astray."

"Is that the problem with the nature of the church that you mentioned before?" Zhu Wenkui asked.

"Yes, after all, I have been the Patriarch for more than ten years, and I have some idea about the positioning of the church." Da Lama Wang smiled and said, "Father Hu and others think that correcting the faith is the most important thing; if it cannot be corrected, then we should break with the church and everyone can stick to their own correct path. However, for the church, the most important instinct is actually to maintain the organization."

"Is it important to maintain the purity of faith? Of course it is important. But for the church, this is not the most important part. Many times, the church would rather make some compromises in the interpretation of doctrines and the norms of rituals, and give priority to maintaining the integrity of the organization. This has happened many times in history."

"On the contrary, if everyone feels that faith is more important than the authority and traditions passed down by the church, then they can completely bypass the church and communicate directly with the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother. In this case, what is the need for the Catholic Church to exist? They can even establish a new one themselves..."

"So, the church's supporters may not necessarily oppose the reform. According to our understanding, many people also support the cleansing of corruption. If we master the means, we can win over many of them to oppose those senior priests who do evil things." Da Lama Wang finally said: "However, although many of the Hussites are clergy, they seem to lack experience working in the bureaucratic system. I feel that they may not realize this..."

"There's nothing we can do about it. Europe is not like Seris. The only places with a bit of 'bureaucracy' are probably the major churches." Zhu Wenkui said, "Most of them are just grassroots priests, and they are still too far away from this." "There's nothing we can do about it." Lama Wang sighed, "In fact, after dealing with the Catholic Church more, you will know that their reactions in many aspects are not what everyone subconsciously thinks."

"Tell them that we have different ideas from you, so we are not prepared to go along with you. We want to preach in our own language, explain our own doctrines, elect our own priests, and no longer accept the church's instructions. Then they will think that this group of people really want to rebel and even dig up the roots of the church. In this way, even if you win a few times, they will definitely not accept it and will fight you to the end."

"However, if you say the other way around, that we are right and the church should accept our leadership, seriously consider our suggestions, and make necessary reforms, then as long as you demonstrate the corresponding capabilities, the church will think that what you say makes sense. At that time, whether it is the specific steps of the reform, or the use of local languages, local rituals, or even local saints, these can actually be discussed - they have indeed done so many times in history."

"Is that so? That's a bit surprising..." Zhu Wenkui muttered, "I thought Europe was originally a feudal system, so it would be easier to let them accept the independence of the Bohemian Church."

"That's how the church is." Lama Wang spread his hands. "Because Europe as a whole has regressed to the feudal system, the church, as a remnant of Rome, values ​​the unity of the church and the integrity of its organization the most. Even if they can't actually get rid of the influence of feudalism, they have to persist in name. Otherwise, they will really lose their greatest feature, and they will only be slightly different from the various local wild heretics in the barbarian areas."

"So you tell them, I don't want to be your puppet emperor - oh no, my son has taught me, I want to be independent, they will immediately react; but if you say the other way around, the church now has to listen to me, I am your big daddy, they will be more likely to accept it - anyway, this is not the first time this has happened." He described it in simple, even a little vulgar language: "Which big country has not tried to march into Rome and control the church? The Holy See has long been beaten by various forces."

"Well, I understand that logic. But it sounds like they deserve a beating..." Zhu Wenkui said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"In the Catholic Church, there is indeed a saying, 'The Church is female.' This is a very basic definition." Lama Wang also let go and said directly:
"In fact, the church is indeed like a woman. The one who plays the role of man is the Father in heaven and Rome on earth. Under normal circumstances, when the church makes so many troubles, Rome has to fulfill its patriarchal duties and discipline her. However, after the decline of Rome, no one can take over this responsibility."

"Countries like France and the Alemanni have tried, but they are unable to do so. Their problem is not interfering with the church, but on the contrary, they do not have the power and ability to maintain effective supervision and intervention to replace Rome. Naturally, these problems cannot be solved for a long time."

"We have always believed that the crisis and division of the Catholic Church can only be dealt with by us in Rome. This is also the reason." He spread his hands: "Look, now, many people in the Catholic Church are beginning to expect us to step in."

"Because they also realize that just like women cannot live without men and need men's discipline, otherwise they are likely to act recklessly and harm others and themselves. The church cannot live without Rome, otherwise it will face all kinds of problems that it cannot solve. This is also why we say that before the Roman revival, the church could only continue to decline. And from the current situation, it can even be said that looking for a Rome is the instinct of the church."

"So what you said is not wrong. The church really deserves a beating." He smiled and said, "How do we solve the problem of the great schism in the church? It's very simple. What we need to do is to teach her a lesson, catch those who run away, tie them up at home, and ask them to reflect on themselves honestly. This way, the problem will be solved."

"It sounds quite simple," said Zhu Wenkui.

"If there is a real Rome, it is indeed very simple." Da Lama Wang nodded: "So you don't have to worry, Prince. As for the Hussite issue, we can help you coordinate it on the way."

(End of this chapter)