"I now have a rough idea of what the theory is." Guo Kang nodded: "Then what we should do now should be Lixin's first." ”

"Fong's." Tuhuan followed and muttered the word: "This is also a ...... Ancient political wisdom. ”

"Ancient, but important." Guo Kang emphasized: "You see, the situation on the ground is obvious. Their city is more like the prince's own tribe. ”

"People in the city alone can't meet our needs, but people in the countryside are very opposed to the city. In such a situation, it is impossible to get a response from the locals and take the first step without first establishing mutual trust. ”

"Then we'll have to get the word out." Tuhuan thought about it: "We have to find a way to let them know that we have changed the military system now and are fair to everyone." ”

"Yes. Herein lies the difficulty. Madame Elena agreed: "Since the time of Rurik, the Rus region has undergone many rounds of military reform. But over the years, there have been few changes that have benefited the villages: for the villagers, the army has come from the city to rob them. ”

"In the beginning, these armies were mainly Nordic style infantry. Later, under the influence of the steppe, it gradually evolved into cavalry; Earlier, many people still used leather armor and cloth to make protective gear, and now the main soldiers have a lot of iron armor. ”

"But for the villagers, these military changes are actually irrelevant. Even if we continue to carry out reforms, in their eyes, it is nothing more than changing to more advanced tactics and weapons, and then continuing to go to the village to grab things. If you don't find a way to change their attitude, you won't solve the problem. ”

"So where do you plan to start? After so much hard work, there should have been a certain breakthrough in your hometown, right? Guo Kang probably understood her train of thought, so he continued to ask.

"Yes, in my hometown, there is a certain foundation at the moment. But it's not primarily my work, it's my father's legacy. Lady Elena said.

"In the Ryazan principality, the power of the princes was strong. Of course, this may stem from a coincidence. ”

"At that time, we, like the other principalities, were also mired in civil strife for a long time. The aristocratic council had a great influence on the city-state, and the princes passed on the line from brother to brother, so there were always endless battles between uncles, brothers, and nephews. ”

"But then, out of nowhere, the Mongols came."

"Ryazan was one of the closest principalities to the steppe, so it became the first target of Batu, and the city was quickly conquered and then completely destroyed. At that time, my ancestors had just failed in the struggle for the Grand Duke and were forced to flee the city of Ryazan and take refuge in the fiefdom of Pereslavl, so they survived. ”

At that time, almost everyone in the city, including the entire clan of the opposing Grand Duke, and most of the nobles who could compete with the prince, were killed by the Mongols. Later, when the Golden Horde needed someone to rule the region on its behalf, they sought out members of the Ryazan princely line, and found that only my ancestor was left, so he appointed him as the new Grand Duke. This was the beginning of our history. ”

At this point, she paused slightly. The others also thought about it.

"Should I apologize, or should I ...... Congratulations? Tuhuan hesitated and said cautiously.

"Probably both." Mrs. Elena herself does not seem to be sure: "After that war, the old city of Ryazan was destroyed, and it was not rebuilt after that. The current Ryazan, in fact, was Pereslavl at that time. ”

"Since this is our family's traditional sphere of influence, we have not faced the same resistance from the citizens as the princes who changed their territory. Moreover, Rurik's bloodline gradually left only us and the Maharaja of Vladimir, so the legitimacy of the family is rarely challenged. In addition, the big nobles who could restrain the prince were gone, which made the rule a lot smoother. ”

"Since then, the principality has maintained a relatively stable father-son succession system in accordance with the wishes of successive grand dukes, and there has been no serious civil strife."

"That's it......" Tuhuan nodded: "By the way, I remember that at that time, the first emperor Basil II married his sister to the prince of Rus' in exchange for the baptism of the Rus'. Are you descendants of that princess? If so, you have an extra layer of kinship with Rome. ”

"Probably not." Lady Elena shook her head: "The one you are talking about is called 'Anna of Constantinople' in the history books of Rus'. She remained depressed after marrying the Grand Duke of Vladimir, and until her death was engaged in religious activities, and there was no news about her children. ”

"In our chronicles, Vladimir's wives and their descendants are recorded, but none of them are related to her."

"I see." The failure of the relationship seems a bit regrettable.

"The princess who marries out generally does not end well. It seems that this is not the only case in Rome. Theodora sighed beside him and glanced at Guo Kang.

"But that's their responsibility." Joanna, who hadn't spoken much next to her, suddenly interjected at this time: "The descendants of the nobles have always enjoyed the benefits of bloodline. Then they should also serve the interests of the family, which of course includes marriage. ”

"Your family is also a nobleman, right?" Theodora retorted: "Then do you have this realization? ”

"Of course." Joanna did not hesitate: "I know very well how marriage is best for the family, and I am indeed willing to do it." ”

Her answer was so brisk that Theodora couldn't keep up for a moment.

"Alright, don't go too far." Tuhuan instinctively felt that the atmosphere was wrong, and hurriedly pulled back the topic: "Madam, you continue." What did you do after the rule was stabilized? ”

"Oh, at the time, they chose to make a code." Lady Elena replied.

"The earliest laws of the Rus' people, supposedly made during the time of Vladimir I Svyatoslavich. The main part of the current circulation is the 'Yaroslav Truth' compiled by Yaroslav I Vladimirovich. These laws were compiled to form the earliest legal code, known as the Ross Truth. ”

"But these laws, which are basically a compilation of the customary rulings of the Rus' people at the time, are mainly Nordic-style rules, and they are crude on the whole."

"This ...... I don't think I can remember the name. Tuohuan muttered.

"It's hard for us to remember it ourselves, there are too many people with the same name." Lady Elena laughed and said, "You can call Yaroslav 'the Wise', this is his nickname, so that it will be easy to remember." ”

"What kind of vich is that Vladimir?" Tuohuan continued to ask.

"That is the first person to be baptized and marry a Greek princess, right?" Guo Kang thought about it.

"Yes, that's him." Lady Elena nodded: "This person is one of the most important figures in the history of Rus. But he doesn't have a special nickname. ”

"Then let's have a code name." Guo Kang couldn't stand the name either, and decided that since he didn't have it, he started on the spot: "Isn't he the first to be baptized, or the ancestor of the lineage of various principalities?" Then call him 'Fuzu'. ”

(End of chapter)