Guo Kang has always felt that Wang Da Lama's eloquence is actually very good. Although the level of education is average, he has suffered a little, but he can talk to people of all identities. This is also a rare quality.

Sure enough, the two Father Ross softened their attitudes. And Father Marco, who is familiar with knowledge, also strikes while the iron is hot.

"Both of you are elders of strong faith, and they all praise you for your virtue. We believe that it is precisely because the church has to establish a connection with secular power that it is more necessary for these two poor and pure people to correct the mistakes that can occur at any time for us mortals and put the church on the right path. ”

"There is actually a lot of discussion among our monks on this issue." "There are brothers who believe that the corruption of the congregation is inevitable if they come into contact with secular power. Therefore, we should keep our lives as simple as possible, and usually only establish small mutual aid organizations based on equal monastic status to meet the most basic needs for security and survival. The so-called leaders and elders should only be the most respected people in the religious order. In this way, the original mind of the practice is kept untainted by the world. ”

"Later, Father Mikhail and I traveled around the country on pilgrimages and found that even on the side of the Roman Catholic Church, we had similar thoughts." He told Guo Kang and others: "Everyone thinks that it is not a good thing to be entangled with secular power. ”

"However, Father Marco and others have different opinions, so we can't come up with a clear answer now."

"Where is this point of divergence?" Pronsky asked.

"Oh, to put it simply, there are opposing views on why there is a problem in teaching. Some monks believe that the Church is too close to secular power and too complex. Others, on the contrary, believe that it is the organization of the church that is too simple and primitive, which is why these problems arise. Father Marco said.

"The former is what Brother Andre calls the monks, and the latter is the way of thinking of the Church today." "We think that both Orthodox and Catholic churches have established organizations, but these organizations are still too simple," he said. ”

"Originally, everyone's vision was limited, so it was inevitable that there would be doubts. But in the last hundred years, we have seen the Oriental-style imperial court, and everyone has opened their eyes. Obviously, we are faced with the same problem as both secular and religious organizations – and this obviously has nothing to do with secularization. It's simply because the organization is too backward. ”

Father André nodded his head as well, seemingly agreeing with this view.

"We believe that as long as the monks come together, even for the purpose of practicing together, exchanging ideas, and establishing an organization, it is essential. So this is not an option that can be circumvented, but a problem that must be addressed. "Father Mark said:

In the same way, it should not be difficult for us to find that any regime throughout the ages has needed an explanation of faith to sustain it. It's just that people have adopted different ways of believing. And a good faith also plays a great role in promoting the development of political power. ”

"On the other hand, in order for the order to be well-organized and reduce the occurrence of corruption, a well-established mechanism is needed, and this mechanism needs to be widely participated in by a wide range of participants. Only a strong secular regime can protect and sustain it. ”

"You can also see that whether it is on our side or in Western Europe, the greatest damage to the church is often not the church itself, but the wanton destruction of church rules by the tribal leaders of the barbarians since the fall of Rome. In the West, bishops and even pope positions can be traded, and some clergy can even be sold openly. No matter how holy the original intention of the church is, it can't help but be so constantly interfering and destroying! ”

"And it's not something we can escape by hiding in a secluded place. On the contrary, if those who adhere to the faith do not stand up, these people will be even more unscrupulous. Unless we only look out for ourselves and forget the teachings of our Heavenly Brother, we will have to stand up. ”

It can be seen that the two sides can take what they need. This is also the reason why our church has put forward the theory of 'harmony'. Fr. Marco concluded: "In an incident like this one, it is clear that there is a political and military problem in the other country, but it is angry with our parishioners. In this case, we must defeat the evil regime with the help of a just regime. In this way, it is in line with the affairs of the world and can achieve the best results. ”

"That's true." Pronsky agreed: "Originally, Vytautas had a good relationship with the Rus' Orthodox followers. His first wife was the daughter of the prince of Smolensk. The second wife, also a Lithuanian Orthodox noblewoman. But in order to confront Rome, he finally chose the other side. ”

"Of course, from his point of view, it is estimated that there is no other choice." Pronsky thought for a moment and said, "And we can only accompany us to the end." ”

Guo Kang also nodded.

The conflict between the Polish-Lithuanian alliance and other forces in the southeast is geographically determined, and sooner or later a fight will have to break out, regardless of the regime or faith.

In Guo Kang's world, there was also a decisive battle. After Timur banished Tokhtamysh, he installed a suzerainty named Timur Khuglut as the Golden Horde. Tokhtamysh, on the other hand, fled to Lithuania and took refuge with Vytautas.

At this time, the Polish king Jagaievo also united with Vytautas. In 1398, Pope Boyi IX gave permission to form a crusader army to attack the Mongols. So the two men set about organizing a crusade and brought the Mongols Tokhtamysh in.

However, having probably spent a long time under Timur, Timur Khuglut was not the weak and incompetent Golden Horde that preceded him. In 1399, the coalition and his men fought at the Wolskla River, only to suffer a crushing defeat. At least 20 princes, including Jagiewo's two younger brothers, were killed in battle, and Vytautas was spared. This led to the fact that some of the Rus' princes took the opportunity to break away from his control, and the offensive on the South Russian steppes could only be stopped.

In this world, due to the northward movement of the Purple Horde, Timur chose to divide the administration. He heeded the advice of Basil III, and instead of appointing a great khan to oversee the various ministries, he divided the eastern part of the steppes of southern Russia, as far as the northern part of Central Asia, and handed them over to several kings.

The western part of the steppe was ceded to the Purple Horde, who was content with the benefits he had already gained, and hoped that the Purple Horde would operate the trade routes here and bring him huge income. As long as the Purple Horde helps him keep an eye on Tokhtamysh.

Of course, as a price, the Purple Horde did not stop the war with Lithuania in this direction, and Polish reinforcements appeared from time to time. This place is far away from the hinterland of the Purple Horde, and it can only be garrisoned by the Northern Horde Army for a long time, and it has to organize nearby tribes to assist in defense from time to time.

Fortunately, in this place, I have also seen the Timurid War, and the military level of most of the Lithuanian army may not be as good as theirs. After a long time, the local tribes gradually became "regular" and gradually incorporated into the management of Wanhu Prefecture. And with the Purple Horde turning to a counterattack, Lithuania gradually fell into the situation it is in today.

In Guo Kang's view, there is no suspense in this matter - whether it is the Golden Horde, the Purple Horde, or the Grand Duchy of Moscow a hundred years in history, the situation of Lithuania will not change much.

(End of chapter)