Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 592: The Origin of All Things Troy

Guo Kang discussed with them for a few more sentences and then asked Luo Guanzhong about Li Xuanying.

"The young master is in a good mood recently." Luo Guanzhong told him: "He leads people in martial arts performances every day, and writes songs when he has free time. His life is quite fulfilling."

"He has written something new?" Guo Kang asked curiously.

"He's been writing all the time." Luo Guanzhong said, "I don't know exactly how many works he has. But every time I go there, I can see him singing to Miss Shi Er, Russian soldiers, and even Nurhaci."

"Can Nurhaci understand..." Guo Kang said helplessly.

"It should be that they really can't find anyone, so they just try it themselves temporarily." Luo Guanzhong said with a smile: "Things are quite urgent this time, everyone is very busy, even the girls are like this. I guess this is the only way."

"However, those songs are indeed easy to understand, and the recruits like them very much." He said: "Although these Russians are poor, they are very interested in music. Many priests can play a few instruments, and there are also many soldiers who can sing. You don't need to look for them deliberately, you can gather a large group of people."

"The main disadvantage is their cultural level. Their appreciation should be fine." Guo Kang said, "You can also try telling stories to them. People who come here to make a living know a little Greek, so they should be able to understand simple stories."

"You are right, sir." Luo Guanzhong thought for a moment and nodded, "Recently, I can't continue to talk about it in the city. I will try to talk about it here."

"Thank you all for your trust. I have been very busy recently and don't have much time to organize the subsequent stories. It just so happens that when I tell them the story, I have to start from the beginning. I can modify the manuscript I saved before and use it directly. This will save a lot of time."

"Then don't delay the manuscript like this..."

"I really don't have time, I really don't have time..." Luo Guanzhong waved his hands repeatedly: "I don't even have time to check and revise my new manuscript now. Besides, there are not many readers here who are interested in popular novels and can communicate with me, and they are generally busier than each other. I can't ask everyone to help discuss and revise as before. If this continues, I will also have to go and talk about the Three Kingdoms in front of Nurhaci..."

"That's not impossible." Guo Kang suggested: "Nurhaci should like the story of the Three Kingdoms very much."

"what?"

Luo Guanzhong didn't seem to understand this statement, but Guo Kang didn't elaborate, just continued: "It is still very useful for everyone to tell more historical stories. The story of the Three Kingdoms is so wonderful that it is enough to educate generations. And if everyone listens to the same story and worships the same hero, it is also a kind of cultural consensus, which is very beneficial to unification."

"When we conquered Egypt, our priority was not how much we could gain on the battlefield, but to win people's hearts and minds. Prime Minister Zhuge has made this very clear. If we can make more people understand and support this concept through this popular story, it will be a success."

"How can just some stories have such a great effect?" Luo Guanzhong shook his head modestly and said.

"A single story certainly won't do, but folk culture composed of many stories has a huge impact." Guo Kang said: "People may be too lazy to read the imperial court's orders and notices. But popular works that are widely circulated actually influence everyone. On the one hand, people will choose the works they like more, and on the other hand, they will be influenced subtly. This is also a kind of enlightenment."

"We are in great need of this kind of thing here." He explained, "It has been a long time since Laozi traveled west and brought civilization to the West. It has also been thousands of years since Rome declined, its rules and regulations collapsed, and the Five Barbarians were rampant. There have been frequent wars in the Mediterranean, with no emperor above and no governors below. The people are living in dire straits, but no one has been able to end the chaos so far. Not only is the kingly way far away, but the hegemonic way is also impossible to implement. This must be more than just military reasons."

"I think the situation here is the result of a lack of culture and education. It's not just that people are uneducated, but that they lack a lot of basic knowledge. Even scholars who are familiar with the scriptures and have written many books are inevitably limited in their vision. This kind of problem is the most difficult to solve."

"So that's how it is..." Luo Guanzhong thought for a moment and said, "Popular historical stories can indeed be of some use in this regard..."

"That has more than just some effects." Guo Kang said with emotion: "When we founded the country, even in the Mediterranean, it was a very backward place. There were not many reliable scholars, and the people were almost all illiterate. It was difficult to find someone who could teach. The court could only focus on training a group of talented people to serve as officials and maintain administrative functions. It was also because of this that, at the beginning, our system was quite primitive, not much different from feudal fiefdom. Because of the situation at that time, there was no ability to maintain a higher level of management model."

"But the difference between us and the barbarians is that we really have a common goal and know how to make the national system more perfect. Everyone has a consensus on this, and people with insight in the court and the public regard it as natural. There are not enough educated people, so the court requires the people to take officials as teachers, and set up schools in the army and government offices, allowing military officials and local clerks to take turns teaching. In this way, the shortcomings were made up little by little, and slowly we have reached the situation today."

"From today's perspective, especially from the perspective of the people in the Central Plains, most of our ancestors were probably not very educated people." He concluded: "But this little bit of common sense is enough here."

"In the current situation, it is probably not enough to rely solely on the government. I saw that your works are so popular here, so I thought about this problem. Although the distance is far and the customs are different, people's preferences have a lot in common. I think we can do something similar."

"Telling stories? I think you can." Luo Guanzhong nodded. "You can actually tell the history you just mentioned, for example, how the Five Barbarians wreaked havoc in the Central Plains, how the heroes fought against them... These are all worth writing about. There are so many lessons and experiences in them that are worth sighing and learning from."

"And... oh yes," he suddenly remembered something and asked again, "Speaking of which, what are these Five Barbarians?"

"The Five Barbarians were the largest and most famous tribes among a series of barbarian tribes that infiltrated the Roman-controlled areas at that time and established their own regimes." Guo Kang explained seriously: "In the late Roman Empire, the court was infighting and its control over the borders gradually declined. As civil strife and oppression deepened, various forces began to rely on barbarian mercenaries. Some barbarian warlords also gradually rose and eventually destroyed the Roman western regime."

"To be more specific, there are five branches: the Visigoths, the Ostrogoths, the Vandals, the Lombards, and the Alemanni. The first three have disappeared, but the last two are still around."

"Then the time for the Five Barbarians is a bit long..."

"Yes, otherwise why do people say that the situation in Rome is much worse than in the Central Plains."

The two of them sighed for a while, and Qiao Feng asked curiously: "Why don't the Franks count?"

"It's not clear where the Franks came from," Guo Kang told him. "They have always said that they were Trojans. Although the story is exaggerated, these people have been saying this for hundreds of years, and we can't completely deny it. So, for now, we still rule it out."

"That's fine..." Qiao Feng muttered, "I thought it was just for diplomatic reasons."

"This is true, and it has been widely circulated." Guo Kang explained: "The Franks were a group of people who were civilized at a relatively high speed among the various ethnic groups that appeared at that time. The earliest accurate record of this story can be traced back to three historical books in the Merovingian era." "Among them, The History of the Franks was written by Gregory, the Bishop of Tours at the time, from the official standpoint of the Kingdom of Austrasia. It starts from the Genesis and ends in 591, before the death of Bishop Gregory. This is a church history, and its main purpose is to focus on moral and religious issues, and to praise and criticize historical figures and events in order to promote its own ideas."

"I understand. This is not just a history book, but also a classic book." Luo Guanzhong nodded: "It is necessary to praise or criticize with a single word, so as to scare the traitors."

"He may really think so - of course, because it is a history book with an official stance, the bishop is often forced to use some obscure writing methods, and even makes the content of the book often appear weird." Guo Kang thought for a while and said.

"It's not his fault. When writing history books about barbarians, one has to be more careful." Luo Guanzhong commented: "Otherwise, he would become Cui Hao."

"That's right..." Guo Kang thought for a moment, "He and Cui Hao seem to be from the same era..."

"What about the other books? I wonder if I can take a look at them." Luo Guanzhong seemed interested.

"Another book is the Burgundian version of Fredegar's Chronicle, which more firmly uses the Trojan origin theory, and the whole book starts from the Trojan War. The third book is the Neustrian version of the Franks, which has a more complicated record." Guo Kang said:

"If we follow their story, at least three waves of people escaped from Troy. In addition to the Roman ancestors led by Aeneas, there was also a leader named Frankio who led people to migrate to the Rhine River area and established the city of 'New Troy'. That place was called Sigambria, which was later the home of the Salians. These people were the main branch of the Franks, and the Salic Code used by the French now is said to have come from them. So, the connection is made."

"Of course, there are even stranger theories. They also believe that another group of people followed their leader Torcot and fled Troy, so these people were called Turks. I don't know how they came up with this idea..."

"How come so many people came out of Troy?" Qiao Feng asked in surprise, "No wonder the Greeks lost this battle. I'm afraid the number of people in the city is increasing as the battle continues."

"This is definitely not authentic historical material that is worth believing. It is too much of a fiction. Many stories are like this. The original material is very little and simple, but after being compiled by folk legends and literati, it becomes more and more rich and tortuous. Therefore, popular fiction stories are often not made up directly by one person. The situation in Europe is similar." Luo Guanzhong judged:
"But, according to this statement, aren't we all one family? From this perspective, it does have publicity value."

"I guess other people know this to some extent. However, it is rare for a barbarian country to have such a systematic historical record." Guo Kang replied: "So, in the following time, the Frankish states have always insisted on this view, claiming to be the descendants of Priam, the king of Troy."

"Because this statement is beneficial to everyone, no one seriously refuted it, and it has been passed down like this..."

"That's true." Qiao Feng nodded: "You just said that if the story can create a consensus, it is also very useful."

"That's right." Guo Kang nodded.

In fact, the common understanding of the French is a very interesting thing, and it can be regarded as a classic case of using legends to appeal to people. This is true not only in this era, but also in later times.

Until the Bourbon dynasty, the French government insisted that they were Trojans, relatives and successors of Rome - this was exactly the same as the Ottomans of the same era, and the goals of both sides were of course similar. However, during the Enlightenment, this statement was increasingly questioned. With the spread of culture and the popularization of historical knowledge, the Trojan origin theory, which was once considered "reliable history", could no longer convince everyone.

The early opponents were some aristocratic liberals. They opposed the king's tyranny and therefore began to oppose the traditional story of the origin of the nation. These aristocratic researchers believed that the Frankish nation had nothing to do with Troy, and that the country was the product of the Franks' conquest of Gaul. The current king and aristocrats were the descendants of Clovis and his comrades.

In the Frankish tradition, the king and the nobles were "partners" rather than superiors and subordinates. Therefore, the king's deprivation of the nobles' power and property violated tradition. Everyone should resist this.

Of course, the aristocratic liberals only opposed the king's despotism, not the aristocracy's despotism; freedom was also freedom among the aristocracy, and had nothing to do with the people. On the contrary, according to this theory, the people in the country were composed of the upper-class Frankish conquerors and the lower-class Gallic conquered. The conquered Gauls were slaves and should obey the management of the Franks. The king's arbitrary appointment of civilians as new nobles was a betrayal of the common interests of the conquerors.

Therefore, this statement was very unpopular and was resisted by both the king and the common people.

In the debate at that time, Count de Brinvilliers put forward a systematic argument and borrowed the model of the ideal country, hoping to build a society with clear hierarchy and each class in its place. The king's supporter, Brother Dibo, refuted it and insisted that the Gauls and Franks were all Roman subjects. Including Clovis himself, he also obtained the legal right to rule because he was appointed by Rome. So everyone is Roman, and there is no difference between conquerors and conquered.

This debate inspired more people. Sieyès, an activist during the French Revolution, used the conquest theory in reverse, claiming that the common people were all descendants of the Gauls and should unite to drive out the Franks and send the descendants of the conquerors "back to the forests where the Franks live." Due to Sieyès's great influence and the important role the French Revolution played in shaping the French nation, the "Gallic Theory" became the mainstream again.

However, some people believe that confusing class antagonism with national antagonism has exacerbated social contradictions. After the Great Revolution, some people began to reflect on it. Guizot, a politician during the July Monarchy, believed that reconciliation between classes should be promoted rather than struggle. Similarly, he also emphasized the integration of different ethnic groups rather than confrontation.

Guizot proposed that whether they were Gauls or Franks, commoners or nobles, they were all French and had a common homeland. Regarding the invasion of the Franks, he also believed that although the Franks did not have enough cultural level to change the social and political system, they still injected fresh blood into the already corrupt Rome and brought the spirit of personal freedom. Therefore, the progressiveness of this should be viewed objectively.

Of course, some people think completely the opposite of him. Another historian, Augustin Thierry, believed that the conflict between the Frankish invaders and the Gallo-Roman people was impossible to reconcile. Therefore, he was very disgusted with the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, believing that they were both pure foreign invaders and could not be considered part of the history of the French nation.

Thierry and his brother gradually perfected and promoted this theory. They believed that the Franks and Gauls had never achieved integration, but had always been hostile to each other, and would never reconcile in the future. According to the "Mexican and Gaulish are not French" theory, these two dynasties should be expelled from French history, and the history should be counted from the election of Count Odo of Paris as King of West Francia, because the Capetian family was at least considered a local.

The theories of Guizot and the Thierry brothers had a profound impact, and the French academic community began a long-term dispute over whether barbarian invasions were beneficial or not. The result of the Franco-Prussian War triggered another wave of enthusiasm. Many people compared Prussia to the invading barbarians, believing that this was another invasion of Gaul-Rome by the Germanic barbarians, and used this to call on everyone to rise up and resist.

As time went on, more historical materials were discovered, and the academic community gradually began to change its views. People gradually discovered that the barbarian invasion was not a planned overall process, and the barbarians were not united at all. The reasons for the barbarian migration were various, and the relationship with Rome was not always hostile. Later scholars also began to consciously reduce the use of terms such as "barbarian invasion", which also had an impact on society.

It can be said that France is worthy of being the center of Europe and even the world in terms of culture. Many trends in other parts of the world are leftovers from their play more than a hundred years ago.

In their long-term research, they have also summed up a lot of experience. French scholars have also proposed the concept of "memory history", believing that exploring and shaping one's own "origin" story can bring the necessary meaning and sacredness to secularized nations. Considering that most nations do not actually have a grand and distant origin story, this kind of shaping is particularly important.

For the people of the Central Plains, this is easier to understand - history is the faith and myth of secular nations. Even if people in the Ming Dynasty had some understanding of history, they should be able to see something after understanding the state of Europeans.

(End of this chapter)