Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 599: Daqin Acts on Behalf of Heaven

At this point, Guo Kang felt that his mission was almost completed. However, after receiving the booklets, Shi Huizhen couldn't help but ask again: "What exactly do you want me to do by teaching me this?"

"Organize an army and do real work?" Guo Kang replied with some confusion: "Why, do you still want to study academic subjects and become a professor at Constantine University in the future?"

"...No." Shi Huizhen herself was a little speechless: "I mean, where to organize the army and who to fight? Didn't you say before that the army wouldn't want me since I'm a girl?"

"There's nothing we can do about it. The army can't make this concession." Guo Kang explained, "Everyone knows that the army is a good place. Once you join the army, you are considered a complete citizen, so there will definitely be other people who want to join. Since you have been recruited, can other women be recruited? If so, what are the criteria for recruitment and military merit? Is it unfair to have the same criteria as male soldiers? Is it even more unfair to have different criteria than male soldiers?"

"Also, if we recruit a group of female soldiers and female generals, what will they do in the army? Sending them to the front line is probably impossible. The average combat effectiveness of women is not as good as that of men. Although the average level can be improved through selection, male soldiers are also selected and trained."

"Moreover, war is a game between people, and the battlefield is the most intense competition between humans. Here, it is not about whether you are qualified or have done your best, but simply whether you are stronger than the other party. What everyone fights for is often the last little difference. Because this little gap can sometimes be the difference between life and death."

"It doesn't matter if you die. If you are scattered in the queue and one person dies suddenly, it will increase the pressure on the teammates next to you. If you gather together and arrange in a large formation, the team will collapse and affect the adjacent formations. On the battlefield, if ten to ten becomes ten to nine, it may take three minutes, then ten to nine becomes ten to eight, maybe half a minute is enough. If you can't make up for it in time, the whole army will soon have problems. You must know this yourself. All soldiers hope that their teammates are firm and reliable. If women are arranged to join the front line, I'm afraid the grassroots soldiers will not be happy."

"It's not feasible to put them in the baggage train." Seeing that Shi Huizhen didn't refute, he added: "You should be more familiar with the frontline situation than I am. But I have also been exposed to the various logistical work of the Ministry of War."

"There are fewer and fewer roads from the rear to the battlefield, and the situation is becoming more and more unsafe. The total number of personnel that can be mobilized is getting smaller and smaller, but the crowds are becoming more and more concentrated. Therefore, although they are all transportation, the intensity of transportation is different in different regions. The closer to the front line, the more stringent the requirements, so the requirements for personnel involved in transportation are also different."

"From local markets, public and private warehouses to the assembly points designated by the Ministry of War, this section of the journey is organized by local governments and the public. After that, the Ministry of War will organize personnel to transport these supplies to various military stations and granaries on the front line, and arrange for soldiers to guard them. These are basically the responsibility of local war groups and civilians specially recruited by counties. From these military warehouses to the location where the legions are stationed, it is the responsibility of each legion's own baggage team."

"Usually, we say 'men fight and women transport', and the transportation is basically for the first section. To put it bluntly, women are not qualified to participate in the following sections." Guo Kang shook his head: "In the rear, the transportation force is relatively scattered, and the efficiency requirement is not very high. The requirement for the total volume is the more the better. Sometimes there is even enough margin to consider the labor price factor. Therefore, sometimes women are asked to help with the transportation work."

"However, the closer to the front line, the more dangerous the transportation becomes. Even the so-called civilian laborers, who are often retired veterans and county soldiers, will carry weapons for self-defense. Moreover, the transport team itself has its own consumption, so the scale cannot be expanded blindly, and the efficiency must be improved as much as possible. If the last section can save one portion of food, the first section may save ten portions of demand. At this stage, the more efficient the transport team is, the better. If possible, it would be best if it has the quality of a regular army."

"It's just that our foundation is still not strong enough, so we often have to settle for second best. In the same way, when the country was first founded, manpower was in short supply, and the battlefields were mostly close to their hometowns, so it was not uncommon for women to transport food and even go to the battlefield to help. But now, we are not so short of manpower, and the battlefields are mostly on enemy territory. The needs have changed significantly, so the transportation methods and the personnel of the organization will naturally have to change accordingly."

"Then what can I do?" Shi Huizhen asked immediately: "Where can we go? You said you wanted me to lead the troops..."

"Why don't you just recruit people yourself instead of going to the regular army?" Guo Kang even looked a little surprised, obviously not expecting that she really hadn't considered this issue: "Haven't you already recruited a group of people? Didn't you think of this approach?"

"They also thought that there was hope for me to become a regular employee in the future and to make a name for myself in the court. They thought that even though I was not welcomed by my family, I was still a child of an aristocratic family, so they followed me." Shi Huizhen replied: "So, I really didn't think of other options."

"There are many ways to become a regular employee." Guo Kang suggested, "We can recommend you to go to Old King Wu to help. I guess the wait there won't be too long. What do you think?"

"Ah? Why go to his place?" Shi Huizhen didn't react.

"There are undercurrents in the Alemanni area right now. Someone is definitely going to rebel. Everyone in the Wu Wang Mansion is preparing now. When someone starts a rebellion, they will follow suit." Guo Kang told her, "You can discuss the details of this with the young Wu Wang and Miss Tang. They are fully prepared."

"This... do they want to raise a big banner over there and directly split the land to establish a country? Is there any future for it?" Shi Huizhen looked a little curious, but she was obviously unsure in her heart: "I have to be responsible for my subordinates."

"Of course there is a future, and they have already figured it out." Guo Kang comforted him, "Don't worry, this team is still very reliable. The Zhu family, Miss Tang, and Captain Jie Shika all have rich experience in running civil organizations and armed uprisings. They are veterans in this area and will not mess it up."

"Ah..." Shi Huizhen had indeed never thought about this matter and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"The main problem now is how much the court can intervene and from where." Guo Kang continued, "However, the young King Wu and I have already discussed the basic intentions. Later, he will write a formal document to express our ideas and submit it to the court for discussion. After some lobbying, most of the doubts should be resolved."

"What are your concerns?" Shi Huizhen asked curiously, "Do we have enough troops?"

"Military strength is one issue, and the other is political." Guo Kang replied: "If you look at European history, you will know that generally speaking, unless it is a kind of endless hatred, people rarely take direct action to sponsor or support rebellion in the other party's territory." "Because even if this behavior is successful and destroys the enemy, it is very likely that others will follow suit and let their own people learn the same. Those sent out to help may also learn how to organize the grassroots and how to rebel, thus becoming an unstable factor. For the lord, not being able to defeat the enemy will not necessarily result in a particularly large loss; but if it is overthrown by the people, it will be terrible. Therefore, for the sake of insurance, it is better to avoid this risk as much as possible. Although the situation here is completely different, there will definitely be people who will worry about this, so we have to make it clear in advance."

"What's the situation here? Why is it different?" Shi Huizhen looked completely confused.

"Well, we are not the same country as them." Guo Kang had to explain: "Starting from the most basic organizational concept, we are different."

"For example, if we want to interfere with someone, there is actually no risk of backlash. This is because Rome and the barbarian states are not equal. The barbarian states do not have sovereignty, which is something only Rome has the right to have. In front of Rome, the princes and nobles of the barbarian states do not have a transcendent status: they are just the heads of some tribes. Once Rome does not recognize their status as leaders, these people will be no different from their subjects."

"So, we don't support rebellion and treason - because violence against legitimate rulers is called treason. If Rome chooses to support those who oppose the lord, then the lord is no longer a legitimate ruler. Opposing these people is naturally not treason, but rather fulfilling the moral responsibility of God the Father."

"Is that so? Then we are still the best." Shi Huizhen said half-comprehendingly, "But what is the difference between our power and theirs? Is there an explanation for this?"

"That's why I asked you to learn theology." Guo Kang shook his head and replied, "Do you know why there are the terms 'Heavenly Father' and 'Heavenly Brother'?"

"Well, I definitely don't know." Shi Huizhen admitted without hesitation.

"This name is not just a random one. It not only has a theological meaning, but also has philosophical and political significance." Guo Kang said: "Of course, these three subjects are closely related. This example is also true."

"What is 'father'? The teacher in school has already explained it to us. Shuowen Jiezi says that 'father' means 'rule'. This character is a hand holding a wooden stick. It means that the father is the head of the family and must set rules, lead the whole family, and educate his children according to the law."

"According to Xu Shen's understanding, the ruler represents order and discipline, while the wooden stick represents strength and authority. Therefore, the father is the person who represents order, and the wooden stick is his way of ensuring order." He added:
"Of course, this statement is not necessarily accurate. For example, there is a popular saying that the 'father' is actually an axe. This also makes sense, because since ancient times, the axe has not only been a tool and weapon, but also a symbol of force and military authority. Therefore, the meaning of father is actually the authority that holds force."

"From a theological point of view, one of the most important functions of the Heavenly Father is the God of War. Moreover, the Heavenly Father also represents the order of the world and maintains it with his supreme power, just like the original meaning of the word 'Father'."

"Oh, that's what you mean." Shi Huizhen finally understood: "But, what does this have to do with political science?"

"Heavenly Father represents the order of the entire world, and in the human world, Rome represents order." Guo Kang told him: "Back then, it was Rome that unified the entire Mediterranean world and established the initial order. Although it declined later, the experience of the past thousand years has made us see more clearly that apart from Rome, no other country can take on this responsibility."

"Obviously, this is the mission that Heavenly Father has assigned to us," he said matter-of-factly. "We Romans are here on earth to act on behalf of Heavenly Father and do the same thing: establish order and maintain it with force."

"Here, the symbols of supreme power are also axes and wooden sticks." He gave an example: "The envoys of the Ming Dynasty asked this question, and I explained to them that the bundle of wooden sticks, the short one is called knocking, and the long one is called thrashing, are both instruments of punishment for whipping criminals. This means that the mission of our Great Qin State is to unify the entire West, whip the world, and use force to establish and maintain order. You see, these axes and wooden sticks are the word "father" I just mentioned, aren't they? In all aspects, our Rome is indeed a typical patriarchal country."

"Oh. What you mean is, we are the father of this area, right?" Shi Huizhen tried hard to understand.

"Yes." Guo Kang nodded: "There is the Father in heaven, and we are on earth. If the discussions in between are too complicated, just remember this."

"Okay. But when you were arguing, you used Chinese characters, right?" Shi Huizhen also reminded him, "Can Chinese characters prove what happened in Rome?"

"Rome and China have a lot in common," Guo Kang replied. "And our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is a universal religion. The principles it emphasizes should naturally apply everywhere. Both China and Rome agree on the meaning of 'father' and both recognize order and military authority. This just proves that we are right."

"Besides, many scholars have said that Chinese characters are 'relics from the pre-Babel era' and 'the original and only true writing system'. You can now understand how exquisite the writing is in the scriptures selected by our God Worshipping Church, and how rigorous the terminology selected for us by our ancestors is."

"I know, I know."

Whether or not she understood it was still unclear. However, Shi Huizhen quickly answered.

(End of this chapter)