The word "side by side" king of the Tang Dynasty

In order to resist the Tang army, Heraclius resolutely dissolved the Senate, implemented a monarchical dictatorship, imposed military control over the country, and prepared for war.

The Tang Dynasty was far away from Byzantium. Even if the logistics supplies could keep up, it would still take three months for the army to march.

In other words, he still has three months to prepare to resist the Tang Dynasty's 600,000 troops

"Byzantium is the most powerful country in the West. The Tang Dynasty can repel millions of coalition troops, and my empire can do the same!"

Heraclius clenched his fists tightly, his eyes extremely firm.

Just as Heraclius frowned and thought, a guard walked into the palace and reported to him:"Your Majesty, Pope Salaka has arrived.

Heraclius gathered his thoughts and said to the guard:"Please come in, Your Majesty the Pope.""

The guard nodded and left, and not long after, a majestic old man wearing a gorgeous black and red divine robe, holding a scepter in his hand, walked into the palace under the leadership of the guard.

He was not friendly when he saw Heraclius The others also knelt down and nodded slightly in greeting, saying:"Your Majesty."

The Byzantine Empire is also a country with very common religious beliefs. The largest church is the Orthodox Church, and the old man in front of you is the pope of the church, named Salaka.

In Byzantine culture, the pope is considered to be the messenger of God. Although his authority is not that of the emperor, his influence and status among the people are greater than that of the emperor.

"Pope Salaka, long time no see, you still look very healthy,"

Heraclius stepped forward with a smile on his face and said to Salaka.

After hearing his words, Pope Salaka said with a smile :"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Your Majesty wants to see me specifically today. What's the matter? Heracli glanced at him briefly and said straight to the point:"The army of the Tang Dynasty will arrive in Byzantium in three months to invade. The elite troops currently available in the country cannot compete with them, so I hope to get help from the church."."

In the Byzantine Empire, the power of the church is very huge. Not only do they rely on the donations of believers to gather huge financial resources, they also have 100,000 holy guards distributed across the country. Their strength cannot be underestimated. More importantly

, 100% of Byzantine Christians More than 90% of the people believe in the church. If the church openly supports Byzantium in resisting the Tang army, it will definitely get the support of many people.

Heraclius was actually very resistant to the church because he felt that the existence of the church threatened the imperial power..

But under this current situation, he had to ask the church for help

"Your Majesty, our church is weak, how can it compete with the Tang army? I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to help."

Pope Saraca said with regret.

Heraclius' mood suddenly changed after hearing this, and he cursed Sara's hypocrisy in his heart.

Why is the power weak? If the power of the church is weak, will successive emperors tolerate it?

To put it bluntly, Salaka just wants to benefit

"Pope Salaka, if we can defeat the Tang army this time, the empire will compensate the church for all its losses. How about that?"

Suppressing the annoyance in his heart, Heraclius said again.

Pope Salaka shook his head, with a trace of greed in his eyes, stretched out two skinny fingers and said:"Three times, the empire must give it afterward. Triple compensation."

Hearing this, Heraclius exploded immediately, his expression turned livid, and he said angrily:"Pope Salaka, I hope you can understand the current situation! If the empire is destroyed, your church will also be destroyed! Do you think you can rely on God to influence those Tang troops?"

"Up to twice as much! Otherwise, let the church be buried with the empire!"

Heraclius directly reported his final bottom line, leaving no room for maneuver.

His hatred for these parasites in the church was even more than that of the Tang Dynasty. Now in this situation, he is still thinking about profit. It's really disgusting.

Seeing that Heraclius was really angry, Salaka hesitated a little in his heart. After thinking carefully for a while, he finally relaxed and said:"Then twice, my church is willing to send out the Holy Spirit." The Guard helps the Empire repel enemy forces"

"I also need you to call on the citizens to actively join the army. This time, the Tang army has 600,000 troops, while the empire has less than 300,000 troops even including the Holy Guard and the major military regions. The difference in numbers is too big."

Heraclius asked unceremoniously.

Inciting the people was very easy for the church, and it didn't cost anything, so Pope Salaka readily agreed.

After the two talked for a while, Salaca Pope Salaka left the palace.

Heraclius watched Pope Salaka's back disappear at the door. He couldn't help but kicked the table over, and the wine and fruit on it were scattered all over the floor.

"These damn moths! When the crisis is resolved this time, I must find a way to uproot them!"

Heraclius said bitterly. He was obsessed with the feeling of disbanding the Senate and taking all the power in his hands, but the existence of the church made him feel like he was stuck in his throat. Without the church to amass money, Byzantium's national power would have been at least doubled!

No one The emperor will tolerate divine power being higher than imperial power

……

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The Byzantine Empire implemented a military district system, and the entire domestic land was divided into five military districts: Armenia, Opsikine, Kivileodon, Anatolia and Thrace.

The essence of the military region system is the integration of local military and political affairs. The local military chiefs also have administrative jurisdiction and hold two posts. It is similar to the Jiedushi system of the Tang Dynasty. In fact, the whole country is under military control.

Due to the vulnerable geographical characteristics of the Byzantine Empire, war has become a regular function of the state and government. The military district system is obviously reasonable and necessary for the Byzantine Empire.

As the most powerful country in the West, the Byzantine Empire was powerful for a reason.

Under the joint mobilization of the government and the church, an astonishing number of troops were quickly gathered throughout the country to strengthen defenses in major military districts and prepare to resist the Tang army. _Feilu reminds you: three things about reading - collection, recommendation,