Chapter 23: Unlovable Moscow (Part I)

Since everyone began arriving for the meeting, Li Xuanying had been quietly complaining to Guo Kang nonstop. This fellow talked too much, giving Guo Kang the feeling of sneaking chats behind the teacher’s back with a deskmate during childhood school days.

“I’ve always thought these people aren’t very trustworthy,” he said, glancing at the representatives from the Russian principalities across the table and lowering his voice. “But honestly, if we put Greek clerks in charge, it’d probably be even worse—they’d definitely extort and embezzle, forcing both commoners and nobles into rebellion, then run back here in disgrace, leaving us to clean up the mess.”

“Then let them be,” Guo Kang pointed out. “The people’s hearts will be ours sooner or later.”

Though his words sounded harsh, Guo Kang found an unexpected truth in them.

The Greeks’ ability to squeeze every last coin was truly astounding. It was said that when the Arabs conquered the peninsula, the reason they met little resistance was that both the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sasanian Persians, these two cunning powers, had already been oppressing the people so severely. Even with the religious taxes imposed by pagans, the Arabs’ tax rates were still lower. As a result, many preferred to side with the Arabs rather than remain under the empire.

Even without prolonged warfare, the Eastern Roman taxation was so harsh that in wealthy regions like Thrace, the population could not even grow. This exploitative system was later perfectly inherited by the Ottomans. In an era globally marked by rapid population growth, the Ottomans managed to reduce the populations of Egypt and Asia Minor to levels reminiscent of ancient times. One could only say the people of these lands were truly resilient.

Of course, different civilizations and regions had their own tax customs. For instance, the Arab taxes seemed excessively high in the East. Even if additional levies were exempted, Central Asians still refused to accept Arab taxation, frequently rising in anti-tax rebellions and hoping for the Tang dynasty to take over and drive the Arabs away.

This was why the Tang dynasty and its affiliates were generally welcomed locally—they demanded less. Each time, the Tang side gained more intelligence and better supplies, to the point that Arab forces, even within their own controlled territories, often suffered setbacks due to unfamiliarity with roads, terrain, and water sources.

Until Gao Xianzhi reneged and massacred a city, scaring away local followers, the military campaigns had gone smoothly.

Thus, the khanate’s leaders clearly understood that the best way to win local support was to levy fewer taxes. This was far more effective than relying on religion or political systems. Local support itself was a strategic advantage, directly influencing the army’s combat effectiveness and, ultimately, the outcome of war.

Of course, many factors decided victory or defeat, and this was but one. Yet unless the disparity in combat power was overwhelming, this factor remained crucial—at least at the level of regular Tang troops facing the Black-Clad Arabs, it could not be ignored.

“Has your father’s side started fighting with the Poles yet?” Li Xuanying asked.

“Not yet,” Guo Kang replied. “But we’re not worried. This time we’re well prepared.”

The Purple Tent Khanate’s system drew heavily from the Liao dynasty, or rather, from the Tang dynasty. East Asia was essentially a tax haven. The Guo family’s agricultural colonies along the northern Black Sea coast paid a tax of one-fifteenth, which effectively burdened each peasant by about one-third. Even so, this tax was already very low locally.

Neighboring Poland employed a system based mainly on corvée labor rent—much like the ancient well-field system, but instead of land area, time spent working was counted. Peasants had to work three to four days a week on the lord’s private fields. During busy seasons, this could increase to six days at the lord’s demand.

This was just one example. Since most people were serfs who didn’t even own their tools, they had to rent oxen, horses, plows, and other equipment from their lords, paying extortionate fees. Processing the harvested grain required renting the lord’s mill—a major source of income for the lord. Various other taxes piled on, depending entirely on the lord’s mood.

Consequently, serfs along the border often fled seeking refuge on this side.

In Eastern Europe, due to the horrific level of exploitation, serf escape was common enough to form their own villages, communities, and even political entities. These people called themselves “free men,” known locally as “Cossacks.”

With the Purple Tent Khanate’s presence, serf flight grew even more frequent, and many were recruited by the Guo clan and others. Polish nobles were furious, and the Republic’s parliament even sent an official protest to the capital, accusing the khanate of unscrupulous behavior—fighting wars was one thing, but currying favor with peasants and poaching other nobles’ subjects was beneath all rules of conduct and dignity.

The Guo clan didn’t know how to respond. Eventually, the Great Lama stepped forward and told the envoy that as heretics of the Nestorian Church, they did not abide by Catholic noble customs, thus deflecting the complaint.

“I just worry we won’t be able to wait it out,” Li Xuanying continued. “It’s not just the Poles; many serfs and even soldiers from the Russian principalities escape here to join us. Over time, it’ll probably lead to a second civil war between North and South. I’m already mentally prepared.”

“No worries. The Muscovites will be sure to report to us in time,” Guo Kang joked. “Just a few days ago, a Novgorod representative complained to the Khan. The Khan wasn’t around, so the complaint went to Tuhuan instead. They said Muscovy claimed it couldn’t collect enough taxes, so they simply robbed their merchant caravans.”

“Muscovy denies it, saying it’s not robbery but lawful taxation. Since the distinction is blurry, neither side has reached a conclusion. Looks like we’re headed for another fight.”

“Moscow has never been popular,” Li Xuanying nodded. “Tver has declined these past years. Otherwise, it’d probably join in the brawl as well.”