Chapter 373: The state religion also needs to be controlled by the alliance
Koroja's reforms continue to advance.
Although there were a lot of difficulties, Gu Hang was not particularly worried from the beginning.
The gun, the purse and the pen, if you hold these three things, nothing will be difficult to accomplish.
Guns are what Gu Hang has always valued the most, needless to say. Not to mention his own direct troops, the Dragon Eagle Legion controlled by Lieutenant General Hans seems to be quite obedient at the moment; it shouldn't be a problem to get the local defense army of over 100 million people.
At this point, the "gun barrel" has been stabilized.
Not to mention the purse, Korojia is poor as a ghost. The alliance's economic aid, industrial reform, and imperial tax reductions, these powers are all in Gu Hang's hands. With military support, his purse is also stable.
With these, it will be difficult to push forward reform, but the probability of failure will not be high.
Lastly, the role of the 'pen holder' cannot be ignored.
This is public opinion, the right to speak, ideology... you can call it what you want, but in the final analysis, it is the human heart.
In fact, it is very important, in a sense even more important than the first two.
It is not enough to just have guns and money without the support of the people. Society will operate in a high-consumption mode, which cannot become the norm.
But fortunately, the alliance's ruling system has always had a good grasp of people's hearts.
The development of productivity and the improvement of living standards will directly win the most basic people's hearts; the propaganda and mobilization department of the alliance is also carrying out their work. The most important thing is to bind these good changes with the alliance and Governor Gu, which will naturally win the hearts of the people.
But this alone is not enough.
Especially the place called Koroja.
A point that Gu Hang had never had time to care about in the past is becoming more and more important recently.
That is the state religion.
The state religion is a force in the empire that is easily overlooked, but in fact should never be ignored.
They have a dark history, and under the various strict laws of the Empire, their power has been greatly weakened. They can't even create an armed force, and can only set up a rather incongruous Order of Combat Sisters. Not to mention that one-third of the Order of Combat Sisters obey the Inquisition, another one-third directly obey the Empire, and although the remaining one-third obey the state religion, half of them are still very independent.
However, they still cannot be underestimated.
The most important point is their influence on people's hearts.
The entire human empire has a universal faith in the Emperor. From peddlers to fearless heroes, from the poor to the upper class, from psychic scholars to the minions of the Inquisition, who doesn't say "The Emperor bless you"?
Even the crazy people in the Mechanicus, who dared not change anything except their brains and wanted to replace everything else with mechanical parts, who shouted "God of All Machines", admitted that he was the incarnation of the Emperor.
The Emperor's influence is everywhere.
Koroja is the core area of the state religion in the recent star regions. The reason is nothing but that there are many people here and the state religion needs to expand its influence here, so a diocese was established hundreds of years ago, a cathedral was set up, and even a combat nun, the Holy Mercy Lily, was sent to stay here permanently.
Although the Holy Lily of Mercy is small in scale, it is still a formal congregation of nuns.
In Koroja, the priests of the state religion really go to the lowest level. Some of them are ascetics, wearing the simplest and tattered clothes, going to the lower levels to treat illnesses and save lives, distribute food, and act as arbitrators to resolve disputes... Of course, these things are secondary, and the most important thing is to preach and comfort people.
In Gu Hang's observation, many of these state religion members, especially the upper echelons, were also extravagant, which fits Gu Hang's stereotype of decadent religious forces. But objectively speaking, what they have done in Koroja over the long years has played a role in stabilizing society, and has also been widely recognized by the people.
But Gu Hang had never been interested in religion, and even had a vague feeling of rejection. Moreover, the highly centralized political system of the Alliance had never been designed to allow state religion to have a place.
This is no longer the case in Koroja.
If the issue of state religion is not handled properly, the reform policies implemented by the Alliance in Koroja will not only be difficult to implement, but will at least be ineffective.
After several rounds of internal discussions, Gu Hang and his officials had roughly come up with a plan.
However, before meeting with Bishop Zhao Qinghong of Koroja, Gu Hang met another person first.
With the introduction of his old acquaintance, Sister Grit, Gu Hang personally visited the leader of Holy Mercy Lily, Sister Medici.
This was their second meeting.
Ms. Medici looks very old. According to herself, she is already 128 years old and has never undergone any life-extending surgery.
This is very rare and has almost reached the theoretical limit of human lifespan.
Gu Hang thought that this might really be the Emperor's blessing. After all, he had seen that when Grit was fighting, illusory golden wings stretched out from behind her, and she killed the enemy as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, just as good as the next-door commander Martins.
Medici was once a member of the Bloody Rose Convent and a combat hero with outstanding achievements. Later, due to some differences in ideas, she no longer agreed with the Bloody Rose's overly radical and cruel philosophy. She and some like-minded people established a lower order of the Bloody Rose, and then became independent, which is now the Holy Mercy Lily.
Anyway, Gu Hang couldn't tell at all what the kind-looking old lady in front of him had to do with the Bloody Rose, the executioner of the Inquisition who was feared by countless people.
"Sister Medici, I am glad to see that you are in good health."
"Thank you, Governor Gu." The old lady said with a smile, "But let's stop with the pleasantries. Just tell me why you came to see me. If it's about the state religion, then there's no need to ask. You should go to Bishop Zhao for all matters concerning the state religion. We at Holy Mercy Lily only do what we should do and never interfere in other matters."
After hearing this, Gu Hang felt relieved.
Although Medici seemed to have realized that his governor cared about the influence of the state religion, so he acted as if he was saying something ugly in advance, but in fact, this was exactly the attitude that Gu Hang wanted.
"If that's the case, it would be great. I have always admired the philosophy of the Holy Mercy Lily, to do what needs to be done and to do the right thing. The warriors of the Sisters, fearless of sacrifice, have helped me a lot on the Wrathful Owl Star, and have also made outstanding contributions on the battlefield of Korojia. I also know that when there is no war, the non-combat nuns of the Holy Mercy Lily will go down to the Undernest to preach. In the future, I still hope that the Holy Mercy Lily will play a corresponding role, which will be of great help to the recovery of Korojia."
"We will," Medici replied.
But in fact, she was not sure what the Governor meant.
Is this what you came to visit me in person to say?
They would do so even without the Governor telling them.
They've been doing this for thirty years.
And Gu Hang was still talking.
He said: "I will give the Sisters all the necessary help. Your development in Koroja and even in the entire alliance will be strongly supported by the Union Government. We will provide all necessary conditions to help the missionaries of the Sisters. The Sisters can further expand their scale and you can recruit anyone you want. You can open a class for nuns in our college. "
"If your nun needs custom-made power armor, I can find a way to provide it for you. You have also seen my soldiers. The performance of the 'Attendant of God' series of power armor is more suitable for nuns than the 'Universal' series commonly used by Holy Mercy Lily. If the nun lacks funds and corresponding support, the Alliance can even provide it in the form of donations..."
"Wait a minute... wait a minute, Mr. Governor." Medici quickly stopped.
Although Governor Gu claimed a series of help, why did she sound so scared?
At her age, she no longer believes that there is a free lunch in this world.
Of course, if you take these things, you have to pay the corresponding price.
"I'm old, Mr. Governor," Medici said. "It's hard for me to think about the twists and turns behind many things. Let's be more direct. Frankly speaking, the things you provide are indeed what the Sisters need and care about the most. What exactly do you want Holy Mercy Lily to do?"
Gu Hang smiled and said, "It's very simple. We just need to do what the nuns did in the past. Help the sick and weak, punish evildoers, and spread the gospel. Isn't this the purpose of the Holy Lily?"
"Is that all?"
"That's it." Gu Hang's smile became even brighter. "Just do these. There's no need to interfere with other things that nuns shouldn't do. What do you think?"
Medici understood.
She couldn't help but ask, "Are you going to attack Bishop Zhao?"
"Of course not." Gu Hang said, "I am an extremely loyal governor of the empire. How could I be an enemy of the state religion? I have always respected the role of the state religion in planetary construction. However, the state religion should play its role under the alliance system so that we can work together better. What do you think?"
Medici sighed: "If it's too much, it won't work."
Gu Hang knew that the matter was settled.
He said "no", but it was obviously an attitude of tacit approval.
Isn’t it okay as long as it’s not excessive?
Gu Hang stood up with a smile: "Don't worry. I sincerely hope that the Sisters will develop better and better in the future. After all, this cruel universe desperately needs the light of the Holy Mercy Lily."
…
As the saying goes, one should be grateful to those who have helped him, and this is the case with Shengci Lily.
After Gu Hang promised to provide various kinds of support and even various donations in the future, they probably acquiesced to what the alliance would do next.
And that’s not all.
After Holy Lily accepted all kinds of assistance from the alliance, how could it stay out of many things?
One hundred sets of "Servants of God" in the alliance's inventory were quickly shipped over, and were painted in the white and green color scheme of the Holy Lily when they were shipped out.
In addition, the promised classes of nuns and the promised protection of the missions are all in place.
What's wrong with this?
Now that you are wearing my 'Servant of God', won't you work for me?
The nuns who went down to preach were soon pulled together by the officials of the alliance to work in various production teams, engineering groups, and factories. Of course, there were sermons and spiritual comfort. It was only natural to check on work injuries and boost the morale of the workers, right?
The nuns are working. As sisters who possess powerful military power, the combat nuns can't just stand by and watch, right?
With dozens of combat nuns stationed in a block, can a considerable portion of the Alliance's military control forces be withdrawn?
Just as Gu Hang said, he didn't need Shengci Lily to do anything extra. As long as they did their job well, it would be a great help.
The Holy Lily is the most important force in the Koroja State Church. Not only military force, but the Sisters have always played a great role in soothing the hearts of people in Koroja, especially in Mingyan City.
And when they were no longer in trouble, Gu Hang would not have so many concerns when taking action against the state religion.
A series of decrees were promulgated.
Gu Hang certainly does not want to abolish the state religion, but the state religion under the alliance system should operate under the management of the alliance.
They no longer have economic privileges and cannot interfere in production;
Donations cannot be forced, semi-forced or induced;
Non-public preaching and secret gatherings are prohibited;
Corrupt elements should be purged;
The Alliance does not interfere with the funds and resources allocated by the higher-level national religion, but the use of funds must be reported to the Alliance...
This series of measures almost stepped on the tail of the state religion. Zhao Qinghong was so anxious that he jumped up and down and hurried to find Gu Hang.
He has no more cards to play.
Even if they wanted to engage in confrontation, how could they do it? Without military power and financial resources, even if they wanted to inspire people, there was still the Holy Mercy Lily to help the alliance to calm people's hearts, and the effect was greatly reduced.
Gu Hang's attitude towards Zhao Qinghong is still very good, but the above-mentioned regulations are iron laws, and Gu Hang does not intend to compromise.
But it also relaxed some areas, such as in missionary work, Gu Hang was willing to provide strong support to the state religion. Faith in the emperor could significantly inhibit the corruption of cults.
At the same time, the alliance is also willing to provide a special religious grant.
Gu Hang essentially had one request: I can give you money and support, but you just need to do your job honestly and contribute to the development of Koroja. As for economic privileges, which are abnormal ways of making money, and holding sectarian gatherings to meddle in politics, they are not allowed.
Zhao Qinghong compromised on this.
He even accepted the last clause, "Funding from the state church superiors also needs to be supervised by the alliance."
In many parts of the world where state religion is weak, local governments often make such requests, which are not excessive.
If you don't want to cause trouble, then what funding is it that you can't talk to the government about?
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I see there is a leader!
grateful!
Thanks to the support of [Axe of the Mountain]!
Wait...did I say that Alliance Leader has 10 extra chapters?
Ahem... I really don't have any drafts saved right now, you can tell by the update time...
The promise will not change! It must be fulfilled!
But let me owe you...
10 chapters = 20,000 words. I will try my best to catch up on all the words I owe in one month!
(End of this chapter)
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