Thanks to the efforts of many parties, the city of Beiping soon returned to calm. The enemy's corpses were piled on the moat outside the city, while all our own wounded were carried to the military medical department for emergency treatment. Soon, the battle damage and military exploits were all over.
According to statistics, more than 3,400 of our own people were killed in battle, more than 7,000 were injured, and nearly 7,000 enemy heads were captured.
We killed seven thousand enemies and suffered over ten thousand losses. Overall, this battle was not a great victory. However, everyone in the city was happy and encouraged. Even Yin Tiexuan of Shuntian Prefecture came to Wan Lei with a group of subordinates.
I thanked him and added at the end: From now on, the city of Beiping will all depend on my nephew.
After successfully repelling the enemy, the officials and gentry who were still whispering obediently shut their mouths. Some of them even took the initiative to express their gratitude to Wan Lei and expressed their full support for the defense of the city. Of course, they were not talking in vain.
Instead, they donated real money and silver to the army, totaling tens of thousands of taels.
Although Wan Lei knew that these officials and gentry wanted to engage in political speculation, he did not refuse and directly returned the gold and silver to the official treasury, and earmarked the money for the care of orphans and widows who had lost relatives on the battlefield. After all, they needed more money.
A lot of care, not only spiritually, but also materially.
After finishing the aftermath work, it was already late at night. Wan Lei stretched out and came out of the city tower, only to find that the heavy snow had stopped. The city and outside were covered in silver. All the dirty and ugly things in the world were covered by the heavy snow.
Buried in it.
"Master, haven't you had dinner?" Wei'er's voice came from behind, and she was holding a food box in her hand.
"It's so late, why aren't you sleeping yet?"
"The smell of blood is everywhere and I can't sleep."
"It's sad that wherever the Qin and Han Dynasties traveled, thousands of palaces and palaces were turned into clay. When they prospered, the people suffered! When they died, the people suffered!" Wan Lei sighed and said to himself: "Go to sleep, there will be no worries when you sleep.
there is none left."
Wan Lei was about to have some late-night snacks and then fall asleep, when an angry shout came from the top of the city: "Who is that person?!"
Immediately afterwards, dozens of sergeants gathered around the man who had sneaked over the city wall.
"I am an acquaintance of Taoist Wan, could you please do me a favor?" The person who came was none other than the slovenly Taoist priest. He returned from a night trip and climbed up the tower like a gecko, but was caught by the defenders patrolling the city.
"Stand where you are for now. I'll pass the message." The captain who patrolled the city didn't know the sloppy Taoist priest. In addition, he saw that this experienced Taoist climbed the city wall as if he were on the ground, so he didn't have to guess that the person coming was a dangerous person who knew martial arts.
Of course, such a person cannot be brought directly to see Mr. Wan. If the person is an assassin, it will be tragic.
But before he could report to the tower, Wan Lei came out of the house. He looked at the sloppy Taoist priest and said, "Take him to my room."
"Mr. Wan, this person's origin is unknown and he knows martial arts. I'm afraid he is an assassin sent by the enemy. Sir, please be careful." The team leader reminded him in a low voice.
"Don't worry, I have known him for a long time. If he wants to kill me, he can kill me anytime. There is no need to wait until now." Wan Lei did not expect that the sloppy Taoist priest would really leave and come back, but what he was concerned about was why the other party came back.
return.
Although they had Wan Lei's guarantee, the soldiers still did not dare to be careless. They formed a circle around the sloppy Taoist priest and then slowly "invited" him to Wan Lei's room. But at this moment, the sloppy Taoist priest
With a sudden sweep of his legs, all the soldiers were caught off guard and were swept to the ground at the same time.
And the moment the soldiers fell to the ground, they saw dozens of arrows flying past their bodies, almost missing them. But before they had time to rejoice, they saw Sloppy Dao raise his hand, and almost shot them to death.
An arrow flew down the city, and then two screams were heard.
"Who is here? Tell me your name." The sloppy Taoist priest shouted at the people below the city, but no one answered. Only a few men in black jumped out of a cannon pit under the city wall. After a few jumps,
Then he disappeared into the snow. Only then did the defenders realize that someone was ambushing them under the city for a sneak attack.
"It seems that your old friend no longer misses the old relationship." After the sneak attack, Wan Lei smiled at the sloppy Taoist priest calmly. He could see that these people were here for the sloppy Taoist priest. However, the sloppy Taoist priest
Even though he had an eye and an ear to listen to all directions, he was able to dodge this fatal sneak attack. I really can't believe it.
"Perhaps so, alas, people's hearts are unpredictable." The dirty Taoist priest also sighed and said, "I have followed my promise and returned on time."
"I said, if you dare to come back again, I will put you in jail." Wan Lei frowned and said: "Now I will give you a chance to confess. If you refuse to confess honestly, then I'm sorry. Beiping City will not
You are welcome, and you can go back to where you came from. I have to be responsible for the hundreds of thousands of people in Beiping City, and I hope you won’t make it difficult for me."
"This." The sloppy Taoist priest glanced at the soldiers around him and said, "This is not the place to talk."
"Go inside and talk." Wan Lei was about to leave, but was stopped by Zhao Quanjie, who came to escort him after Wen Xun. He only heard him whisper: "Mr. Wan, this person cannot be trusted..."
"Don't worry, he won't kill me." Wan Lei patted Zhao Quanjie on the shoulder and said to the soldiers around him: "You all should go back to your posts. Everything is fine here."
However, Zhao Quanjie was still worried. He took several of his cronies and stood outside Wan Lei's room, and loudly said: "Mr. Wan, we will stand outside the house." The implication was that he would rush in to protect him if anything happened.
For such a loyal subordinate to protect his master, Wan Lei naturally did not dampen his enthusiasm. He patted his shoulder again and then led the sloppy Taoist priest into the house. There was only a dim oil lamp in the house. Wan Lei and the sloppy Taoist priest
They sat opposite each other, eyes facing each other, and were speechless for a long time.
"To tell you the truth, little layman, I have an old relationship with King Yan." The sloppy Taoist priest was the first to speak.
"Oh." Wan Lei was neither surprised nor overjoyed. There must be quite a few monks and Taoists in this world who are old friends with King Yan, because both Buddhism and Taoism were not popular in the Jianwen Dynasty, so they both wanted to find other ways out, and secretly supported the Yan rebels.
It's nothing unusual.
"Although Pindao has an old relationship with King Yan, he is not interested in fame and fortune. He just wants to promote my teaching."
"Oh." Wan Lei still had no expression on his face.
"Now that the King of Yan has died, the Yan army has lost its momentum. The talents and virtues of those who have been appointed are not enough to convince the public. It is only a matter of time before they fall. Alas, the hope of reviving Taoism will be difficult to fulfill."
"It's an expected thing." Wan Lei said calmly.
"As expected? Could it be that the little secret warrior is biased against our sect and doesn't want our sect to prosper?" The sloppy Taoist priest frowned.
"You have misunderstood me. I think the reason why Taoism cannot be revived is not because it can be recognized by the imperial power, but because it can bring tangible things to the people. Buddhism is now popular in the world because
It gives people spiritual comfort, and the concept of reincarnation makes people happy to accumulate virtue and do good deeds, which is more conducive to social education. On the other hand, Taoism is mysterious and mysterious, but it cannot bring anything tangible to the people. It is normal for people not to believe you."
"My Taoist metaphysics is similar to that of Buddhism. It also takes merit and virtue as its main body, and it is also used to cultivate inner elixirs, and then you can become an immortal. Nowadays, our teaching is declining, but it is just the fate of heaven. I firmly believe that our teaching will eventually be prosperous.
." Being belittled by Wan Lei, the sloppy Taoist priest was very unconvinced.
"Become an immortal?" Wan Lei couldn't help but burst into laughter and said: "Looking through the history of Taoism, how many people have become immortals? There are quite a few who have gone crazy and set up stalls to read people's faces and sell fake talisman water everywhere.
Immortals becoming gods are too unrealistic for ordinary people. If Taoism does not change, sooner or later it will fall apart from the common people."
Generally speaking, Taoism, as a native religion, has waxed and waned, and has always stood side by side with Buddhism and Confucianism. After the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty took over the Central Plains, Buddhism became the only one, while Confucianism and Taoism declined. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Confucianism slowly reared its head, while Taoism
Once again, Buddhism is miserable.
"Why am I always the one who gets hurt?!" This is the voice of many Taoist priests, and the sloppy Taoist priest is no exception, so they especially want to revive Taoism. Unfortunately, they only see the results of the decline, but not the real reasons.
.As Wan Lei feels, Taoism is too illusory, too false, and too far away from the common people. The common people would rather believe in the Buddha imported from the West than the native Tao.
"Change, how to change?" the sloppy Taoist priest asked with a frown.
"How you make changes is your own business. Now I just want to know whether your existence is a hidden danger in Beiping City."
"Young layman, you don't have to worry too much. I have parted ways with the Yan army, and I will not do anything detrimental to the people." The sloppy Taoist changed his tone and said: "Young layman is too modest. I know that this little layman has a big heart.
If you are ambitious, shrewd and capable, you will definitely achieve great things. If you are a poor Taoist but without talent, you will be looked upon by some people among your fellow Taoists, so you will definitely be able to help the young layman. I am a poor Taoist who only wants to revitalize my Tao and nothing else."
"Do I have great ambitions? Taoist priest, you think too highly of me. I am just a small postmaster. All I want is to live in troubled times. I don't dare to hope for those unrealistic things." Wan Lei was busy.
To be clear, he has great ambitions, but he can't say it.
"Young layman, you don't need to reply right away. I will stay in Beiping City forever. When I think about it, we can discuss it further." The sloppy Taoist stood up and said goodbye.
"Wait a minute." Wan Lei stopped him and said, "Let's talk in detail now, but the conversation between you and me today must not be discussed with outsiders."
"That's natural." The sloppy Taoist priest's poker face showed a rare hint of joy.
"I do have a dream. Maybe by cooperating with you, Taoist Master, I can realize my dream faster. Or maybe, if Taoism is reformed according to my instructions, it can become the number one religion in the world. However, it is too early to say this now. After all, things in the world
It’s difficult, my future is uncertain, and the Taoist priest has put all his treasure on me, I’m afraid I’ll lose everything.”
"As long as my religion can be revived, I am willing to take any risks."
"Since you are not afraid of taking risks, let's open the skylight and speak frankly..."
ps: There was a power outage this morning, so we can only update twice today.