The situation in Suzhou City is basically stable. Fan Zhongyan and Ye An traveled all the way from Yingtianfu to Suzhou and then prepared to go to Tongzhou. This route runs through the most severely affected areas in the Jianghuai River.
The night before departure, Ye An received news that the White Lotus Society was going to hold a secret meeting. This was the important significance of the association.
In ancient times, associations, especially those similar to religious associations, were bound to hold meetings. Only in this way could the core members be united. The method of such secret gatherings was completely different from teaching the Dharma to the general public.
Fan Zhongyan stared at the sloppy man in front of him with wide eyes. He couldn't help but reach out and touch his wrinkled skin and beard. Everything was so real. He couldn't help but wonder: "How did you kid turn yourself into
Does he look so decrepit?"
Ye An smiled: "It's just a disguise. These things are mixed with beeswax, pine oil and other substances. They look like wrinkles on the face. As for the beard, it is much simpler, isn't it?"
Fan Zhongyan smiled helplessly and said: "They are just a group of white lotus monsters. As for you torturing yourself like this? Bring more people with you, just in case."
Ye An shook his head slightly: "I am replacing the vacancy of the Zhou squire outside Suzhou City. I can't bring many people with me. I just want Tieniu to go with me. I want to see what means the White Lotus Society can use to win over people's hearts."
Seeing Ye An's insistence, Fan Zhongyan didn't say anything, but still told him: "Let Liu Zhao lead people to meet outside the city, using fireworks as a sign. This time we must catch all the monsters, especially the evil Dai Dekun!"
"Fan Gong, what you said is a bit overwhelming. The real combat strength of the Baojing Army in Liu Zhao's hands is only about 200 people. It is almost impossible to destroy the White Lotus Society. Dai Dekun is smart and cunning. If the encirclement and suppression fails this time, next time
I don’t know when the next time will be! What’s more, you haven’t noticed? The further south you go, the more severely affected areas are, the more believers in the White Lotus Society! It is said that there are already many people in the southeast who believe in the White Lotus Society. If one day
The White Lotus Society became the White Lotus Sect, or evolved into the Maitreya Sect of the Northern Wei Dynasty. That would be a disaster for the country!"
Fan Zhongyan looked livid and said bitterly: "The Xiang army is useless! Such a large Baojing army only has two hundred soldiers. If the White Lotus Society becomes the kind of cult that advocates murder and rebellion, wouldn't the world be in chaos?!"
Ye An smiled bitterly and shook his head and left. Fan Zhongyan really thought too simply. The imperial power did not extend to the county. Many incredible things often happened under the county government, and sometimes even the county magistrate could get involved.
The central government of the Song Dynasty had a very high level of control over local officials. Almost all officials from state military supervisors to county officials were dispatched by the court, but the control over localities below the county level was too low. In some places, even the county magistrate was
The authority is not as great as that of a clan squire.
To fully understand the White Lotus Society, Ye An must personally go inside to see the operation of this society and see how Dai Dekun controls this society.
Judging from various sources, the strength of the White Lotus Society lies in its secrecy, not the secrecy of an underground organization, but the secrecy of its thoughts. Peripheral believers and internal believers are completely different things. The piety and madness of internal believers are unimaginable.
Like He Jian's wife, she seemed to be from a wealthy family, but secretly she became a tool for the White Lotus Society to win people's hearts. While he felt that she was pathetic, Ye An had to lament the powerful brainwashing level of the White Lotus Society.
Putting on the dull gray silk and satin worn by a country squire and wearing a hornless futou, Ye An looked like a country squire. No one would associate this octogenarian with the young Yunzhong Junhou.
Ye An is very good at this kind of simple disguise and make-up, and his soldiers are even better at it. Don't look at the tough guys like Iron Bull, this guy seems to have a talent for disguise, and he only needs simple changes.
The hair style and the beard on the face can give people a completely unfamiliar feeling.
Tie Niu, who was originally smart and capable, transformed into Squire Zhou's coachman after a little dressing up. His whole person looked like there was no trace of the battlefield, but he revealed a bit of an honest farmer.
The oxcart soon arrived at Xiaonanzhuang outside the city. No one would have thought that the Bailian Society's association would be in such a small village with mountains at its back.
But after seeing Zhuangzi, both Ye An and Tieniu felt nervous. The village was halfway up the mountain, with two tall granaries in front and a path connecting the granaries in the back. The path was smooth and connected to an empty threshing field.
field.
The question is, will Zhuangzi place the granary at the entrance? There will also be people holding bows and arrows standing on the granary?!
A low wall extends around the granary and is built all the way around Zhuangzi. It seems low, but once you get closer, you will find that the low wall is actually as tall as a person. It is not just used to defend against wild beasts.
When the ox cart passed by the gate of Zhuangzi, two people flashed out from the shadows. One of them said: "White lotus grows everywhere in the world!"
"Maitreya has descended into the present generation of the old Buddha!" Tieniu immediately responded to the previous sentence, and the man in the shadow smiled and said: "It seems that he is his brother. Is there anyone in the carriage who will hold the White Lotus Dharma ceremony tonight?"
Ye An held his voice and said: "I am the new copper and iron envoy under the Lotus Seat. This time I come to offer copper and iron materials to the master for Dharma use!"
The man blocking the carriage was in awe: "What is lacking in Bailian Village is copper and iron. There are too few white feathers for arrows recently, and I can't even make a few arrows. The copper and iron envoys will enter the village quickly, and Hu Liu will lead the carriage to Wangyou."
Go to the hole!"
The oxcart was guided by Hu Liu on the dark mountain road, and the moonlight filtered through the clouds. Only then did Ye An and Tieniu, who was driving the cart, realize that the farmyard had blocked the scene behind them.
This is not backed by mountains, but by hills and valleys!
There was basically a valley behind Zhuangzi. Unexpectedly, this land of Suzhou actually hid this paradise-like place, and Ye An's heart became more and more elevated.
The so-called Wuyou Cave is just a cave in the valley. Although the door is not big, when you enter it, you will find that there is a different cave. There are not many such caves, and they can be used as caves to hide soldiers.
"Master, this is Panlong Mountain!"
After the driver Tieniu handed the cart to Hu Liu, he followed Ye An and whispered when he saw the Wangyou Cave.
The rocks surrounding the mountain are coiled like dragons, so it is named Panlong Mountain, and this mountain village is just below Panlong Mountain. There is the Jade Emperor Temple on the mountain, which can be accessed from the front and back, as well as the Queen Mother Hall, Lingguan Hall, and Amitabha Hall.
, Ksitigarbha Hall, Baizi Hall and Sanguan Hall in Shannan. These buildings can even be traced back to the second year of Tang Guanghua.
Zhang Qian, the magistrate of Suzhou, mentioned the wonder of Panlong Mountain more than once, saying that there are broken tiles and ruins of monuments from the Tang Dynasty on the mountain, and the traces of literati and poets are all attached to it. There are caves above and below, and a real person who attained Taoism once entered the cave.
Practice.
But who would have thought that this place has become the home of the White Lotus Society. The White Lotus Society does not have any good impressions of Buddhism and Taoism. When you enter the cave, you can see that all the Taoist pictures on the stone walls in the cave have been touched, and not even a single word is left.
For Ye An, a Taoist, it was simply an insult. After all, Ye An still had a good impression of Taoism, a local religion.
Before Ye An could regret the Taoist scriptures on the wall, he heard a crisp sound, like jade stones hitting each other, followed by a familiar female voice: "Today's White Lotus Dharma Conference, the Master personally lectured and interpreted the White Lotus Worry-free Sutra, spreading bliss without worry."
Youdan."
The originally quiet cave suddenly became crowded with people, and under the dim light of the fire were the shadows of male and female believers worshiping.
Ye An glanced at Tieniu, saw his disdainful look, kicked him in the leg and whispered: "The more pious you are at this time, the harder it is to be discovered. Look at this terrain and crazy believers, you
Don’t expect us two to be able to fight our way out after being exposed!”
Tieniu scratched his head in embarrassment, nodded in agreement, and followed Ye An's example in praising Master Bailian and welcoming the so-called Maitreya's next rebirth...