Chapter 666: White Lotus Temple in Zhongnan Mountain
Chapter 666 White Lotus Temple in Zhongnan Mountain
Zhang Liecheng and Zhang Lieming crawled away.
Jiao Jixun left with gratitude, and he was even more convinced that Zhang Yan was a holy king, and that a major event that should have caused huge waves was let go so easily.
But Zhang Hao actually didn't let it go as gently as he said.
How is this possible? Zhang Yan is not from Jiaqing. This man was almost killed by the cook at Shenwu Sect. Afterwards, he could only return to the palace and was so frightened that he cried. This is a rare occurrence in history.
What's more, there is nothing simple behind this incident. It is not a simple incident like the Jiaqing assassination.
The reason why Zhang Zhi is calm on the surface now is because he cannot fall into the trap.
If he was so angry about this incident that he started purging the army and the court, he would be playing into the hands of those in the dark.
At least it disrupted the Zhou Kingdom's rhythm of unifying the world, and at worst it caused a major battle between the Longyou faction in Hexi and the Daibei faction in the Central Plains and Hedong.
But this does not mean that Zhang Yan will not investigate, but this matter must be handled quietly into the village, and shooters do not want to handle it this way.
The only thing that Zhang Yan can't figure out now is that the other party could obviously send a few assassins to kill him once and for all, but in the end, it was a good old monk who didn't know how to kill.
From this, another question arises: is Master Cixian really indifferent to politics, or is he deliberately pretending to be stupid to remind Zhang Hao?
This is really a complicated issue! It gives me a headache just thinking about it.
Zhang Hao thought hard for a long time, but he had no clue. In fact, he was not very good at conspiracy. This was the case before and after the time travel. He summoned Li Gu and Zhao Pu because he wanted such people to give him some inspiration.
.
But the result left Zhang Hao a little disappointed. Li Gu was not his original follower, and Zhang Hao didn't dare to tell him clearly some things.
Everything Zhao Pu has was given by Zhang Yan, so he can use it with confidence. Historically, he was also a good player in conspiracy, but at present he is too young and is weak-willed.
After talking to the two men for a few words without getting to the bottom of things, Zhang Gao appointed Li Gu as the inspector of Guanzhong Province and stopped the envoy from Tongguan Town, asking him to rush to Tongguan to guard it.
As for the current commander of Tongguan Town, Wu Xingde, Zhang Yan is preparing to transfer him to attack Shu.
Because compared to Wu Xingde, Li Gu had a reputation for loyalty in history, and he also proved his vision and ability in the action of picking up Shi Chonggui.
Wu Xingde, although he raised troops to respond to Zhang Yan and killed the Khitans before the Zhou-Liao Battle of Luoyang, he also made many meritorious deeds in the Battle of Luoyang.
But after all, he is from Taiyuan, Hedong Province. He started his career due to Shi Jingtang's appreciation. He also belongs to Daibei, a representative of the Hedong Clan.
With such a background, no matter whether he has any problems or not, whether Zhang Yanxin trusts him or not, he must be replaced immediately now.
First, Li Gu was used to control Tongguan in and out of Guanzhong, ensuring the connection between Guanzhong and Luoyang and Kaifeng, so that Zhang Yan could feel at ease.
As for Zhao Pu, Zhang Gao also asked him to rush back to Luoyang immediately to assist Zhang Liecheng in carrying out a large-scale mobilization against the pro-army and part of the forbidden army.
Zhang Yan suddenly realized a problem. He had frightened Zhang Liecheng today. In other words, the fact that he was almost assassinated frightened Zhang Liecheng out of his wits.
In this case, Zhang Liecheng would most likely be unable to hold back the fire in his heart and do things beyond the scope prescribed by Zhang Liang.
Although Zhao Pu is still a little immature in politics and conspiracy, he can talk to Zhang Liecheng and clearly understand Zhang Li's requirements. It is appropriate to go to Luoyang to assist Zhang Liecheng in secretly gathering intelligence.
Just after the arrangements were made, the servant outside came to report that Luo Yu'er had brought two thousand elites from Changguo Town to the gate of Xiangji Temple.
Zhang Gao suddenly felt much more at ease. Luo Yu'er was one of his 108 Yuan Cong generals and one of the fifteen most capable people in the Yuan Cong sect. He could be trusted in terms of both loyalty and ability.
Moreover, he had been with Cao Yuanzhong in Chang'an for a long time and was familiar with the situation in Guanzhong. Now he could dispatch upon receiving orders, which proved that there was nothing unusual in Chang'an Town and other places in Guanzhong.
At the same time, Luo Yu'er was able to easily approach Xiangji Temple with two thousand people, which also proved that the forces behind Master Cixian were not yet capable of using force to compete with the imperial court.
More importantly, this at least proves that there is nothing wrong with Cao Yuanzhong, his father-in-law.
This incident also made Zhang Yan realize that since he had chosen to use 50,000 pro-army households and 80,000 forbidden army households as the main force of the country at this stage, he must add corresponding political review mechanisms.
At least we must prevent people like An Sizhong from appearing in critical positions again.
Secondly, the selection mechanism for the 50,000 pro-army households and the 80,000 forbidden army households is still somewhat rigid. The previous admission mechanism was too rough, resulting in a mixed bag of good and bad.
And when these 130,000 households completed the selection of 70,000 households, the conditions for the late entrants became too harsh.
Zhang Hao thought of the hundreds of warriors recommended to him by the thirty-three inspectors of Guanzhong in front of Zhang Yichao's tomb. It was obvious that based on their own conditions, they were all qualified to join the Forbidden Army or even the pro-army.
However, the current selection mechanism means that it takes at least seven or eight years of hard work for them to be successfully selected.
Taking into account people's medical conditions and the dangers on the battlefield at this time, this probability is still too low, and certain fine-tuning must be made.
....
South of Chang'an, in the Zhongnan Mountains, there is a small temple called Bailian Temple.
This place is located deep in the Zhongnan Mountains. Although it is not inaccessible, except for the hunters from nearby villages, there are only a few ordinary people living here.
Bailian Temple is even more deserted. There are only about ten monks in the temple. They usually live on a few acres of cultivated fields around the temple. Except for buying salt, sugar, sauce and other daily necessities, the monks rarely even go down the mountain.
This style of conduct does not look very much like that of a monk, but rather resembles those in the Taoist sect who retreat from the world and practice cultivation.
Moreover, the roar of tigers often shakes the hills in the Zhongnan Mountains recently, and even the government has posted notices, and nearby hunters have also avoided this area.
In the slightly dilapidated Mahavira Hall, there is a colorless statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, which looks a bit ferocious no matter how you look at it.
There are more than a dozen futons spread out in the hall, and on each futon sits a person with a different look. Although they are all wearing gray monk robes, it is obvious that they are not all Buddhists.
"People say that there are many heroes in the North, but now that I have seen it, I realize that this is a big lie. Since we can see the face of the Buddha's enemy, why do we only send an old monk to kill him instead of a brave warrior with a strong bow and a crossbow? He is from the North.
Are they all greedy for life and afraid of death?"
In the crowd, on the futon to the left, a big man wearing a monk's robe but a net scarf, with a thin face but an unusually strong body, roared with great dissatisfaction.
After he finished speaking, he looked around, as if if anyone dared to talk back, he would immediately step forward to fight with them.
After the strong man finished speaking, a short fat man knelt down next to him and watched the man who looked like a businessman speak.
"Master Fazhi, I have long said that we should wait until Brother Li arrives before making any plans. This time, we are able to scare the snake away. We will rarely have such a good opportunity again in the future."
"Huh!" As soon as the short fat man finished speaking, a strong man with curly hair, black face and pockmarked face said angrily: "This Li Erlang, I'm afraid he mistook the saint in Xiangji Temple for a young rural tycoon from Huaibei.
He still wields a strong bow and a crossbow to stab the king to death. Huh! The entire Xiangji Temple is surrounded by ten thousand pro-army troops. Not to mention the bow and crossbow, even if you hold a whistle stick, no matter how powerful you are, you can penetrate the sky and the earth.
Want to get closer.
If Master Cixian is not here, even if someone can remove the last sentry post, if you can't even enter the mountain gate, what's the use?"
"A certain family thought that Yan Kunlun, who was famous all over the world, was a good man who was upright and upright. Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a man who was afraid of difficulties and hardships."
The features of the yin-yang man's face were so obvious that any warrior would be able to identify him. Therefore, even though it was the first time Li Erlang saw him, he could tell his identity at once.
"Shu Zi! If you dare to do anything in front of me, you don't think that just by saying a few impassioned words, you can make me do that stupid thing, do you?
Since you, Li Renshu, are so brave, the man from Xiangji Temple will return to Chang'an City tomorrow, and a certain family will give you a powerful crossbow worth two stones and five stones. Can you try it?"
Good guy, the one sitting at the top with curly black hair and pockmarked face is Murong Yanchao, Liu Zhiyuan's half-brother who successfully escaped from under Zhou Jun's nose.
And this rude second brother Li turned out to be the Huaibei thief Li Renshu who Zhang Gao had been tracking.
Poor Zhao Kuangzan was still searching for places in Xuzhou, but no one expected that Li Renshu, who was roaming all over Huaibei, was not from Huaibei at all.
His ancestors were from Guanzhong Tongzhou who followed Gao Pian to Huainan. If he could speak Guanzhong dialect, which was regarded as a passport for Zhang Zhou, he had long since left the boundary of Huaibei.
"Namo Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva! You two should stop arguing with each other."
A Buddhist chant sounded, and a lean old monk looked at Li Renshu and said.
"Li Tanyue, if someone in Xiangji Temple makes a mistake, it will not be a blessing to the people in the world, nor will it be a blessing to the followers of our Buddha.
We are gathered here to eliminate disasters and solve problems for people in the world. As long as we can make them realize that they cannot go against heaven, it will be a great merit for us."
"That's right! That's right! The saint's efforts in clearing up the trade routes and establishing the Banking Association are still meritorious. As long as the Banking Association can be kept as before, we will not do that rebellious act."
"That's right! Saint Zhang is still a wise master, except that the Six Methods Sect is ridiculous!"
Li Renshu was so angry that his eyes burst into flames. He looked at the atmosphere in the hall with hatred and became somewhat amiable and wealthy.
In anger, Li Renshu stood up abruptly and walked outside, "What use are the rats to do? Just wait until you are all killed by Thief Zhang!"
As Li Renshu stood up and left, two followers with fierce faces behind him also stood up.
These two people were the personal followers of Liu Renzhan, the governor of the Qing Huai Army in Shouzhou of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Without Liu Renzhan, a man with great eyes and hands in Huainan, Li Renshu would not have been able to escape from the Zhou army's arrest so easily.
Liu Renzhan sent people to participate in such a gathering, but he was actually forced by Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan captured He Jingzhu, which seemed not a big deal to him, but in Liu Renzhan's mind, it was like a thunderbolt!
Zhang Yan dared to kidnap He Jingzhu today, but the Southern Tang Dynasty court still dared not say anything. Then Liu Renzhan and his family might be kidnapped tomorrow.
In addition, the situation in the Southern Tang Dynasty is becoming increasingly embarrassing. As the son of Liu Jin, the founder of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and one of the 'shareholders' of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Liu Renzhan cannot sit idly by anymore.
Li Renshu and the others had just left, and several more people were chasing after them. The leader was a man with a gloomy face. He raised his hands and bowed in an empty bow.
"Li Erlang of Huaibei is indeed a hero. The bald donkeys in the palace are still harboring illusions, but I won't wait.
Please go back and report that Zhao Jieshuai and Li Jieshuai have made preparations. If the bald donkeys in Guanzhong and Henan dare not attack, then we will choose another place."
....
In the hall, a middle-aged monk with a resolute face also sighed softly, and then walked to the back hall.
In a quiet room in the back hall, the curly-haired and dark-faced Master Cixian was translating the "Vajra Destruction Dharani Sutra" into Khitan. When he heard the footsteps behind him, he did not look back.
Because the only one who could enter this quiet room at will without being blocked by his Khitan followers outside was the monk who he admired very much and made money from.
"Disciple Yanshou would like to ask Master a question." The middle-aged monk Yanshou asked softly in Heluo Yayan with a Wuyue accent.
Only then did Master Cixian turn his head. He handed Yanshou a thin booklet, with the words "Emperor's Seal of the Sound Training Method" written on the title page.
"I heard that this is the teaching method that Saint Zhang was inspired by the gods and Buddhas. A poor monk from India can speak elegant language in one month after receiving this training method. As a Chinese native, my junior brother should be able to speak more quickly."
Hearing Master Cixian's Heluo Yayin was so accurate that he had not felt embarrassed to extend his life for a long time. He actually felt a little ashamed. He reached out and took the booklet.
"Thank you, senior brother, for the gift."
Since Master Cixian affectionately called him Junior Brother, Yanshou no longer called Master Cixian as Master or Elder.
"Sage Shaoming is as immovable as a mountain. His Ci Xian has traveled all over Tianzhu, the rivers, the Middle Kingdom and even the desert outside the Great Wall. He has never seen anyone who can completely control his own emotions and anger. Compared with Saint Shaoming, the poor monk seems to have stronger concentration.
Quite a bit different.
What's even more strange is that he looked at the poor monk as if he were looking at a clay statue standing in the main hall.
But when I looked at Saint Shaoming, I seemed to be able to see my disillusionment about life and death in his eyes. That feeling was extremely strange."
As he spoke, Master Cixian, who had always been very calm, suddenly felt as if he was itching. He was twisting slightly at first, but after a while it became faster and faster, and the speed of his mouth began to increase.
In his mind, he kept recalling the strange look Zhang Hao looked at him, and for a moment he felt like he was possessed.
"Namo Amituo Buddha!" Monk Yanshou suddenly chanted the Buddha's name, and then knocked the plain gold bowl on the table.
This monk is not an ordinary person. He is one of the thirteen ancestors of the Pure Land Sect in history. It was he who created the slogan Amitabha.
Master Cixian suddenly woke up as if he was in a nightmare. His head with curly short hair was covered with sweat.
Suddenly, Master Cixian understood why these fellow disciples from China were not so nervous when faced with the supremacy of Saint Shaoming, but were instead nervous about his control of Buddhist banks and other real interests.
Because the method of the Six Methods Sect is not easily accepted by the Chinese people, but it is very suitable for use in Hezhong, Tianzhu and other places.
He actually really hoped that Zhang Yan could push the Six Methods Sect back to Tianzhu, but Zhang Yan clearly refused.
"Junior brother, you should go back to Wuyue! The poor monk is also going back to Khitan."
Master Cixian suddenly lost all interest in this so-called conference called to save Buddhism by fellow disciples from the Central Plains.
Yanshou nodded. The heads of temples such as Daxiangguo Temple, elders, great virtues, etc. seemed to be Buddhist monks, rather than fat businessmen.
They say they want to plan for the future of Buddhism, but in fact they are doing it because of their own interests.
Yanshou decided to leave. As for Hu Jinsi, it seemed that he could not complete the tasks entrusted to him by Hu Gong.
As a qualified monk and a qualified philosopher, a formal religious person like Yanshou is destined to be unable to get together with a fat monk like Daxiangguo Temple who lends money at high interest rates and sells fat pork.
At the same time, Murong Yanchao in the palace also fell into deep thought.
He looked around. Zhao Zaili of Weizhou had lost everything in the new dynasty. Surrounding Zhao Zaili were the Hebei Ya soldiers who had not been selected for the Forbidden Army and pro-army due to various reasons.
As the former local emperors of Hebei, these people suffered great losses when the new dynasty was established.
Because Hebei was ravaged several times by the Khitans, the only ones who could survive were the local tycoons like them holding sword handles.
The sage Shaoming only gave Fu Yanqing, Gao Xingzhou and Huangfu Yu, the descendants of three related families, the chance to retain power. The rest naturally hated the new dynasty.
Li Ye was Liu Zhiyuan's brother-in-law. Liu Zhiyuan was defeated and he lost everything. The people around him were also the tooth soldiers and even bandits from the Hedong faction who had lost everything.
The Tuyuhun people in Hedong around him were dissatisfied with Zhang Gao's forced conversion to the Six Methods Sect.
These Buddhist believers are so stupid that they don't even care about the solicitation of their royal family, Murong Nobunaga, and they only regard Saint Shaoming as the enemy of Buddha.
As for the Huaibei thief Li Renshu, he was the representative of Huaibei and Huainan who suffered great losses in the new dynasty's equalization of fields. Of course, there were also Southern Tang military generals like Liu Renzhan and Huangfuhui who supported him.
The Buddhists in the Central Plains chose to rebel because Zhang Gao directly took over the Buddhist bank they had worked so hard to manage, and they were afraid that Zhang Gao would take the opportunity to suppress the Buddhism in the Central Plains after he gained a foothold.
No, this can't be considered a rebellion at all! Murong Yanchao let out a long sigh, but the rebels didn't have the guts to go straight for it, making such moves that only scratched the surface and alerted the snake.
Can they really make it happen?
Don't worry, everyone, I will definitely make up for what I owe you in the next two days, and I will never break my promise.