Guo Ning's desire to make contact with religious forces was not a sudden impulse. For this reason, he had done his homework and made serious efforts to understand it.
After the Jurchens entered the Central Plains and consolidated their power, they were always in a state of dual opposition.
On the one hand, the rulers have always opposed the sinicization of the Jurchens, believing that sinicization will inevitably cause the Jurchens to become corrupt and lose their martial nature.
On the other hand, the confrontation between the Jin Kingdom and the Southern Song Dynasty was not only political and military, but also ideological. In order to maintain the legitimacy of its rule, the Jin Kingdom must regard itself as an inherited and orderly rule of China.
defenders, and even defenders of civilization,
As a result, the politics, culture, and even the ruling thinking within the Jin Kingdom were often torn apart.
There is only one kind of person who can move freely in a torn situation and even play a small role in bridging it.
That is religious people, especially Taoist priests.
Most of the Jurchen nobles are willing to contact Taoist priests. With their limited cognitive abilities, they feel that Taoist priests have extraordinary abilities and magical performances, which are no different from the shamans and magicians they believe in in the northeastern hinterland.
For most people, the soil in which Taoist priests live has always been the Han civilization they are familiar with. Since Northern Taoism continues to draw nutrients and enrich its teachings from Buddhism and Confucianism, both high-ranking officials and common people can find views they recognize from it.
, and even find support for life.
Since both sides of the split can accept it, religious power has continued to expand in the north since the Sejong Dynasty. Among Taoism alone, Taiyi Sect, Zhenda Sect, Hunyuan Sect, and Quanzhen Sect have emerged successively. Among them, Taiyi Sect has emerged one after another.
Xiao Baozhen, the leader of the Zhenda Sect, Liu Deren, the leader of the Zhenda Sect, and Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi, Liu Chuxuan and others of the Quanzhen Sect were summoned by the emperor one after another.
The reason why the emperor is like this is simply to use religion as a tool of rule. But once religion expands in scale, it will naturally be promoted by the believers, producing unpredictable results beforehand.
For example, followers of the Hunyuan Sect and the Baiyun Sect, Bailian Sect, and Toutuo Sect of Buddhism have killed officials and rebelled many times in the name of saving the world.
As a result, the sects that were once praised were then knocked to the ground one after another.
A rising star of the Taoist sect, such as the Quanzhen Sect, worked very hard in the management of Zhongdu. At one time, it had close contacts with high-ranking officials and nobles of the Jurchens, and was even involved in the succession of Emperor Sejong. As a result, after the later Emperor Zhangzong came to the throne, he immediately claimed to have tasted
Fearing that he might engage in a fight for rice, he ordered the princes and officials above the third rank not to interact with monks, nuns, and Taoists.
But the problem is that the power of the country of Dajin is getting worse day by day, the government is becoming more and more chaotic, and the lives of the people are becoming more and more miserable. They have no hope in life, so they are eager to escape pain, and their religious beliefs have become more and more difficult.
The deeper it penetrates, the more it becomes an indispensable pillar for more and more people.
In recent years, the religious power of both Buddhism and Taoism has continued to expand, and the imperial court's control over Buddhism and Taoism has actually been ineffective. In recent years, the imperial court has increasingly frequently sold temple quotas in vain, which is both financial bankruptcy and
The subsequent drinking of poison to quench thirst was also a helpless compromise with religious forces.
When Guo Ning first arrived in Zhongdu, he met Meng Zhiyuan, a member of Tu Danyi's clan who was a political broker. He was in Shandong, and he would not turn a blind eye to the local religious forces.
What Guo Ning hopes is to limit the influence of religion as much as possible and squeeze out the power of religion for his own use. Of course, this idea does not need to be widely publicized. In terms of specific operations, it should be soft rather than hard, and should be slow rather than hasty.
In the big dream he had, there was a great man who said that he wanted to make many of our friends and only a few of our enemies. From the current point of view, as long as the Quanzhen Sect knows how to make friends, it is very possible for them to be friends for a while.
.
Moreover, Wang Chuyi made a really good impression on Guo Ning.
This old Taoist has the common characteristics of so-called Taoist masters, such as being good at observing people's emotions and daring to stand in line for speculation. However, he does not try to be mysterious in front of smart people, speaks straightforwardly behind closed doors, and dares to talk about terms.
very good.
The dignified Commander-in-Chief of the Dinghai Navy doesn’t have the energy to accompany you all around. Let’s see what you can do and what I can do. If it works, it’s a good deal; if it doesn’t work, we’ll still have to deal with you in the future.
When the time comes, you can talk about it next time.
After talking to Wang Chuyi for a long time, Guo Ning returned to the commander's residence later than expected.
Entering the mansion, as soon as he sat down, he came over to look for Chu Cai: "Jie Shuai, what do you want to say to the other end of the Quanzhen Sect?"
Guo Ning couldn't help but laugh.
Cooperation with religious forces is not simple. From a certain perspective, religion is a double-edged sword. If you are not careful, it can hurt others and yourself. And people like Chu Cai, who are the children of high-ranking officials in Zhongdu, do not want Guo
Ning got too close to religion and became like the Yellow Turbans.
There is another reason for this, that is, although Yizai Chucai is closely related to the Tudan family, he does not believe in Taoism. Instead, he is a disciple of Wan Songxingxiu, the eminent monk of the Caodong Sect. In Tudanyi's house, he confronted Meng Zhiyuan, the Chongxuanzi.
I have always kept a respectful distance from him; when I arrived in Shandong, I did not want the military government to get involved with the religious order.
"Just rest assured, Qing Jin. The governance of our military government will continue to advance in Dengzhou and Ninghai Prefecture without compromise or wavering. If anyone resists the orders of the military government, he will be severely punished and beheaded if necessary, let alone
Have any concerns."
Yi La Chucai smiled: "That's very good... So, what do you want from Quanzhen's teachings?"
Guo Ning pondered for a moment, then turned back and sat down and said, "Let's see if Wang Chuyi is available first."
While Guo Ning was discussing with Yili Chucai, Wang Chuyi, the high Taoist of the Quanzhen Sect in the direction of Donglai Mountain, suddenly fell ill after completing the full set of ceremonies for the opening of the ancestral hall.
Wang Chuyi was summoned by the two emperors Shi Zong and Zhang Zong, and he traveled all over Shandong. He was able to bring peace to a place and follow the wind. Ordinary people regarded him as a god.
His illness made everyone taking care of him inside and outside the ancestral hall nervous. Even the people who stayed in the mountains after watching the ceremony rushed to express their condolences.
Wang Chuyi was really seriously ill. When others asked him, he didn't respond at all, and his eyes gradually turned white. Others pressed his body, but it had no effect. After a while, everyone saw that his body was as stiff as a dead tree, except for
There was still very weak breathing, and the whole person felt as if he was dead.
Everyone inside and outside the ancestral hall was frightened, and they quickly placed him on a couch in a quiet room. They also sent people on flying horses to Laizhou City and invited doctors to see him.
The doctor came all night long, tried and touched, but couldn't find any clue. He only said that there was no problem in the pulse. He prescribed a prescription, boiled the medicine and took it, but he couldn't pour it into Wang Chuyi's mouth.
This made everyone even more suspicious.
The commotion continued until dawn the next day. Wang Chuyi suddenly kicked his feet, and his whole body trembled, as if he was shivering. The next moment, he jumped up, ignoring others, lifted up the quilt, and exposed himself.
He stretched out his arms and ran towards the back door.
Fortunately, he was getting old, and he was no longer as leaping as he was when he was young. He ran all the way, and was finally snatched back. He quickly drank two pots of hot water to help him feel better.
After drinking two pots of hot water, Wang Chuyi's face slowly gained popularity.
He suddenly asked: "Has Guo Jieshuai gone? Are the soldiers under his command gone?"
Zuo Zuo replied: "I left last night, don't you remember, Master?"
Wang Chuyi was surprised and said: "Last night? Wasn't it today that the ancestral hall was opened and a feast was held?"
"This..." Many people told Wang Chuyi that you were fainting and sick all night long.
Wang Chuyi let out a long sigh, and everyone was waiting to say something else, but they heard him murmur: "Just leave, blame me, blame me! What are you looking at with greed? All soldiers have great fortunes and backgrounds, especially Guo Jieshuai.
…Sigh, now I’m being attacked by magical powers, I’m afraid my life will be shortened…”
Everyone was surprised: "Master, what did you say?"
Only then did Wang Chu fully wake up. He looked at dozens of faces on the left and right and said repeatedly: "Don't ask, don't ask!"
Everyone quickly shut their mouths, and the room became silent for a moment.
As if nothing was wrong, Wang Chuyi went out with the crowd. He stood in front of the ancestral hall and looked at it for a long time, then laughed and said: "Okay! Okay!"
Some people didn't give up and approached him to ask.
Wang Chuyi still did not explain.
But in the next few days, I kept walking around inside and outside the ancestral hall, and even inside and outside the cemetery. I stopped from time to time and said with emotion: "This is a blessing!"
Within a few days, strange rumors began to appear in Laizhou, Dengzhou, Ninghai Prefecture and other places.
