Chapter 848: Faith in the Su Wang!
Luo Su left without any regrets.
Just like the clouds in the sky, drifting freely, the wind in the forest passes through the hall without leaving any trace.
"Old Ancestor, won't you do something for the world?
What is the point of walking on the road like this?"
Luo Jingcheng was not the only one asking this question. Even Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye were somewhat confused at one point.
For everyone, the best way is to devote limited time to the almost complex and infinite affairs of the world as much as possible, leave a name in history books during life and after death, and then become famous throughout the world. This is the right path.
Luo Su stood on the bow with his hands behind his back, looking at the waves crashing against the shore and looking up at the steep cliffs. The sound kept echoing among the mountains.
"What kind of achievements can you make?
To clarify the administration of officials in the Sui Dynasty?
Suppressing the gatekeepers?
Re-survey the land?
Create a clear and honest political system like Kangzhao?
Recreate the prosperous era of Emperor Gao Hui of the Han Dynasty?"
His voice was full of indifference. He had said when he came into the world that that was not what he wanted to do, or in other words, that was not the most important thing for him, but just something he did casually.
Just like in the case of the Luo family, he did not just want the Luo family to return and then get some official titles and return to the Han Dynasty. He wanted to let the Luo family return to its peak state during the Zhou Dynasty.
His thinking is completely different from that of other members of the Luo family.
Because he is not human!
…
Starting from Liangzhou and heading west, the scenery there is already very different from that of the Central Plains.
The Sui Dynasty was indeed a unified country.
Since the Zhou Dynasty established the tribute system, this tribute system, which included internal and external services, has been inherited even after the Qin and Han dynasties.
The scope of prefectures and counties in the Sui Dynasty started from Liangzhou.
In the northwest of the Sui Dynasty, there were two large countries. One of them was the Western Yan Kingdom, which was established after the collapse of the Murong Yan Kingdom when the Murong royal family migrated here. It occupied part of the original Liangzhou land and part of the plateau.
The Western Yan Kingdom was a buffer between the Sui Dynasty and the Western Turks, and also a buffer between the Sui Dynasty and those tribes that originated from the Qiang people. After surrendering to the Sui Dynasty, the Western Yan Kingdom caused the Sui Dynasty a lot of trouble. Of course, the Western Yan Kingdom itself caused a lot of trouble to the Sui Dynasty.
Although the Murong clan originated from Dongxia, their prestige in the northwest was extremely high, especially Murong Chui who quelled the three rebellions in Liangzhou, and people simply revered him as a god.
When Luo Su walks, he does not just make a cursory observation, but instead looks for details to find things that ordinary people cannot observe.
For example, from the prosperous trade from Liangzhou to Xiyan State, he came to a conclusion: "A great country will emerge on the plateau!"
The Luo family had a natural talent for business. When Luo Su said this, the already extremely talented Luo Xuanjing immediately reacted and said, "Grandfather, do you mean that the population of the plateau has increased?"
Luo Su nodded and said, "That's right. The climate has been warming up over the years, and I know that many places that were not suitable for survival will become suitable for survival.
But judging by the explosion of commerce, there are probably millions of people living on that once barren plateau.”
Luo Xuanye's mouth twitched slightly and said: "The situation of the Sui Dynasty is really bad. There is Liaodong Kingdom in the northeast, which is a big country with millions of people.
To the northwest is the Western Yan Kingdom, where the Murong clan has deep roots and is not easy to conquer.
The Western Yan Kingdom was a country among the Xia people and was relatively obedient. The Liaodong Kingdom was a mixture of Hu and Han people and was unpredictable, posing a hidden danger to the Sui Dynasty.
Now a great empire may emerge in the southwest, and it will be a country where the Xia civilization has not spread.
If the Sui Dynasty wants to become the undisputed leader of all the Chinese, it still has a long way to go."
Luo Su carefully felt the changes in his body and said solemnly, "The most important thing is that this place is too high. When the cavalry from the north arrives in the south, they usually get plagues.
There are countless examples of military failures due to acclimatization, and this plateau is like a curse. Are the two of you still in good health?"
Luo Xuanye clenched his fists slightly and said solemnly: "At least 30% of the strength has been weakened, and the hands and feet are obviously sore. If ordinary soldiers come here, the impact may be greater. If you want to fight in a place like this, you need the best elite soldiers."
Luo Xuanjing's face turned even paler. After hearing what Luo Xuanye said, Luo Su shook his head and said, "Aye, you are wrong. This kind of abnormal reaction cannot be handled by having a good body. Sometimes, even if your body is too good, it will cause a heavier burden."
Luo Xuanjing took a few breaths and asked, "Grandfather, can the Temple Army fight here?"
Luo Xuanye's eyes lit up, and Luo Su's mind quickly flashed the information about the Temple Army. A smile appeared on his face, "A Jing, you are right. The Temple Army should be able to survive here. It seems that we should go to the Western Region to take a closer look."
To rebuild the Temple Army, we must first take back the Western Regions and select soldiers from the Western Regions. Then we need a lot of foundation. The final problem comes back to the foundation. The shortage of foundation is simply the Achilles' heel of the Luo family.
…
The most powerful country in the Western Regions now is the Western Turks. Basically, except for a small part in the hands of the Western Yan Kingdom, most of the traditional eastern part of the Western Regions is in the hands of the Western Turks.
The royal court of the Western Turks was established in the lower reaches of the Ili River, at the foot of the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains. The grassland here was fertile and suitable for farming. It was 6,000 miles away from Chang'an, 7,000 miles away from the royal court of the Eastern Turks, and 10,000 miles away from Winter City.
No army from the Central Plains could have made the effort to march here and defeat the powerful Western Turks, so the Sui Dynasty had always been fighting against the Eastern Turks and had never thought about the Western Turks.
There is another reason why the Western Turks chose this place as their royal court, and that is that this is the location of the Wushuang City, a holy place in the Western Regions. Of course, it has long been called this name. It is now called "Shenlin City" and is the source of faith in the Western Regions.
…
When Luosu entered the Western Regions, even before reaching the Western Turkic Empire, the landscape was already very different from that of the Central Plains. It was filled with various traditional Sai peoples, as well as various people who had migrated here in the past two hundred years, such as the Uighurs, but even those who looked obviously Han Chinese were different from the people of the Central Plains.
Almost everyone was wearing something similar to Buddhist beads, but they were definitely not the kind of Buddhist beads of Central Plains Buddhism, because there were words clearly written on them: "Long live the Emperor Su Wang" and similar words were on almost every bead.
Luo Su had not experienced the process of the Luo family gradually becoming a myth, so everything seemed new to him. However, it was difficult for him to judge Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye, as they both had some traditional Central Plains perspectives.
"During the years since the withdrawal of the Central Plains, since the collapse of the State of Zhao, what has happened in the Western Regions?"
This is the question that fills the minds of Luo Xuanye and Luo Xuanjing. The Western Regions now are very different from when the Luo family left.
…
Luo Su and the other two walked and asked questions along the way, and they roughly knew what had happened.
The last legitimate son of the Luo family left in the Western Regions was Luo Jialan, who succeeded to the position of high priest of the temple, then married Zhao Yingluo and established the State of Zhao after defeating the Hu.
Luo Jialan crowned Zhao Yingluo, who became the first monarch in the Western Regions to be called emperor. She was also the first woman in the history of the Xia Dynasty to be called emperor. The people of the Western Regions called the emperor the King of Kings.
Their son inherited the throne of Zhao and took the surname Zhao, and their daughter inherited the position of high priest of the temple. Zhao officially entered a dual monarchy, with one monarch in faith and one monarch in politics.
This system was doomed to cause chaos. After seventy years of operation, Zhao State encountered a political crisis.
When this political crisis occurred, there was also a conflict of ideas in the temple. Conservatives believed that the temple should remain independent, as it had done for hundreds of years, in order to maintain the purity of the Suwang faith.
But the radicals believed that the temple should take the initiative to seize the ruling power of the Western Regions and become the uncrowned king above the monarch. Only in this way could they defend the belief in Su Wang and prevent the Western Regions from being completely occupied by Buddhist and Taoist teachings, with Su Wang existing only as a tablet.
The State of Zhao collapsed amid internal and external troubles.
Due to geographical reasons, the Western Regions once again became a small, scattered country. During this process, the conflicts in the temples gradually subsided, and the conservatives were defeated by the radicals.
After all, radical doctrines can always attract more believers, especially those that spread the glory of the Su Wang.
…
Luo Xuanye and Luo Xuanjing were both stunned after learning this. Although the Luo family had been promoting the deification of King Su, this deification was more philosophical, which was also in line with the Central Plains people's habit of unremitting struggle since ancient times.
But the King Su of the Western Regions actually became a god.
Probably the difference is that the Su Wang in the Central Plains does not require faith. He is a conceptualized god. Just like people would casually say "God", they would also say "Su Wang bless you" and "Su Wang is supreme" on various occasions.
The Su King of the Western Regions became a concrete existence, and even his image changed. The Su King's previous image, whether it was a civil official or a military official, was a standard aristocrat. Some of them even had a crown representing the emperor, but they could all be seen as human beings.
The image of the King of the Western Regions that Luo Su and others saw was not like this. It was an extremely majestic image, extremely tall, and just the appearance of a god as imagined by people.
"this……"
Even Luo Xuanye couldn't hold it in and was somewhat speechless. Luo Xuanjing even said directly: "How can you..."
Luo Su, however, listened to these with great interest. After seeing the performance of Luo Xuanye and Luo Xuanjing, he smiled and said, "Aren't all the mythological figures and legendary figures since ancient times like this?
The people would always give the gods the power they desired through word of mouth, and thus gods with infinite power appeared one after another.
As long as it's not deliberately vilified, what's wrong with some slight changes?
Just like the deification of King Su, wasn’t it also the will of later generations who made the decision? King Su never said a word about it.”
Luo Su's words calmed the two of them down. Luo Su said with a little emotion: "Before, on the grassland, in the winter Turkic period, we met some monks. You should still remember them."
Luo Xuanjing said in a coquettish voice: "Remember, you were very interested in those monks, and even asked about their teachings. The great monk even wanted to preach to you."
Luo Su nodded and said, "Yes, at that time I just thought they were very different from the monks in the Central Plains, but now it seems that it is no wonder that they are like this, it turns out that it is because of the Western Regions.
The Buddhism here has been transformed into a very militant Buddhism. Of course, the biggest change may be Taoism. Can this kind of Taoism, which completely lacks the unity of man and nature and the law of nature, still be called Taoism?"
Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye naturally had no answer to Luo Su's question. When they changed the route to enter Dunhuang, they saw countless Buddhist caves. After moving forward into the Western Regions, they discovered two characteristics that were very different from the Central Plains.
In the Central Plains, the Three Pure Ones of Taoism are mostly made of clay with bright colors painted on the outside. The Buddhist gods are mostly sculpted in gold to appear majestic. However, this is not the case in the Western Regions. Both Buddhist and Taoist gods are all gilded and painted in bright colors.
Usually there are countless murals in the hall, with flying fairies and shining light, highlighting a majestic and sacred image. The three of them walked all the way westward. In the Western Turkic Kingdom, they did not feel that they were here at all. There were Buddhist and Taoist temples and Taoist temples everywhere that were similar to each other.
Luo Xuanjing asked Luo Su with some confusion: "Grandfather, why are the Western Turks and the Winter Turks from the same origin, and even the same country decades ago, but so different?
We traveled hundreds and thousands of miles, but we didn't see any Turkification at all. Even the hats and clothes that Turks wear are nowhere to be seen. Why is that?"
Luo Su hesitated for a moment and said, "This question is very complicated. If I were to explain it briefly, there are mainly several reasons.
The level of civilization of the Turks themselves was very low, not only in terms of language and writing, but also in the organization of civilization.
Since the Zhou Dynasty, our Chinese civilization has made great strides forward. Until now, for more than 1,500 years, we have been the undisputed core of civilization in this land, and our civilization has continued to expand to the surrounding areas.
The surrounding tribes either actively or passively accepted our civilization. Especially for the rulers, the demand for the Xia civilization was extremely high.
Deep down in their hearts, they are full of admiration for us. Even those tribes with powerful military force still look up to us with their heads held high.
They don't care whether their civilization, which cannot be called a civilization at all, will perish. This is the premise of everything.
When the Western Turks entered the Western Regions, if they wanted to maintain their rule, they had to cooperate with the nobles of the Western Regions. They would never be able to rule stably by relying solely on force. In this case, if they integrated into the local culture, they would be easily accepted by the locals.
Faced with the fertile Western Regions, faced with this land praised by the Su King, abandoning the so-called Changshengtian and choosing to merge with the beliefs of the Western Regions is an easy choice to make.
The Western Turks’ rule in the Western Regions was relatively stable. I think they were not only completely integrated into the Western Regions, but also accepted the coronation of the temple.”
Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye could understand what Luo Su said earlier. When the various states of China were first expanding, they also integrated into the local community. For example, the Wu State cut their hair and tattooed their bodies. The Qi State obeyed many local rules in the Dongyi area. Another example was the Zhao State, which once had a period of reform, wearing Hu clothing and riding and shooting, in order to attract the Hu people to join. The most classic example was the Chu State, which integrated with the local community and created a unique Chu mythology and culture.
This was the case for the various states of Xia that had a strong civilization behind them. It seemed very reasonable for the Western Turks to choose to convert to the Su King in order to consolidate their ruling position.
but……
Luo Xuanjing said hesitantly: "Will the temple really crown a Hu people like the Western Turks who have not been assimilated into the Xia Dynasty?"
Luo Su said calmly: "Why not?
This Temple of the Suwang God in the Western Regions is very unusual.
In a place like the Western Regions with many connections, I have seen so many things. I have only been in the Western Regions for a short time, but I already have countless ideas.
The temple has been in the Western Regions for so long that no one knows what its thoughts have become.
Especially in the current temple, without a real temple army and without the Luo family to preside over it, isn't it normal for it to deteriorate?
Moreover, even if the temple was to crown the Western Turks, the result was indeed good. I think that although the top leaders of the Western Turks have not been sinicized, they have been assimilated to the Xia Dynasty.
In a few decades, these Turkic people will only know the Suwang, not Changshengtian, speak elegant language, read scriptures, and worship the Suwang. What is the difference between them and the people of the Western Regions who have been assimilated by the Xia for hundreds of years?"
Xiaization and Hanization cannot be completely equated. If it is simply Hanization, even the Luo family has not done it. After all, the Luo family still has many habits left over from ancient times.
The culture in the Western Regions is very different from that in the Central Plains. It can be said to be another direction for the Chinese people.
Luo Xuanye asked in a cold voice: "Ancestor, what if these Turks are unwilling to change? After all, they hold swords in their hands. Who can force them to change? Just rely on the coronation of the temple?"
Luo Su laughed loudly upon hearing this and said, "Aye, who told you that the swords in the hands of the Turks are sharper?
After only being in the Western Regions for a short time, I knew that the temple had a strong appeal and could even launch a holy war. The only reason it didn't launch it was because it reached a cooperation with the Turks.
Otherwise, the Western Regions would be a river of blood and no one would be willing to fight. There must be a cooperative relationship between the temple and the Turkic royal court, and the temple uses the Turkic royal court to achieve its own goals.
I guess the temple wants to integrate the beliefs of the Western Regions and eliminate all those chaotic beliefs, but to find out what the situation is, we need to go to Shenlin City to see it."
Shenlin City was originally one of the three people's destinations this time.
"Ancestor, are you going to meet with the higher-ups at the temple?"
Luo Su pondered and said, “The Temple is different from the Jiangnan Luo family. As the joint rulers of the Western Regions, the conflict of interests must be extremely deep.
If the high priest of the temple is unreliable, we will not meet him. If the high priest of the temple is trustworthy, we will consider meeting him again.
The safest approach is to use both internal and external forces together. The key lies in the temple army. If there is cooperation from the Central Plains dynasty in oppressing the Western Regions, then in this case, by exerting force from within the Western Regions temple, the entire temple will be taken over smoothly and steadily.
This seems like a pretty large system that would be time-consuming and laborious for us to rebuild.”
The temple is of course a very large system. In order to seize power, the temple's organization is far stronger than before.
What was laid out before Luo Su and the other two was the specific situation of the temple. All of this information was public, but it was clearer in Shenlin City.
The highest ruler of the temple is the high priest, and this position is held by three major families. These three families are the three children of Luo Jialan’s daughter and have Luo’s bloodline.
The position of high priest will be chosen from these three families.
The person with the highest power under the high priest is the commander of the temple army. The current temple army is naturally not the omnipotent temple army, but an army similar to the Royal Guards.
Next in line is the High Priest of Luoshen, who is the deputy of the High Priest of the temple.
Below them are the five great priests, each responsible for a part of the Western Region. These eight people are the highest level of the temple, and most of the temple affairs are decided by them.
This system already has a lot of political implications, and it also shows the current nature of the temple.
After seeing it, Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye were quite moved, "The temple has changed so much that I can hardly recognize it. This..."
Luo Su sighed, "What the conservatives worried about has come true. The faith of the Suwang Temple is no longer pure. Not only has it absorbed a lot of Taoist and Buddhist ideas in its doctrines, but it has also changed its original style of behavior.
But the radicals probably did not expect that the Suwang belief, which was committed to development, would be affected so greatly.
Humans cannot exist in isolation from the world; as long as there is communication, there will be changes. Even for the Luo family, who are blessed by their ancestors, this is the case, let alone a temple that has been away from the family for two hundred years?
Is this also what the ancestor Su Wang meant?
After I was born, such a Suwang Temple was sent to me."
Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye felt that they seemed to hear a hint of excitement and happiness in the words of their ancestor. They also thought that they must have heard it wrong. They looked up at Luo Su and saw that there was actually a smile on Luo Su's face.
It seems that he is very satisfied with the current situation of the Suwang Temple!
Luo Xuanjing asked hesitantly: "Grandfather, you seem very happy?"
Luo Su raised the paper in his hand and said, "When I was about to make a big move, a knife that only needed a little sharpening to become extremely sharp appeared in front of me. Shouldn't I be happy?
Ajing, Aye, I feel like you seem to have a deep misunderstanding of me.
I am very curious, what kind of person am I in history and in your hearts? "
The two did not expect Luo Su to suddenly ask this question, and they did not have time to think about what Luo Su had said before.
Luo Xuanjing said directly: "You are the defender of Zhou Li, the ancestor of King Su, you are the protector of Bang Zhou, you are the incarnation of the ancient wise ministers, both in terms of ability and character, you are the best choice."
Luo Xuanye continued, "You are a model of loyalty and the embodiment of benevolence and righteousness."
Luo Xuanye and Luo Xuanjing had endless words of praise, but even these words of praise could not express a glimmer of what was in their hearts: the first minister after King Su was their ancestor Duke Wen.
Luo Su listened to these words and just smiled softly.
He looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back, and said calmly: "Do you still remember that I am the first patriarch of the family who is not the eldest son to succeed to the throne.
I defend rites and laws because they benefit the world. I protect the state and the Zhou because they benefit the family. I am loyal, benevolent, and have noble character because I am a descendant of the Su King.
But I have never constrained myself because of these things. I am the ultimate pragmatist.
During the Bang Zhou period, I was prepared to make drastic reforms to the Zhou ritual system because I had seen the drawbacks of that system, drawbacks that would emerge hundreds of years later.
But in the end I found it impossible.
So I immediately changed my mind and strengthened my defense of it. This is called adapting to the situation.
During the Han Dynasty, the Luo family insisted on the system of primogeniture because the Han Dynasty needed this for stability.
But I think the Xin Dynasty does not need it, because the Xin Dynasty does not need stability, because I do not need a stable, lifeless empire that can only continue to roll back inward.
So I say that the system of primogeniture should be abolished.
Etiquette?
Zhou Li?
rule?
None of that is my concern, if it doesn’t suit me then it should end.”
These rather overbearing words shocked the two men once again. The more they interacted with this ancestor, the more they felt that Duke Wen's achievements had nothing to do with luck. It was entirely because of Duke Wen's extraordinary personal abilities.
Luo Xuanjing said in shock: "But ancestor, there is an old saying in the clan that rules are there to protect us, and when we trample on the rules, we are in danger.
this……
Can this really change dramatically?”
Luo Su looked at the two of them and laughed loudly, "Do you remember what I said to you when I was in Luoyang?
The change of rules does not mean that you can directly break them, unless you are able to represent a new force, such as scholars replacing ministers.
If not, then we should develop it and then turn it to the opposite side. This is the correct reform!
I keep saying one thing.
I was not born into this world to recreate a prosperous era like the Han Dynasty. What I want to do is to break everything in the past and break free from the empire of the Qin and Han models.
So I am not in a hurry to enter the officialdom, and I am not in a hurry to change the ills of the Sui Dynasty.
I travel around the world, casting my gaze into the infinity.
I have gained some insights on the grassland and have made great gains in the Western Regions, all of which will become my nourishment.
I already have a rough and incomplete blueprint in my mind, and I roughly know what I should do.
What we need now is to continue to fill in my blueprint. Not only will Zhuxia change according to my ideas, but Luoshi will also change according to my ideas."
Luo Su's voice was high and firm.
He is the highest person in Luo family, and his words are the will to Luo family.
He is the only one who can save the Luo family from gradual decline.
And now he has found a way!
————
During the period of great division from the collapse of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, the culture within the various states of China experienced vigorous development and integration, and religious forces entered a golden age. Especially in the Western Regions where the religious atmosphere was already strong, various thoughts emerged like mushrooms after a spring rain, but at the top of all religious thoughts was the pearl, the Temple of Suwang.
Until the Luo clan returned to the Western Regions, no one knew that in the years to come, it would have a resounding name, called "Xuanmen". ——"A Brief History of Xuanmen"
(End of this chapter)
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