Chapter 876: Xuanzang preaches, and the people of the world are so sad!
The vast sea of sand rises with the wind, urging the world to move forward. The stone pillars stand in rows, like sharp swords piercing the sky, and the camel bells sound melodiously.
There are caves everywhere on the cliffs that are tens or hundreds of meters high. In the caves, there are gods and people surrounding them, including gods with snake bodies and human heads, celestial maidens scattering flowers, flying goddesses, there are necklaces, there are lotus flowers, and more are the majestic Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma protectors.
Xuanzang stood in the largest cave and looked up at the tallest Buddha there.
This Buddha statue is six meters tall, which is a very extraordinary number in Buddhism.
The Buddhist buildings are extremely majestic and solemn. Standing under the Buddha statue, no matter from which angle you look at it, you can feel that the Buddha statue is looking down at you.
The Buddha statue is depicted in bright colors.
In Buddhism, this is said to be the true human body of Suwang Shanghuangtian Shizun, the source of all Buddhas, and is in the state between birth and death.
This is the art of sculpture!
Therefore, this Buddha statue is always located in the center wherever it is, just like Suwang Shanghuang Datianzun in Taoism.
Ji Lingjun is a great Bodhisattva, King Zhaosheng is one of the Buddhas, and many gods that came from the Central Plains are Dharma protectors.
In Xuanzang's view, compared with the real Su Wang, this Buddha statue cannot be said to have no connection, but it can be said that they are completely unrelated.
But this is not a big problem. Myths are passed down orally, and the image of God is constantly changing.
No one in this world has ever seen the real Su King except Duke Wen.
The reason Xuanzang came here was to take a look at one of his next biggest opponents.
What stage has it reached now?
Although Duke Wen did not say it explicitly, he knew that the goal of going to the Western Regions was very simple, that is, to become the master of all laws, above all others, and to defeat everyone else by himself.
As for how to do it, there are different ways.
Looking at these magnificent buildings at this moment, Xuanzang gave up the most radical approach.
Buddhism and Taoism are no longer just religions, but have been integrated into the culture and blood, and are an integral part of the people west of Liangzhou.
Complete eradication is no less than digging out the flesh and draining the blood.
After hundreds of years of development, Taoism and Buddhism have their own systems.
If you want to destroy it directly, you can only start a religious war.
It is easy to conquer the Western Regions and to bring them under rule, but it is absolutely impossible to destroy them.
Even the prosperous Central Dynasty would surely fail and be dragged down by the war.
Besides, there is no need to go to that extent.
Luo would not go so far as to come up with the extreme idea that heretics are more hateful than pagans.
In this case, he could only take the path of creating multiple clones. Xuanzang took a last look at the statue of Suwang Shanghuangtian Shizun.
All the way west, the sound of chanting continued to be heard.
At Xuanzang's insistence, he only took fifty brave warriors and ten spiritual soldiers on the journey west.
It doesn't matter for spiritual soldiers, but brave soldiers have families. They have to travel thousands of miles to the west to do such an important thing. Even if they travel at the fastest speed, they will not be able to see their families for at least ten years.
Those whom Xuanzang took away were all those who would establish careers in the Western Regions in the future, and those in the tribe who had talents in scriptures and other aspects.
On the way to the Western Regions, Xuanzang consciously began to train his religious talents.
Over the past thirty years, he has been guiding himself towards being a domestic affairs talent, focusing on doing things down to earth, so his cunning words are relatively low.
Now that we are dealing with religion, debate is one of the most important things.
His talents were realized very quickly, especially his ability of cunning talk, which broke through the 90 mark in just a few months.
He was only in his thirties and had not yet reached the peak of his life. After entering the Western Regions, his attributes had already reached—
【Luo Xuanzang (formerly known as Luo Xuanzhao):
Power struggle: 82; Governing the country: 83; Controlling people: 84.
Command: 73; Military strength: 84; Military strategy: 78.
Cunning: 88→90; Academic: 93→94; Charm: 95→96. 】
After entering the Western Regions, Xuanzang quickly demonstrated his talent as the religious leader of the Luo clan, chosen by Luosu.
In the vast land of the Western Regions, there are many strong men, which really proves the saying that under the true Buddha, there are demons.
Covered by the vast yellow sand, there are all kinds of strong men roaring in.
The clothes Xuanzang wore were neither monk's nor Taoist robes, but a combination of these, with many styles and patterns of sacrificial clothing.
The same clothing can strengthen a sense of identity.
In the Western Regions, monks have a high status, but in fact they are the ones who die the most, because monks like to travel, and strong men do not care about their beliefs, so monks are often killed on the road.
It was obvious that Xuanzang was mistaken for a traveling monk.
Most of the spiritual soldiers in the Luo family are following Luo Su. The spiritual soldiers brought by Xuanzang have not been activated yet and are still in statue form hidden on Xuanzang's body.
Brave warriors are normal human beings, and of course they will not wear armor during normal marches.
The armor was placed on the vehicle and may have been treated as cargo.
Facing the murderous strongman who came to rob him, Xuanzang just wanted to laugh. Well, now is the time to verify what effect what he has learned.
Xuanzang did not let the brave warriors and others come forward. He walked forward alone, spoke eloquently, and began to reason with these strong men.
"You evil beasts, why don't you kneel down quickly and listen to the Holy Word."
His roar was like thunder, like a lion or tiger in the jungle, shocking the mind. At this moment, he seemed to be back in Winter City!
Those strong men knelt down before him.
He cried bitterly and felt extremely remorseful for the mistakes he had made.
He said, "I am willing to follow the master's teachings, recite the Xuanmen Heavenly Scriptures, abandon evil and do good, and turn over a new leaf. I am willing to be the master's running dog."
Xuanzang held a wooden staff in his hand and struck these people hard on their backs, shouting, "The sins of the fire of karma will be wiped out from now on!"
The scepter in Xuanzang's hand was made of solid wood, and his power was so strong that the blow would cause the liver and gallbladder to rupture immediately. Even a strong man could not withstand this blow.
He died almost instantly.
"The sin is too great!"
Xuanzang had a kind expression on his face as he looked at some of the strong men who were killed by his stick. The rest of the people followed Xuanzang in reciting scriptures.
Some people survived and kept bowing their heads.
Xuanzang felt that this was not very satisfying. He was just expressing his views in a one-sided way. These people did not understand the truth at all. "You all have never understood the truth. You are just ordinary people like cattle and horses."
What Xuanzang wanted to meet now were those who could fight with him. He stepped into the open-air carriage and continued to head west under the sun.
Behind him came the sound of people bowing and chanting scriptures.
"The Supreme Emperor experienced 128,000 kalpas, and each kalpa lasted 128,000 years. Each year lasted an infinite number of years. The Supreme Emperor was born before heaven. This is what is meant by first the Supreme Emperor and then heaven."
"When the Supreme Emperor opens his eyes, the sun and the moon appear; when he exhales, wind and clouds appear; when he speaks, thunder and lightning appear; when his divine body moves, mountains and rivers appear; when he thinks, Xi and Wa are created; when he thinks, Taiyi is born."
The so-called scriptures are nothing more than solving a few problems of believers.
How did this world come about?
What position does God occupy in this process?
What power does God have? That is why believers should have faith.
Looking at the world mythology, there is always the creation myth, followed by the myths between the gods and the gods' duties.
The final question to be solved is what kind of pantheon this is and how believers can get close to God.
In this regard, there is a reason why Buddhism was born in India. Mathematics is relatively developed in that land, and there are many natural disasters. The special geography and culture have made it a place where people can really brag.
Being able to brag is quite impressive when it comes to creating myths.
Therefore, Buddhism can invent so many big numbers, there are so many worlds in Buddhism, and it is normal for the Ganges sand to appear in Buddhism.
But the Luo family is different. They just made up stories. Who is afraid of whom? We have a real God in our family!
Although this true god is actually a household god who only cares about the family and not the outside world, outsiders do not know this. Moreover, the current Su Wang is not just a household god, his power is incredibly high.
A person who has passed away for more than a thousand years can actually be reborn into the world again. This is the terrifying thing about the ancestor Su Wang.
As a religious master, it was not a problem for Xuanzang to write a book about the creation of the world. However, this book could not flow back to the Central Plains, otherwise it would be difficult to deal with.
After all, these things are fake!
It must be fake, right?
Xuanzang himself was a little uncertain. It seemed that Patriarch Suwang was really too strong.
Taoism and Buddhism emphasize transcendence.
There is no need to talk about Taoism, which dreams of becoming an immortal every day. Buddhism is actually the same, wanting to become a Buddha, but Xuanzang himself knew very well that it was impossible.
Even the Luo family couldn't become a true god, let alone others. So in the end, all that can be said about Taoism and Buddhism is that if you are sincere, your wish will come true. Either you play in the next life or go to paradise.
But the problem is, there is definitely no such thing as an afterlife.
As for rebirth in paradise, no matter it is the Taoist Great Palace of the East or the Buddhist paradise in the West, they are all fake. The only paradise that may exist in this world is that of the Suwang.
The appearance of Duke Wen proved that there really was a world that could accommodate the dead, but Xuanzang was not sure whether he could enter it.
But at least it is much better than the pure scams of Taoism and Buddhism.
What he had to do now was to defeat everyone else, then recruit them, so that the final ultimate faith of the entire Western Region would fall on him.
He named his sect Xuanmen.
When this name appeared in his mind, he felt that this must be fate.
…
Let’s put aside Xuanzang’s journey to the West. In Chang’an City, under the instigation of Li Yuanji, Li Jiancheng’s suppression of Li Shimin became increasingly severe.
During this period, a very outrageous thing happened. Li Yuanji actually wanted to kill Li Shimin directly.
Moreover, when Li Shimin accompanied Li Yuan to the Prince's Eastern Palace, Li Yuanji arranged for executioners to hack Li Shimin to death with swords.
After Li Jiancheng knew about this, he knew Li Yuanji's temper and knew that Li Yuanji was really capable of doing such a thing.
Li Jiancheng quickly stopped Li Yuanji and said, "Father is in the palace. You are courting death by killing the King of Qin so openly."
Li Yuanji said angrily: "If it wasn't for my elder brother, why would I kill the King of Qin?"
Li Yuanji's hatred for Li Shimin was too deep, although Li Jiancheng didn't know where this hatred came from.
What made Li Jiancheng feel even more outrageous was that Wei Zheng actually agreed with this matter. He also told Li Jiancheng directly to take action against the King of Qin as soon as possible. As long as the King of Qin died, the Qin Palace would be in disarray.
Although the generals in the Qin Palace had great merits, their official positions were not high.
The reason why the Qin Palace is so powerful now is because of the prestige of the Qin King, which makes the emperor a little cautious.
But the imperial guards are ultimately in the hands of the emperor. If the King of Qin were alive, he could compete with the emperor with his great military achievements and prestige.
If the King of Qin died, the army would immediately turn neutral towards the emperor, and the Palace of the King of Qin would have no choice but to wait for death. Most importantly, the Palace of the King of Qin actually had no heir.
The Prince of Qin, Li Chengqian, is still too young.
It is absolutely impossible to inherit any political legacy of Li Shimin.
This made Li Jiancheng begin to hesitate, but he still refused this thing which sounded very abnormal.
This made Wei Zheng feel very sorry. He had advised Li Jiancheng several times to kill Li Shimin and not to hesitate any longer.
But Li Jiancheng was always hesitant and did not listen to Wei Zheng's advice. He thought differently from Wei Zheng.
Wei Zheng saw the huge threat posed by the King of Qin, but this threat was difficult to resolve.
Just as Wei Zheng had advised Li Jiancheng a month ago, "Your Highness, whether it is weakening or something else, as long as the King of Qin is not dead, then the matter is not over.
Because the King of Qin stood there, he was the power. This power came from his achievements and this power came from the hearts of the people.
This kind of power is what is called a call!
Only he himself can destroy this power, not us.
As long as the King of Qin is alive, once he flees to Shandong, the provincial governors and county magistrates wherever he goes will become attached to him, and a single letter from him may cause the army to rebel.
Your Highness, don't you know what kind of opponent you are facing?
Kill the King of Qin, and the future throne will be yours!"
Li Jiancheng thought what Wei Zheng said made sense, but he retorted: "I am the crown prince, I am the legitimate prince. In this world, there have always been princes who criticize the crown prince. How can the crown prince criticize the prince because he is afraid?
Wouldn't that be a loss of virtue? At that time, I'm afraid that would give the King of Qin a chance.
As long as I don't make any mistakes, the world will belong to me after all. What can the King of Qin do?
"What you said is a little too mysterious. The King of Qin is indeed famous, but if he is really that powerful, how could he be at a disadvantage now?"
Wei Zheng was so anxious after hearing this that he jumped up and down. If he had known this would happen, he would have directly surrendered to the King of Qin. He would have persuaded the King of Qin to take the initiative and kill both the Crown Prince and the King of Chu.
He somewhat regretted helping the prince become more powerful, which led to the prince actually feeling a bit of contempt and neglect towards the King of Qin.
Li Shimin's current situation is indeed not good. His base camp in Shaanxi East Road is in Luoyang, Shandong.
But he is in Chang'an now.
There were two thousand guards in the Eastern Palace, and Li Jiancheng had been recruiting brave warriors. When Li Yuan found out about this, he simply reprimanded Li Jiancheng, but Li Jiancheng still did it.
There were also desperate criminals in Li Yuanji's mansion. Together they numbered more than 3,000. Having such a huge force in Chang'an City was already quite terrifying.
There are only 800 warriors in the Qin Palace. Once a fight breaks out, the combat power will be completely different from that of the other two. The guards of the East Palace are also elite and are not inferior to the guards of the Qin Palace.
Li Yuan was also constantly suppressing Li Shimin. During the fight between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, he always took sides, causing Li Shimin to feel very uncomfortable.
If the Turks had not invaded the Tang Dynasty in the middle of the war and Li Yuan had been forced to let Li Shimin lead the troops to attack, Li Shimin would have almost collapsed.
It is really a joke that the Turks, the mortal enemy of the Tang Empire, became Li Shimin's savior.
Li Shimin endured these things silently, he was always waiting for an opportunity.
Finally, he found the most suitable opportunity. In order to prevent the Crown Prince and the King of Qin from having another dispute, Li Yuan took Li Shimin away with him when he went to escape the summer heat, and let Li Jiancheng stay in Chang'an. Li Shimin took this opportunity to tell Li Yuan: "Father, the Crown Prince colluded with foreign vassals to rebel!"
At the same time, he sent someone to tell Li Jiancheng that the King of Qin had accused him of treason and that the emperor had sent people to arrest him. If Li Jiancheng panicked, he would probably really rebel. If that really happened, Li Shimin would laugh out loud.
Even if Li Jiancheng did not rebel, it would not be a big problem. Li Shimin still had a backup plan, that was the foreign vassal who colluded with Li Jiancheng. Li Shimin knew that this general was used by Li Jiancheng to deal with him, and Li Jiancheng had a lot of such foreign aid.
Especially in Hebei, many of Li Jiancheng's people are there.
But this is a good thing, because when the general Yang Wengan rebels, the blame can be put on Li Jiancheng.
This sounds simple, but it requires a lot of arrangements. Li Shimin didn't know how much effort he spent to achieve all this.
The candlelight in the hall flickered, and everyone else in the hall was trembling and dared not utter a sound. Li Yuan's old face was full of pain and confusion, but in his hand was the letter about Li Jiancheng presented by Li Shimin, so what should he say?
He didn't expect that the prince would rebel. "King Qin, send someone to investigate this matter immediately. No, bring the prince here. I want to question him personally.
If he really participated in the rebellion, King Qin, I will really make you the crown prince this time."
Li Yuan felt that he had difficulty breathing. Li Shimin had a look of grief on his face. He slowly left the hall with no expression on his face. He recalled the past.
This time, deposing the crown prince will probably be the end of it. Killing Yuanji and exiling the eldest brother will put an end to this dispute.
Li Shimin did not take Li Jiancheng seriously.
In his opinion, as long as his father recognized him, being a mere crown prince was nothing. He was absolutely confident that he could make the crown prince's former subordinates join him.
Just like the heroes and heroes he recruited during the process of unifying the world in the Tang Dynasty.
Most of these people were not his people before, but now they are loyal to him.
Li Yuan in the hall sat deeply on the cushion. He was filled with anger towards Crown Prince Jiancheng. He believed that he had done his best for Li Jiancheng and had not yet deposed him from the position of crown prince.
Why did the prince rebel?
Suddenly an idea popped up in his mind: Could it be that the prince had no intention of rebelling at all?
Crown Prince Li Jiancheng was brought to the palace in a daze. He knew what had happened almost instantly. On the one hand, he was curious why the King of Qin knew about his collusion with the border generals, and on the other hand, he was filled with endless fear.
"Father, I am innocent. I have never thought of rebelling!"
Li Jiancheng knew that there was nothing to say now, so he just kowtowed again and again. Bright bloodstains appeared on the ground. His forehead was covered with blood and dust. He kowtowed again and again, declaring to the emperor with a desperate will that he absolutely did not rebel.
Li Yuan's heart softened quickly. He opened his mouth and said, "King Qin, perhaps there are some misunderstandings in the news. I still know the Crown Prince. He is kind and filial, and it is impossible for him to rebel."
Soon news came from the border that Yang Wengang had actually raised an army to rebel. Li Jiancheng felt as if he was in an ice cellar. He didn't understand why. Was Yang Wengang crazy?
However, Li Yuan, who had just begun to trust the crown prince, flew into a rage again and placed Li Jiancheng under house arrest in the palace. He then turned to Li Shimin and said, "King of Qin, you will lead the troops to suppress Yang Wengan's rebellion. When you return, I will appoint you as the crown prince.
Jiancheng has lost his moral integrity and is no longer fit to be the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty. I will send him to Shu or Jiangnan, and you can let him be a rich and noble king in the future."
Li Yuan's voice sounded a little sad.
Li Shimin suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and agreed to this. As long as he could become the crown prince normally, these would not be a problem.
When Li Shimin informed the Prince of Qin's Mansion of this matter, Luo Xuanye said, "Prince of Qin, let me go to pacify Yang Wengan, you should stay in Chang'an."
Luo Xuanye had a hunch, because this was not the first time that Li Yuan had used the crown prince to trick Li Shimin. In Luo Xuanye's eyes, Li Yuan's words had no credibility.
Finally, Li Shimin embarked on the road to pacify Yang Wengang.
As soon as he left, Concubines Zhang and Yin and Pei Ji began to plead for Crown Prince Jiancheng.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is the legitimate heir to the throne, why would he rebel? Moreover, he is kind and filial, how could he rebel against Your Majesty?"
If these words failed to shake Li Yuan, then Pei Ji's subsequent words would be the final blow.
He directly exposed the issue that Li Yuan had been trying to cover up, "Your Majesty, I think that the fight between the Crown Prince and the King of Qin is now known to everyone.
Your Majesty, you have always stood on the side of the Crown Prince. In the fifth year of Wude, if it had not been for the invasion of the Turks, the King of Qin might have been a idler by now.
At that time you also said that the King of Qin was 'holding the Turks hostage to threaten you', and I still remember these words.
In this case, you are the prince's greatest supporter. If it weren't for you, the prince would probably no longer be a match for the King of Qin.
What good would it be for the prince to rebel?
This is quite unreasonable!
At that time, Your Majesty, you and the King of Qin were in the palace outside Chang'an. Could Yang Wengan, a mere man, really have captured Chang'an?
Even if Yang Wengan marched straight in with intent, could he really capture His Majesty and the King of Qin?
Even if we could capture Chang'an City, what would be the use?
As long as Your Majesty and the King of Qin are here, everywhere in the Tang Dynasty is Chang'an.
The prince's rebellion will never succeed.
Even if the prince's rebellion captures Chang'an City, it will be of no use. He has no possibility of dealing with you. So why does the prince rebel?
I dare to say that even if the Crown Prince took action, he would only take action against the King of Qin. How could he possibly take action against Your Majesty?
Your Majesty, please think twice!
The Crown Prince's rebellion is full of doubts. Don't become a pawn of someone with ulterior motives, lest you fall into their trap!"
Evil plots naturally come from treacherous ministers.
We didn’t know who the traitor was before, but now the traitor has revealed himself!
One is the King of Qin, and the other is the King of Qin’s best friend, Duke of Zhou Luo Xuanye!
Pei Ji's analysis was so well-reasoned that Li Yuan had to believe it. He became even more angry. In order to become the crown prince, the King of Qin actually framed the crown prince. This showed that he did not take him, the emperor, seriously at all.
Pei Ji was too familiar with Li Yuan. As soon as he saw Li Yuan's expression, he knew that Li Yuan had listened to him. Li Jiancheng was safe this time, and he had thwarted another conspiracy of the King of Qin.
Neither Li Yuan nor Pei Ji realized one thing, that is, the so-called "dispute between the two governments" between the Crown Prince and the King of Qin was actually a struggle between Li Shimin and Li Yuan. Once Li Jiancheng lost Li Yuan's help, he would be defeated by Li Shimin in a short time.
Yang Wengang's rebellion was like a joke. If the empire had not been initially settled, and Li Yuan was worried that the people's hearts, which had not yet been settled, would be disturbed again because of Yang Wengang, there would be no need for Li Shimin to take the stage.
Li Shimin led the army but had no experience in fighting. When they saw the King of Qin coming, the soldiers under Yang Wengang directly cut off Yang Wengang's head and sent it to him.
After suppressing the rebellion with a tour, Li Shimin once again proved his prestige in the army, and returned to Chang'an with great interest to take his position as crown prince.
But he was disappointed.
Li Yuan seemed to have completely forgotten about this matter. Not only did he not give Li Shimin the position of crown prince, he even scolded Li Shimin for not knowing how to be filial and brotherly, and for actually reporting his own brother, and for doing so in an incorrect way.
Yang Wengang's rebellion had nothing to do with the prince.
Li Shimin was of course not convinced. He knelt before the great hall and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, please send the court to investigate whether the crown prince and Yang Wengan's rebellion are related."
These words made Li Yuan's face even uglier. He would never make this matter public. Li Shimin was openly defying him.
Li Yuan looked at Li Shimin deeply, snorted coldly and left.
Li Shimin walked out of the palace and looked at the palace, which was clearly daytime but dark as if a wild beast was lurking. He suddenly roared softly.
How could the emperor's words be deposed so easily? Why is he still unwilling to give me the throne of crown prince?
Is a mere eldest son really that important?
Obviously everything can have a good outcome, but it just doesn't want to happen. Your Majesty, father, what are you thinking about?
Is it really as Duke Wen said?
Are you worried that if I become the crown prince, you will lose power?
Could it be that the relationship between us father and son has really become so distant because of power?
————
In the second year of Wude, when Taizong was about to attack Liu Wuzhou, Gaozu said, "My son has the potential to be the crown prince."
In the fourth year of Wude, Taizong wanted to go east, but Gaozu encouraged him, saying: "If you take the Central Plains, your merits will be difficult to reward, but you can be matched with the position of heir."
In the sixth year of Wude, the Turks invaded. Emperor Gaozu said, "If you drive the Turks away, you will have an eastern palace."
In the seventh year of Wude, Emperor Taizong defeated Wen Gan, and Emperor Gaozu said, "Come back and take the throne of the Eastern Palace."
Emperor Gaozu was unfaithful, and Emperor Taizong was full of sorrow.
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