Chapter 926: The spirit of King Su is in heaven, bestowing a crown of thorns on the king!
The Tang Dynasty defeated Gaochang and completely turned it into a puppet state. It also established prefectures and counties in Gaochang and began to set up the Western Regions Army, which eventually caused an uproar in the Western Regions.
Although the kings of the Western Regions did not say much openly, they all felt like they were on edge.
To use a figurative metaphor, the previous Tang Dynasty was like a roaring tiger on another hill. Although it was scary, it was still very far away. But now, this tiger of the Tang Dynasty has reached the hilltops of the Western Regions and can tear a country in the Western Regions into pieces at any time.
Almost most countries had some different thoughts in their minds, but they did not dare to really rebel against the Tang Dynasty. At this time, an excellent tool man appeared.
Western Turks!
When the Tang Dynasty had no influence in the Western Regions, it was the undisputed master of the Western Regions, especially during the reigns of the first two Khans, when it had a territory of thousands of miles.
The Pamir Mountains, also known as the Buzhou Mountain in mythology, are also called the Pamir Plateau by people in the Western Regions. The Pamir Mountains are thousands of miles long from east to west and are all the territory of the Western Turks.
Later, when the Western Turkic Khan Ashina Sai was assassinated, the empire fell into constant internal strife. The entire Western Turkic Empire collapsed at once, and various countries became independent one after another.
Now the territory of Western Turkestan is roughly located in the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains. It is still the most powerful country in the Western Regions, but it is no longer comparable to its peak.
Two years ago, a hero named Ashina Sen emerged among the Western Turks. He killed his brother Ashina Severus and unified the Western Turks.
Ashina Saien had the greatest reaction to the Tang Dynasty's destruction of Gaochang. He felt as if a sword was pressed against his jaw.
There can only be one king in the world. With the existence of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, it is difficult to highlight the Western Turks.
The countries in the Western Regions, especially those on the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, have all surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, and the Western Turks have gradually fallen into encirclement.
What should I do?
The Western Turkic royal court was located at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains. Above the Tianshan Mountains, there was snow and no birds were seen. Below the Tianshan Mountains, there were cattle and sheep everywhere. However, Ashina Sen was full of worries.
In the royal court, he held a golden scimitar in his hand and stared at the nobles in the tent with a gleaming gaze. "Khan, I really don't understand why the Tang Dynasty is so scary. The royal court is 10,000 miles away from Chang'an."
"Shut up!"
Ashina Saien immediately roared: "Those who said such things are dead. You guys only know how to play with women, eat meat and drink wine every day. You shake your head when I ask you to read. The Tang Dynasty crossed 7,000 miles to conquer Gaochang.
What would be surprising if we develop in Gaochang and then cross four thousand miles to compete with our Turkic Khanate?
No!
The emperor of the Tang Dynasty would definitely do so. Since the Central Plains first learned about the Western Regions hundreds of years ago, they would never give up their intentions to seize the Western Regions as long as they had the opportunity.
We Turks are the only country that can pose a threat to the Tang Dynasty, and he will definitely attack us.
Now that the Tang Dynasty is so powerful and the great Turks are so weak, they will definitely attack the Western Regions. The reason they are not taking action now is because Tibet and Liaodong pose a greater threat to the Tang Dynasty.
In other words, the Tang Dynasty believed that we Turks were no longer qualified to be its rivals, so it allowed us to develop in the Western Regions.
If I hear such arrogant words again in the future, I will personally chop off his head with the golden knife in my hand."
Ashina Sen was truly sober, thanks to the fact that he had once been a member of the Temple of the Suwang.
That's right, he used to be one of the priests of the Temple of Suwang, and because of his noble birth, he was also a member of the Sixty-Four Cardinal Priests and a real high-ranking official of the temple.
The books he had read, whether religious texts or scriptures, were far more than those of these Turkic nobles.
Later, he left the temple because he wanted to come back to fight for the throne, so his views on the situation in the world were far superior to those of these people.
"Eh? The temple?"
Ashina Sain suddenly thought of something, and he immediately said with a high voice: "Prepare horses for this Khan, who is going to Shenlin City."
…
Shenlin City, the central city of the entire Western Regions, is the first of the three holy cities in the hearts of millions of people in the Western Regions. The other two holy cities are Chang'an and Luoyang.
This place is prosperous all the time, with traces of temples everywhere.
The temple is on a mountain northwest of Shenlin City. The entire mountain is the temple's territory. People who come here have to climb 999 steps before they can see the white jade gate of the temple.
Deep inside the temple, Luo Xuanzang, dressed in a white robe with gold embroidered on the edges, a wreath on his head, and a sacred staff in his hand, was solemnly leading a group of young temple members to study.
A figure in a black robe walked in. When she came to Luo Xuanzang's side, she was a very beautiful woman. She whispered respectfully, "High Priest, the Western Turkic Khan Ashina Saien wants to see you."
Luo Xuanzang replied calmly: "No, let him go back."
The black-robed woman was somewhat surprised at Luo Xuanzang's decisiveness, but immediately bowed her head, "I will obey your orders, great high priest."
Ashina Sen looked at the scenery he had seen countless times with some nostalgia, Shenlin City, the vast grassland was green, there were countless cattle, sheep and horses breeding and breeding in it, the towering snow-capped mountains provided sufficient water for the Western Regions, the gurgling Yili River irrigated the Yili River Valley, the Jiangnan outside the Great Wall, a pearl in the vast yellow sand.
The reason why the Western Turks were able to recover their strength so quickly was because of this chosen land in the Western Regions.
Then he got a response from Luo Xuanzang, and his face turned extremely pale in an instant, "With my status, why would the high priest not see me? Could it be that the high priest already knows why I came, and is rejecting me?
The high priest’s wisdom is as profound as the sea and as vast as the heavens. He must have known this.”
Luo Xuanzang defeated all the wise men in the Western Regions alone, entered the temple with supreme prestige, and unified the various sects in the Western Regions to establish the Xuanmen. With the Suwang Temple as the core, he built eight major temples with extremely great prestige.
In the temple.
Luo Xuanzang had finished the course. After everyone dispersed, it was time for the temple's regular morning meeting, similar to the court meeting. It was the time for the high priest and cardinal priests to handle religious affairs.
The essence of the Xuanmen Temple is a powerful group rather than just an ideological faction, so there are quite a lot of affairs.
But the atmosphere today is quite different.
Because all the cardinals present knew that the Western Turkic Khan Ashina Sen wanted to see him. He was once a cardinal, and many of his friends were present.
"High Priest, Ashina Sain is the Khan of the Turks. He has outstanding prestige and powerful strength in the Western Regions. He is also a devout believer of the Su King and was once a strong candidate for the Eight Thrones. Would you like to meet him?"
The so-called "Eight Seats" refer to the eight people with the highest status in the temple, namely "High Priest", "Chief Cardinal", "Second Cardinal", "Commander of the Temple Army", "Chief of the Temple Guards", "Saint", "Chief Ascetic", and "Chief Canon".
If Ashina Sen had not left the temple, he would have had a very high chance of becoming the commander of the temple army. Of course, now that he has become the Khan of Western Turkic Khanate, he is naturally better than the commander of the temple army.
Although he is a little humble now, it is because he needs help from the temple. If he really gets ruthless, he can fight the temple to the death. The struggle between divine power and royal power is complicated.
It is for this reason that the priests in the temple do not want to offend Ashina Sen. It is really unnecessary to make enemies for the temple for no reason, especially since the Western Turkic royal court is less than 300 miles away from Shenlin City. Neighbors should get along harmoniously.
Luo Xuanzang looked around and said slowly, "Why did Ashina Saien come to the temple? It was because the Tang Dynasty conquered Gaochang and increased its control over the Western Regions. He felt the danger, so he came to the temple, hoping to get the temple's help to fight against the Tang Dynasty."
As soon as Luo Xuanzang finished speaking, the faces of everyone in the hall changed drastically. That powerful empire made almost everyone feel frightened, but they could not ignore it.
After a long while, a cardinal priest said angrily: "Are we just going to let the Tang Dynasty enter the Western Regions?
This is the Western Regions of us Westerners. Is superficial submission not enough? Are they really going to extend their claws into the Western Regions?
How can a dynasty full of heresy have the qualifications to rule the land of the Western Regions!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone responded, shouting heresy, but everyone was secretly looking at Luo Xuanzang who was sitting at the top, waiting for his attitude.
They absolutely did not believe that the high priest would allow the Tang Dynasty to enter the Western Regions so easily.
Everyone knows that the Emperor of Central Plains is divine. He is not only the political leader of the Tang Empire, but also a religious leader.
Look at the first sentence of his title, "By the Grace of His Majesty the King Su."
If the emperor of the Central Plains really entered the Western Regions, who would be the highest person in religion between the emperor and the high priest?
The struggle for power is war. If the Tang Dynasty is allowed to enter the Western Regions in this way, then do the images hanging in the temples also need to be replaced?
Behind Luo Xuanzang, there are portraits hanging, which fully express the history of the Western Region Temple.
In the portrait, the high priest holding the scepter is obviously taller than the emperor next to him. This represents that in the Western Regions, the temple has the final say and the emperor can only stand back.
If the emperor's military power were really projected, it would not be the case.
Who will give up power?
No one!
Luo Xuanzang narrowed his eyes slightly. He was very clear about one thing. In a system like the temple, even if he wanted to surrender, he would be deposed from the position of high priest in the next moment. He was different from those kings. His interests were subordinate to the interests of the temple.
Besides!
Why surrender?
Did he ascend to the position of high priest of the temple in order to submit to the Tang Dynasty?
Even if there really comes a day when we are forced to surrender, the Tang Dynasty must remain here, leave behind enough attractive benefits, and make enough concessions.
As for not meeting the Western Turkic Khan, it was purely because he wanted to use the Western Turkic Khan to establish his authority.
Moreover, the temple cannot become the vanguard against the expansion of the Tang Dynasty.
After all, if the Western Regions cannot withstand the attack of the Tang Dynasty in the future, the temple will have to reconcile with the Tang Dynasty.
If Ashina Sen wanted more support from the temple, he would have to give something more, such as the legitimacy of his throne.
Luo Xuanzang slowly closed his eyes, "Back then, the Western Turks assassinated Ashina Sai, and those who did not obey the temple took high positions, which led to the current situation in the Western Regions.
When Ashina Sen ascended the throne of Khan, he did not come to the temple to accept the enthronement.
Now that they are facing a threat, is it so easy to ask the temple to help the Western Turks again?
Let the most holy Su Wang see how pious Ashina Saien is. "
The cardinal priests looked at each other for a few seconds, knowing that this was the answer of the high priest, and they all said in unison: "Under the Su King, we obey your decision, great high priest!"
When Ashina Sen learned about the decision made in the temple, the people around him were very confused. "Show piety? How to show it? Do we have to offer treasures and gold to the temple?"
After a brief thought, Ashina Sen rejected this idea, "The high priest cannot be just like this. The temple has vast lands and countless believers. What it lacks the most is gold and jade, which are even more than all the treasures of the royal court combined.
If it was the Great Turkic Khanate at its peak, it would naturally be richer than the temple, but the now impoverished Khanate is no longer qualified.
The high priest wanted to see the Khan's sincerity in requesting an audience.
Servant.
Take off the Khan's crown, the Khan's robe, the Khan's sword, the Khan's boots, and all the symbols of dignity. Then take the ascetic's clothes and weave a wreath of thorns for the Khan. I, a humble person, want to express my deep submission to the most holy and holy Su Wang. "
ah?
Ashina Sen's words shocked all the nobles. Taking off all the noble things, even the close-fitting accessories, was the greatest humiliation for a king. Only a defeated king would do this in order to survive.
Facing the dissuasion of the crowd, Ashina Sen remained unmoved and insisted on doing so. Everyone could only agree to him with tears in their eyes. His attendant cried bitterly, "Great Khan, please allow me to go with you to see the high priest."
Ashina Sain stopped him and said, "This is the Khan's self-cultivation. You should not participate."
Everyone had no choice but to give up and watch Ashina Sen take off his clothes, then put on the clothes of an ascetic, wore a wreath of thorns on his head, and walked out of the Turkic camp without shoes.
He walked barefoot up the stairs leading to the White Jade Gate. The stairs, which had not been difficult to walk on in the past, were now quite uncomfortable for his feet, and the tiny stones tortured him.
He walked to the white jade gate, looked at the magnificent columns, and said loudly: "Ashina Saien of the Turks, I want to see the great high priest."
In front of the white jade gate, some people looked at this scene and sighed.
"I wonder if the high priest will see him."
"The wisdom of the high priest is beyond our ability to foresee. Let us obey the will of the Suwang Zun Shen."
"Oh no, it's raining, let's go quickly."
"What about Ashina Sen?"
"have no idea."
A group of people left here and went to the houses. This was the case in Shenlin City. The rain came suddenly. When the big raindrops fell on Ashina Saien's face, he was a little dumbfounded, but in just a moment, he knelt on the ground and let the rain pour down.
"Khan, please return to the tent quickly and ask to see the high priest when the rain stops."
Facing the anxious ministers, Ashina Sain shook his head and said firmly: "If I can't even tolerate a little rain, how can I show my piety to the King?
Although it was not Ben Khan who killed Ashina Sai Khan, this is the sin of the Western Turks. Let this heavy rain wash away the sin of the Western Turks. "
Everyone could only leave helplessly again. Ashina Saien knelt in the rain. The heavy rain soaked him. He didn't know if anyone could hear him, but he kept saying, "Ashina Saien has understood all the sins of the Western Turks. Please forgive me, High Priest. Ashina Saien is willing to pay for everything."
Please, great high priest, put a crown on Western Turks!
Please, great high priest, bless Western Turks!
Please, great high priest, take control of my life and everything!"
In the temple, many people were moved by Ashina Sain and advised Luo Xuanzang, "High Priest, Ashina Sain is really pious. Please meet him."
"Yes, such a humble prayer by a distinguished Khan would move even the Su Wang to tears. Please ask the high priest to see him."
"Great High Priest, Ashina Sen will become a more pious person than Ashina Sai. The temple needs such a king to maintain our influence on the secular world."
Almost all the cardinal priests were pleading for Ashina Sen. They thought that his humble request was enough.
After all, he is a powerful Khan!
Luo Xuanzang was still reading quietly. After everyone had finished speaking, he said calmly, "Go give Ashina Saien an umbrella and let him take medicine to prevent him from getting sick due to the rain.
Then he was cleaned, dressed in a plain white robe, crossed the sacred Tianchi Lake, and kissed the lotus throne in front of the statue of Suwang.
I will meet him there, in the presence of all the cardinals, and you will all appear there, just as you did at the Unveiled Assembly."
"boom!"
Almost everyone stood up immediately and said, "We obey you, great high priest!"
Even though everyone could guess that Luo Xuanzang would definitely meet Ashina Sen, after all, the high priest wanted Ashina Sen's complete submission, but such a formal meeting was still something no one had guessed.
Crossing the Tianchi Lake and kissing the lotus throne are actions that are performed only when receiving a gift.
When these cardinal priests were promoted, they all went through these two steps. If the high priest personally put on the wreath of thorns, they would become eight thrones.
Someone hurried out of the temple holding an oil-paper umbrella and came to Ashina Saien, who was still shouting and even had a hoarse voice. Facing Ashina Saien who had been kneeling in the rain for an hour, he could not help but feel a little admiration. Ashina Saien's face was pale, and now he was completely relying on his will. "Great Ashina Saien Khan, your piety has moved the most sacred Su King. The high priest has decided to meet you under the lotus throne."
Ashina Sen's face immediately turned red, and his eyes lit up. His strong willpower made him shake his body, but he still stood up with his sore legs. "Thank you, great high priest. Ashina Sen will always be the most devout believer of the Su King and will always be loyal to the temple."
Ashina Sain walked towards the temple step by step. He was very familiar with this place. When he heard Luo Xuanzang's requirements for his dress and the procedure, he was surprised and delighted. This was a very formal ceremony. He had already begun to guess, "What is the high priest going to do?"
He doesn't know.
But he knew that he could not refuse. The Western Turks could not resist the Tang Dynasty with their own strength. He did not want this good head on his neck to become a urinal for the Tang emperor, or to become a stray dog and die of illness in a foreign land, or to go to Chang'an, just like Jie Li Khan. He was an eagle on the Tianshan Mountains and could only spread his wings here.
He drank boiled ginger water to drive away the cold, then took some medicine to drive away the cold, dried his body, changed into pure white clothes, put on his shoes, took off the wreath of thorns on his head, braided his hair and let it down, and shaved off his beard. When all this was done, he walked out of the house.
Follow the monks in the temple to the main hall of the temple, where the Tianchi is. It is an artificial pond dug with the help of craftsmen's superb skills. It is a pond of running water with goldfish such as koi, and it is covered with agate, jewels and gems. There is a row of stone piers in the pond, which are about ten centimeters underwater.
Crossing Tianchi means walking barefoot on this row of stone piers. Ashina Sen took a deep breath. The stone piers were not big, and there was a constant impact of water flow. If you didn't walk carefully, you might fall into the water.
In the history of the temple, there were people who were disqualified from being cardinal priests because they fell into the water. That was a surprise that would make people collapse.
Ashina Sain walked slowly and carefully across the Tianchi Lake, pausing every step. Everyone around him was looking at him, and there was great silence in the place.
He breathed a sigh of relief, then put on the shoes brought for him and walked into the hall.
As soon as I entered the hall, I couldn't help but stop.
Rows of cardinal priests sat on both sides of the hall, three rows in total, one row higher than the other, arranged like the statues in a temple, and at this moment they were all looking at him.
In the main hall, the most eye-catching is the statue of King Su, which has almost all the characteristics of gods and is extremely majestic and sacred. Most importantly, Ashina Sen always feels that this statue in Shenlin City is different from those in other temples. It seems to be really surrounded by divinity, which makes people unable to help but want to submit.
The statue was extremely tall and stood with a lotus throne under its feet. On the lotus throne, at the feet of the statue, there was a person sitting cross-legged. It was the high priest Luo Xuanzang.
His entire body was covered in gold powder, but it still couldn't hide the gleaming holy mark between his brows, which filled him with a sense of majesty and dignity.
Ashina Saien did not dare to look any further, he knelt directly in front of the temple, "Sir, the Great High Priest Ashina Saien, I pray that you will forgive the sins of the Turks."
Luo Xuanzang said in a deep voice: "Speak of the crimes of the Turks in front of the Su King."
Ashina Saien fell to the ground, and burst into tears immediately. "Killing Ashina Sai Khan who was devout to Su Wang, wearing the crown without Su Wang's blessing, and neglecting to worship Su Wang's temple, these are all the sins of the Turks.
How could the Turks achieve anything with so many sins?
This is the root cause of the Turkic failure. "
Luo Xuanzang shouted loudly, like thunder, "Those who obey the Su Wang will be blessed, and those who do not obey the Su Wang will be destroyed. This is the truth of the Western Regions.
Those who rely on military force will fail when their military force declines, but those who win the hearts of the people will always be invincible. This is why Ashina Sai was able to unify the Western Regions, while the Turks can only hide in a corner of the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains! "
Ashina Sain kowtowed again, leaving red blood on his forehead. Luo Xuanzang then said, "Come forward and kiss the lotus throne."
The so-called kissing the lotus throne was actually a kowtow and submission to Luo Xuanzang, because Luo Xuanzang was sitting on the lotus throne, but Ashina Sen had no dissatisfaction.
If it was the Great Khan who once dominated the Western Regions, he would certainly not do such humble things, but now he is just a king.
Ashina Sen lowered his head and kissed the lotus throne. His head lowered, and Luo Xuanzang stood up on the lotus throne.
This scene was deeply engraved in everyone's eyes.
The moment Ashina Sen raised his head, what he saw was Luo Xuanzang, who was as tall as a god, with golden solemnity and red holy marks shining with light.
"Kiss the lotus throne today, and the Su King will bestow upon you a crown!"
Luo Xuanzang spoke loudly on the lotus throne. His voice did not sound like he was talking, but rather like he was chanting, as if he was reading a scripture. All the cardinal priests in the hall chanted in unison: "Kiss the lotus throne today, and the Su Wang will bestow a crown upon you!"
Ashina Sain took two steps back, knelt down again, and said loudly: "The Most High and Holy, the Most Honorable and the Most Exalted, the crown of the Turks is bestowed by the Su King."
"When a king is not respected, he is deposed from his throne, and his subjects expel him from his kingdom."
Everyone was startled and sang in unison again. Ashina Sain was startled, but after a moment's thought he said again: "As great as you are, the king will obey you."
"Give me the crown, give me the crown!
The Western Regions are in service, the Western Regions are in service!"
All the cardinals laughed in unison and said, "Give me the crown, and the Western Regions will obey!"
A king who is given a crown by the temple will become the undisputed king of the Western Regions. As for the Tang Dynasty, if it wants to gain the right to rule, then let's fight.
Luo Xuanzang stepped down from the lotus seat and stood in front of Ashina Sain. The saint presented him with a crown adorned with gems. Luo Xuanzang took a look and said, "Change it to a wreath of thorns."
After a while, a thorn wreath was delivered. Luo Xuanzang examined the wreath and said, "There are countless crowns in the temple, but I have always believed that this thorn wreath is the best. If you don't experience thorns, how can you see the sacred?
This wreath of thorns is given to you today, and it will be your best crown. "
After saying this, he put the wreath of thorns on Ashina Sen's head.
"The spirit of the Su King is in heaven, granting the king a crown of thorns!"
The hymn of praise is ringing!
(End of this chapter)
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