Originally, the Northern Rong were a hegemon in the chaotic world of the Nine Kingdoms, but they were defeated by Emperor Yan Yu and then submitted to the Great Sheng Kingdom.
The Northern Rong people lived in the far north, and all of them were brave and skilled warriors on horseback. At the beginning of the founding of the Dasheng Kingdom, the Northern Rong people were not convinced and often launched various large and small invasions.
Emperor Yan, considering that the people had just endured a long period of war and urgently needed rest and recuperation, adopted Liang Shen's suggestion and implemented a policy of appeasement towards the Northern Rong. Besides stipulating that the herders within the Northern Rong territory were exempt from paying any taxes to the court, he also bestowed upon them large quantities of silk, pearls, and other valuables annually, and promised to marry a princess to their leader. The Northern Rong leader was deeply moved and thus completely submitted to the court, never rebelling again.
However, Emperor Rui originally looked down on the barbarians of the Northern Rong and was extremely dissatisfied with Emperor Yan's appeasement policy. So after he ascended the throne, he first stopped sending silk, pearls and jade as rewards to the Northern Rong every year, and ignored the Northern Rong leaders' visits to the court, showing extreme arrogance.
Initially, the Northern Rong, mindful of Emperor Yan's kindness, suppressed their anger and refrained from rebellion. However, Qian Ying extended his reach into Northern Rong territory, demanding that herders pay taxes even for grazing their cattle and horses, arguing that the animals grazed on Da Sheng's grass and occupied Da Sheng's land. He further claimed that since the Northern Rong had submitted to Da Sheng, they should pay tribute to the court annually, and even sent the tribute list to Yelü Yan.
Yelü Yan was furious. He mustered 30,000 iron cavalry and marched out to war, almost crushing the Central Plains beneath their hooves.
The Northern Rong people marched south in large numbers. After conquering the cities of the Dasheng Kingdom, they looted homes, abused women, and committed all sorts of atrocities.
This was a city of moderate size, located in the central part of Moyan Prefecture outside the Northern Rong Grasslands. It was called Ai City. Upon hearing of the arrival of 30,000 Northern Rong cavalry, the city's garrison and defenders surrendered without hesitation. Yelü Yan laughed heartily and led his 30,000 troops directly into the city.
The imposing and rugged-looking Yelü Yan waved his hand, about to order his men to plunder freely, when a golden light descended from the sky, and a tall, thin monk in gray robes appeared in front of the 30,000 soldiers.
The monk descended from the sky, startling Yelü Yan. He glared at the monk and shouted angrily, "Who are you? Why are you blocking my way?!"
Facing 30,000 iron cavalry, the gray-robed monk showed no fear. His face was filled with compassion, and he put his hands together in a Buddhist salute, proclaiming, "This humble monk, Shi Chan of Bodhi Temple, greets King Yelü."
Yelü Yan's face showed a hint of impatience. He waved his hand and said, "Get out of the way quickly, or my precious horse will not be so polite!"
Shi Chan shook his head and said gently, "King Yelü, may I say a few words?"
Yelü Yan grew increasingly impatient, cracked his whip, and shouted, "Giddy up!"
His horse galloped forward as if to trample over Shi Chan.
Shi Chan neither dodged nor avoided the horse's front hooves, but just as they were about to trample him, a dazzling golden robe suddenly appeared on his body. The robe radiated brilliant golden light, and the horse, stepping on the golden light, was pushed back and could not advance any further.
Yelü Yan was startled. He steadied his horse, feeling a chill run down his spine, and stared at Shi Chan, asking sharply, "Who exactly are you?"
"This humble monk is Shi Chan of Bodhi Temple." Shi Chan's voice was steady as he repeated, "Please, Your Majesty, allow me to say a few words."
Seeing that he couldn't leave, and knowing that this little monk was no ordinary person, Yelü Yan had no choice but to nod impatiently and say, "Speak, speak quickly!"
"Yes." Shi Chan nodded, looked up at Yelü Yan, and said in a deep voice, "This humble monk just visited the city that King Yelü conquered and saw that the people in the city were in a terrible state, with cries of sorrow everywhere."
"This humble monk wishes to ask King Yelü, why did you initiate this war?"
Yelü Yan snorted coldly and said unhappily, "Emperor Rui is going too far!"
Shi Chan nodded and continued, "Alright, since King Yelü believes that Emperor Rui has gone too far, then he may vent his anger on Emperor Rui. But what have the common people done wrong?"
Yelü Yan paused.
With a hint of anger on his face, Shi Chan said in a deep voice, "The common people have not provoked anyone, but when war breaks out, it is the common people who suffer the most! Especially when Yelü Wang's army passed through, I personally saw the people in the city gather together and weep bitterly. I also saw women who had been violated by Yelü Wang's men hang themselves! Yelü Wang must also have relatives. Can Yelü Wang put himself in others' shoes? If your relatives suffered such a calamity, what would you do?"
As he spoke the last few words, Shi Chan raised his voice, a trace of golden Buddhist power emanating from it, which then entered Yelü Yan's mind through his ears.
Yelü Yan's vision went black, and then a horrific scene appeared deep in his mind. In that scene, his fellow villagers, his parents, wife and children were robbed and humiliated by the enemy, and they gathered on a ravaged grassland, crying out in anguish. The grassland was littered with the corpses of livestock and human bodies, a shocking sight.
The scene was fleeting, yet it caused Yelü Yan's heart to ache with anguish.
He gasped for breath, finally snapping out of the horrific scene. He couldn't help but recall the miserable state of the people in the Central Plains as his army marched through the land. As he thought about it, he lowered his head deeply, a hint of shame slowly creeping onto his face.
"Namo Amitabha!" Shi Chan chanted a Buddhist prayer, then slowly stepped aside and stood by the roadside, saying in a deep voice, "This humble monk hopes that King Yelü will consider my words in the future and not harm the people without cause. If King Yelü continues to act in this way, then don't blame this humble monk for being impolite!"
Yelü Yan finally realized that the young monk before him was no ordinary person. He nodded and said in a deep voice, "I understand."
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