One of the two chief envoys is the most famous princess of the Mauryan Dynasty, and is even named after the country's name - Princess Peacock. Her real name is Sakrati, which means destruction and rebirth. According to rumors from merchants in the Western Regions, Princess Sakrati is a disciple of the Buddha's great Ming King Bodhisattva, and is also the strongest person in the young generation of the Maurya Dynasty.
Secondly, the eminent Buddhist monk Wu Zhu was on a mission to debate scriptures, and he was accompanied by the two eminent monks Wu Qin and Shi Jue. It is rumored that these three people are biological brothers in this world.
The rest were two hundred monks and a thousand dynasty guardians. But the great monk keenly realized that at least a hundred of the thousand Dharma Protectors should be officials.
However, their route was a bit strange. They actually made a semicircular circle and came around from Western Xinjiang.
The other party explained that the route was unclear, but the monk always felt that something was fishy.
Jiang Fan's heart moved slightly, he took out the map he drew from his arms and asked the monk to outline it.
The great monk is also very attentive, and he can roughly draw a general outline through careful inspection, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
And when the line appeared faintly, Zhang Zhiling's expression suddenly moved.
"This is……"
Jiang Fan raised his head: "Master, you can see it too..."
Zhang Zhiling nodded: "The Thirty-Six Kingdoms of Western Xinjiang."
Jiang Fan thought deeply: "Yes, although they did not pass through all of them, they passed through the most important ones, especially the Wurong Empire."
Zhang Zhiling said: "They may be on a visit."
Jiang Fan nodded: "Interesting, the Maurya Dynasty has a border with the Chinese. If you want to come to the Chinese to debate the scriptures, you only need to come straight over. However, they visited twelve important countries in Western Xinjiang along the way. What do they... want to do... …”
Zhang Zhiling pointed at the map: "Among the twelve countries, seven are bordering the Zhou Dynasty, and five are powerful countries along the route from the Mauryan Dynasty. It is indeed interesting."
The two looked at each other and saw the wariness in each other's eyes.
As they chatted like this, the great monk was also a little moved. He stared at the map carefully: "No wonder there are officials accompanying them. Could it be that..."
Jiang Fan slowly sat up straight: "It's hard to say, maybe it's just to open up a route, maybe it's just to establish diplomatic relations, but we can't rule out other ideas easily."
Zhang Zhiling looked at Jiang Fan: "Boy, your understanding of the vast foreign land is beyond ordinary people. Is the Mauryan Dynasty very powerful?"
Jiang Fan looked a little solemn: "The caravan I sent to Western Xinjiang sent back a lot of news. The Maurya Dynasty is similar to the Phoenix Dynasty. I usually call it a slave dynasty, especially since they are a Buddhist country with strict status hierarchy. This state They can easily drive slaves without having to worry about life and death. The Maurya Dynasty is very strong. I don’t know exactly how strong it is, but I can probably be sure that it is no less powerful than the top dynasty during the Phoenix Dynasty."
Zhang Zhiling took a slight breath of air: "It's so powerful... It's a pity that we only have eyes on the five countries, but we don't have any precautions against this powerful empire. We don't know when it will rise and when it will become strong. The information is too limited... …”
It is easy to see from the worry in his eyes that the old prime minister was deeply afraid of the ferocious beast peacock beside his bed.
Jiang Fan secretly sighed in his heart, it was no wonder they were there. After all, the Western Regions and the Chinese were far apart in this era, and the roads were difficult, so there was almost no contact. What can we learn from just the few merchants who come here every few years?
Zhang Zhiling's eyes were deep: "The southern frontier is undecided, the northern frontier is watching, and in the western frontier, except for the thirty-six countries, such a behemoth has arisen. As you said, there are divine city-states beyond the thousands of miles of sea. The world is so big that it is unimaginable. Hua Hua The clan should be alert at all times..."
He suddenly looked at Jiang Fan seriously: "Boy, I find that it is more and more correct to choose you as my teacher. Your vision is broad and your structure is huge. It is completely superior to us, old people. Unify, we must unify, otherwise why would you be so arrogant against a powerful enemy?" Standing tall among the nations of the world.”
"Speaking of choice..." The great monk unexpectedly interrupted: "This Peacock Princess seems to be the chosen one..."
Jiang Fan was stunned: "What do you mean?"
The great monk hesitated a little and said: "I can't explain clearly, but I heard that it is quite miraculous. It is said that this woman was a Bodhisattva who was reincarnated in the queen's belly. On the day of her birthday, the peacock sacred beast came, and the Great Ming King Bodhisattva rode a peacock. She came from the Nine Heavens and enlightened the princess to become the protector goddess of the dynasty. After she became an adult, she was even given four magical tools by the true Buddha. Therefore, the whole dynasty regarded her as a messenger of the gods and Buddhas..."
Zhang Zhiling and others were fine, but Jiang Fan was stunned. This sounds... why does it sound so similar to the Oshen Empire described by Hathaway...
But Jiang Fan seemed to say casually: "It's probably a rumor made up to deify the royal power."
The great monk shook his head slightly: "No, the person who informed this matter had witnessed it with his own eyes."
Jiang Fan was stunned: "Who? Who told you this news?"
The great monk bowed his head and announced the name of the Buddha, with a solemn and admiring look on his face: "Your Majesty, Lord Buddha."
Jiang Fan and Zhang Zhiling were both stunned. Jiang Fan was a little confused: "Second Prince?"
The great monk shook his head: "The second prince is the Buddhist master of the Southern Sect, but this person... is recognized by the whole world and respected by all Buddhists..."
Zhang Zhiling looked solemn: "That... Lord Buddha?"
The great monk nodded slowly: "The person who left China a hundred years ago and went to Western Xinjiang to inquire about the Buddha, but who has not been heard from since then - Lord Faxian Buddha."
Zhang Zhiling seemed surprised: "Lord Buddha is still alive?"
The great monk nodded: "Having received the message from the Lord Buddha, he must still be alive. Even... the poor monk suspected that the Lord Buddha seems to be among the mission."
Jiang Fan was a little surprised. This man was as famous as Taoist Tianjizi, Taihua Shengzun, and Wenqiuyan Old Master, the real master of the Buddhist sect. It was because of his departure that the conflict between the north and the south became fierce.
"Are you saying that Lord Faxian Buddha personally saw the true Buddha coming and bestowing Dharma?"
The great monk said: "The letter passed on a piece of paper is not exhaustive. It just seems to remind us to pay attention to the so-called gods and Buddhas."
Jiang Fan took a slight breath of air. Others didn't understand the mystery, but Jiang Fan knew about the Ao Shen Empire. Why were the two so similar? And what did the Buddha discover?
"Did Lord Buddha ever say that there is something special about gods and Buddhas?"
The great monk nodded: "Lord Buddha said, gods and Buddhas are descending from the sky, and it seems that they are enveloped by Buddha's light, and their faces are indistinguishable..."
Jiang Fan was shocked at that time. Grandma is a bear... more like...
"Is there any way to contact Lord Buddha?"
The great monk shook his head: "I have no idea where he is, and I really don't dare to try it easily."
Jiang Fan nodded: "So where is the mission now?"
The great monk said: "The mission arrived the day before yesterday and is now placed in the back mountain without alerting the outside world. The day of the debate is scheduled for noon three days later. However, the poor monk discovered that more than 200 people went out quietly. According to reports from believers from various places, they found One hundred and eighty of them were killed, and more than 20 people disappeared mysteriously and their whereabouts are unknown."
Jiang Fan's eyes suddenly narrowed, it would be strange if there was no problem.