Guo Ning's desire to make contact with religious forces was not a sudden impulse. For this reason, he had done his homework and made serious efforts to understand it.
After the Jurchens entered the Central Plains and consolidated their power, they were always in a state of dual opposition.
On the one hand, the rulers have always opposed the sinicization of the Jurchens, believing that sinicization will inevitably corrupt the Jurchens and lose their martial nature.
On the other hand, the confrontation between the Jin State and the Song State in the Southern Dynasties was not only political and military, but also ideological. In order to maintain the legitimacy of its rule, the Jin Kingdom must regard itself as the ruler of China with orderly inheritance and even the defender of civilization.
As a result, the politics, culture, and even the ruling thinking within the Jin Kingdom were often torn apart.
There is only one kind of person who can move freely in a torn situation and even play a small role in bridging it.
That is religious people, especially Taoist priests.
Most of the Jurchen nobles were willing to contact Taoist priests. With their limited cognitive abilities, they feel that Taoist priests have extraordinary abilities and magical performances, which are no different from the shamans and magicians they believe in in the northeastern hinterland.
For most people, the soil where Taoist priests live is always the Han civilization they are familiar with. Since Northern Taoism continues to draw nutrients and enrich its teachings from Buddhism and Confucianism, both high-ranking officials and common people can find opinions they recognize and even life support.
Since both sides of the split can accept it, religious power has continued to expand in the north since the Sejong Dynasty. Among the Taoist sects alone, Taiyi Sect, Zhenda Sect, Hunyuan Sect, and Quanzhen Sect have emerged one after another. Among them, Xiao Baozhen, the leader of the Taiyi Sect, Liu Deren, the leader of the Zhenda Sect, and Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi, Liu Chuxuan and others of the Quanzhen Sect were summoned by the emperor one after another.
The reason why the emperor is like this is nothing more than using religion as a tool of rule. However, once a religion expands in scale, it will naturally be driven by its followers, producing unpredictable results beforehand.
For example, followers of the Hunyuan Sect and the Baiyun Sect, Bailian Sect, and Toutuo Sect of Buddhism have killed officials and rebelled many times in the name of saving the world.
As a result, the sects that were once praised were immediately knocked to the ground.
A rising star of the Taoist sect, such as the Quanzhen Sect, worked very hard in the management of Zhongdu. At one time, it had close contacts with high-ranking officials and nobles of the Jurchens, and was even involved in the succession of Emperor Sejong. As a result, after the later Emperor Zhangzong came to the throne, he immediately claimed that he was afraid that he would engage in fighting for rice, so he ordered it to stop. He also strictly prohibited princes and officials of third rank or above from interacting with monks, nuns, and Taoists.
But the problem is that the power of Dajin is getting worse day by day, the government is becoming more and more chaotic, and the lives of the people are becoming harder and harder day by day. They have no hope in life, so they are eager to escape pain, and religious beliefs penetrate deeper and deeper, becoming an indispensable pillar for more and more people.
In recent years, the religious power of both Buddhism and Taoism has continued to expand, and the court's control over Buddhism and Taoism has actually been ineffective. In recent years, the imperial court has increasingly frequently sold temple quotas and issued ultimatums with empty names. This is not only a poison to quench thirst after financial bankruptcy, but also a helpless compromise with religious forces.
When Guo Ning first arrived in Zhongdu, he met Meng Zhiyuan, a kinsman of Tu Danyi and a political broker. He is in Shandong, and he will not turn a blind eye to the local religious forces.
What Guo Ning hopes is to limit the influence of religion as much as possible and squeeze out the power of religion for his own use. Of course, this idea does not need to be widely publicized. In terms of specific operations, it should be soft rather than hard, slow rather than urgent.
In the big dream he had, there was a great man who said that he would make many of our friends and only a few of our enemies. From the current point of view, as long as the Quanzhen sect knows the truth, this friend can be a good friend for a while.
Moreover, Wang Chuyi made a really good impression on Guo Ning.
This old Taoist has the common characteristics of so-called Taoist masters, such as being good at observing people's emotions and daring to stand in line and speculate. But in front of smart people, you don’t try to be mysterious, you speak straightforwardly behind closed doors, and you dare to talk about terms.
very good.
The dignified Commander-in-Chief of the Dinghai Navy doesn't have the energy to accompany you around. What can you do and what can I do? Let's see. If it works, it's a good deal; if it doesn't work, we'll have to deal with it in the future, so we can talk about it next time.
After talking with Wang Chuyi for a long time, Guo Ning returned to the commander's residence later than expected.
Entering the mansion, as soon as he sat down, he came over to look for Chu Cai: "Jie Shuai, what do you want to say to the other end of the Quanzhen Sect?"
Guo Ning couldn't help but laugh.
Cooperation with religious forces is not simple. From a certain perspective, religion is a double-edged sword. If you are not careful, it can hurt others and yourself. People like Yizai Chucai, who were the children of high-ranking officials in Zhongdu, did not want Guo Ning to get too close to religion, and they really became like the Yellow Turbans.
There is another reason for this, that is, although Yiza Chucai is closely related to the Tudan family, he does not believe in Taoism. Instead, he is a disciple of the eminent monk Wan Song Xingxiu of the Caodong Sect. In Tu Danyi's house, he always kept a distance from Chongxuanzi Meng Zhiyuan; when he arrived in Shandong, he did not want the military government to get involved with the religious order.
"Just rest assured, Qing Jin. The governance of our military government will continue to advance in Dengzhou and Ninghai Prefecture without compromise or wavering. If anyone resists the orders of the military government, he will be severely punished and beheaded if necessary, let alone Any scruples.”
Yi La Chucai smiled: "That's very good... Then, what do you want from Quanzhen's teaching?"
Guo Ning pondered for a moment, then turned back and sat down and said, "Let's see if Wang Chuyi is available first."
While Guo Ning was discussing with Yila Chucai, Wang Chuyi, the high Taoist of the Quanzhen Sect in the direction of Donglai Mountain, suddenly fell ill after completing the full set of ceremonies for the opening of the ancestral hall.
Wang Chuyi was summoned by the two emperors Shizong and Zhangzong, and traveled all over Shandong. He was able to make a place peaceful and watch the wind and change. Ordinary people completely regarded him as a god.
His illness made everyone taking care of him inside and outside the ancestral hall nervous. Even the people who stayed in the mountains after watching the ceremony rushed to express their condolences.
Wang Chuyi was really seriously ill. When others asked him, he didn't respond at all, and his eyes gradually turned white. Others pressed his chin, but it had no effect. After a while, everyone saw that his body was as stiff as a dead tree. Except for his very weak breathing, he looked as if he was dead.
Everyone inside and outside the ancestral hall was frightened, and they quickly placed him on a couch in a quiet room. They also sent people on flying horses to Laizhou City and invited doctors to see him.
The doctor came all night long and looked around, but couldn't find any clue. He only said that there was no problem with his pulse. He made a prescription and boiled the potion and took it, but he couldn't pour it into Wang Chuyi's mouth.
Now, everyone is even more doubtful.
The commotion continued until dawn the next day, when Wang Chuyi suddenly kicked his feet wildly, his whole body shaking as if he was shivering. The next moment, he jumped up, ignored others, lifted up the quilt, shirtless, and ran towards the back door.
Fortunately, he was getting old, and he was no longer as leaping as he was when he was young. He ran all the way, and was finally snatched back. He quickly drank two bottles of hot water to help him feel better.
After drinking two pots of hot water, Wang Chuyi's face slowly gained popularity.
He suddenly asked: "Has Guo Jieshuai gone? Are the soldiers under his command gone?"
Zuo Zuo replied: "I left last night, don't you remember, Zhenren?"
Wang Chuyi was surprised and said: "Last night? Didn't the ancestral hall open today and a feast was held?"
"This..." Many people told Wang Chuyi that you were fainting and sick all night long.
Wang Chuyi let out a long sigh, and everyone was waiting to say something else, but they heard him murmur: "Just leave, blame me, blame me! What are you looking at with greed? All soldiers have great fortunes and backgrounds, especially Guo Jieshuai. …Sigh, now I’m being attacked by magical powers, I’m afraid my life will be shortened…”
Everyone was surprised: "Master, what did you say?"
Only then did Wang Chu fully wake up. He looked at dozens of faces on the left and right and said repeatedly: "Don't ask, don't ask!"
Everyone quickly shut their mouths, and the room became silent for a moment.
Wang Chuyi himself went out as if nothing was wrong. He stood in front of the ancestral hall and looked at it for a long time, then laughed loudly and said: "Okay! Okay!"
Another person didn't give up and approached him to ask.
Wang Chuyi still did not explain.
But in the next few days, I walked around inside and outside the ancestral hall, and even inside and outside the cemetery. I stopped from time to time and said with emotion: "This is a blessing!"
Within a few days, strange rumors began to appear in Laizhou, Dengzhou, Ninghai Prefecture and other places.
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