At this time, Hangzhou was carrying out one of the most massive projects in history - Qian Liu recruited 200,000 civilians, plus soldiers from the Thirteen Capitals (du, special camps, Qian Liu's military establishment), to jointly build a building with a circumference of 70 Luocheng, Hangzhou - Outer City.
In May of this year, the imperial court designated Qian Liu's territory as Suzhou-Hangzhou Road. Naturally, Qian Liu was promoted to the rank of observer. Therefore, he wanted to carry out large-scale construction projects to expand the city of Hangzhou and build it into a strong fortress.
Everyone is busy building the city, and Budai monk is also very busy. He is busy playing with the sand by the Qiantang River every day.
Gradually, people passing by the river saw the clues and discovered that he was also building a city, using sand to shape a model of a city.
Two days later, a thoughtful person saw that Budai monk was using sand to shape a miniature Hangzhou city.
What a masterpiece! Budai Monk's sand sculpture of Hangzhou City was lifelike and vivid. As a result, this miniature Hangzhou City caused a sensation throughout Hangzhou, and people rushed to the Qiantang River to watch it.
People marveled at it and said it was an ingenious workmanship.
Some people are also puzzled: Budai Monk is not a bird, but he seems to have overlooked Hangzhou from the air, so he can get the proportions of every scene just right.
However, most people were secretly laughing at his stupidity: after spending so much effort, he lost on the beach by the river. When the tide came in on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, the waves swept away, leaving only a white beach. clean!
The Budai monk showed no regrets and chanted to the empty beach:
Laughing so hard that no one knows,
I know the world in a bag.
The fortified city was empty with scattered sand,
It’s too late to wake up from the dream of glory.
Naturally, the anecdote about the crazy Budai monk building a miniature Hangzhou city with sand on the bank of the Qiantang River also reached Qian Liu's ears.
On this day, Qian Liu was inspecting the Luocheng city wall that was being built and had begun to take shape. He suddenly thought of Budai Monk's Shacheng. He had a strange feeling in his heart, and immediately asked Gu Quanwu to summon Budai Monk to let him see, See the truly majestic, strong and solid city wall.
After a while, Budai monk was summoned to Qian Liu.
Qian Liu first asked him to follow him for an inspection, and then asked: "Master Budai, how is the Luo City I built? Is it strong?"
Budai nodded seriously. He pointed to the protruding piers built every ten feet on the outside of the city wall and asked, "What is this?"
Qian Liu said: "This is the pier for building the city tower. After it is repaired, a city tower of ten feet will be shot by bows and arrows from three sides no matter where the enemy comes from. It should be the most reliable."
Butai asked again: "Why are they all facing the outside of the city?"
Qian Liu was amused by him and laughed loudly: "Master Butai, you are a Buddhist master, but not a military master. You know nothing about city defense. Only external defense can resist enemy attacks."
But Budai said seriously: "It's better to face the city directly than the city tower."
Qian Liu thought he was talking crazy again and didn't pay attention.
However, nine years later, when the rebel general Xu Wan occupied Luocheng, on the one hand he attacked Yacheng where Qian Liu was located, and on the other hand he used the solid city walls and tall and dense towers to resist the troops from outside who came to reinforce Qian Liu. The words of Budai Monk came true (this is a story later).
Qian Liu asked Budai: "Master, how are you doing building a miniature Hangzhou city with sand?"
Budai: "Yesterday was the 15th day. The Qiantang River rose and the tide had already washed away my city of Hangzhou."
Qian Liu was somewhat gloating about his misfortune, and said with half mockery and half sympathy: "You, how can you build a city on the beach by the river? You see, when the big tide comes, all your hard work will be in vain."
Budai nodded, then thought for a while, and said: "I built a small city on the edge of a small river, and you built a big city on the edge of a big river. My small town was washed away by the small tide that comes once every half month, and your big city will probably be washed away as well." We cannot withstand the big tide that happens once a year or once a decade.”
Qian Liu couldn't help but be stunned. Because he knew that the Budai monk was talking about the unique astronomical tide of the Qiantang River. Every August 18th, the great tide comes against the river, causing the embankments to collapse and the city walls to be washed away...
Budai said: "It is better to build a city than to build a pond. To build a seventy-mile city wall is not as good as to build a ten-mile seawall."
Qian Liu said: "Now is a troubled time, and city defense is important."
Budai said: "People are always worried about the harm of tides and are in panic all day long. How can they live and work in peace and contentment? If people's farmland, houses, and property are swept away by the tide, they will naturally have to flee, leaving you with an empty city. What else is there in the towers? use?"
Qian Liu thought seriously for a while and said: "When the situation stabilizes, I will definitely build the seawall of the Qiantang River. All river embankments will be made of large stones of the same color, so that the people of Hangzhou will not be harmed by the tide for thousands of years."
Seventeen years later, in the fourth year after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, Qian Liu finally completed the massive Qiantang River management project. Its solid stone embankment can not only withstand astronomical tides, but also expand the city of Hangzhou again.
Since then, Hangzhou has become the most prosperous region in the country.
…
There are four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasty, and there are many towers in the mist.
There are more temples in Hangzhou than anywhere else in the country. In Wulin Mountain (the collective name for the mountains in the west of Hangzhou at that time), there are undulating peaks and crisscrossing valleys. There are temples in the mountains and nunneries in the valleys. However, hundreds of temples and nunneries, large and small, could not accommodate a Budai monk, so he still lived on the streets.
One day in late spring, Gu Quanwu passed by Yongjinmen and saw the Budai monk sitting under the eaves of another house, taking a nap. He felt compassion for him, and after reporting Qian Liu, he invited him to live in the small Buddhist hall in the government office.
However, he regarded Gu Quanwu's good intentions as a fool's gall and said: "Qian Jumei (the word for Qian Liu), what a beautiful thought! He already has you, a fake monk, fighting for him, what does he want from me, a real monk?" use?"
Although Gu Quanwu was the number one general in Hangzhou and had bravery that no man could match, he was kind-hearted because he had become a monk in his early years. He didn't care about his teasing and still said: "You can give sermons to the Lord."
The Budai monk said with a smile: "Don't even think about it, how funny it is for me to look so slovenly, sitting on the solemn and sacred throne! I'm afraid the Crying Mother will also be amused when she sees this scene."
Gu Quanwu said: "You can freshen up and dress up! Who can't pretend to be serious?"
But the Budai monk said: "But, is that still me?"
This is true. If Budai monk is serious, has a straight face, and looks like a saint who does not eat the fireworks of the world, is he still Budai monk?
Gu Quanwu said: "Master Qian invites you to live in the small Buddhist hall in the house. It will ensure that you have no worries about food and clothing. It is also a kind gesture."
Budai monk said: "The loach lives in the dirty muddy water all day long. How about you kindly move it to a clean table?"
Gu Quanwu couldn't help but laugh too.
Budai monk said: "However, I still appreciate your and his kindness. In order to repay you, I will find you a Zen master who can truly preach the scriptures."
