At the beginning of the new year in the 16th year of Yongshuang, the old emperor Dafeng died on the border. The "Eight Kings Rebellion" occurred on the second day after the new emperor ascended the throne. Nowadays, war is raging in Dafeng, rebels are rushing through like a tide, and the national defense army is in retreat. In just a few months, the rebels had captured half of the entire Dafeng territory, forming a north-south confrontation with the Dafeng royal family.
But this is just superficial news that everyone knows. The actual situation is far worse than this.
According to the calculations of the Dafeng court, King Runan, who has an army of more than 300,000, will soon launch a mighty attack on the entire front, opening a gap for King Chu's 100,000 light cavalry, and then King Hejian's 80,000 The heavy armored cavalry completely opened up the situation, which would directly threaten the capital of Dafeng. So a piece of news that had never leaked out from the court was: "Emperor Dafeng has listened to the advice of hundreds of officials and will temporarily leave the imperial capital and retreat to the northern hinterland from now on."
Today's Dafeng is like a giant who has lost one leg, unable to support himself and is already crumbling.
"Speaking of which, isn't the current Dafeng royal family also rebellious and traitorous? It was today's group of rulers who destroyed the Dafeng orthodox royal family decades ago. The Eight Kings' Rebellion, which started without any warning, really feels like karma. .”
The young Taoist priest put away the file and said to himself.
Guiliu, who had always closed his eyes to rest, said: "It's not that there are no signs, but there are traces to follow. Decades ago, the wave of rebel leaders overthrew the orthodox rule of Dafeng through concerted efforts. So the question is, Everyone has contributed, and no one’s contribution is small. Who will sit on the dragon chair? The person who finally sat on the dragon chair, thinking about how he got to sit on the dragon chair, will he be afraid of others? To overthrow himself? Therefore, he did not dare to neglect those brothers who lived and died together, so he enfeoffed all the fertile lands of Dafeng. As a result, a country suddenly had more than twenty powerful vassal kings overnight. This kind of national structure Undoubtedly, there is a huge potential danger. Even if successive emperors had the intention to reduce the vassal state, they only dared to start with insignificant details, and it would not have much effect at all."
Gui Liu subconsciously looked at Gui Qing, who was facing him, and said: "So one day, the potential danger broke out. In the third year of Emperor Dafeng's accession to the throne, the princes were in trouble and almost reached the capital of Dafeng. That old Dafeng The emperor indeed had astonishing courage and means. He was able to forcefully reverse an almost certain failure and spent more than twenty years quelling the rebellion. But you must know that these are just those who dare to rebel openly. What is there secretly? There are many vassal kings who also have rebellious intentions. I am afraid that it is nine out of ten. My mother once told me that the vassal monarchy in Dafeng has been deeply rooted in the soil of the country and is connected with the fate of the entire Dafeng. Once it is eradicated, it will definitely be destroyed. It will lead to disaster. And if it is not eradicated, it will only lead to slow death. Therefore, from the time when the vassal system appeared in Emperor Da Feng's governance strategy, it was destined to be an unsolvable situation, and it was destined that there would be countless The rise and eventual demise of Dafeng is destined to keep this country in war for a long time, and it is impossible to have long-term peace."
Guiliu put his hands into fists on his knees and said softly: "Back then, the leader of the Dafeng rebels who had just sat on the dragon throne could have held a banquet in the restaurant to entertain his brothers, and when they were all drunk, Let someone quietly light a fire, and lurk killers lurking in the dark outside the door. No one will survive. But the emperor still didn't have the heart to do it. I think he was reluctant to do so. It is not easy to conquer a country. After all, it is From this point of view, he still has some conscience. But I always have a doubt. He really has no political foresight. Does he not know the consequences of adopting the vassal system that has been abandoned for hundreds of years? When he first drafted the policy for governing the country, did he write down the vassal system by chance because of a strong heart, or did he make up his mind long ago and insist on it."
Gui Liu's eyes suddenly turned red.
"So, is everyone who appears in our lives an inadvertent coincidence or a predetermined necessity? Or is it an inevitable accident or an inevitable accident? Then, Wang Sizhi's departure from me has already ended. Inevitably, it was destined by God, and this fate is just an accident. Is it my own fault, did I accidentally lose her?"
Ten thousand armored pagodas passed through the vast yellow sand desert like locusts. On the way, they encountered the remaining exiled Jiang family rebels. They never deliberately chased them. They just drew their bows at close range and fired crossbows at long range. They killed them if they could, and it didn't matter if they didn't.
This also reflects that the Jiang family's rebels have been almost wiped out, and the remaining ones are scattered and hardly pose a threat.
Standing on the carriage railing, Lotus Crown Taoist witnessed a certain general throwing an arrow, which penetrated the chest of a remnant of the rebels a thousand meters away. When the general saw the black shadow of a mustard seed falling on the vast yellow sand, he laughed loudly and was extremely satisfied with his hunting.
It was harsh, or at least that's how it sounded to him.
The yellow sand in the desert is majestic, but after seeing it too much, especially if your eyes are often blown into the sand by the wind, you don't want to look at it. Taoist Lotus Crown felt bored, so he returned to the carriage.
He began to think about a question that many people had not considered in detail.
When people all over the world knew that after the death of the Jiang family and his son, all the 300,000 troops under his command rebelled, the imperial court and the Imperial Academy even issued a mountain of denunciations. Among these indignant messages, "Chiang family rebels" and "rebellious ministers and traitors" "These two words appear the most and can cause the most anger in the world.
But the question is, are these two words used really appropriately?
The Jiang family and his son were so exhausted that they had to die. However, many of the 300,000 troops under his command are innocent, and not all of them have the intention to rebel.
Especially those unknown people who don't know any tricks. All they can do is obey orders.
Therefore, many "rebels" as people around the world don't know what crime they have committed until the last moment before they die, and why they want to fight with each other.
As a result, many people can only become unjust ghosts, wandering in this yellow sand desert, belonging to neither the Dajing Dynasty nor the Dafeng Dynasty.
It was obviously a power struggle and a struggle of ambition between big men, but after these big men provoked an earth-shattering war, they hid quietly while everyone was red-eyed.
So in the end, it is only some unimportant and humble people who become the victims of Machiavellian schemes.
It is obvious that many people in high positions take it for granted that their lives are on the line.
Why is it that everyone is indifferent, but Taoist Lotus Crown feels so heavy and deep, pitiful and sad?
Because the world should not be like this, no one should sacrifice others for their own interests, even if killing one person can save thousands or even ten thousand people.
Therefore, when he was listening to the debate between his master and the Bodhisattva who became a Buddha through murder, the most impressive words from Master Lotus Crown were: "The lives of millions of people are lives, but the life of one person is not life? Why are there millions of people?" An individual’s life must be more precious than one person’s life?”
There was no winner or loser in that unorthodox debate between Buddhism and Taoism. This has been the case with most debates between Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism throughout the ages. If we won for a few years, we won on the stage, but lost behind our backs. Lotus Crown Taoist still remembers his master's soliloquy at the end of that argument: "Heaven and earth are unkind and treat all things as stupid dogs, and saints are unkind and treat the common people as stupid dogs. Why can you kill? There is no such truth in the world. .”
He used to be a little confused because he had lived for hundreds of years, but the world was not like what Master said when he preached and learned his karma and solved his doubts. In other words, it was completely the opposite.
He did not dare to think further because he was afraid that the Dao would collapse. He also knew that once a Taoist heart began to waver, it would be difficult to achieve the true Dao.
Until he accidentally participated in a grand Buddhist Dharma assembly when he was traveling in the Dafeng Dynasty. The sermon was delivered by an old monk. He still remembers the few crappy Dafeng Mandarin words spoken by the old monk, "The old monk didn't do it thirty years ago." When I was practicing Zen, I saw mountains as mountains, and water as water. Later, when I converted to Buddhism, I saw mountains as mountains no longer, and water as water. Now I have found a place to rest, and mountains are still mountains, and water is still water. "
It was at that moment that Lotus Crown suddenly realized that his Taoist heart was as solid as a rock.
We have walked so far and seen so many different kinds of people. We think we are seeing the true face of this world, but in fact we are short-sighted and blind.
If you observe things with me, then everything will be colored by me, and you will never be able to see the true appearance of this world.
what to do?
The Lotus Crown Taoist has carved out a path on the backbone of Taoist orthodoxy, and walked out a thoroughfare that is entirely his own.
That is "I do not seek the Tao."
Once you pursue something, you will inevitably abide by a rule, which will cause a kind of destruction of life and lose your autonomy.
This is similar to the Buddhist concept of "emptiness of nature", so Lotus Crown Taoism has been controversial for hundreds of years.
A Taoist immortal yelled at him, calling him: "Practice Buddhism in Taoist robes, get out of Taoist orthodoxy."
Some people also call him a Taoist genius that is rare to be born in a thousand years and is expected to reach another peak.
The Lotus Crown Taoist was annoyed by these flies and dogs, so he left the pure Taoist land and began to travel around the world.
It is worth mentioning that this dispute lasted for hundreds of years, but Daozu never talked about it and seemed not to care about it.
The Lotus Crown Taoist's great devotion to his duties was partly due to the instruction of the Taoist ancestors, and partly to obey his own will.
Because there are still many things I don’t understand, I hope to listen to the old monk’s sermons again. Even if the Great Buddha destroys the Buddha for decades, the chance is slim.
In the carriage, Master Lotus Crown slowly closed his eyes and began to meditate.
No one in the world knew that after the battle at Mount Fanke, in which both Taoist and Buddha were present in the human world, these two supreme beings had a brief conversation.
It’s not a discussion about Buddhism or the world, but just a very down-to-earth exchange.
Among them, Daozu said: "I have a disciple who is expected to become a disciple and establish himself as an ancestor."
Buddha then smiled and said, "Is this the second one?"
Daozu laughed loudly, patted Buddha on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, he is different."
What does it mean to be different? Who are you comparing it to?
Thousands of years ago, there was a scholar named Zou Yan who joined Taoism when he was young and devoted himself to spiritual practice. In the year of his destiny, he was honored by the emperor and preached Taoism for a total of 7749 days. It was different from ordinary preaching of Buddhism and Taoism. It has become a style of its own, and its remarks are shocking to the heavens and ghosts. It is said that countless Taoist immortals have looked down on the world for this reason.
After that, he preached for twenty years all over the world. Wherever he went, there were mountains of spectators and numerous followers.
He opened another small path on the main road of Taoist orthodoxy, which is what the world calls "Yin Yang School", and he is also called "Zou Zi" by people all over the world.
Therefore, the Lotus Crown Taoist was called "the second one" by the Buddha.
It was also because the Yin Yang School pursued the Age of Ending Dharma and was on a par with Buddhism, so the Taoist Patriarch said: "Don't worry, he is different."
