In the Hanyuan Hall, the Tibetan envoy, wearing a red and yellow Tibetan robe, wearing rosary beads and Buddha cards all over his body, with a dark brown face and long hair in a high bun, walked out from the envoys from the rear with a solemn expression.
His hands were raised high, holding a brown box covered with Sanskrit characters.
In an instant, countless courtiers, countless envoys, and countless eyes all fell on the Tubo envoy who was steadily moving forward.
The indifferent, chilling and calculating eyes mostly come from above.
Countless important officials of the Tang Dynasty, princes and nobles, fierce military generals, and governors of various border states, their sharp gazes were like swords piercing the Tubo envoys. For a moment, they were so oppressive that it made people breathless.
The eager, teasing, and mocking glances mostly come from behind.
The envoys from the East Island, Western Region, Nanyang, and Northern Territory looked at the scene in front of them carefully with various thoughts.
Li Xuan stood among the kings, and his indifferent eyes fell on the Tubo envoy.
Every year at the Zhengdan Great Court Meeting, everyone congratulates the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty on his long life and the Kingdom of Tang Dynasty. However, there are always people who will provoke the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty at this time.
For example, there were the Eastern and Western Turks, Tuyuhun, Goguryeo, Silla, and Tubo.
Most of these countries were either destroyed by the Tang Dynasty or were on the verge of death and did not dare to make any more moves.
The only exception today is Tubo.
Datang and Tubo had been at war for many years, with victories and defeats, but Tubo never stopped paying tribute to Datang every year.
After all, the Tang Dynasty and Tubo were a country with a son-in-law, and the superficial relationship still had to be maintained.
Even after the defeat of Dafeichuan, Tubo still paid homage during the New Year, of course, with a lot of weirdness.
And even now, the Tang Dynasty is actively preparing for the Western Expedition. Although the news has not spread a lot, it is difficult to completely hide the mobilization of the army from those who are interested.
It is strange that the Tibetan envoys were willing to behave during this New Year's pilgrimage.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Tubo envoy walked to the center of the hall with a pious face, knelt down on his knees, held up the brown box, and said respectfully and sincerely: "Your Majesty, Zabala, the Tubo envoy, bows to the Tiansheng Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and wishes His Majesty the Emperor a long life. "
"Please get up, the envoy." Li Zhi smiled slightly, with a relaxed expression. He stretched out his hand, and the Tubo envoy stood up.
Holding the brown box in his hand, Zabala said respectfully: "To celebrate the New Year of His Majesty the Emperor, the foreign minister now presents a volume of the Diamond Sutra written by the great monk Kumarajiva with his parietal bone. With this relic, I pray that the Tang and Tubo will be friendly for thousands of years and share peace."
Ten thousand years of friendship, sharing peace... All the ministers in the palace sneered in their hearts.
The war between Tang Dynasty and Tubo never started because of Tubo's first provocation. Starting from Songtsen Gampo, all the Tibetan emperors had to provoke several times on the border between Tang Dynasty and Tubo, triggering war between the two countries. This is Tibet.
"Great Monk Kumarajiva, if I remember correctly, after Kumarajiva Buddha spread to the East, he returned to Tianzhu. How did Tubo get his parietal bone relic?" Li Zhi leaned forward slightly, he Although his words seemed like questions, his tone made it known that he already knew the answer.
Although Buddhism was introduced into China during the Han Dynasty, Buddhism flourished in China. Three figures were the most important later.
First of all, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, monks from Tianzhu learned the Dharma and traveled thousands of miles to the Han Dynasty to teach the Dharma to Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty built the White Horse Temple for him.
The second one is Kumarajiva during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Kumarajiva translated a large number of Buddhist scriptures in the Tang Dynasty, which laid the foundation for the development of the Nagarjuna School in the East.
Nagarjuna is the common ancestor of the eight sects of the Central Plains including Zen, Visana, Tiantai, Huayan, Sanlun, Chengshi, Tantric, and Pure Land sects. This shows the importance of Kumarajiva's teachings.
The third one is Master Xuanzang. Xuanzang traveled to the west and spread the Mahayana.
It is precisely because of this that it is nothing for Zabala to take out the scriptures written by Kumarajiva himself. There are dozens of them in the Tang Dynasty, but it is different for him to take out the parietal bone relic of Kumarajiva. .
It is not uncommon for eminent monks to be cremated to obtain relics after their death. However, the relics are also different. The parietal bone relics are the heaviest, followed by other shoulder bones, ribs, and foot bone relics.
After Kumarajiva Buddha spread to the east, he returned to India and finally passed away in India.
His parietal bone relic was naturally a top priority and was solemnly enshrined by the King of Tianzhu. But how could such a valuable parietal bone relic end up in the hands of Tubo.
Zabala, the envoy of the Tubo Kingdom, knelt in the hall, lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes, and said softly: "Of course it was the King of Tianzhu Lapuji who personally gave this gift. The King of Tianzhu gave me three hundred volumes of various authentic Buddhist scriptures and hundreds of relics of great monks. , in addition to the parietal bone relic of Kumarajiva, there is also a parietal bone relic of monk Nagarjuna, which is now enshrined in the Jokhang Temple by my king."
"So, your king snatched the parietal bone relics of the Buddhist founders of the various sects in China from the hands of the King of Tianzhu." Li Zhi spoke, directly revealing the true intention of the Tubo envoy's words.
What a sinister intention!
Li Xuan stood among the kings, breathing slightly heavy.
He knew that once this news spread, all the Buddhist sects in China would probably explode.
Don’t think of Buddhism as some sage sect that doesn’t care about anything. Don’t forget that when Emperor Taizong raised his army, the Shaolin Temple also had thirteen stick monks who came out to help. Although they didn’t play any role in the battle, their influence in Buddhism The influence among them and in the hearts of Buddhists played a key role in bringing peace to the world in the Tang Dynasty.
Nowadays, the parietal bone relic of Nagarjuna, the common ancestor of eight sects in China, has been snatched from Tianzhu by Tibet and taken to the Jokhang Temple. It would be strange for Buddhists not to petition the emperor to help retrieve it.
Tubo has sinister intentions!
…
"Your Majesty, these were given to my king by the King of Tianzhu." Zabala leaned over slightly, with a frightened expression on his face. Then, he sincerely cupped his hands and said: "Today, my king enshrines the relics of the great monk Kumarajiva under the blue sky. May I The two countries of Tang and Tibet will enjoy eternal peace and prosperity."
"Ha!" Li Zhi sat on the dragon collapse and suddenly laughed, and said casually: "What if I want to see the relic of Nagarjuna Bodhisattva?"
As soon as Li Zhi finished speaking, the entire Hanyuan Hall suddenly fell silent and deserted.
Immediately, countless fierce eyes fell directly on Zabala, the envoy of Tubo.
If these sights turned into long arrows, one arrow could pierce Zabala's heart.
As if he didn't notice at all, Zabala bowed again and said: "Your Majesty, the Nagarjuna Bodhisattva relic is carried by my king to protect my king at all times. If your Majesty wants to see the Nagarjuna Bodhisattva relic, I'm afraid you can only Your Majesty, please go to Luoche to pay homage to my king."
"Bold!" Countless shouts suddenly came from all directions, pressing down on Zabala like a mountain. However, Zabala, who was holding the relic of the great monk Kumarajiva in his hand, seemed not to feel anything. Although he was kneeling there, his waist was still straight.
"Yes, yes, you are very courageous!" Li Zhi did not show the slightest anger, but still had a smile on his face. However, countless ministers around him had already bowed their heads deeply, because they all knew that their The emperor was extremely angry.
This was the case back then. The Western Turks, Tuyuhun, Baekje, and Goguryeo were all under the wrath of their somewhat baby-faced emperor. The country was destroyed and the race was ruined.
Countless blood has created the mighty majesty of the Emperor, who shocked the past and the present.
Li Zhi calmly turned his head, looked at the ministers, and shouted with a smile: "Pei Xingjian!"
"I'm here!" Pei Xingjian, Minister of War, walked out respectfully from among the ministers, stood three meters in front of the Tubo envoy Zabala and bowed in salute.
Li Zhi nodded slightly, and then said with a casual smile: "I order you to inspect the three armies, select a day to go to Tubo, and bring back the relics of Nagarjuna Bodhisattva for me."
Pei Xingjian didn't hesitate at all, he immediately raised his hands and said: "I obey your order!"
…
Li Xuan stood among the ministers with a solemn expression and a look of horror in her eyes.
War was declared, and the Tang Dynasty declared war on Tubo.
Just like when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty went on an expedition to the Western Regions for the bloody horse, Emperor Gaozong now also goes on an expedition to Tibet for the Bodhisattva relics.
Among the officials, no one said anything to stop him.
Because all the ministers knew that even if nothing happened today, the war between Tang Dynasty and Tubo would have completely broken out within a few months. Now there just happened to be a reason to send troops.
Moreover, it was the reason given by the Tubo people themselves for sending troops.
Most people find it ridiculous that the Tibetan people are stupid, but a few people are keenly aware of the weirdness in this.
The Tubo envoy actually took the initiative to hand over the reason for the war. Is he really that stupid? Or is this what he originally expected?
Lure the enemy deeper.
What a young minister once said suddenly rang in some people's ears.
At this moment, Li Zhi turned sideways and his eyes fell directly on Li Xuan: "King of Nanchang?"
"The minister is here!" Li Xuan did not hesitate at all, and immediately walked out from among the ministers and bowed solemnly.
A smile appeared at the corner of Li Zhi's mouth, and he said casually: "I order you to prepare to build a palace from now on for the Tubo Zanpu to live after he arrives in Chang'an."
Isn’t it the responsibility of the Ministry of Works to build palaces?
Although there were doubts in his mind, Li Xuan still handed over his hands without any hesitation and said: "I accept the decree."
Li Xuan lowered his head slightly, and immediately after, he noticed that the atmosphere in the entire hall suddenly became cold and solemn.
The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty wanted to capture Tubo Zampu directly and imprison him in Chang'an, and he would not give up until he achieved his goal.
Li Zhi's seemingly casual words made countless ministers and foreign envoys present feel the power of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty at the same time.
However, in the presence of the Tubo ambassador Zabala, there was a hint of pride on his lips.
At this time, Li Xuan's voice sounded again: "Your Majesty, I would like to ask, is this palace built to be large or small?"
Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, laughed, and then asked: "Build a big one, build a small one. Is there any doubt about this? When the leader of the Tubo Kingdom arrived in Chang'an, he naturally wanted to build a bigger one."
"Reporting to your majesty, I didn't mean that. I just don't know whether this palace was built for the current ruler of Tubo, Mansong Mangzan, or for the son of the next ruler of Tibet, Mangsong Mangzan. I heard that the ruler of Tubo Mangsongmangzan hasn’t seen his foreign ministers for more than half a year?”
"Oh, there is another matter?" Li Zhi couldn't help laughing, raised his head, and suddenly stared at Zabala with sharp eyes like a sword: "Is what the King of Nanchang said, the envoy, true?"
Zhabadun, the envoy of Tubo, said with a calm face: "The foreign minister has not returned home for a long time. I don't know where the King of Nanchang got the false belief, but he casually believed it to be true. However, half a month ago, the king sent a congratulatory letter to the foreign minister. I wish your Majesty a long life?"
"King of Nanchang, what do you say?" Li Zhi turned to look at Li Xuan.
Li Xuan turned slightly sideways, glanced at the Tubo envoy, and then said: "I heard that in Tubo, the national advisor Kumarajiva was bullied too much by the Prime Minister Lun Qin Ling, and even the bones of his ancestors were persecuted by the Prime Minister Lun Qin Ling. Grab it and give it away, you can see the real situation at a glance."
In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on the parietal bone relic of Kumarajiva in the hands of the Tibetan envoy Zabala.
(End of chapter)
