In the Xiangyang government office, Wang Xiaolie and Chen Yuyi looked at the statistics of the property seized in the battle of Jingmen by their subordinates. The list was so long that it was dizzying.
Putting down the last page, Wang Xiaolian said: "The Jinlu plundered dozens of states, and they really took away all the treasures! There are all kinds of things here, and there are almost all kinds of precious things in the world, and the amount is astonishing."
Chen Yuyi said: "Yes. The officials roughly calculated the amount, and it was about nearly five million guanshu."
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "I occupied several states and tried every means, but it was only a few hundred thousand guan a year. The Jin army was rampant for half a year and collected as much as 5 million guan! No wonder the strong men in the world want to rob Woolen cloth!"
While the two were discussing, Chen Qiudao came in. Said: "Defense, there were many casualties in the battle at Jingmen. After the corpses were brought back, the people in the county suggested that they be buried together. It would be much more convenient for the officials to pay for the family members of the fallen soldiers to come and visit them than to transport the corpses back to their hometowns. .”
Wang Xiaolie thought for a while. He nodded and said: "That's fine. In the future, customization will be formed. The fallen soldiers will be buried nearby, or the bones will be sent back to their hometowns. It is too inconvenient to transport the corpses. This battle is still close to Xiangyang. If it is far away, how can the corpses be transported back?"
Chen Qiudao said yes. He said: "It's just that many people are very uneasy because their family members are in the army and their bodies cannot return to their hometowns for burial. They say that it would be best unless the government holds a big Dharma ceremony to transcend the souls of the dead."
After hearing this, Wang Xiaolie couldn't help but frown: "The soldiers died on the battlefield, were loyal to the country, and their heroic spirit spread all over the world. What's the rationale for this method? What gods and Buddhas in this world think that they can do something for them?"
Chen Yuyi said: "This is the idea of people in the countryside. It is really common. People understand loyalty to the country. But when people die, they always have a place to go, so they have to find a way to do it. Generals An may not be heroes, but they are. It can satisfy the hearts of the people."
Wang Xiaolie was silent for a moment. Wang Xiaolie was very wary of the religion of this era due to the memory of his previous life. The method is not only based on traditional folk beliefs, but also requires religious participation, which is inconsistent with Wang Xiaolie's ideas.
Chen Qiudao said: "Although it costs a lot to hold a Dharma conference, it can calm the hearts of the people. The people's hearts are at ease and it saves countless troubles. In general, the government still makes money. I think about it, this Dharma meeting It will still be done well.”
Wang Xiaolie said: "Since it is well-organized, let the Xiangyang Mansion handle it. A Dharma conference will never have to be organized by a secretary."
Chen Qiudao sighed: "I originally thought so. It's just that for this Dharma gathering, the local elders said that an eminent monk must preside over it, otherwise it would appear to be ungrateful. The eminent monks in the local area are naturally known as Lumenshan Zen Temple. Zen Master Faleng has the most profound Buddhist teachings. Rich families in the city say that if Zen Master Faleng presides over it, they are willing to cover all the expenses of the Dharma Assembly without having to pay for it from the Yamen."
Zen Master Faleng is an eminent monk of Caodong Sect. He has presided over Lumen Temple for more than ten years and is deeply respected by local people.
Buddhist temples in the Song Dynasty were semi-official institutions. Not only are the ultimatums issued by the government, but the abbots of Buddhist temples are also officially appointed. Zen Master Faleng was appointed as the abbot of Lumen Temple in the seventh year of the Zhenghe reign for more than ten years because his senior brother realized that the Zen master had passed away. The Zen master is not only profound in Buddhism, but also willing to help others. He often helps local communities and does good deeds, and is deeply loved.
Wang Xiaolie said: "Zen Master Faleng is willing to do good deeds. Don't you agree with this?"
Chen Qiudao said: "The Zen master did not refuse. It's just that since Jingkang, the world has been in chaos, no one has become a monk in Xiangyang for many years, and the incense is not strong. The Zen master hopes to defend himself and has a benevolent heart, so he set aside twenty ultimatums to facilitate Buddhism. These twenty ultimatums were sent to Lumen. The temple can pay for it according to the market price, and the Yamen will not lose money. All the ultimatums in the vicinity are in the hands of the defense, and we have discussed it here. "
Wang Xiaolie looked at Chen Qiudao and said nothing for a while. When Zhang Jun came here last year, he gave himself a lot of ultimatums, saying that he could sell them for money. It's just that Wang Xiaolie doesn't bother to make this kind of money, and he doesn't want the local wealthy people to hide in empty houses in this way, keeping it in his hands. I just didn't expect that many people have been thinking about it.
After being silent for a long time, Wang Xiaoxing said: "Now that the mountains and rivers are broken and the world is in turmoil, it is the time for men to serve their lives. Just like the generals in our army, such as Cao Zhiyan, who was originally a monk of Qingliang Temple. When the country is in trouble, he ties up his hair and joins the army. This is That's the right way. In the peaceful years, when some people are tired of the secular world and want to become a monk, no one will say anything. How can it be done at this time!"
Chen Qiudao said: "It's just twenty degrees of ultimatum, and it's just twenty monks. What kind of person can it be? Defensive, what kind of person is Zen Master Faleng? Even if he doesn't need to come out to do things, how can he not ask for twenty degrees of ultimatum from Defense? give him?"
Wang Xiaolie said slowly: "If you ask me for it, I won't give it to you! It's not that I don't give face to the Zen master, the same goes for the Buddha!"
Chen Qiudao was helpless, lowered his head and thought for a while, and sighed: "What big deal is this? If the defense is so insistent, things will be difficult to handle. That's what the people think. With an eminent monk presiding over the Dharma conference, many things will be easy to handle. See Zen Master Faleng The gate of the temple is deserted, and many monks are ordained. If the defense is not accurate, the two sides will freeze. I am in charge of Xiangyang affairs, and it is difficult to be caught in the middle. "
Seeing Chen Qiudao's helpless look, Wang Xiaolian said: "Well, I have nothing to do these days, so I went to Lumen Temple to personally invite Zen Master Faleng to come out. I went to Lumen Temple to invite him personally. , isn’t it more sincere than twenty ultimatums?”
Seeing that the situation was a little tense, Chen Yuyi hurriedly said: "Lumen Mountain is a scenic spot in Xiangyang, and it would be good to take a leisurely tour. Zen Master Fa Deng is an eminent monk who does not pay much attention to secular affairs, so he will definitely welcome it."
Chen Qiudao nodded: "This is the best. In the battle at Jingmen, the defense will be tiring, so we might as well go for a walk on the mountain."
After saying this, Wang Xiaolie lost his mood and counted the loot. He said goodbye to Chen Yuyi and returned to his residence.
It is now late April, summer has entered, and the weather is getting hotter. The peach blossoms in the yard have already faded, and green peaches are hidden among the branches and leaves. The fruits on the two cherries gradually matured and turned a faint red color.
Wang Xiaolie sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard and looked at the scenery in the courtyard in trance.
Two orioles landed on the cherry tree and were about to pick some fruit to eat. Turning around suddenly, he saw Wang Xiaolie and was so frightened that he flew into the air again.
Wang Xiaolie didn't have any bad feelings towards monks and Taoists, but he didn't have a good impression of religion either. The memories of past lives and the education received are that religion is a tool to numb people, a spiritual opium, and even a tool for some people to make money. In this world, Wang Xiaolie stayed away from religion. Zhang Jun gave himself many ultimatums, knowing that they were tools for the court to make money, so Wang Xiaolie did not sell them.
What does this feel like? Wang Xiaolie couldn't understand either. In this day and age, it is even more difficult to explain to people.
The Song Dynasty was a time of revival of Confucianism and rapid changes. It was also a time when Buddhism began to penetrate the people. Taoism was once believed by the emperor. Huizong claimed to be the Taoist Emperor and transformed Buddhist temples into Taoist temples in the world.
In this era, not only did the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism develop greatly, but they also began to merge. Many Buddhist sects have introduced Confucianism into their own thinking. Similarly, many Confucian masters are also proficient in Buddhism and Laoism.
The religion of this era is incomprehensible to future generations, and it is also incomprehensible to Wang Xiaolie.
The widespread spread of Buddhism among the people is far beyond the imagination of future generations. For example, after death, Buddhism teaches cremation, so that the cremation rate in the Song Dynasty reached 20%. Especially the poor. Cremation is low cost and widely popular.
When encountering important events, it is normal to perform religious rituals in this era. When it comes to doing things, the higher the status of the person presiding over, the better. In Xiangyang, if Zen Master Faleng from Lumen Temple could not be invited, the people would have opinions about Wang Xiaolie.
Thinking of this, Wang Xiaolie couldn't help but sigh. In this world, changing people's minds is the most difficult thing. If you want others to believe it, your thoughts must be systematic. From the beginning of the world to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, from ancient times to the afterlife, there must be a complete explanation. Even if there are loopholes in this system, it must be complete. Of course, no loopholes are the best.
Throughout thousands of years, there has been no complete ideological system in the beginning, or in other words, most people do not have a complete ideological system. But once the world stabilizes, it must be supported by an ideological system. Qin used the Legalist ideological system to destroy the six kingdoms and worshiped one person from the whole world. When Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty first rose up, he had no ideological system. When he conquered the world, he used Huang Lao's quietness and inaction. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty deposed hundreds of schools of thought, he only respected Confucianism. Later, many rebels liked to borrow religious systems.
Why? Because we have an ideological system, we can unite people to the greatest extent. When it comes to grabbing food, money, and women, in many cases, it is better for the generals under their command to simply surrender.
Wang Xiaolie wants to establish his own power, what is his ideological system? In fact, there is none now. Because he was under the protection of the imperial court, Wang Xiaolie was not allowed to establish his own ideological system. For the current Wang Xiaolie, it is enough to insist on expelling the Tartars and restoring the Central Plains.
If one day, Zhao Gou insists on surrendering and breaks away from the court, what ideological system will he establish? Wang Xiaolie raised his head, looked at the red sun in the sky, and frowned. Still using this method of the ancient imperial court is really a shame for what we learned in our previous lives. And to build a new one is really not an easy task.
I couldn't help but think of Zen Master Fa Deng from Lumen Temple. Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains from India and can be regarded as a foreign religion and foreign thought. It has developed in China for nearly a thousand years before it finally completed its Sinicization and became a true Chinese religion. But before Sinicization, Buddhism was favored by the upper class and received support from the upper class many times. There must be something mysterious about this. These are worthy of Wang Xiaolie’s deep thought.
Zen Master Faleng was an eminent monk at this time. In fact, he was also one of the famous eminent monks in Chinese Buddhism in history. This time, it seemed that Wang Xiaolie had to pay a visit to Lumen Temple. I hope this eminent Buddhist monk can inspire Wang Xiaolie.
