Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 364 Buddha is the Tao
Jinyang.

Liu Taozi rode on Heifeng, followed by many knights, and headed north along the official road.

Zu Ting was right beside him, looking back from time to time at the Jinyang City in the distance.

"My Lord, such an important matter can we just leave it to Yao Xiong without our having to keep an eye on it?"

Liu Taozi didn't look back, just looked at the road ahead.

"When Grandpa sang the nursery rhyme, I don't know about others, but Yao Xiong seemed very anxious. He wanted to prove his talent and prove that he was not just a sham."

"Since he didn't set the target randomly, sent people to investigate many times, and went to the river himself, let him do it."

"We have more important things to do in Pingcheng."

Zu Ting narrowed his eyes, "Actually, he doesn't have to care so much. Nursery rhymes are just nursery rhymes."

"However, since the lord agrees with his idea, let him do it."

"Wei Xiaokuan is not easy to deal with."

"Yeah, Wei Xiaokuan has never been easy to deal with."

"Not only him, Yuwen Yong is also difficult to deal with."

Zu Ting laughed, "Yuwen Yong wanted to unite the Chen people and the Turks in the past, and then establish a pseudo-Qi in Henan, and attack the four directions together."

"After all the hassles, the Turks could not defeat Hulugu, the Chen people were unable to fight again, and occupied Huaibei and Huaibei. Duan Shao even attacked his reinforcements and occupied Henan. Who knows how angry Yuwen Yong must be at this moment."

Liu Taozi said calmly: "At least he can come up with a complete strategy and actively implement it."

"I think he won't take it too seriously. He will adjust his strategy in time and continue to find ways to defeat us."

Zu Ting looked at Liu Taozi in surprise.

"The lord attaches great importance to this boy."

"Among the four enemies around, this one is the most difficult to deal with."

Zu Ting did not mention the Pseudo-Zhou anymore. He asked, "Now that we are back in Pingcheng, we should start working on the process of becoming a king."

"Well, don't make it too complicated. The simpler the better."

"Should the Xingtai also be relocated?"

"To Yecheng?"

"Or Jinyang."

Liu Taozi shook her head. "No need. I told you that the Zhou people are our biggest enemy. The seat of government should still be in Pingcheng, and the focus should still be on the Zhou people."

"it is good."

"I will arrange the rest."

"Ah."

The cavalry slowly disappeared on the official road.

Changan.

The palace was extremely lively.

The weather was still cold and the wind was blowing hard.

But in front of the main hall, there were densely packed people.

There were soldiers stationed on all four sides of them. These soldiers were fully armed and judging by their hairstyle, they were all Han people.

Ever since Emperor Yuwen Yong changed the military system and turned soldiers into attendants of the emperor, the Emperor of the Great Zhou had the power to give direct orders to the grassroots troops, skipping the generals and officers in between.

Yuwen Yong selected a large number of unpopular elite soldiers and gradually replaced the original imperial guards with them, completely controlling the entire palace and Chang'an.

He appeared in the military camp many times, directly facing the grassroots soldiers, and gave them many rewards and honors.

This greatly increased Yuwen Yong's prestige in the army. Soldiers from all over the country regarded themselves as the emperor's attendants. Many generals were very dissatisfied with this, but they could do nothing about it.

But there were so many things Yuwen Yong wanted to do.

Military matters alone took up most of his daily workload.

He also worked like crazy, just like Chen Qian, the former emperor of the State of Chen. He was busy from morning to night, and only regretted that he had too little time every day and it was never enough.

In the middle of the area surrounded by soldiers was a simple platform.

Sitting on all four sides of the platform were many ministers, generals, doctors, celebrities, etc.

Sitting on the left was a group of Taoists. They had stern expressions and looked up, staring at the people opposite them with displeasure.

On the right side of the platform, there were many monks sitting. They had smiles on their faces and nodded amiably to the people around them.

From the attitudes of the officials and generals on both sides, we can see who has the advantage at the moment.

The people on the platform were talking in a noisy manner.

Yuwen Xian sat in the middle of the officials opposite and looked around.

At this moment, there were no outstanding people left around him.

Alone.

It's not just him, most of the other officials are like this.

After the emperor came to power, he repeatedly strengthened the power of the monarch and changed the history that the army belonged only to the general and the talents belonged only to their masters. He not only pulled the soldiers over, but also absorbed the young talents who used to surround the various royal families, generals, and pillars of the country. He appointed them to higher positions and demanded that they completely change their behavior of being loyal only to their superiors but not to the emperor.

Yu Wenliang, who was sitting next to him, looked around and asked in confusion: "What exactly does your majesty want to do?"

"I can understand what he did in the past, but why did he have to confront these people now?"

Yuwen Xian looked around and then whispered, "Destroy Buddhism."

Yu Wenliang couldn't help laughing, "How is this possible?"

"Your Majesty, do you want to emulate Liu Taozi?"

"How many people in the Great Zhou Dynasty believe in Buddhism? From top to bottom, I'm afraid it accounts for 70% to 80%?"

"Even if all the ministers, generals, common people, and soldiers present here believed in the teachings of the emperor, Your Majesty has only been on the throne for a short time, how could he do it?"

Yuwen Xian hesitated for a moment and said, "It's hard to say."

"Ok??"

Yu Wenliang looked at him in astonishment, "Do you really think you can do it?"

"Your Majesty is intelligent. He has just ascended the throne, but he has already gained the loyalty of many people. However, many people in the court still don't understand. Your Majesty is waiting for an opportunity. Let's wait and see."

As Yuwen Xian was speaking, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard from a distance.

Everyone around the platform immediately stopped talking.

The scene suddenly became extremely quiet.

Soon, Yuwen Yong walked down the stairs, followed by many soldiers.

Everyone hurriedly stood up and knelt down to greet him.

Yuwen Yong forced a smile, asked everyone to stand up, and then sat on a high platform in the north, from where he could overlook everyone present.

After he sat down, a handsome man hurried over and bowed to Yuwen Yong.

Yuwen Yong nodded slightly.

"Zhen Qing, you should record this debate carefully. I love Taoism and I don't want to miss such a wonderful debate. Remember?"

This man was Zhen Luan, the official of Sili, who came from a prominent family, the Zhen family of Zhongshan.

Zhen Luan was considered a top celebrity in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the most powerful mathematician, the most powerful calendarist, and the book he wrote was considered the best at the time. He had many works and was known as a great talent.

Zhen Luan nodded her head and said yes.

Yuwen Yong waved his hand, signaling the start of the debate between the two.

This was a debate conference convened by Emperor Yuwen Yong. It was said to be a debate on the order of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. In fact, it was just a debate between Taoists and monks.

Yuwen Yong's expression looked a little solemn.

The debate officially begins.

A Taoist priest quickly walked up to the platform and bowed to everyone, while a monk also walked up from the opposite side.

The two men were of similar age, and they greeted each other again, then sat down and began to debate.

The Taoist priest was called Zhang Bin. He had a long beard and a ruddy complexion, and he really looked like an immortal.

The monk sitting opposite him was called Zhixuan. He was dressed in simple clothes, patched up. It was unclear whether he was pretending or was just like that. After both parties sat down, Zhang Bin began to narrate his argument.

Zhang Bin certainly believed that Tao should be ranked first. He cited the origin of Tao as an example, believing that Tao came from Laozi and Zhuangzi, and was meant to encompass the world. Whether Confucianism or Buddhism, they all came from Tao. Tao is everything, and everything is Tao.

He quoted from classics and made clear points.

From the source to the meaning, it is clearly stated.

After he finished speaking, the monk Zhixuan began his rebuttal.

"What you just said is all nonsense. You just narrated some unfounded things and interpreted various religions based on your personal conjectures."

Zhixuan said seriously: "I think there is no difference between Buddhism and Taoism. The moral principles of the three religions are actually to persuade people to be good in order to bring peace to the world. It's just that Taoism has not made any achievements in this regard. The first Taoists bewitched the kings and made them pursue the unrealistic dream of immortality, despise the government, and cause unrest. Later Taoists began to confuse the people with evil words and caused many rebellions. At the end of the Jin Dynasty, Taoists made elixirs and scholars all liked metaphysics!"

"They spend all day talking about those false and unreal things like what you just said, and never talk about the present. They are scattered, hiding in the mountains and forests, avoiding the world, and are fond of making prophecies. Without prophecies, they can't make sense. They are muddle-headed and have made no achievements at all!"

"Over the past hundred years, Buddhism has absorbed the ideas of hundreds of schools of thought, read the classics, and produced many talented people, but you have only stuck to your own ways and borrowed the words of Confucianism and Buddhism to debate with Confucianism and Buddhism."

"If you ask me, there are only two religions at present: Confucianism and Buddhism. Taoism originated from Confucianism and was learned from Buddhism. It cannot be called a single religion."

Zhixuan spoke faster and faster, almost attributing all the turmoil of the past few hundred years to the other party.

Zhang Bin was furious and immediately retorted, "Buddhism has stolen so many Confucian and Taoist classics, how come it ends up being us who stole them?"

"If I were to say, there should only be Taoism and Confucianism. Your Buddhism is originally an outsider. Hu..."

Zhixuan narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhang Bin expectantly, waiting for him to say the next words. Zhang Bin realized it in time and changed his words: "Nonsense!"

If this involves the Hu people, it will be a big disaster.

Although Zhou's progress in sinicization was higher than Qi's in all aspects, the emperor was Xianbei after all, and the generals and many ministers were also Xianbei.

The previous one said that his emperor and nobles were all ministers of foreign barbarians, and the grass on the graves of the entire clan had turned into a forest.

Zhixuan focused on this point and kept chasing Zhang Bin, deliberately leading him in this direction.

Zhang Bin was sweating profusely. He couldn't lose, and he couldn't speak either.

Zhou used a very strange way of sinicization, which is called Xianbei-ization of sinicization.

There are not enough Xianbei people in the country. The Han people are rising, but we have to ensure that the country still belongs to the Xianbei people. What should we do?

Eh!
A man named Su Cho suddenly raised his finger, he had an idea.

Wouldn't it be fine if we just turned the Han people in our country into Xianbei people?
As a result, the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty began to frantically give the Han people Xianbei names. Yang Jian was called Pu Liuru Jian, and Li Yuan was called Daye Yuan.
As long as we change the name of the Han people, and change the name of the system and the policy, we are not being Hanized, we are being Xianbeiized!
The Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty took such a strange path of Xianbeiization. The longer it was Xianbeiized, the fewer Xianbei people there were. In the end, Xianbei language could not be used as military orders, and the Xianbei people could not understand it.
However, these are topics that cannot be discussed openly and should not be cited during debates.

Zhang Bin had a harder time speaking and was finally speechless. Zhixuan seized on his sore spot and attacked him madly, "Over the years, the Dao has always scolded us for being outsiders and saying that we are Hu. It has a hidden meaning. They have launched rebellions many times in this name. Is it so important to you where we come from? Wouldn't it be good for the world? So what if we are outsiders? The people you use are not outsiders. Do you still think that we are outsiders and don't belong to Zhou?"

Yuwen Yong sat in the upper seat with a dark face.

Seeing that Zhang Bin was unable to refute, he suddenly spoke.

"Is your Shi family very clean?!"

Zhixuan was stunned and looked at the emperor behind him in confusion.

Not only him, but the officials and generals also looked at the emperor, all of them were a little confused.

Yuwen Yong said angrily: "Stabilize the world?? You have never rebelled? In the previous dynasty, weren't you the ones executed for rebellion?!"

"Today, they are even more seizing farmland, paying interest, and forcing people into slavery. In this Great Zhou, there are millions of monks and nuns who occupy countless lands, do not pay taxes, and eat meat and drink blood. This is really outrageous!!"

"You guys are like this, and you still dare to say that others are wrong?!"

Zhixuan immediately stood up and looked at Yuwen Yong. His face was solemn. "Since this is a debate, why is Your Majesty defending his shortcomings?"

"If your majesty participates in person, would it still be considered a debate?"

Yuwen Yong stood up and left angrily.

As he walked towards the main hall, Yuwen Yong's face became worse and worse.

When he walked into the hall, the soldiers didn't dare to speak. They just lowered their heads, and they all felt the emperor's rage.

Yuwen Yong took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart.

He slowly sat down in the upper seat, with many documents placed on both sides.

Gao Jiong walked up quickly and said, "Your Majesty, don't be too anxious. These things are not so easy to handle. The Taoists are no match for the monks. We still need a suitable opportunity. Your Majesty was too impatient today and shouldn't have revealed your opinion so quickly."

Yuwen Yong looked at Gao Jiong standing beside him, and the anger on his face dissipated a lot.

"you are right."

"I was too reckless today."

"These days, things are not going well."

"The envoy sent to Duan Shao was unable to meet him and even failed to enter the city, and was nearly killed."

After Duan Shao broke his promise, Yuwen Yong sent envoys again, hoping that both sides could put aside their prejudices and work together to deal with Liu Taozi.

But Duan Shao was such a stubborn man that he had no intention of joining forces with the Zhou people. The Zhou people, Liu Taozi, and the Chen people were all his enemies, and he would never bow his head.

This gave Yuwen Yong a headache.

With Duan Shao's attitude, if I go to attack Liu Taozi in the future, will he attack me?
If I go to attack Duan Shao myself, will Liu Taozi help me?
The Chen people can't be easily trusted.
Gao Jiong looked at the somewhat irritable Yuwen Yong and whispered, "Speaking of this matter, I do have an idea."

"Oh?"

"what idea?"

"We shouldn't have looked for Duan Shao from the beginning. Your Majesty, what do you think of Dugu Yongye?"

Hearing Gao Jiong's question, Yuwen Yong was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Dugu Yongye is ambitious, but he, like Duan Shao, has fought with us before, I'm afraid it will be difficult..."

"His Majesty."

Gao Ying chuckled and took out a few documents from his arms and put them aside.

"These are the documents that the Internal Affairs Office has recently obtained. I have sorted them out briefly."

"After Dugu Yongye accepted Duan Shao and others, he began to interfere in the appointment and dismissal of officials. He appointed his trusted aides to the prefectures and counties that surrendered to him. If it was someone appointed by Duan Shao, he would come up with all kinds of ways to deal with him, even letting the person die, and then replace him with his own people."

"Duan Shao is leading Dugu Yongye's soldiers to the battle and has left Baibao to Dugu Yongye."

"Duan Shao must know Dugu Yongye's idea. He wants to subdue these elite troops under Dugu Yongye and then kill them."

Yuwen Yong frowned. "Dugu Yongye has been in Jinyong City for many years. He has his people everywhere. How could Duan Shao subdue them?"

"Duan Shao is good at winning battles. The more victories he wins, the faster these people will change their hearts."

"Duan Shao's prestige is already very high. Moreover, I think the probability of his victory in fighting against the southerners is also very high. If Dugu Yongye continues to let him stay at the front line, I am afraid that the soldiers will gradually begin to waver."

"Even if he won't follow Duan Shao to kill Dugu Yongye, as long as he wavers and fails to take action in time, Duan Shao will be able to kill Dugu Yongye."

Yuwen Yong thought for a moment, "What do you mean?"

"Duan Shao is our great enemy. He can indeed deal with Liu Taozi, but he will never give us an easy time. Dugu Yongye, on the other hand, can be won over. If we can help him get rid of Duan Shao, take control of Henan, and slowly divide and lure him, he will surely become a sharp knife in our hands. Perhaps one day, we can conquer the entire south of the river without attacking."

Yuwen Yong clenched his fists and fell into deep thought.

Gao Jiong said again: "Your Majesty can do more about this matter."

"Don't worry about it. I'll leave this matter to you. Find a way to contact Dugu Yongye, show your goodwill to him, and tell him about Duan Shao's situation. You can tell me anything you need. I will fully support you."

Gao Ying was somewhat moved and bowed his head in haste to express his gratitude.

Yuwen Yong gave him a few more instructions before sending him away.

As soon as Gao Jiong left, Yuwen Yong began to deal with the documents in his hands.

But before I could take a few glances, I heard a noise coming from outside.

Yuwen Yong was furious and quickly sent someone to inquire.

The guard came back soon to report.

"It was Duke Lu who wanted to see the Queen Mother."

Yuwen Yong was furious, "Go and bring that bastard in to me!!"

A moment later, two guards came into the hall with a child of about eight or nine years old.

This child was Yuwen Yong’s eldest son, Yuwen Yun.

Yuwen Yun looked at his father in horror, knelt on the ground in a hurry, and dared not speak.

ps: Sacrifice a new book and I will get 25,000 yuan.

"Tang Merits": Fu Zihou has three merits to the Tang Dynasty: merit in founding the country, merit in supporting the throne, and merit in serving the people!
(End of this chapter)