Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 456 Sincerity
In the square before the Buddha, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine monks chanted the "Dedication Verse" in unison:
"The waves of the Huai River have subsided, and millet and sorghum have been reborn; the soul of the weir has returned to its tomb, and the widows and orphans have closed their eyes in peace."

The smoke from Zhongli's cooking fires rises straight, while the boats at Xuyi sail lightly; the eight dragons return to protect this tranquil place…

Xiao Yan knelt devoutly before the hundred-foot-tall female Buddha statue, bowing his head as Zen Master Zhen Guan removed the traveling crown from his head and loosened his hair.

Her long, gray hair cascaded down, falling over the shoulders of the Liang emperor.

Zen Master Zhen Di then took a silver razor and held it close to Xiao Yan's forehead. The sharp blade, capable of cutting hair in an instant, shaved his scalp to the back of his neck, and his white hairs fluttered down, falling silently into the copper basin.

Before long, all three thousand strands of hair fell away, and Xiao Yan became bald.

It wasn't over yet. Zhen Di took the incense sticks offered by his disciple and branded twelve ordination scars on Xiao Yan's scalp.

Having received the highest Bhikkhu ordination, Xiao Yan donned a patched kasaya and thus became a Bhikkhu in Buddhism.

"Go and worship Buddha." Only then did Zhen Di step aside to let them pass.

Xiao Yan then prostrated himself with each step until he reached the foot of the Buddha statue, where he knelt for three days and three nights before finally hearing the Buddha speak.

"Impressed?"

"I'm convinced," Xiao Yan replied.

"Will you still launch a northern expedition without authorization?"

"No, thank you." Xiao Yan quickly shook his head and said, "This disciple will follow the Buddha's decrees from now on."

"Will it be changed?"

"It will be changed."

"How to change it?"

"Build three thousand Buddhist temples within Yangzhou within ten years," Xiao Yan then said.

“You have already wasted ten years, and you will not have another ten years to waste,” the Buddha said calmly.

"Five years," Xiao Yan then changed his answer.

"Three years." The Buddha said without room for doubt, "If you repair three thousand Buddhist temples within three years, I will forgive your past mistakes and appoint you as the Dharma King Bodhisattva, granting you eternal life and eternal bliss."

"Your disciple will obey the decree." Xiao Yan accepted the decree without hesitation.

“Very well. Since you have a repentant heart, I will bestow upon you the Dharma name ‘True Heart’,” the Buddha said slowly.

"Yes, disciple sincerely thanks Buddha for bestowing this title." Xiao Yan kowtowed again with utmost sincerity.

"Go then," the Buddha said, ending his conversation with Xiao Yan.

After Xiao Yan bowed and withdrew, Zhen Di approached the Buddha and respectfully asked, "Buddha, is he truly trustworthy?"

“That’s not important,” the Buddha said slowly. “What is important is that only he can ensure the completion of the three thousand temples on time.”

"Yes, he shouldn't delay any longer." Zhen Di nodded. Only Xiao Yan could manage to do it in such a short time.

"You must keep a close eye on the progress and not delay any further," the Buddha said solemnly.

"As you command." Truth replied respectfully, then asked, "Although Xiao Yan has agreed not to lead the army on a northern expedition, Chen Qingzhi has already captured Luoyang. If he takes advantage of this to grow stronger, won't things change again?" "It's alright, I will intervene if necessary," the Buddha said slowly.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” Truthful said with great joy, “Thank you, Buddha.”

The Buddha remained silent, seemingly dissatisfied with his performance.

"..." Zhen Di was drenched in sweat and kept kowtowing in apology.

~~
the other side.

After defeating Yuan Tianmu's army, Chen Qingzhi and the White Robe Army's fame spread far and wide along both banks of the Yellow River.

In order to protect themselves, many officials of the Northern Dynasties surrendered to Yuan Hao. In just one month, the entire area south of the Yellow River fell under Yuan Hao's Jianwu regime. Perhaps feeling that "chicken" was too vulgar, Yuan Hao changed the era name to "Jianwu" shortly after capturing Luoyang.

In addition, Xiao Baoyin, Mo Zhetiansheng and others seized control of Guanzhong, and Xing Gao launched an uprising in Shandong. At the most difficult time, the Northern Wei court only controlled Hebei and Shanxi.

Fortunately, Yuan Hao's reputation wasn't much better than Zhu Rong's...

For example, Prince Pei, Yuan Xin, originally wanted to pledge allegiance to Yuan Hao, so he asked his advisors for their opinions, saying, "Yuan Hao is a descendant of Emperor Xiaowen, and his rule as emperor can barely be considered stable. Now he has occupied the area south of the Yellow River, and his great cause is about to be accomplished. He has also sent people to recruit me. What do you think of my decision to serve him?"

The Han officials on either side earnestly advised, "Yuan Hao recognized a traitor as his father, let a wolf into the house, colluded with foreign powers, massacred cities and seized land, and nearly destroyed our country. Such a shameless traitor has never been heard of before, and he will certainly not have a good end!"

Yuan Xin found this very reasonable. Not only did he execute the envoy sent by Yuan Hao and abandon the idea of ​​surrender, he also persuaded the members of the imperial clan who were on good terms with him to temporarily follow Erzhu Rong's command, prioritize the overall situation, and jointly resist foreign aggression.

Emperor Yuan Ziyou shared the same view, and through their joint efforts, the Northern Wei court, which had originally harbored its own agendas, actually united in the face of crisis.

Moreover, Erzhu Rong was indeed formidable. He quelled Xing Gao's uprising in the shortest possible time and led his army back to Shanxi to prepare for battle against Chen Qingzhi.

However, intimidated by the reputation of the White Robe Army, he did not immediately send out troops. Instead, he patiently waited for the loyalist armies from various regions to take their positions, while simultaneously training the troops and firmly grasping military power in order to form combat effectiveness.

Yuan Hao in Luoyang, however, was completely oblivious to the changing situation. He was so engrossed in the flattery of those around him that he saw himself as the savior who could turn the tide and the rightful emperor whom everyone hoped for.

He indulged in drinking day and night with the Northern Wei imperial family members who had surrendered, neglecting matters of state and military affairs. He also readily believed slanderous words and arrested Erzhu's rebels throughout the city, often confiscating their property and exterminating their families, causing widespread panic and deeply disappointing the court and the public.

Chen Qingzhi was equally disappointed, but for the sake of the bigger picture, he could only patiently advise Yuan Hao not to be too happy too soon...

"Your Majesty, although we have occupied Luoyang, Hebei and Guanzhong have not yet submitted, and Erzhu Rong's strength is ten times that of our army. Intelligence reports that he has quelled Xing Gao's rebellion and is leading his army back. He will surely concentrate all his forces to attack us soon. If we do not make plans in advance, how can we defend ourselves?"

"Ah, with Attendant Chen here, what is Erzhu Rong? He's just another defeated general of the White Robe Army." Yuan Hao, still hungover, sat on the throne, his body swaying.

“Erzhu Rong was able to defeat Ge Rong’s million-strong army with only seven thousand cavalry. Moreover, he has become a god and has also discovered our strengths and weaknesses. We must not be careless when fighting him!” Chen Qingzhi said earnestly.

"Didn't the Grand Councilor request His Majesty to send a large army to reinforce us?" Yuan Hao asked with a smile.

"..." Chen Qingzhi already knew what had happened in Jiankang, but he couldn't tell Yuan Hao directly, so he could only sigh and say, "Reinforcements won't come so quickly, we still have to rely on ourselves."

"My troops can all be under the command of the Attendant-in-Ordinary," Yuan Hao said. "If that's not enough, I'll conscript more for you."

Chen Qingzhi thought to himself, "Wouldn't using your troops be a death sentence for me?" He shook his head and said, "I am a southerner and cannot command northerners. Please, Your Majesty, issue an order to the surrendered prefectures that if there are any southerners who were previously captured by the Northern Dynasty, they must all be escorted to Luoyang."

“Yes, let’s do as the Chamberlain says…” Yuan Hao responded. After Chen Qingzhi left, his younger brother Yuan Xu said, “We don’t need to listen to him. Over the years, there have been at least 80,000 to 100,000 Southerners who have fled to our dynasty. If we bring them all to Luoyang, wouldn’t that be outrageous?”

“That’s right.” Yuan Hao agreed wholeheartedly and ignored Chen Qingzhi’s words.

(End of this chapter)