Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 394 Chai Rong Seeks Buddha
"The Tang army is incapable of fighting and is utterly weak."

Outside Shouzhou City, a triumphant Chai Rong exclaimed with great enthusiasm, "If this is the case, we will surely conquer Jinling City within the year and capture Li Jing before our very tent!"

The generals inside the tent bowed and congratulated His Majesty on his glorious military achievements.

Since the start of the campaign, Chai Rong has led his army to victory after victory, conquering all before them.

They traveled all the way down to Chuzhou, Yangzhou, Taizhou, Guangzhou, Shuzhou and other places.

Now the enemy is at the gates of Shouzhou.

Once we take this place, the road ahead leads directly to the banks of the Yangtze River, which will be a smooth thoroughfare.

And across the river lies the city of Jinling!

Such a brilliant victory greatly enhanced Chai Rong's prestige, and he had already overshadowed Lin Dao, who had conquered the Shu Kingdom.

If this battle can intimidate Jinling City and destroy the Southern Tang Dynasty.

Then Chai Rong would surely be able to unify the world and rebuild China.

The generals in the tent each had their own thoughts, but on the surface they appeared respectful and obedient.

The Imperial Guard was reorganized, with the Palace Guard mainly composed of new recruits, but Lin Dao led them to conquer Shu.

Chai Rong, unable to wait for the Palace Guard to return and regroup before sending out troops, brought the Imperial Guard to attack the Southern Tang.

The Imperial Guard was essentially a collection of troops from various regional military commands, all of whom were stuffed into this large basket.

These military generals, having experienced the baptism of war, were not fools.

They naturally understood Chai Rong's exclusion and suppression.

If Chai Rong were to actually seize the throne, they would be lucky if they could just go home and eat rice.

By the way, Chai Rong also banned Buddhism, so there was nowhere to burn incense.

After the banquet, Chai Rong returned to his tent.

Empress Fu, who was traveling with the army, stepped forward to help him undress and wash up.

"Your Majesty~"

While wringing out the towel, Empress Fu noticed bloodstains on it and exclaimed in shock, "This—!"

"It doesn't matter."

Chai Rong waved his hand, "It's just because of the hot weather, I'm just feeling a bit feverish."

"Your Majesty," Empress Fu stepped forward to persuade, "the heat is unbearable these days."

"Why not retreat first and wait for a better opportunity?"

"Hmph." Chai Rong glared at her. "What do women know? Don't talk nonsense."

"Your Majesty," Empress Fu advised again, "most of the soldiers in the army are from the north, and they are not tolerant of the summer heat."

"The further south you go, the hotter the summer heat becomes."

"The soldiers in the army are likely to have many complaints; it would be better to wait until autumn to come."

"Stop talking!"

Chai Rong stood up abruptly, his voice laced with anger, "You woman don't understand anything, so don't say anything."

"The army is now advancing with unstoppable momentum, winning battle after battle."

"This is the perfect time to capitalize on the momentum and expand our gains."

"I am determined to destroy the Tang Dynasty, and no one should try to dissuade me!"

Chai Rong was not an arrogant person; his decisiveness was influenced by the external environment.

Historically, when Chai Rong attacked the Northern Han, he besieged Jinyang but failed to capture the city and had to retreat.

When they attacked the Shu Kingdom, they failed to penetrate into the Shu territory of Hanzhong, and only managed to seize a few prefectures.

However, due to the intervention of the forest road, the course of history has changed dramatically.

Chai Rong personally led the army and annihilated the Northern Han in one battle.

He sent Lin Dao to train troops, and as a result, he destroyed the Shu Kingdom in one battle.

Now, with the emperor personally leading the expedition once again, the momentum is unstoppable.

In this situation, anyone would have an inexplicable confidence in their own abilities.

They wouldn't just think about seizing a portion of the territory; they would all aim to destroy the country in one war.

Chai Rong was determined to surpass Lin Dao in prestige, and destroying the Southern Tang was something he had to do, something he was confident he could succeed at.

Sniffling his feverish nose, Chai Rong simply left the rear tent and went to the side tent.

"Kuangyi".

Chai Rong instructed Zhao Er, who was in charge of commanding the Imperial Guards, to "bring the Bright Moon Pearl."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Er was immediately overjoyed.

He ran to fetch a beautiful box.

Once opened, a soft, yellowish light illuminated the tent.

The emperor and his minister sat facing each other before the Bright Moon Pearl, carefully examining the precious pearl.

Seeing Chai Rong reach out and take the Bright Moon Pearl in his hand to play with it, Zhao Er's eyes were full of envy.

"His Majesty."

Zhao Er suggested, "This object is so magical that it might be a treasure lost from the heavens."

"This light must be divine light from the heavens."

His eyes flickered. "If one grinds it into powder and ingests it, I wonder if it would be possible to attain immortality?"

These words also made Chai Rong interested.

But he is still young, and it's not yet time for him to seek immortality through alchemy.

He shook his head, holding up the Bright Moon Pearl to examine it. "Such a treasure should not be easily damaged~ Huh? You're getting a nosebleed too?"

Seeing that Zhao Er across from him was also bleeding from his nose, Chai Rong was slightly surprised, "So angry?"

"This~"

Zhao Er chuckled twice, "Dry weather, dry weather~"

"You," Chai Rong said with a smile, "your wife has been gone for many days, it's time to consider remarrying."

"How about this, when we return to Bianliang City, I will personally arrange for Fu Sanniang to marry you."

Fu San Niang's two older sisters married Chai Rong and Lin Dao respectively.

If he were to marry Fu San Niang as his second wife, he would become brothers-in-law with these two.

There is no doubt that His Majesty is trying to win him over.

Zhao Er was overjoyed and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!"

He was overjoyed, knowing he was finally about to reach the very top.

Overcome with excitement, the nosebleed became even more profuse.

"What's wrong with you?" Chai Rong frowned, about to speak, when he noticed a warm sensation between his mouth and nose.

He subconsciously raised his hand to wipe it, and his hand was covered in bright red blood.

The imperial physician accompanying the army was summoned. After examining the patient, he only said that the patient was physically weak and prescribed some nourishing medicine.

The problem was that it had absolutely no effect. Their condition gradually worsened, with symptoms including dizziness, tinnitus, and palpitations.

Many people advised Chai Rong to withdraw his troops, after all, health is the most important thing.

But Chai Rong couldn't bear to give up the current favorable situation.

He stubbornly continued the siege until the Southern Tang reinforcements arrived.

Chai Rong planned to defeat the Southern Tang reinforcements and then persuade Shouzhou City to surrender.

They then quickly headed south, heading straight for Nanjing.

If we can intimidate the Southern Tang into surrendering, that would be best. If not, we can retreat northwards.

After all, the Later Zhou navy was ineffective, and if the Southern Tang was determined to resist, it would be difficult for them to cross the river.

He was determined to take over at least the entire Jiangbei region.

As his dizziness worsened and medicine proved ineffective, Chai Rong resolved to seek divine intervention.

He took Zhao Er and the others to the nearby Yuanguang Temple to burn incense and pray to Buddha for protection.

"His Majesty."

Empress Fu advised him not to go, saying, "His Majesty has banned Buddhism, and Buddhist sects throughout the land are full of complaints."

"Going to a Buddhist temple while on the front lines seems inappropriate."

"The Buddhist sect is cowardly." Chai Rong, whose health was deteriorating, was furious. He waved his hand forcefully, "I have a large army protecting me, what do I have to fear?"

Having said that, he ignored the Empress's advice and left.

He was in great pain, and with medicine proving ineffective, he hoped that the gods and Buddhas would bless him and help him recover.

In this situation, no amount of persuasion will help.

Moreover, Yuanguang Temple was located behind the army, and Chai Rong was accompanied by his personal guards, so there was no danger.

They arrived at Yuanguang Temple, where the abbot warmly received Chai Rong.

Zhao Er had arrived early and had already thoroughly searched the temple inside and out, finding no danger.

He also imprisoned all the monks except the abbot.

Inside and outside Yuanguang Temple, there were soldiers from the Imperial Guard.

"His Majesty."

After praying to Buddha, Chai Rong told the abbot about his poor health and hoped for divine protection.

After a moment's thought, the host stated, "If one wishes to extend one's lifespan, one should do so with utmost sincerity."

“If one’s heart is not sincere, Buddha will not respond.”

Chai Rong nodded, "I am willing to donate 10,000 strings of cash for incense oil."

The kind-faced abbot smiled upon hearing this, "Your Majesty, the Buddha is all-powerful; how could he possibly care about worldly wealth?"

Chai Rong then asked, "Then what constitutes sincerity?"

"Your Majesty may copy a Buddhist scripture by hand," the abbot replied gently. "Then burn it in front of the Buddha statue."

"Only in this way can we receive a response from the Buddha."

Chai Rong seemed slightly uneasy.

Copying Buddhist scriptures takes a long time, and you might have to spend the night in the temple if you're not careful.

The Southern Tang reinforcements have arrived, and the battle will begin in the next few days, so his time is very precious.

The host noticed Chai Rong's hesitation.

He chanted a Buddhist prayer, saying, "If this is not done, and sincerity is not shown, then Your Majesty's visit would be of no use."

"Ok."

Feeling the discomfort in his body, Chai Rong decided to give it his all this time.

He ordered someone to bring him writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and then sincerely copied Buddhist scriptures in the quiet hall of the temple.

He wrote until it got dark.

After the Buddhist scriptures were burned in front of the Buddha statue, the abbot spoke again.

"Your Majesty, our sincerity has been presented to the Buddha."

"We will stay overnight at this temple, awaiting the Buddha's response."

Sensing something was amiss, Chai Rong instinctively wanted to refuse and returned to the military camp.

But the abbot said, "Your Majesty will dream in the Jing Palace and receive the Buddha's light, only then will your serious illness be cured."

After a moment's deliberation, Chai Rong finally agreed.

After dinner, Chai Rong, feeling unwell, rested in the Jingdian Palace with the Bright Moon Pearl in his pocket.

He soon fell into a dream, waiting for Buddha to heal him in the dream.

After an unknown amount of time, Chai Rong was awakened from his sleep by the noise.

He suddenly stood up and was shocked to see flames shooting into the sky and shouts of battle rising from outside the Jing Palace.

The palace doors were suddenly flung open, and a flustered Zhao Er scrambled in.

"His Majesty!"

"It's the Tang army! The Tang army is attacking!!"

Chai Rong was taken aback at first, then angrily retorted, "That's impossible!"

"How could the Tang army have bypassed the frontline troops and come here!"

"How did he know I was here?"

In an instant, as if lightning had flashed through Chai Rong's mind, he understood some things.

The military generals knew that he had come to the temple to pray to Buddha.

The previous host kept making various excuses, insisting on leaving his mark.

The Tang army silently crossed the front line and appeared at Yuanguang Temple to launch a surprise attack.

Everything connects to form a storyline.

"traitor!!"

Among the generals, some have betrayed him!

Upon learning that they were to come to Yuanguang Temple, they secretly contacted the temple and the Southern Tang reinforcements.

The temple stayed behind, and the traitor withdrew his defenses, allowing the Southern Tang army to attack.

"hateful!"

Chai Rong flew into a rage and stood up, shouting, "Bring me my knife!"

This place is not far from Zhou Jun's camp, and the temple is not large. Chai Rong only brought a thousand or so imperial guards.

In order to ensure a decisive victory, the Tang army on the other side selected several thousand elite troops for a surprise attack.

The monks in the temple even set fire to the temple, causing great losses and chaos to the imperial guards.

Unable to resist, Chai Rong could only desperately rush towards the main camp under the protection of the remaining imperial guards.

After fighting their way through the enemy lines, when they were only two or three miles away from the main camp, they were astonished to see flames shooting into the sky from the camp in the distance!

(End of this chapter)