Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 264 Reinforced Cement
Zhang Tianshi is their Celestial Master!
Their leader!

Their hearts are definitely with them.

Even if the discussions over there were absurd, they wouldn't be this outrageous.

It's impossible for the imperial court to simply do whatever it says without considering their own interests.

If that's the case, many things will become difficult to handle.

Many things are hard to say.

Based on their understanding of Zhang Tianshi and his attitude in this matter, they knew that the imperial court would definitely provide substantial compensation from other aspects, as it would not simply allow them to suffer losses.

Under the eager gaze of everyone, Zhang Yuchu spoke again.

"During the upcoming land survey by the imperial court, no one may obstruct the court, nor may anyone secretly incite the people to resist the land survey or cause trouble."

Moreover, the Taoist temples in each region were also responsible for assisting the imperial court in surveying and measuring the land in their respective villages and areas.

"Reassure the locals and prevent anyone from causing trouble..."

what? !

Those who were waiting for Zhang Tianshi to say some good news were stunned when they heard this.

The expressions on their faces were priceless.

It was like seeing a ghost.

The pot exploded with a loud bang.

What did Zhang Tianshi say? Was he half asleep? Was he not thinking clearly? Or what?
How utterly despicable!

He became a lackey of the imperial court!

How could he do such a thing?
The imperial court is already trying to bully them to death, not only taking away all their land under the guise of land surveying.

They also need to relocate a large number of people without ordination certificates.

That's bad enough, but they're not even allowed to resist?
No resistance of any kind!

That's not all; they're even being asked to assist the imperial court in surveying their own land!
What... what is Zhang Tianshi talking about?

Is this something a person can say?
"Master, this... hasn't the imperial court offered us any compensation? Are they just going to make us do all this with such empty promises?"

The Taoist priest surnamed Liu from Qingyun Temple spoke up, looking directly at Zhang Tianshi and asking a question.

His attitude toward Zhang Yuchu, the Celestial Master, was no longer as respectful as before.

Zhang Tianshi's actions were completely unexpected, which gave him a very different opinion of Zhang Tianshi.

I think Zhang Tianshi is unworthy of being called Tianshi!

After the Taoist priest surnamed Liu asked this question, the other Taoist priests also fell silent. They turned their gazes to Zhang Tianshi, waiting for him to give them a reasonable explanation.

Even at this point, many people still believe that Zhang Tianshi has some things he hasn't said.

They felt that the imperial court must have proposed some other conditions to provide them with corresponding compensation.

Otherwise, given Zhang Tianshi's status and position, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to accept such outrageous conditions proposed by the imperial court.

Isn't this driving them to their deaths?

Isn't the goal to cut off their livelihood?
As their leader, and as the Taoist master who benefits the most and holds the most power, Zhang Tianshi should be far more concerned about this matter than ordinary people like them.

Zhang Yuchu sighed, shook his head, and said, "There is no compensation whatsoever."

Boom!
It was as if a thunderclap had suddenly exploded, leaving everyone present stunned and frozen in place.

The reactions from the crowd were quite remarkable.

They were all completely stunned by what he said.

There was... absolutely no compensation?
They just accepted it like that?

Is this what Zhang Yuchu, as a Taoist master, should do?
No... what is he thinking? What does he want to do?
"Real person...why is this happening?"
How could you accept such conditions?
That's not what you said when you went there before!
This...this is digging up the very roots of Taoism! Such conditions are unacceptable!

Once accepted, our Taoist school will inevitably suffer a severe decline and fall from grace!
We can no longer maintain our current status!

Someone got anxious, stood up, faced Zhang Tianshi directly, and asked with concern and anxiety.

"Master, what exactly is going on? Is this... is it that the imperial court has used some means to threaten you?"

"Celestial Master, we cannot agree to these conditions!"

Zhang Yuchu took in everyone's reactions and couldn't help but sigh again.

He gestured for everyone to quiet down and said, "Of course I didn't want to agree to this either, and I've had many arguments with Wu Yin about it."

However, the other side was unreasonable, carrying imperial power and great influence, and came with a large army.

This clearly states that there will be no compromise on this matter.

Everything must be done in accordance with what the imperial court has announced.

All land must be surveyed. Apart from the land granted by the current emperor, all land owned by Taoist temples must be surveyed.

Ordination certificates must also be strictly investigated.

These are things the imperial court must do; there is no room for negotiation.

He made it clear to me that if we disagreed, he would send people to destroy the mountain and the temple without leaving any room for negotiation!
This man is a complete madman; he said he never intended to leave Jiangxi alive!

After hearing what Zhang Yuchu said, everyone became indignant.

"Celestial Master! Don't listen to Wu Yin's nonsense!"
Do you really think everyone here is made of mud?
Is he someone who can bully and humiliate at will?
In Jiangxi, no matter who you are, you have to show some respect to us Taoists!

Who does that bald monk Wu Yin think he is, to be so arrogant and grateful?

As soon as he said this, many people chimed in, agreeing that he was right.

He also became extremely annoyed with Wu Yin.

Some even suggested a fight to the death...

After everyone had vented their emotions for a while, Zhang Yuchu reached out again to quiet them down.

Looking at everyone, he shook his head: "I also want to do that, but when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head."

Wu Yin said that next, the land survey would be carried out. No matter which township the survey was conducted in, no matter who was causing trouble or obstructing the land survey, he would not care about the reasons or ask who was right or wrong.

If anyone causes trouble and obstructs the land survey, the Taoist priest of that village temple will be killed.

That's why I told you not to resist the government's land reclamation campaign when it comes to clearing land. Instead, various Taoist temples should send people and resources to spread the government's policies to the people.

This is why the people were asked not to cause trouble and to cooperate with the court so that the land could be surveyed smoothly.

I've clashed with Wu Yin for a long time and know he's no pushover.

If he says it, he will definitely do it.

The current emperor is also not one to be merciful.

Wu Yin's arrogance and domineering attitude must have been at Wu Yin's behest.

"You can't fight city hall, so gentlemen, just swallow your pride and do it this way for now..."

"The current situation is no longer about Dutian."

It's clear that the imperial court wants to use this incident to target our Taoist sect.

In this situation, what we can do is not engage in a frantic confrontation with them.

Instead, we should try our best to preserve our foundation and prevent them from having the opportunity to wipe us out!
If we insist on resisting him and he indiscriminately slaughters people here, it will be a huge blow to our Taoist sect!
Gentlemen, do not think about actually confronting the imperial court head-on.

Even if we all joined forces, we still couldn't defeat the imperial court!
This is the same person who wiped out Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng, and many others, drove out the Yuan Dynasty, and utterly annihilated them.

So many of them were no match for us in a direct confrontation; they were all wiped out, not to mention that we weren't exactly a strong army to begin with.

He is merely a cultivator.

If we really anger the emperor, and all the armies come to our aid, how much of a chance do we have of winning?

They are all destined to die!
Even the Taoist tradition will be destroyed!
Don't think you can get so many believers to risk their lives for us. Donating money and goods on ordinary days is fine, but if it comes to fighting against the imperial court, apart from a small minority, most people are unlikely to actually follow us.

Not to mention, the imperial court has already publicized its plan to survey and register all the land, saying that the cleared land will be distributed to landless people nearby for cultivation.

In this situation, many believers are even less likely to follow us in the fight.

If we are unaware of the true situation and actually go against the imperial court, there will be no other possibility but death.

Circumstances are beyond human control. Looking ahead, was Buddhism strong enough during the time of its persecution?

Which emperor who suppressed Buddhism had the same majesty as the current emperor, or the same ruthless methods?
In this situation, the Buddhist community still only had its fields cleared and its gates destroyed!
We must not ignore the lessons of the past!
I will tell you this right here.

At this point, don't have too many unrealistic expectations.

Just one word: Endure!

A moment of patience brings peace; whether it's money or land, they are all external possessions.

Only the path we cultivate is the most fundamental.

As long as the Tao exists, as long as my Taoist school remains, then Taoism will not be destroyed.

It can be rebuilt, and what is lost can be regained.

From this day forward, Longhu Mountain and all the Taoist temples below it shall obey my orders.

We will fully cooperate with the imperial court to conduct a thorough survey of the land!
No one, no Taoist temple, is allowed to resist!
Regarding the ordination certificate, we must cooperate.

I've already stated this beforehand: if anyone from any region causes problems due to non-cooperation, they will no longer be under the protection of Longhu Mountain!

As he continued, Zhang Yuchu's face hardened, and he adopted the authority befitting a Celestial Master.

Upon hearing Zhang Tianshi's words, those who were still unwilling to give up and wanted to say something more to try and salvage the situation could only shut their mouths in the end.

Then he bowed to Zhang Yuchu to show his obedience.

After saying a few more words, Zhang Yuchu returned to his residence. Once no one was around, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

I rubbed my face vigorously with my hands, feeling utterly exhausted and mentally drained.

He knew that after this incident, his Zhang family of Longhu Mountain, as well as his own prestige, would be greatly affected and diminished.

He also knew that many of those who agreed with him after hearing his words would secretly harbor resentment.

There will definitely be some people who outwardly comply but inwardly defy.

But things had already come to this point, and he couldn't care less about anything else.

It's far better to suffer some damage to one's land and prestige than to have the imperial court lead troops to break down the mountain gate.

As for those who don't believe him and outwardly comply but inwardly disagree, there's nothing he can do about that.

Everyone has their own destiny; let them be!

As Wu Yin said, only a few people suffered serious injuries, had their heads chopped off, and had their mountain gates breached.

Only after everything was taken away by the imperial court did some others realize just how brilliant their decision had been!

Only then can one understand the painstaking efforts of one's own role as a celestial master.

……

On the second day, Zhang Tianshi issued a decree to the numerous Taoist temples under the jurisdiction of Longhu Mountain, ordering them to cooperate with the imperial court in surveying land and verifying ordination certificates.

At the same time, people from Longhu Mountain were sent down the mountain to explain to the people the purpose of the imperial court's land survey.

And how much benefit these many ordinary people will receive from this matter.

Explain all of this clearly...

……

Wu Yin had been observing the actions on Longhu Mountain at all times, and upon learning of this news, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

Zhang Yuchu made a wise choice; otherwise, he would have done what he said he would do and destroyed the mountain and the temple!
At the same time, there is some regret. Why is Zhang Yuchu so obedient?

If things really get tough, leading my men to storm Longhu Mountain would be quite a spectacle.

However, he did not let his guard down because of this.

Zhang Yuchu has already secretly ordered his troops to make preparations. He made a wise choice at Longhu Mountain, but that doesn't mean everyone else will make the same wise choice.

He had seen too many cases of people dying for money and birds dying for food.

There are many people in Buddhism who are not pure in their six senses, and people in Taoism are not much better.

There are genuine practitioners, but there are also many fake practitioners who are obsessed with money and blinded by greed.

Even though everything has been made so clear, even though it was Zhang Yuchu, the Celestial Master, who issued the decree and said all this.

But some things are not so easy to handle either.

There will definitely be some people who are courting death.

At that point, they started killing people by breaking down mountains and felling temples!

If no one is killed and no blood is shed, there will always be people who take chances.

There will always be people with different ideas.

……

"Senior brother! Senior brother! What did the Master say?"

At Qingyun Temple, the younger Taoist priests rushed to greet their returning senior brother.

He was filled with joy and ease.

He's been having a tough time dealing with things these past few days.

Now that his senior brother has returned, he has a pillar of support.

My senior brother has returned from Longhu Mountain, and the Master must have given an explanation or statement about this.

Then there's nothing to worry about anymore.

"Don't talk about Taoist masters! We don't have any Taoist masters here anymore!"

The young Taoist priest was taken aback upon hearing this.

No... what kind of talk is this from my own senior brother?

What do you mean by "there are no more Taoist masters"?
Senior brother, haven't you always been very respectful to the Celestial Master?

How could you say something like that now?

"Celestial Master? Have you ever met a Celestial Master who wants us to give all our land to the imperial court, to have the court take all the land surveyed, and not to allow us to resist, and even to assist the imperial court in taking all the land surveyed?"

Even ordination certificates will be investigated!

what? !

The young Taoist priest froze.

After listening to the elderly Taoist priest recount everything in detail, he was momentarily stunned.

"Senior brother, what... what should we do here?"

He asked the question with some hesitation and panic.

"What can be done?"

The man surnamed Liu took a deep breath: "Of course, it's about protecting our land!"

……

Inside the Wuying Hall in Yingtian City, Zhu Yuanzhang wore a broad smile.

The reason he was so happy was because he had received something exceptionally good from here.

This stuff is none other than cement!!!
(End of this chapter)