Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 388 Jia Xu Also Takes an Adventure

Jia Xu was somewhat puzzled, not understanding why Liu Bei was so strict with the Buddhist sect.

But since Liu Bei had made his decision, Jia Xu would not try to dissuade him further.

Liu Bei immediately dispatched Tian Yu to support Zhang Fei, and then began to assemble troops from the official settlements, and mobilized a large number of oxcarts and horse-drawn carts from the official settlements to quickly move the army to Xiapi.

In the past few days, a lot of news has come from various places, as last year's bidding orders are being settled one after another, and news from various supervisory bodies is also being sent back to Linzi.

Last year's tender order was for a one-year term, appointing local gangsters as inspectors, temporarily stationed in counties to monitor the population and land growth of other counties.

The inspector assigned to Xiapi was Zu Lang from Danyang, but Zu Lang did not send back any information.

However, some people from other prefectures were also monitoring Xiapi. Chen Jian, Lei Xu, and others spread a rather vague message that the fields in Xiapi and Guangling prefectures showed signs of being abandoned after the autumn harvest, but that was all.

In other words, the number of registered households and the amount of farmland have not decreased, and this year's autumn harvest was normal. The signs of neglect only appeared after the autumn harvest.

At the same time, Zulang is mostly unreliable.

Two days later, just as Liu Bei's troops had finished assembling, another important military report reached Jia Xu.

This military report came from Longxi; it was intelligence brought back from afar by a ghost soldier who had originally infiltrated Dong Zhuo's camp.

The returning soldiers were originally in Li Jue's army and knew quite a lot about the situation.

After Yuan Shu left Nanyang, Sun Jian's isolated army was no match for Dong Zhuo. He retreated to Nanyang, looted extensively, and then withdrew to Jiangxia.

Dong Zhuo allowed Zhang Ji to occupy Nanyang, but then immediately withdrew his troops and headed to Longxi.

Because Dong Zhuo also encountered a lot of trouble—not only on Liu Bei's side, but other forces were also experiencing problems, and even more problems than on Liu Bei's side.

At the beginning of the year, Ma Teng proposed marriage to Dong Zhuo, intending to have his eldest son, Ma Tie, marry Dong Bai.

It wasn't Ma Chao. Ma Chao was an illegitimate son with a low family status. Moreover, Ma Chao had already married two years ago, to the daughter of the powerful Yang family in Longshang.

Dong Bai was Dong Zhuo's favorite, and given Dong Zhuo's current status, he certainly didn't care about the Ma Teng family. Therefore, Dong Zhuo completely ignored him, especially since he was at war with Yuan Shu at the time.

As a result, Ma Teng waited for a long time without receiving a response, and felt insulted, which made him somewhat resentful of Dong Zhuo.

Furthermore, Han Sui and Li Jue already had a feud, and Dong Zhuo even ordered them to pay taxes...

So Ma Teng contacted his distant relative, Ma Yu, and asked Ma Yu to contact Zhong Shao, Liu Fan, Du Bing, and others in Luoyang. They planned to take advantage of Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shu's battle in Nanyang to assassinate Dong Zhuo from the inside and kidnap Dong Bai.

However, Li Ru soon discovered this, and as soon as Ma Teng sent troops to Fufeng, Ma Yu and others' conspiracy was exposed.

After escaping Luoyang, Ma Yu and others attempted to join Ma Teng in attacking Mei County and kidnapping Dong Zhuo's family.

Li Jue dispatched Fan Chou, his nephew Li Li, and others to meet the attack. Mei County was not captured, and Ma Teng and Han Sui were defeated again and fled to Liangzhou. Ma Yu and others were all killed.

After Ma Teng and Han Sui retreated to Jincheng, Li Jue originally wanted to pursue them—he wanted to eliminate Han Sui.

However, Han Sui ordered his men to dig up the mountain and dump rocks, which directly destroyed the Nan'an Longdao road, and the road north to Jincheng County was completely blocked by the landslide.

So Li Jue detoured to Longxi, but encountered a special situation there...

“Song Jian, a native of Fuhan in Longxi, called himself the King of Pinghan at the head of the river. He established a kingdom in Fuhan, changed the era name, and set up a hundred officials.”

The reports from the underworld soldiers were extremely detailed, which was their duty; they had to report any unusual situations.

"All the officials appointed by them were monks, and all matters, large and small, were decided by the monks. They recruited followers under the name of 'Buddhist protectors,' built temples as government offices, and carried out mass killings and extortion under the pretext of 'eliminating heretical views.'"

"Song Jian himself also called himself a Living Buddha, spreading the belief of the Living Buddha's reincarnation among the Qiang and Di people. He instructed the Qiang and Di to send their wives to his royal palace when they got married, saying that if they received the Living Buddha's guidance, they could conceive his reincarnation... He also claimed to be immortal and to have countless incarnations..."

Song Jian was one of the warlords who had previously joined Bian Zhang's uprising in Liangzhou. He was a member of a powerful clan in Longxi.

When Dong Zhuo pacified Longxi, Song Jian had already expressed his willingness to serve Dong Zhuo.

After that, Dong Zhuo left Longxi and moved his family to Mei County, thus shifting his sphere of influence to the Three Auxiliary Regions and the Three Rivers.

After not keeping an eye on Longxi for several years, Song Jian ended up setting up a Buddhist kingdom there.

Liangzhou was closer to the Western Regions and thus received more foreign cultural influences; Buddhism was not unfamiliar to Liangzhou.

However, Song Jian's method is indeed a bit too advanced...

This is different from the Futu religion created by Zuo Rong, because it targets a different user group.

He called himself the "King of Pinghan" and claimed to be a living Buddha, which was specifically aimed at the Qiang, Di, and Western Yi peoples.

"Ping Han" does not mean pacifying the Han Dynasty, but rather means being on par with the Han Dynasty...

The so-called reincarnation of a living Buddha, enlightening women, is clearly an attempt to exercise the right of first night.

The idea of ​​incarnating into thousands of forms was, of course, to prevent assassination attempts.

This approach is familiar to modern people, but it was quite novel for people in the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei pressed further, "Didn't Dong Zhongying attack Fuhan? Longxi is his hometown; surely he wouldn't allow the people of his hometown to be mistreated?"

"General Dong personally led a large army to Longxi, but the Longxi road was blocked. With the help of Han Sui, Ma Teng and others, Song Jian was unable to enter Longxi."

The underworld soldier bowed and finished his report.

Jia Xu and Liu Bei looked at each other in bewilderment.

"No wonder the lord wanted to destroy Buddhism..."

Jia Xu sighed.

"The Way of Peace was considered a heretical sect because of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and many people's faith collapsed. Naturally, new sects would fill the void. The Yuezhi spread Buddhism everywhere, and they never had good intentions..."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "This Buddhist sect is a fickle and unpredictable evil. Its so-called extermination of heretical views means that all those who do not believe in Buddhism are heretics. Its followers can be killed and robbed... all killing and robbing are considered 'protecting the Dharma'. The so-called living Buddhas are even more ruthless, taking whatever they want from the people, cruelly and ignorantly, leaving endless harm. Such an evil sect cannot be allowed to exist in the world."

Liu Bei was extremely strict with religion because it was a volatile and ever-present force that could have a lasting negative impact for a thousand years once it took root.

The Buddhist sect and the Huang-Lao sect are fundamentally different.

The Han Chinese Taoist school of the Huang-Lao lineage inherited the ideas of tranquility, non-action, and following the natural way, advocating self-cultivation and enabling people to obtain their own "Tao" by starting from themselves.

This is a self-cultivation philosophy passed down from ancient times. It is not about pursuing immortality, but about pursuing the eternal existence of will. The true meaning of longevity is to ensure that achievements and thoughts continue to exist.

Like those great ancestors, to establish unparalleled achievements, benefiting future generations and ensuring that one's thoughts and spirit live on forever, is called "immortality".

Finding a way to benefit more people—that is the Way.

Spiritual practice is about enabling oneself to "preach" and spread one's own teachings.

If one does not possess the ability to preach, then one should cultivate oneself, refrain from interfering with others, and avoid causing trouble for society; this is non-action.

The most familiar saying, "The highest good is like water, which benefits all things without striving," also reflects the idea of ​​mutual benefit—it not only means that water nourishes all things, but also that all things need water, and water does not need to compete for it.

Besides discussing morality, the Tao Te Ching also talks about self-cultivation, advocating that people cultivate themselves, start from themselves, and make themselves indispensable—and then they will naturally have their own Tao.

Therefore, Confucian culture, which absorbed Taoist thinking, also embodies the mindset of establishing merit, words, and virtue.

Branches such as the Way of Great Peace and the Way of Five Pecks of Rice have all altered the original meaning of Taoism for their own purposes, but they still retain the basic logic of self-cultivation, seeking the Tao, and spreading the Tao.

Most branches of Taoism advocate mutual benefit and emphasize self-cultivation, believing that no matter what others do, one should at least take care of oneself first.

Of course, there are times when it is exploited, and there are times when it is used to brainwash people for personal gain, but at least the core of the doctrine is not for brainwashing, and it is basically about enabling people to think for themselves.

But Buddhism is different.

The cult was created for brainwashing and selection.

They screen believers and further force them to relinquish their ability to think independently.

Although it also follows the Han culture's idea that one should seek rewards in the next life and that one's life in this life is not important, then of course there is no need for spiritual practice.

Buddhist followers do not pursue "preaching"; they only pursue "attaining enlightenment," that is, becoming a Buddha.

Buddha originally refers to a person who has attained enlightenment.

The problem is that Buddhism has distorted the way to "attain enlightenment," turning it from independent thought into donations and prayers.

No need for cultivation or thought; simply relinquish everything to seek Buddha, and euphemistically call it "enlightenment."

Realizing that everything is but a dream, he donated all his wealth and possessions to the temple.

Realizing the enormity of his sins, he laid down his butcher's knife and dedicated himself to the Buddha.

Anyone can "attain enlightenment" as long as they are willing to convert and make donations.

If you can't understand it, it's because you lack the wisdom to grasp it.

Once you understand this, you will naturally take refuge in the temple. Taking refuge means giving up everything in the secular world, including wealth, family, and social relationships. In other words, even if you dedicate everything to the temple, no one will cause trouble for the temple.

Most people's wealth does not meet the standard of "wisdom root," so they have to "spread Buddhism," which is to say, recruit people.

If you attract enough people, the one who spreads the Dharma can also attain Buddhahood.

Therefore, in classical texts, those born into royalty and warlords attained Buddhahood through enlightenment and sudden awakening, while those born into the lower classes and slaves attained Buddhahood through propagating Buddhist teachings.

The significance of these brainwashing cults, and the original intentions behind their creation, are very clear—to rule and expand.

The states established by the Yuezhi in the Western Regions, including the Kushan Empire, were all theocratic states.

In situations where the level of governance is relatively low, the most direct way to effectively manage a large, multi-ethnic society is to unify thought, eliminate dissenting voices, and create a psychological comfort zone. This involves only showing people the information they "should" see, using faith to identify "unstable factors," using the voice of the group to drown out "discordant" voices, and providing "help" to believers—"helping" believers achieve spiritual "satisfaction" and "peace."

In the name of benevolence and compassion, this kind of faith that provides spiritual sustenance will earn people’s heartfelt respect.

Rebellions rarely occur in Buddhist kingdoms, not because they have faith, but because believers simply don't know that rebellion is possible...

They have been brainwashed generation after generation, and they have no self-will or independent thinking ability... They only know how to pray to Buddha, so of course they will not rebel.

All faiths serve those who create and use them, not the believers.

Today, the spread of Buddhism in Xuzhou still relies heavily on Huang-Lao thought and is often disguised with hypocrisy.

But the Buddhist kingdom built in Longyou during the Song Dynasty makes it even clearer what this thing is.

"Since we're going to destroy Buddhism, why don't we have His Majesty issue an edict throughout the land, designating it as a heretical sect and ordering its eradication in all regions..."

Jia Xu hesitated for a moment: "If we can use this opportunity to send an army to seize Longxi, we might be able to pacify the world more quickly."

"Seize enclaves?"

Liu Bei was surprised that Jia Xu was also suggesting risky ventures: "Wenhe, who do you think is suitable to go?"

"Xu can go..."

Jia Xu pointed to himself: "My hometown is Wuwei, and my maternal clan is Longxi... We cannot let foreign heretics pollute our homeland. I can lead an army to help Dong Zhongying kill Song Jian, and perhaps I can also use this opportunity to implement the Qingzhou strategy in Liangzhou."

To seize a piece of enclave, one must leverage the influence of various forces, and only Jia Xu, a man from Liangzhou, is capable of doing so.

"...This matter is fraught with danger, Wenhe, are you really going?"

Even Liu Bei couldn't believe that these were the words of Jia Xu, who was always known for his prudent self-preservation.

“I must do something for my homeland… If my hometown is filled with the stench of blood and the practices of barbarians, how can I possibly worship my ancestors…”

Jia Xu smiled and said, "Dong Zhongying will not make things difficult for me. Li Jue, Zhang Ji, Han Sui, Ma Teng and others also have some connections with me. I also have the Netherworld Soldiers at my disposal. There is no danger for me to go to Xizhou."

"This is really not the Jia Wenhe I know..."

Liu Bei felt something was amiss: "Whom does Wenhe plan to take?"

"Zhang Baiqi and the underworld soldiers are enough."

Jia Xu turned his head and looked in the direction of the main hall: "Hmm... Yang Xiu, Fu De, and other companions of the emperor can also be brought along."

Judging from this, if it weren't for the need for guards on the road, Jia Xu wouldn't even need to bring any people with him.

Liu Bei bowed and said, "Wenhe, you've worked hard."

Jia Xu wanted to take away all the outsiders who knew Liu Xie...

Liu Bei was relieved. Jia Xu was still the same Jia Xu, only his definition of safety and danger differed from that of ordinary people.

……

……

The fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Liu Bei petitioned the emperor to grant Jia Xu the titles of Marquis of Xuanwei and General of Anxi, and to send him to Xizhou with imperial credentials.

Jia Xu will be on behalf of the emperor to inspect various matters in Guanzhong, and will also take the opportunity to settle the bidding matters from last year.

At the same time, the emperor issued an "edict to suppress Buddhism," which was essentially a formality for Zhuge Liang to issue an edict to eradicate foreign heretical religions throughout the country.

Liu Bei left Jian Yong to continue organizing the immigration affairs, while he led a large army to Xuzhou.

Deploying troops in winter is against common sense, and this year's weather is exceptionally cold. Large-scale deployments in the dead of winter will bring far more trouble than those in spring and autumn.

However, taking advantage of the off-season for farming, Liu Bei brought out a large number of oxcarts and horse-drawn carts loaded with a lot of hay, which was equivalent to launching an army in a nomadic manner.

Since the goal was to relocate people to cultivate the land anyway, some of the cattle and horses had to be moved to Xuzhou.

This time, 15,000 people were mobilized without any supplies, and there were a lot of oxcarts and horse-drawn carts, so the speed of movement was quite fast.

Tancheng had supplies and provisions, but not much.

But Xiapi and Xiaxiang certainly had a large amount of grain.

……

After receiving Liu Bei's response to "suppress Buddhism," Zhang Fei led his troops to investigate various counties and demolish temples to prevent internal unrest.

There wasn't much turmoil in the counties of the East China Sea. There were two Buddhist temples, but not many people were there yet.

After clearing the area from north to south for several days, they arrived near Xiapi County, Xiapi Prefecture.

The temples in Xiapi were even larger than those in Xiaxiang. The city gates were closed, and no Danyang soldiers appeared outside the city. Inside the city, Cao Bao's banners were flying.

However, there are countless Buddhist temples along the road outside the city.

Countless lotus banners fluttered like flags.

Outside each Buddhist temple, many people sat in meditation, filling the roads and stretching for more than ten miles.

There are at least tens of thousands of people staging a sit-in.

This large-scale meditation was clearly organized, and the monks in the Buddhist hall were constantly carrying out food and wine.

It wasn't porridge, but rather a feast of food and drinks.

A bowl is placed in front of those who are sitting in meditation.

Moreover, everyone will be given a yellow turban...

When Zhang Fei arrived outside the city and saw this scene, he felt inexplicably uneasy and immediately ordered his troops to disperse the crowd.

But the believers here neither resisted nor left; they continued to sit quietly and eat, occasionally uttering a few curses.

The insults were in Wu dialect, which most of Zhang Fei's subordinates, being from the north, couldn't understand, but they certainly weren't kind.

"Burn down the Buddhist hall... Slay the evil monk!"

Seeing that he could not disperse the believers, Zhang Fei simply ordered the monks to be killed.

The Wufeng Battalion obeys military orders without question and immediately began operations.

But just as Wu Fengying was about to take action against the monks in the various Buddhist halls, the sitting crowd all stood up and surrounded the halls to protect them.

"Get out of the way... These wicked monks are all traitors, and anyone who is listed alongside them is guilty of the same crime!"

The soldiers tried to disperse the civilians, but they remained unmoved.

These people were all unarmed civilians, many of whom were elderly. The Han people valued respect for the elderly, and the soldiers really did not want to be violent towards them.

Zhang Fei gripped the handle of his spear and spurred his horse forward: "Why are you protecting this heretical cult?"

"Buddhism has the virtue of cherishing life and has saved countless lives. How can it be called a cult?"

An old man stood in front of Zhang Fei.

"They've plundered your money and grain, even taken your crops, and now they're giving you a bowl of rice? Is that what they call benevolence?!"

Zhang Fei roared, "Get out... If you remain here, kill them all!"

The old man remained unmoved: "I've heard that Lord Xuande never kills innocent people indiscriminately. General Zhang, are you going to take action against innocent civilians?"

Zhang Fei glared at the old man, but ultimately did not make a move. He wanted to drive his horse to the city walls and ask Cao Bao to open the gates, but was blocked by a large number of civilians.

Just then, troops bearing the banner of "General of the Han Guard" appeared from the north.

Liu Bei has arrived.

……

When Liu Bei arrived with his army, he was somewhat relieved to see the situation—it was truly remarkable that Zhang Fei had managed to refrain from attacking under such circumstances.

Of course, if no one takes action under these circumstances, it will only embolden the enemy.

The believers outside the city, seeing that the government soldiers dared not touch them, would become even more determined to uphold the Buddhist religion, and might even see it as the great power of Buddhism that prevented the government soldiers from using force.

Cao Bao was inside the city, yet he created this spectacle outside, clearly indicating that Cao Bao and Zuo Rong were having an affair.

In fact, whether Zhang Fei made a move or not, he was still tricked.

Killing civilians would lead to fierce resistance from Xiapi.

They can't kill the other party, but they also can't do anything about it.

Since it's a trap, you certainly can't jump in yourself.

"Prepare the ceremonial guards and wait for Cao Bao to come out on his own... Zu Lang should be here too. Wait for them to arrive, then have them quell the Futu Rebellion..."

Liu Bei immediately ordered Zhang Fei to set up camp on the banks of the Si River, two miles south of the city. Xiapi was all flat land, and the camp flags were clearly visible.

(End of this chapter)