Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 128 Encountering the Blackwater River (Part Fourteen)
However, Ao Tu used a scheme to bring the two countries to an end.

After receiving Ao Tu's money, the general of Fa Di Kingdom was overjoyed and immediately ordered his men to prepare a banquet to entertain Ao Tu and his companion.

Upon hearing the news, a military supervisor rushed over and angrily denounced the general's actions, saying that he dared to harbor enemy spies in broad daylight!
The general said, "My lord, you are unaware of the truth. They are not spies. They provided the money."

Upon hearing this, the military supervisor realized his misunderstanding and hurriedly offered fine wine to Ao Tu and his companion as an apology.

The group enjoyed themselves together; though they came from different countries, they were as close as brothers.

When the time came for the war, the soldiers of the Fadi Kingdom beat drums and approached the city of Huoluo Kingdom two hundred paces away. With halberds in their left hands and shields in their right, they clashed with their shields, shouting battle cries that shook the heavens. They drew their bows and hurled arrows, the bowstrings ringing out with a humming sound.

The soldiers of Huoluo Kingdom on the city walls were the same.

The two sides fought for half a month, with no casualties and victories on both sides. However, many powerful bows were lost and damaged.

When the general of Fadi Kingdom saw that the strong bow was damaged and the arrows were useless, he discussed with Aotu and decided to sell the arrows to Huoluo Kingdom. The entire army benefited from this arrangement.

After purchasing the arrows, the general of Fadi Kingdom reported to the emperor that the battle at the front was fierce and the soldiers were fighting bravely, resulting in the loss of many bows and arrows, and requested a replenishment of bows and arrows.

After reading the report, the King of Fadi issued an edict to replenish military supplies. After dealing with the report, he asked the officials around him, "How is the debate between the Tang Dynasty monks going?"

The official said, "Your Majesty... that monk is skilled in eloquence; it will take some time."

The King of Fadi said with dissatisfaction, "It has been more than ten days, and all the monks in the country have come up with a solution. Can't they even defeat one monk? I want to go and see for myself what Tang Sanzang is capable of!"

Upon hearing this, the official quickly stopped him, saying:
"Why must Your Majesty personally go to his body? Although that monk has some eloquence, he is still only human. He argues with other monks every day, rising at dawn and going to bed at midnight. Over time, even if he cannot win the argument, he will be exhausted. If Your Majesty is in a hurry to go, I'm afraid you will be entangled by him, and it will be difficult to extricate yourself, which will only make you look bad."

Upon hearing this, the king of Fadi thought it made sense and did not go there again.

Half a month later, the general of Fadi Kingdom reported a shortage of food.

The king of Fadi ordered an increase in grain supplies. Remembering Tang Sanzang, he asked his officials how Tang Sanzang's debates on the scriptures were going.

The official said cautiously, "Your Majesty, Tang Sanzang... he's almost at his limit."

The King of Fadi asked with some surprise, "Is Tang Sanzang still debating the scriptures?"

The official hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, do not worry. The eminent monk Master Ganjia will arrive in our country soon and will surely be able to refute Tang Sanzang."

The king of Fadi nodded upon hearing this and asked no further questions.

Master Ganja is a renowned monk in the area, over two hundred years old, and highly respected. With his help, it would be a piece of cake to argue Tang Sanzang.

Half a month later, the general of the Fadi Kingdom reported that there was a shortage of armor.

The king of Fadi Kingdom then sent people to procure armor and send it to the front lines.

The war with the Kingdom of Huoluo has become quite difficult.

The king of Fadi thought that by mobilizing his troops to intimidate the Huoluo Kingdom, they would obediently dismantle the bridge, but he did not expect that the other party would actually mobilize troops to fight against him.

In terms of national strength, the Kingdom of Fadi is stronger than the Kingdom of Huoluo.

The Kingdom of Huoluo is mostly plains with abundant land but scarce iron resources. Its people are primarily engaged in agriculture and do not value military force. The Kingdom of Fadi is characterized by hilly terrain, with its inhabitants living in the mountains and fields. Their people are generally violent and unruly.

Therefore, in terms of military strength, the Kingdom of Fadi was relatively stronger, and often sent thousands of troops to harass the surrounding small countries, making it a hegemon among the dozen or so small countries around it.

However, no matter how skilled the Kingdom of Fadi was in battle, it was still just a small country. Its army of 6,000 was already half of its total force. After more than a month of continuous fighting with mixed results, its food and military supplies were severely depleted, and the King of Fadi was beginning to consider retreating.

The money and supplies consumed in the war are now almost equal to the annual expenditure of the Kingdom of Huoluo. If the war continues, the losses will exceed the gains.

However, the king of Fadi Kingdom had previously made a bold statement, and now that he was withdrawing his troops, he was in a difficult position.

A few days later, a report came from the front: the general had lured the enemy into an attack and achieved a minor victory, but half of the supplies had been burned in a surprise attack by the enemy...

The King of Fadi angrily slammed the report to the ground. They had achieved a minor victory, but their supplies had been burned. If the fighting continued, he would have to replenish his supplies in large quantities.

The King of Fadi wanted to replace his general, but as a small country, Fadi didn't have many good commanders to choose from. Furthermore, the opposing general had a mixed record; while he had suffered some defeats, he hadn't made any major mistakes, making it difficult to replace him easily. More importantly, half of his country's army was under the enemy's control.

The King of Fadi paced back and forth in the palace in a state of agitation, and then ordered his ministers to come to the palace for a discussion.

When the ministers arrived at the palace and learned of the situation, they basically guessed the king's thoughts and took the initiative to suggest that the king withdraw his troops.

Upon hearing this, the King of Fadi felt much better.

He did not retreat voluntarily, but was forced to do so by the advice of his ministers.

In a better mood, the King of Fadi recalled the matter of Tang Sanzang and asked:
"What happened to the Tang Dynasty monks? Did they leave after losing the debate?"

The official, sweating profusely, said, "This..."

The King of Fadi said, "Could it be that he hasn't left yet?"

The official said helplessly, "Your Majesty, he is still debating the scriptures. When the Tang Dynasty monk first started debating the scriptures in the city, he did so for more than thirty days. There were thousands of monks in the city, and none of them could match him. More than a hundred monks even followed him. Seeing that his momentum was growing stronger, I was afraid that he would gather a crowd to cause trouble, so on the thirty-third day, I expelled him from the city. Unexpectedly, he set up an altar outside the city and continued to debating the scriptures without defeat. It has been more than half a month now, and many monks and common people who have watched him have been impressed by him."

Upon hearing this, the King of Fadi stood up in surprise and said, "Is that so! What ability does this Tang Dynasty monk have that he could refute all the monks in my country? I must go and see for myself."

The king of Fadi rode in his royal carriage and personally went out of the city to watch.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the city, they indeed saw an altar, surrounded by three or four hundred onlookers, including monks, merchants, and ordinary people.

The King of Fadi stood on his palanquin and watched as Tang Sanzang debated with an old monk on the altar.

Tang Sanzang had a ruddy complexion, was calm and composed, and spoke clearly.

The old monk, however, was emaciated and trembling slightly.

The two debated Buddhist doctrines, which the king of Fadi Kingdom could not quite understand.

The official said, "That is Master Ganjia. I heard that he has been debating with Tang Sanzang for thirteen days."

The King of Fadi nodded and asked, "Who has the upper hand?"

The official said, "This..."

Just then, Master Ganja cried out and fell off the altar, landing on the ground with a broken head and bleeding profusely.

His disciples were terrified and rushed to help him up, but Master Ganja got up on his own, raised his hands high, and raved, "Namo Vulture Peak Buddha! Namo Vulture Peak Buddha!" ​​Then he limped away.

The King of Fadi said, "There's no need to say more, I already know."

The official said, "I am guilty."

The King of Fadi glanced at the official, intending to punish him, but then thought that he would have to withdraw his troops anyway, and that it would be good to use Tang Sanzang as a way out, so he said, "Alright, I will pardon your crime for now, and we'll deal with it another day. Issue an edict to summon Tang Sanzang to the palace."

The official replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Tang Sanzang enters the palace.

The king of Fadi claimed that he was convinced by the high monk's scriptures and agreed to withdraw his troops and cease hostilities.

Tang Sanzang was overjoyed.

All the ministers were delighted.

Everyone says that His Majesty is wise and sagacious.

(End of this chapter)