Spoiler History: Starting from the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 718: Poor
[Another reason why the Sinicization of Mongolia failed is that they learned too much and too diversely.

After all, one of the main characteristics of Yuan Dynasty culture is its diversity. If the four great classics were born at that time, they would probably be mixed into one book, telling the story of Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu swearing brotherhood in Peach Garden on a snowy night, and then protecting Tang Monk together to go to Rongguo Mansion to obtain the Book of the 108 Demon Stars.

The Mongols transported their conquests and fame along the Western Expedition Route, and the nations and ethnic groups they conquered used the Western Expedition Route as a blood vessel to transport Christian culture, Islamic Caliphate culture, and Tibetan Lamaism culture to Mongolia, all of which had a huge impact on the Mongols.

Moreover, compared with Confucian classics, the learning threshold of these religious cultures is much lower, and they are naturally more popular.

A typical example is Yuan Zhaozong, the second Khan of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, who sighed on the eve of being driven out of Dadu:
Mr. Li taught me Confucian books for many years, but I didn't understand the meaning of the books. A monk from the West taught me Buddhist scriptures, and I understood them in one night.

A typical event in this regard was the Da'an Pavilion Debate on the eve of the founding of the Yuan Dynasty in 1258.

The earliest origin of this matter can be traced back to 1220, when the then leader of the Quanzhen Sect, Qiu Chuji, traveled to Central Asia to visit Temujin on his way to the West. At that time, Qiu Chuji was indeed eloquent and Temujin had encountered a large religion outside of Mongolia for the first time, offering him an olive branch. Without hesitation, Temujin granted the Quanzhen Sect three major privileges:

First, Quanzhen believers are exempt from all taxes.

Second, all religions under Mongolian rule were required to obey Qiu Chuji's orders and have Qiu Chuji as the leader.

Third, as long as the area was under the jurisdiction of Mongolia, Qiu Chuji could set up temples and convert people without any restrictions.

The three major privileges made Qiu Chuji the "Emperor's Honored Teacher, the Father of the World, and the State Master" in the true sense of the time, and also enabled the Quanzhen Sect led by Qiu Chuji to usher in a leapfrog development with the help of Mongolia, which was then in its heyday. In addition to the normal construction of Taoist temples and conversion of Taoists, in major cities in Mongolia, the Quanzhen Sect simply forcibly converted Buddhist temples and Confucius Temples into Taoist temples, and forcibly converted Confucian scholars and monks into Taoists on the spot, and the contradictions between the two sides became increasingly acute.

When the Quanzhen Sect was doing whatever it wanted, other religions also began to enter the Mongol Empire along with the Mongol army returning from the westward expedition. Among them, the one that made the fastest progress was the Lamaism that voluntarily surrendered and was willing to manage Tibet on behalf of the Yuan Dynasty.

Modern scholars have concluded that Mongolia accepted Tibetan Buddhism firstly for political considerations and secondly because both sides lived in the same plateau environment with harsh and changeable climates, and had the same conditions for worshiping nature.

Of course, another reason is that Lamaism is simple in purpose and follows customs, which is in line with the rough nature of Mongolia. Moreover, its religious witchcraft regards the joy of the world as the joy of Nirvana, and the affairs of men and women as happiness. This custom of obeying nature, which is completely opposite to Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, is more in line with the ethical concepts of Mongolia at that time.

And the most important reason was that the privileges that Temujin promised Qiu Chuji on a whim were too great. A southerner who was only fit to be a slave could become a Taoist priest and achieve class advancement by joining the Quanzhen Sect. Even if the Mongols could tolerate it, other sects could not.

So starting from 1254, Buddhism and Taoism began to have frequent frictions, and finally all the grievances came together in the Da'an Pavilion debate in 1258, where the best troops from both sides were present.

However, in this debate, firstly, the "Laozi Huahu Jing" that Buddhism had been attacking could not stand up to scrutiny; secondly, the chief debater of Buddhism, the genius leader of Lamaism, Ba Siba, was a close friend of Kublai Khan, and the referees were all appointed by Kublai Khan; thirdly, the Mongolian upper class had already decided to suppress Taoism, so in the end the debate ended with Buddhism winning and the 17 leaders of Taoism becoming monks.

After this incident, the relationship between Lamaism and Kublai Khan continued to heat up, and eventually became a more respected state religion after the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty. According to the history of the Yuan Dynasty, within a hundred years, all the royal family members of the Yuan Dynasty were believers of Lamaism, and the state teacher could sit during court sessions, while generals, prime ministers and the like had to stand.

The doctrines of Quanzhen Sect and Lamaism are naturally completely different, but once they come to power, what they do is no different. Relying on their privileges to do whatever they want and annexing land tenants can only be described as basic operations, which has dug a good grave for the Yuan Dynasty.

Of course, we must also admit that it was from the Yuan Dynasty when Lamaism was respected that the connection between Tibet and the Central Plains began to strengthen. Tibet became a sacred and inseparable part of China, which is also very positive.

However, there is now a view that the loss of control of Lamaism is also related to the depression of Kublai Khan, an outstanding politician, in his later years. The reason why Kublai Khan fell into depression is so simple that it is somewhat similar to that of previous dynasties:
He suffered from unfavorable foreign wars and lost his wife and son in his later years. 】

"Aye, what did my son learn well?"

When Li Chengqian in Ganlu Palace heard that his name was actually mentioned in later generations, he suddenly felt surprised.

But the connection between the two made him a little confused. It seemed that this was not a compliment to him. But why did he say that he had learned well?

Li Shimin's expression was unprecedentedly complicated. At first, when he heard the later generations making fun of his eldest son for following the Turkic laws, he naturally felt a little uncomfortable. He even wanted to knock Li Chengqian on the head.

But until I heard that the Mongol emperor eventually fell into depression because of the loss of his wife and son, this thought had completely disappeared.

Li Shimin reached out and stroked his son's shoulder. He recalled the proud look on Zhu Hongwu's face when he introduced Prince Ming, and even felt a little envious for a moment. Then everyone in Ganlu Hall clearly heard the emperor ask:
"Cheng Qian, do you want to be the emperor?"

Because of the shock, Li Chengqian's body trembled suddenly, and he even wanted to bow and apologize out of habit. After all, he had read the Book of Han and knew about the affairs of Prince Li.

But the hand that his father had touched his shoulder with just now was now firmly grasping him like an eagle's claw, causing him to not bend his waist at all. When he raised his head slightly, he was met with his father's gentle and even smiling eyes:
"You are the prince, just speak boldly."

The fear that had arisen for no reason in his heart was dispelled, and the image of Aye who had accompanied him in riding and archery, and in looking at maps and talking about mountains, rivers, and festivals for the past two years became clear again:

"I just thought about it"

"Only those with such ambitions are worthy of being the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty."

The smile in Li Shimin's eyes faded a little, and a look of indignation that Li Chengqian couldn't understand appeared in his eyes:

"A ruler should govern the people, and to govern the people one must first know the people. This is why I said earlier that I would have you travel to Hebei."

"After returning from Hebei, you will need to go to the Western Regions. You will return the day Gaochang is conquered."

"Then you can follow the example of Prince Ming and participate in politics and learn how to govern the country."

So Li Chengqian temporarily put aside his previous doubts and his heart was replaced by excitement.

At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang in the Huagai Palace patted his thigh:
"What a pity what Emperor Shizu of Yuan Dynasty went through in his later years!"

(End of this chapter)