Late Tang Dynasty: I

Chapter 364 Has Buddhism flourished?

Zhu Zhen looked down on Yelu Abaoji. At this time, the combat power of the Khitan soldiers was much lower than that of the Hebei soldiers.

Seven or eight years ago, even in Lulong Town, Li Kuangwei's Youzhou Army could defeat the Khitan soldiers. The [-] Youzhou Army suppressed the eight Khitan tribes and could not even lift their heads.

Zhu Zhen now has a hundred thousand elite troops under his command. After his training, they are naturally stronger than the Youzhou Army.

There is also a desperate Zuo Yongwujun named Fu Cunshen. Zhu Zhen feels that his troops can wipe out Mobei. The only flaw is that there are fewer cavalry.

And His Majesty the Emperor left him alone and went to conquer the country himself. Does this mean he doesn't trust him?
"Your Majesty, what kind of hero is Yelu Abaoji? I can wipe out the Dieci tribe by myself!"

His Majesty the Emperor smiled and said: "A hero is more brave than wise. Just think about how Yelu Abaoji came to power!"

Jingxiang said: "This man is not well-known. He is a man who has gained the power of overthrowing the assassination department. I heard that most of the generals under Brother Yelu Hua deliberately surrendered from his side. This man can have the last laugh, and he is indeed very resourceful." !”

This made Zhu Zhen want to fight Yelu Abaoji even more.

"Your Majesty, General Rong Mo will accompany you on the expedition!"

"Your Majesty, the general is also going!"

Fu Cunshen also followed suit.

"Most of your men are infantry. On the prairie, can they outrun a four-legged horse?"

Zhu Zhen said: "Your Majesty, there are still many horses in the army, one for each person. If you are not good at riding, you can also be an infantryman on horseback. You will definitely not hold back the army!"

His Majesty the Emperor smiled and said: "That's not necessary. You will bring your own cavalry with you, and the entire army will be led by the deputy commander for the time being!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

This time His Majesty the Emperor brought all the generals and commanders with him. Most of the generals had never experienced fighting on the grassland. They needed a war to experience it.

On April [-], the army left Youzhou, with Li Cunxiao as the vanguard, and headed straight for Luohe, where the Dieci tribe grazed their cattle.

Li Ye brought his own army and followed him. Each person in the army brought half a month's worth of food and put it on the second horse. The whole army did not carry any baggage.

Five troops from the Zuo Yongwu Army escorted the grain and grass to the Kerulun Grassland.

Before leaving, His Majesty the Emperor talked with Jingxiang all night.

"The Yaochuan tribe sent an envoy to ask me to destroy the Dieci tribe. This time I will lead the army into the grassland. I will ask the Yaochuan and Dashi Shiwei to supply the food and supplies. But just in case, I will be in Kelulun." The grassland is stocking up on food and grass for a month!”

Jingxiang said: "This is what it should be, but Your Majesty, since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the Hu problem has never been eliminated. Even if the Diasi tribe was wiped out this time, decades later, other tribes would still dominate the grassland. , threatening the Tang Dynasty, I wonder if His Majesty is just going to attack Yelu Abaoji this time?"

Smart people speak easily!
Li Ye kicked the ball to Jing Xiang and said, "What do you think, Mr. Jing?"

Jingxiang said: "Since ancient times, there are only three strategies to deal with the barbarians!"

"Which three strategies?"

"As soon as we get married, after the Han Dynasty, including the Tang Dynasty, there were married princesses who got married!"

Li Ye shook his head: "Just a few years of peace cannot solve the fundamental problem!"

"Secondly, to recruit and surrender the internal vassals, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty settled the Xiongnu in the north, and Emperor Taizong settled the Turks in the Yinyou prefectures."

"It's better than a marriage, but there are also hidden dangers. When the Tang Dynasty is strong, they will be obedient people, but if the Tang Dynasty is weak, they will immediately turn into wolves! What about the third one?" Jingxiang said: "The third one depends on Strengthen the army and destroy his tribe!"

Li Ye shook his head and said, "You just said that grassland tribes are like weeds, they will grow back after being cut. This is not a long-term solution for stability!"

Jingxiang said: "I thought that when we combine kindness and power, we can't let them unite into one voice. The Khitan tribe only has four khans now, which is far from enough. If we can seal forty, four hundred Khan, that’s different. Then send your trusted people to patrol the tribes and prohibit them from attacking each other. If they don’t obey the orders, the imperial court will send troops to attack them. This is what I planned.”

Li Ye smiled and said: "What Mr. Jing said is exactly what I want. I will also send people to each tribe to teach their children to learn Chinese characters. If they learn well, I will give them official positions. The Khan who succeeds will have to pass the imperial court The assessment requires literacy and knowledge of the holy words, otherwise I will not let them succeed the Khan.

I will also send all the eminent monks from major monasteries across the country to the grasslands, and a few monks from each tribe to let them know that killing is wrong and the Buddha will condemn them.

I also want to intermarry with them. These Khan's daughters can be given to the sixteen kings as wives and concubines. Of course, I will also give them the emperor's princesses and princesses as wives. In this way, what do you think? "

From Jingxiang's ears, it was clear that the emperor had thought deeply about it. It seemed that the emperor had been thinking about this strategy for a long time.

"Your Majesty, I think it is feasible, Your Majesty is wise!"

Li Ye added: "There are also Bohai and Silla, which will also be the territory of the Tang Dynasty in the future. You should think carefully about how to govern them. I have asked Duan Kun to sort out the intelligence of the two countries. He will give it to you directly when the time comes. !”

"Your Majesty wants to use troops against Bohai and Silla?"

Li Ye shook his head and said: "It's not the right time yet, this matter cannot be leaked!"

"I know!"

His Majesty the Emperor, who takes one step and sees the next, was already arranging the next step when he sent troops to Bianjing.

The imperial court issued an edict that all eminent Buddhist monks from temples in various states across the country should go to Bianjing.

Buddhists all over the world are ecstatic, thinking that the Emperor has finally changed his attitude towards Buddhism.

You must know that from the time the emperor ascended the throne to the present, Buddhism has suffered greatly from being suppressed by the emperor.

Not to mention Famen Temple, which was confiscated by the emperor, His Majesty the Emperor had already decreed that no temples across the country should have land.

The reason is very simple. You are a monk and outsider, so why do you need secular land?

He also ordered all states to inspect monks in monasteries, and any monks who could not recite sutras would be returned to secular life.

You can't even understand the scriptures, what kind of monk do you want to be? You must know that most of the monks at this time are evading taxes.

Another thing is the old system. If a monk wants to become a monk, he must obtain an official certificate. If there is no certificate, he will definitely not be able to become a monk. How can he get a certificate?That is, a new ultimatum can be issued only after the old monk passes away.

If these three measures continue, Buddhism will suffer terribly, especially the first one, which deprives Buddhism of all its land and takes it as state-owned land. Tens of thousands of hectares of land will no longer be theirs. How much less will it cost!

But after arriving in Bianliang, these big-headed monks were confused.

"The imperial court asked me to wait until the grassland to upload the law!"

"What do you think you are doing! Didn't Buddhism say that we should save all sentient beings? We can't just save the people of the Tang Dynasty, we should also care about the herdsmen on the grasslands!"

"This... we don't understand what they say!"

"It's okay, you still have three months to learn Hu language!"

(End of this chapter)