Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 789 Different ways do not work together

Autumn has come. On both sides of the Bianzhou Canal, you can no longer see endless golden wheat fields. Instead, there are green and white plots everywhere. Those are cotton fields where grass cotton is grown.

After years of promotion, everyone has realized the benefits of cotton. The yield per acre is much higher than that of wheat. In the highly commercialized Bianzhou, with the continuous import of grain from other places, the locals no longer want to grow wheat and gradually switch to growing cotton.

In Bianliang City and its suburbs, there were increasingly sophisticated cotton spinning workshops that produced everything from quilts to cotton cloth. These quilts and cotton cloth were sold throughout the country, especially in the south, through the canal, forming a new pillar industry.

Riding on a horse, looking at the cotton fields in the distance, Fang Chongyong showed a smile on his face. Commodity economy, social division of labor, and a unified national market, these things may not be realized by the ancients to be of any benefit to social development.

But once they get used to such convenience, they will feel extremely uncomfortable returning to the previous small peasant economy.

Cotton spinning replaced silk spinning, which greatly increased the output of cloth. Before the steam age, cloth could be regarded as a kind of currency recognized by everyone. The origin of modern industry started from the mining industry, but its rapid development started from the textile industry.

The replacement of silk with cotton is a historical development trend, and it also prevents more people from freezing to death in winter.

Well, the situation is very good!
"Sir, would you like to rest for a day at Guoqiao before leaving?"

Da Congming, who was standing by, asked in a low voice. He saw Fang Chongyong standing still on his horse and was a little worried about the journey. After all, the central army that was heading to Hexi was already ahead, and Fang Chongyong and his staff were still in the Guoqiao camp.

"If you plant grass cotton in Hexi, you will definitely get a good harvest."

Fang Chongyong did not answer Dacongming, but for some reason, said something that sounded "incomprehensible".

At this time, a group of cavalry came in a hurry, and among them, there was a man who was tied up. Just by looking at the red and black face, you can tell that he must be a Tibetan.

"Sir, there is a Tibetan blocking the road. He claims to be the envoy of the Tibetan king. We found a letter on him. There is also a gift in a wooden box."

The leader of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army Camp saluted Fang Zhongyong and handed him the letter. Fang Zhongyong did not doubt it and opened the letter. He saw that it was written in Sanskrit, which was so scribbled that he could not recognize a single word.

I suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Dazalugong was a well-known "Tang Dynasty expert" in Tubo and was proficient in Chinese studies. However, the Tibetan king was a devout Buddhist, and the Buddhism from India, so all his letters were written in Sanskrit.

"Your Majesty, I heard that the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple is proficient in Sanskrit. I will go and ask him to translate here."

Da Congming quickly reported.

“No need. I wrote it in Sanskrit only to keep it secret. I am Yixi Wangpo, a poor monk who once studied Buddhism in India and knows a little Chinese.

Sanskrit is no problem either.”

The Tibetan man who was tied up explained to Fang Zhongyong in standard Chinese.

However, Fang Chongyong still let Da Congming go.

"Untie."

Fang Chongyong raised his hand slightly, and the soldiers around him stepped forward to untie the rope on the Tibetan monk.

After dismissing his attendants, he looked at Yixi Wangbo and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it directly."

If it was Dazhaglugong who sent someone, Fang Zhongyong would not even bother to chat with him, but since it was the Tibetan king whom he had never met who sent someone, it seemed possible to listen to what the other party had to say.

"Sir, didn't Fang Youde tell you who your mother is?"

Yixi Wangbo asked calmly.

Ok?
Upon hearing this, Fang Zhongyong had a bad feeling.

"You don't mean to say that my mother is Tibetan, do you?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a strange look on his face, if that's the case, then it's too abstract.

"No, your mother is Princess Jincheng. In name, you are the brother of the current Tibetan king."

Yixi Wangbo said calmly.

Now, it was Fang Zhongyong's turn to lose his composure.

"Even if what you said is true, if I am not mistaken, Trisong Detsen should be the descendant of Nanang clan. What is his relationship with Princess Jincheng? How can he be so close to me?"

Fang Chongyong asked rhetorically.

"So, we are half brothers. You are the son of Princess Jincheng, but Zamp is the son of Nanang, and was adopted by Princess Jincheng."

Yixi Wangbo explained patiently.

It sounds like there is no logical flaw...

Fang Chongyong fell into deep thought and didn't speak for a long time. After going through so many things, he could still tell whether a person was lying or not.

"That year, Li Dan passed away and the throne fell into the hands of Li Longji.

So the new king sent your father Fang Youde to Tubo to contact Princess Jincheng, and that's how you came into being. I don't know what happened. But it is certain that Trisong Detsen was not in the bathing place where Princess Jincheng lived.

You grew up in Tubo when you were young. Many years later, when Princess Jincheng died, Huangfu Weiming went to Tubo to express condolences and brought you back to the Tang Dynasty.

I saw this with my own eyes and experienced it personally.

A few years after you were born, Trisong Detsen adopted Trisong Detsen as Princess Jincheng.

So it is not far-fetched for me to say that the emperor and the Zamp are half-brothers. "

Well, Fang Chongyong was confused by these words, and it took him a long time to understand the connection.

He is the biological son of Princess Jincheng, while Trisong Detsen is her stepson. Fang Youde is his biological father, and the previous king, Trisong Detsen, has been his godfather for several years.

It was a bit confusing, but thinking back to Fang Youde's attitude towards him, Fang Chongyong seemed to understand something.

If this is the case, then it seems understandable that the cheap father has such a cold attitude towards his cheap son.

"Okay, let's put this aside for now. Now that our two countries are at war, what does Trisong Detsen want me to do?"

Fang Chongyong asked doubtfully.

Trisong Detsen would not think that because of this hidden relationship, he would let Dazalugong go and give up the fight with Tubo, right?

If that is the case, this Tibetan king is too naive.

“Sir, according to your words, I am the national teacher of Tubo and I am a devout Buddhist.

The Zamp was also a devout Buddhist, which was different from the Bon religion that Dazhaglugong believed in, and his ideas were also different from that of the other.

The Zamp hoped to establish friendly relations with the emperor and to stop the hostilities between the two countries, and he also hoped to get rid of Dazalugong.

We can join forces with a common goal.”

Yixi Wangbo still looked calm and composed, and it was obvious that he had seen a lot of the world.

"Well, that's interesting."

Fang Zhongyong nodded slightly and said without comment.

In Tubo, the dispute between Buddhism and Bonism had already become increasingly intense. Dazha Lugong's attack on Hexi was intended to support Bonism and gain political advantage through military merit.

The attack on Guanzhong was unsuccessful, and a large number of Tibetan nobles were killed, which led to a skewed political balance in Tibet. The Tibetan nobles who believed in Buddhism were instigating the Tibetan king to depose Dazalugong and take back the military power. So it was reasonable to send someone to contact the "talker" on the Tang side.

"To show my sincerity, the Zamp will give you his most beloved item."

After saying this, Yixi Wangbo took out a box from the bag on his horse's back and opened it. Inside was a small drum with a light green surface. It could be played on both sides.

"What is this?"

Fang Zhongyong asked doubtfully, this thing is something I have never heard of or seen before. On the surface, the workmanship is very rough, but if you look at the details, you can see that there is a lifelike Buddha picture painted on it, which is indescribably exquisite... and strange.

"This is an indispensable instrument for the wrathful deities and the vidyadhara deities in their practice. It is made of two young girls' skull drums, and the drum surface is made of the skin of a pure girl.

During sacrifices, it is used together with the vajra bell and pestle, and chanting sutras can help the soul to rest in peace.

The king often asked monks to use this instrument for sacrifices, and every time they listened to the drum sound, they would be mesmerized. "

A trace of longing appeared on Yixi Wangbo's face, and there was some greed in his eyes when he looked at the "drum".

Hearing this, Fang Zhongyong suddenly felt a wave of nausea in his abdomen, like a surging sea.

He suppressed his discomfort and asked Yeshe Wangpo, "How many cattle and sheep does the Zamp use for each sacrifice?"

"No, when forming alliances with other tribes, one must sacrifice pure young girls, as well as horses, cows, sheep and other livestock. On ordinary days, these are not needed, and ordinary living people will do."

Yixi Wangbo said nonchalantly that it seemed that those who were being sacrificed were the same as horses, cows and sheep.

"How cruel is it to sacrifice people?"

Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but question Yi Xiwangbo.

Unexpectedly, the Tibetan "monk" looked thoughtful, and after a long time he sighed and said, "Princess Jincheng said the same thing back then. But I told her that the human body is just a bag of skin, and I will peel off my own skin in the future and make it into a ritual implement, which is an offering to the Buddha. Death is just the soul going to another world, and there is nothing cruel about it."

As expected, there are too many people in the world, and there are all kinds of people. What everyone thinks in their hearts is their own truth, and they don’t care what others think at all.

In the Tubo Kingdom, the struggle between Buddhism and Bon was not about good or evil, nor about advanced or backward. What kind of soil there is will determine what kind of flowers will bloom.

Fang Chongyong knew about the horror, ignorance and backwardness of Bon religion, but he did not expect that Tibetan Buddhism was also like this.

Of course, people feel no guilt when they kill a nest of ants. Perhaps the king felt the same way when he offered the serfs as sacrifices to the Buddha.

Maybe this king still thinks he is very kind.

"Please go back. We cannot work together if we have different ideologies."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand with some annoyance.

Yixi Wangbo showed a surprised look, and asked in disbelief: "Your Majesty, if you join forces with the Zamp, you can easily defeat Dazalugong. There will even be people who will cooperate with you to open the gate of Liangzhou City. Even so, do you think we shouldn't unite?"

"I don't want to cooperate with a Zamp who practices human sacrifice. That's all I have to say."

Fang Chongyong said righteously.

“Your Majesty, Dazalugong has also performed living sacrifices. We in Tibet have our own national conditions. Sacrifices are not performed for the purpose of killing people.

Since Songtsen Gampo, every Tibetan king has participated in human sacrifices. Even the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty did not mind it, so what are you minding?"

Yixi Wangbo defended himself, a look of panic appearing on his normally calm face.

If Dazalugong was not defeated, how could he return to Lhasa City to report to the Zamp?
Unfortunately, Fang Zhongyong was too lazy to deal with him anymore. He returned the human skin drum to Yixi Wangbo and ordered his soldiers to drive him away, without any intention of keeping him to discuss matters.

The letter written in Sanskrit was withheld by him.

An hour later, Dacongming and the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple hurried to the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army camp in Guoqiao. Fang Zhongyong's face turned from sunny to cloudy, and Dacongming didn't know what happened, so he had to salute and step aside.

"Master, would you please translate this letter?"

Fang Chongyong handed the letter sent by Yixi Wangbo to the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple.

"Please rest assured, officials."

The abbot of Daxiangguo Temple clasped his hands together and bowed to Fang Chongyong, then took the letter and read it without any hindrance.

"Brother, I hope you are well..."

After the abbot recited this sentence, his head suddenly felt like it was about to swell and explode, as if he had seen something extraordinary!

"Read it, why don't you read it?"

Fang Chongyong glanced at the abbot and motioned for him to continue.

The abbot from Daxiangguo Temple had no choice but to finish his mission, his legs shaking. Da Congming, who was standing by, was even more horrified.

"The Tibetan king deliberately did this to alienate our Tang Dynasty. Master, do you understand?"

After reading the letter, Fang Chongyong looked at the abbot and asked.

"I understand that the Tibetan king has evil intentions and is trying to throw dirty water on the government in this way."

The abbot looked at Fang Chongyong's expression and finally felt relieved.

"Okay, take the abbot to stay in the main camp. It's been a tiring trip. Send someone to tell Daxiangguo Temple that the abbot will go with the army and be responsible for praying for the souls of the fallen soldiers."

Fang Chongyong instructed Da Congming.

"Order!"

Da Congming made a gesture of invitation to the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple. The abbot said goodbye to Fang Chongyong with a bitter face and clasped his hands together, staggering as he walked.

"Ugh!"

Looking at the empty cotton fields outside the camp, Fang Chongyong sighed helplessly.

Back then, Fang Youde was sent as an envoy to Tubo and had a passionate affair with Princess Jincheng for a while. I'm afraid... he was trying to mess up Tubo! This person is definitely capable of doing something similar!

Fearing the strength of the Tang Dynasty, Trisong Detsen could not turn against it and had to accept it.

However, the position of Zamp obviously could not be given to a bastard, so Trisong Detsen adopted the offspring of Nanang and publicly announced that Princess Jincheng had no offspring. Later, Huangfu Weiming took Ji Ge's appointment to go to Tubo as an envoy, and Trisong Detsen did not mind seeing Fang Chongyong, so he kicked him away.

Perhaps, Dazha Lugong knew about this, so when he first interacted with Fang Zhongyong, he had the thought that "you are a noble, so I have to be polite to you."

In the eyes of the Tibetan nobles, there are two kinds of people: one is people who can interact with them, and the other is livestock that looks like humans, no different from cattle and sheep.

Although these "two" creatures look essentially the same, they are not the same species in the eyes of these people. At this moment, Fang Zhongyong realized the value of Chen Sheng's words "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different species?"

The next day, Fang Chongyong and his staff left the Guoqiao camp and headed for Tongguan.

During the whole journey, he had no appetite because there was always a question in his mind that could not be dispelled:

How far is it from now on to a society where everyone is nominally equal?

(End of this chapter)