Diqin Designer

Chapter 295 Thirteen Soldiers Return to Yumen

This envoy of the Eastern Han Dynasty was also very powerful. No wonder people in later generations miss him and call him the "Mighty Han".

From now on, the envoys of the Great Qin should do the same and spread the might of the Great Qin to all directions.

Being cruel at home is not a skill; being cruel to others outside is a skill.

But the Huns were really resilient. They had existed since the Qin Dynasty, and by the time of Liu Zhuang in the Eastern Han Dynasty, they had already existed for about three hundred years. Yet they were still a major threat to the Eastern Han Dynasty's borders.

The First Emperor couldn't help but think of the young Maodun again. It was a good thing that this kid died!

A strong man can have a profound influence on a country and nation. Countries like the Donghu and Yuezhi were once stronger than the Xiongnu, but unfortunately they did not have a ruthless man like Maodun, and were eventually surpassed by the Xiongnu and even destroyed.

On the other hand, the Xiongnu, after being shaped by a ruthless man like Maodun, still had the strength to compete with the Eastern Han Dynasty three hundred years later.

Li Nian did not continue to talk about Ban Dingyuan's deeds, but returned to Liu Zhuang.

"In addition to these, Liu Zhuang also did a lot of things that influenced future generations, such as restoring the crown and clothing system that was abolished by Your Majesty, and repairing and finalizing the Hanfu. Hanfu lovers in later generations should thank Liu Zhuang."

"But the most far-reaching impact among these events, I think, is that he introduced Buddhism to China, giving this religion the opportunity to take root in China and grow stronger."

"Of course, even if Liuzhuang had not introduced Buddhism, Buddhism would have been introduced into China through other channels."

Li Nian mentioned Buddhism earlier, but did not elaborate on how Buddhism was introduced, where it came from, and what its specific teachings are.

The First Emperor asked: "What is Buddhism? Where did it come from?"

Li Niandao: "Buddhism originated in Yangzhou (India), the magical place where the caste system is practiced. It is a religious sect, and the god it believes in is called 'Buddha' or 'Buddha'. It is one of the three major religions in later generations."

"I don't have a deep understanding of Buddhist thought, and Buddhism has been constantly developing and changing. Its early teachings and ideas are also different from those later."

"Especially after the arrival of Buddhism in China, it absorbed and integrated the thoughts of many schools of thought, such as Confucianism and Taoism. It is no longer the Buddhism of Yangzhou, and it is even more difficult to explain clearly."

The First Emperor nodded, and the same thing happened to Confucianism and Taoism later on. The three schools all integrated some things from each other.

Li Nian continued: "Although I don't know much about Buddhism, I do know certain things. We must pay enough attention to this sect."

Hearing Li Nian's serious tone, Qin Shihuang and the other two knew that the influence of Buddhism was probably very great, so great that it affected the rise and fall of a country and the strength of a clan.

Li Nian shared some of the Buddhist ideas he knew with the three people of Qin Shihuang, and then turned back to Liu Zhuang.

"The reason why Liu Zhuang introduced Buddhism is that he dreamed of a tall golden man with white light radiating from his head, descending on his palace. When Liu Zhuang was about to ask about it, the golden man rose into the air and flew westwards."

"After waking up, Liu Zhuang was puzzled by the dream. At the court meeting the next day, he described what he saw in the dream in detail to all the officials. Most of them did not know what it meant. However, a doctor named Fu Yi said that it might be the Buddha from the Western Regions."

"After listening to Fu Yi's words, Liu Zhuang sent Doctor Cai Yin and Doctor Qin Jing and 18 others to Tianzhu, which was Yangzhou at that time, to seek Buddhism."

"In the end, they not only brought back Buddhism, but also brought back Indian monks such as Shemoteng and Zhu Falan."

"In the 11th year of Yongping, the first Buddhist temple in China, the White Horse Temple, was built in Luoyang."

"Liu Zhuang's dream just fits the characteristics of Buddhism: first, the Buddha of Buddhism is often made of gold, which is exactly the same as the golden man in his dream; second, the golden man flew westward, and India can be considered to be located to the west of the Han Dynasty."

Such a coincidence happened to Liu Zhuang and the Eastern Han Dynasty. Moreover, the ancients were superstitious about ghosts and gods, so they had to believe it even more.

Even though Liu Zhuang, as an emperor, did not believe it so much, he would definitely think it would be okay to believe it. If it was true, he would make a lot of money.

"From the analysis of later generations, Liu Zhuang's dream was not so magical. It was probably just like Emperor Wu's dream of a wooden man hitting him with a stick. It was a normal phenomenon that what you think about during the day will appear in your dreams at night."

"But Liu Zhuang didn't know this, and as an emperor, he often thought his dreams had special meanings, which led to this incident."

"Because of that dream, and because Liu Zhuang missed his father Liu Xiu and his mother Yin Lihua, and because Buddhist teachings in some ways just happened to cater to Liu Zhuang's psychology, after Buddhism was introduced, Liu Zhuang built the Qiyun Pagoda and held the 'Lighting Lanterns to Worship Buddha' activity to promote Buddhism."

"The day for 'lighting lanterns to show respect to Buddha' is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the same day as the Lantern Festival. Later, 'lighting lanterns to show respect to Buddha' was no longer popular, but lighting lanterns on the Lantern Festival remained. In later generations, many places would hold lantern festivals on the Lantern Festival."

"But because Buddhism was an imported religion, Liu Zhuang considered it a foreign religion, so he issued a ban on Buddhism, prohibiting Han people from becoming monks and strictly restricting the development of Buddhism."

"This did restrict the development of Buddhism in China to a certain extent. If Liuzhuang had realized the problems with Buddhism, or the hidden dangers that Buddhism would pose in the future, it would probably not have been banned. Buddhism would have eventually flourished in China."

"The Buddha founded Buddhism to guide people to be good, but he could not prevent some people from using it to do evil."

Li Nian has no prejudice against Buddhism, just like he has against Confucianism. Although he thinks some things in Confucianism are not good and does not want Confucianism to have a huge influence in Qin, he does not think that all Confucianism is bad.

Buddhism has both good and bad aspects. For example, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, some monks in temples were oblivious to the suffering of other living beings and only cared about protecting themselves. But there were also some monks who took the initiative to go down the mountain to participate in the war and fought the enemy in blood.

"Later, there were several anti-Buddhist movements in history. The biggest problem with Buddhism was that it did not engage in production, but accumulated a lot of wealth, hid the population, and did not pay taxes. Even during the Song Dynasty, monks began to lend money to the people."

"Buddhist disciples who were supposed to save the world and enlighten all living beings have become loan sharks. If the Buddha saw this, he would probably want to slap them in the face and save them."

After listening to what Li Nian said, an idea emerged in the mind of the First Emperor. No religion should be allowed to develop wantonly in Daqin or in China. It must be strictly managed. Religion can even be used to influence other countries and create a religion centered on the people of Daqin?
The caste system of Yangzhou can be used as a reference. Daqin is the most powerful country in the world, and the people of Daqin are the most outstanding nation in the world, but people of other nations can also become Daqin people through some means...

The First Emperor thought about it in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was feasible.

I don't know about other places, but it will definitely work in this magical place called Yangzhou. The people there can even tolerate the outrageous caste system, so they will surely be able to tolerate the sect he wants to create.

The First Emperor asked, "How did Buddhism end up in Yangzhou?"

He was just asking casually, and the answer should be very clear. Buddhism is one of the three major religions in later generations. It originated in Yangzhou and must have developed very well in Yangzhou.

Unexpectedly, Li Nian's answer was: "Your Majesty, Buddhism has declined in Yangzhou!" "It is said that there are many reasons, but I don't know much and they may not be accurate: Buddhism flourished during the Maurya Dynasty because of the support of the king and nobles, but after the fall of the Maurya Dynasty, it naturally weakened, and other sects competed with it."

"Yangzhou has a caste system, and the caste system benefits the kings and nobles. For example, under the caste system, one needs status to join a religion, but Buddhism is open to everyone. It has no appeal to the kings and nobles of later times, but of course it still has appeal to the low-caste people."

"But as Hinduism, which is similar to Buddhism, emerged in Yangzhou, it gradually lost its appeal to the lower castes. In order to attract believers, it even absorbed and integrated the teachings of Hinduism. Eventually, it became more and more like Hinduism and was accepted by Hinduism."

"Moreover, Buddhism itself has also encountered more problems in its development. There is a saying in later generations that 'Buddha does not save the poor', and this situation also occurred in Yangzhou Buddhism."

"Originally, in Buddhism, one had to rely on self-cultivation and good deeds to accumulate merit in order to achieve transcendence, but later it became possible to gain merit by donating money and property. In other words, the more money one donates, the more merit one will gain from the Buddha."

"No money? What merits do you want if you don't have money? The Buddha doesn't accept poor ghosts!"

The First Emperor asked again: "What do you think if we can establish a sect and spread it to Yangzhou?"

Li Nian thought about it and felt that this was feasible.

A certain unspeakable religion, Buddhism, and Hinduism can all flourish in Yangzhou. If Daqin concocts a religion and goes to Yangzhou, it may really succeed as long as it can conform to the local conditions in Yangzhou.

What's more, the unspeakable religion did not exist at this time, and Hinduism was nowhere to be seen. When the sect created by the Qin Dynasty went to Yangzhou, there were not many competitors.

"I think it is feasible, but we must be careful about this matter and not act rashly. It is best to make a decision after the envoys to Yangzhou bring back information about Yangzhou. And the most important point is that this sect must be beneficial to Daqin and not cause harm."

Daqin is already planning to send personnel to Yangzhou. It is difficult to cross the Himalayas, so Daqin will plan to enter Yangzhou from the southwest.

One of the reasons for sending Tu Sui, Zhao Tuo and others to establish diplomatic relations with the Baiyue tribes was that they wanted to learn from the Baiyue people their experience in surviving and crossing the dense forests so as to make their progress smoother.

After getting Li Nian's answer, the First Emperor asked, "What happened to Liu Zhuang later? Who was Ban Chao? Why is it only mentioned that he was sent as an envoy to the Western Regions, but nothing else?"

Li Nian explained: "Ban Chao was sent to the Western Regions by Liu Zhuang, but his subsequent events did not take place during Liu Zhuang's time, but during the time of Liu Zhuang's son Liu Lun."

"Liu Zhuang died in the eighteenth year of Yongping, at the age of forty-eight. He reigned for eighteen years. His temple name was Xianzong and his posthumous title was Emperor Xiaoming."

"Liu Zhuang accomplished a lot in his life and had few flaws. He was the second emperor in the Eastern Han Dynasty to be worthy of a temple name. After his death, his fifth son Liu Xun succeeded him."

"Liu Xun was only 19 years old when he ascended the throne, very young, but he was quite experienced in governing."

"Compared with his father Liu Zhuang, he was not as harsh in internal governance. He relaxed the criminal law and abolished many cruel laws. He was deeply loved by officials and people at that time."

"He restored the policy of state-run salt and iron and equalized transportation. In order to promote population growth, he issued a prenatal care order, which said, 'Now all pregnant women shall be given three hu of grain for prenatal care, and their husbands shall not be counted as one year old. This shall be recorded as an order.' During his reign, the population of the Eastern Han Dynasty increased by nearly ten million."

"Culturally, it promoted the unification of Confucian classics. Your Majesty also knows that Confucianism originated from Confucius and Mencius, but Confucius and Mencius are dead after all, and they cannot come out in person to explain their original meaning to later Confucian disciples."

"As a result, later generations of Confucian disciples had all kinds of understandings of their doctrines. Even if Confucius and Mencius were resurrected, they would be dumbfounded by some of their understandings: they really didn't mean that, but they couldn't stand the fact that later generations understood them that way."

"In order to unify the understanding of Confucianism, Liu Jing convened a White Tiger Temple Conference to allow various Confucian schools to express their opinions and discuss similarities and differences."

"As for foreign affairs, looking back, he had both merits and faults. His merits were that he did not abandon the besieged Han soldiers, but instead sent troops to rescue them, leaving behind the famous story of 'Thirteen Soldiers Returning to Yumen'."

What are the Eagle Sauce's "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down"? Such stories have existed in China since ancient times, but now some people are praising the Eagle Sauce stories to the sky, not knowing that they have the same stories in their own country.

"In the 17th year of Yongping, the Eastern Han Dynasty established a Protectorate in the Western Regions and appointed Chen Mu, the Protector General of the Western Regions, Geng Gong and Guan Chong as the Wuyi Colonels."

"In the following year, the year Liu Zhuang passed away, Yanqi and Qiuci attacked Chen Mu, and the Xiongnu sent troops to attack Cheshi, killing the king of Cheshi. They then attacked Geng Gong's residence and besieged him in the city."

"Since Liu Zhuang had passed away at that time, the Eastern Han Dynasty had no time to send troops, and no reinforcements arrived. The Cheshi was also controlled by the Xiongnu, and they joined forces with the Xiongnu to attack. Geng Gong and others were in danger."

"During the siege, Geng Gong and his men ran out of food and fodder, but they still refused to surrender. They boiled their armor and crossbows and ate their tendons and leather. The Xiongnu once sent envoys to persuade them to surrender, but Geng Gong killed them and ate their flesh."

"In the later Song Dynasty, Yue Wumu wrote in his poem Man Jiang Hong that 'I would eat the meat of the barbarians when I am hungry and drink the blood of the Xiongnu when I am thirsty'."

"Of course, by the time of the Song Dynasty, the Xiongnu had already declined and the Song Dynasty was not the Han Dynasty. If Yue Wumu had been born in the Han Dynasty, how could he have ended up like that?"

Yue Wumu's biggest mistake might be that he was born in the wrong era. If he had met the wise rulers of the Han Dynasty during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, especially during the Han Dynasty, he would have achieved even greater achievements.

After listening to Li Nian's words, the First Emperor sighed: "'With great ambition, I would eat the meat of the barbarians when hungry and drink the blood of the Xiongnu when thirsty'. Yue Wumu is a real man, as are Geng Gong, Guan Chong and others. Although they are in danger, they have not changed their ambitions and their spirits are still there!"

Although I don't know who Yue Wumu is, he must be a great military commander to make such a statement. Unfortunately, I heard from Li Nian that the Song Dynasty is also known as "Dasong", so the ending will definitely not be good.

Meng Tian and Meng Yi were also silently repeating this sentence in their hearts. As generals leading troops, they had deeper feelings and asked themselves if they could do the same thing as Geng Gong and others if they were in their situation.

"When Liu Xun ascended the throne and the government stabilized, he learned about the events in the Western Regions and sent General Geng Bing to station troops in Jiuquan, and sent Jiuquan Governor Duan Peng to rescue Geng Gong and others."

"When Duan Peng defeated the Cheshi, the Northern Xiongnu were so frightened that they fled and arrived at the city guarded by Geng Gong and others, only 26 people were left in the city."

The hall fell into silence. Only 26 people were left in the battle. How tragic it was. But even with no ammunition or food left, they were still unwilling to surrender. Could the soldiers of the Qin Dynasty do this?
In addition, if he were in Liu Lun’s position, would he give the order to rescue the soldiers defending the city?

The Han Dynasty must have conducted an analysis before the army went out, and judged that the city there was likely to have been breached, and the soldiers there would either surrender or die in battle...

For some emperors, this would make them consider whether it is still worth rescuing!
However, Liu Lun chose to rescue. Of course, he might not really have gone to rescue the remnant troops defending the city, but he achieved a very good result and created a story that has been passed down to later generations: You will fight to the death and not let your country down, and the country will not let you down!

Li Nian said: "When the Han army that followed the rescue returned to Yumen Pass, there were only thirteen Han soldiers left guarding the city. They all looked haggard and withered, and their clothes were torn and tattered."

"Therefore, this event is also known as 'The Thirteen Soldiers Return to Yumen'. They finally returned to their homeland alive!"

(End of this chapter)