Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 377, The Promulgation of the New Testament

In the religious management system promulgated by Fang Yongxin, Buddhism, Taoism, and various other religious systems within the Central Plains, including those martial arts sects, were all listed in four grades, with the first grade being the highest and the fourth grade the lowest, corresponding to the four administrative divisions of township, county, prefecture, and state/province in the administrative plan.

Each level has strict regulations and restrictions. Taking a township as an example, there can be at most two religious buildings in a township area. The buildings cannot occupy farmland, and their scale cannot exceed the corresponding specifications. Incense offerings must be collected and taxes paid in accordance with regulations. The number of religious personnel recruited cannot exceed ten, etc.

Those original religious forces needed to register with the government and obtain a certificate issued by the government in order to exist legally; otherwise, they would be confiscated and transferred to other qualified individuals.

It is foreseeable that once this decree is implemented, the Taoist temples, Buddhist temples, and various sects that originally occupied a lot of resources in Da Xi will once again undergo a reshuffle.

Those religious forces that do not meet the standards will be eliminated, leaving only those that "meet the standards," or those that obey Fang Yong's rule.

In this way, those numerous religious forces will be completely separated.

Those who get a spot will fight tooth and nail with those who don't, while Fang Yong can manage these religions without much effort.

Although Fang Yong himself, as a ruler, did not like religion, it is undeniable that the traditions passed down for thousands of years, whether Taoism, which originated in China, or Buddhism, which spread from abroad, have become part of the cultural heritage of China.

He could not possibly sever this part of the legacy.

For example, although Fang Yong ordered the arrest of many monks and Taoists, he did not burn down temples or persecute them as he did in other dynasties when they suppressed Buddhism.

In Fang Yong's eyes, the lives of monks and the temple itself are both part of the country's property and part of his property.

What he needs is not to destroy them, but to renovate them and properly reclaim this part of the property.

Currently, nearly 100,000 monks and Taoist priests are performing labor in Hezhou. The construction of Hezhou will be completed soon. After completing their labor service, these monks and Taoist priests can choose to stay in Hezhou or return to their hometowns.

Among these people, only those who work diligently and perform outstandingly can obtain the certificate of a true monk or Taoist issued by the Huaiyin Army, with a probability of only about one in twenty.

That is to say, there are only 5,000 certificates for every 100,000 people.

Only those who hold these certificates can return to temples or Taoist monasteries to continue as monks or Taoist priests. Those without certificates can choose to return to secular life, be assigned to agricultural settlements in their hometowns, work in skilled laborers, or be selected to join the army.

In some of these temples and Taoist monasteries, none of the people have certificates, and their temples will be inherited by other people who do have certificates.

In some temples or Taoist monasteries, the abbots or masters refused to accept the reforms imposed by the Huaiyin Army, refused to perform labor, and outwardly obeyed but inwardly defied, thus they did not receive certificates.

On the contrary, some of his disciples were honest and diligent, worked hard, and obeyed his instructions, and eventually obtained certificates.

In this situation, the abbot or head of the temple will be forced to return to secular life, while their disciple will automatically be promoted to head of the temple.

In short, it simply means promoting those who obey and suppressing those who resist; this has been the case throughout history.

In addition, Fang Yong established an official position as "Head of the Three Religions," a second-rank official, with the responsibility of coordinating the court and assisting the emperor in managing the religions of the realm. (Here, "Three Religions" refers to all religions in the realm, not three specific sects.)
The first head of the three religions will be Zhang Yingshun, the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, who took the initiative to offer suggestions and proposed a religious management system policy.

Yes, in external communications, the policy of the religious management system was proposed by Zhang Yingshun.

The record states: "Master Zhang traveled a thousand miles to the capital to offer King Wu a brilliant strategy that would benefit future generations. His actions are commendable and truly a noble act for the country and its people!"

Therefore, Fang Yongcai bestowed upon Zhang Yingshun the official title of head of the three religions as a reward.

As for whether Zhang Yingshun will be resented by his peers, that is none of Fang Yong's business.

The purpose of giving him an official position was to have him help share the burden. After all, they are a family with a thousand-year history; surely they can handle this.

Not long after the decree was issued, Bishop Mored from the West came to request an audience.

Fang Yong had been waiting for this bishop for a long time.

“Your Majesty the King!” Bishop Mored began.

Bishop Morey was a refined and gentle bishop with a kind and approachable appearance. He had the traditional blond hair and blue eyes of a European and was just fifty years old, still in his prime.

Bishop Moredet is a quick learner. In the two years he has spent in Da Xi, he has become quite proficient in Chinese and can use some simple Chinese allusions.

Now, there is only one important thing on his mind: missionary work.

After witnessing the prosperity of Da Xi, Bishop Mored's desires were stirred within him.

This is such a vast and rich land, with more people living here than the entire population of Europe combined. If he can spread the Catholic Church here, he will undoubtedly be remembered in the history of the Catholic Church and will be qualified to serve the Lord in heaven after his death.

Unfortunately, missionary work here is exceptionally difficult.

Many missionaries had come to this land before, some even dating back to the Tang Dynasty, but unfortunately, the local folk beliefs had been firmly occupied by the local religious sects, who had their own very mature pantheon and did not believe in Jesus at all.

The officials looked down on these foreigners, and unless they offered a large sum of gold and silver, they could not gain official recognition.

The original plan to preach here had already been deemed unfeasible.

Fortunately, this new king was very enlightened and a very devout believer.

Well, actually, Bishop Morey didn't think Fang Yong was particularly devout, but at least Fang Yong was willing to listen to him finish speaking, which made him the most devout of all the Chinese kings recorded in church history.

Therefore, it is not unreasonable to call Fang Yong the most devout believer.

Even Bishop Morede's visit to Da Xi was personally invited by Fang Yong, and he also witnessed Fang Yong and Princess Sophia's wedding. What an honor that was!

With this relationship, Bishop Morede's missionary work was largely unaffected by official interference.

The only obstacle is the two major indigenous religious sects, Buddhism and Taoism.

Now, with the promulgation of the new policy, Bishop Moredet instantly realized that a reshuffling of the local denominations was about to take place, which was the perfect opportunity for him to seize the moment.

Mored came to see Fang Yong, bowed respectfully, and humbly expressed his hope that the Catholic Church could participate in this grand religious event in the Midsummer.

Fang Yong smiled and said upon hearing this:
"Of course! Although the Catholic Church is weak, it has long been established in China and is naturally one of the traditional churches in China!"

For some reason, when Mored heard the word "tradition" in Fang Yong's words, he felt a strange sense of unease, as if he were about to lose something.

However, Fang Yong didn't wait for him to think it over before continuing:

"I will personally order the construction of a landmark church in the capital, and have it directly integrated into the imperial court's management system!"

Morey was a little stunned by this surprise.

"Important churches, added to the management system!"

This signifies that the church has established a foothold in Central Asia and become bound to the imperial court, an achievement that no missionary had ever accomplished before.

"but……"

Fang Yong changed the subject and said:

"The bishop needs to add some biblical passages to make it more suitable for development in Central China..."

(End of this chapter)