The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 136: The Mirror of Compassion and Light

The strong wind made the colorful flags all over the city rustle.

Decades later, more than 200 clergy and monks, including Mingjing Cibei Guangming Xinzhe, Lingyan Great Sage, Yellow-headed Monk, Divine Shaman Sorcerer, White-hat Bon Teacher, Vajra Warrior, Guardian of the Army, and Blessing Attractor, stood together under the king's pagoda, which was a rare sight.

Since the Buye royal family used Bon religion to establish the royal lineage, its teachings have become the supreme principle guiding all social classes in Dafan.

According to the Bon theory, the Zamp is the Son of God who rules the world on behalf of the gods. With the same idea of heaven and man being in harmony and the divine right of the emperor, does it seem that the Zamp and the Son of Heaven are the same thing? Actually, they are not.

Dafan started out as a Bon and ruled the country with religious laws, and the right to interpret and revise religious laws and doctrines was controlled by the priest class. The sacredness of the Zamp came from the recognition of the doctrine. If the religion did not grant authority, there would be no qualification to appoint a great theorist to govern the secular world. The king is under the law, and the king is under the religion. From Niechi to Tride, all 26 Zamps came this way.

When he arrived at Fuye clan, in order to get rid of the constraints, he introduced Buddhism to a small range to create friction. On the other hand, he proposed to Li Shimin to seek support from external forces.

At that time, Tuhun and Turkic people came to the court. When they heard that Tubo wanted to marry the princess, they were furious! Are these barbarians worthy? So they spread slanderous words - what do you want by marrying the girl? Do you want their bedroom to be full of feces and urine? Do you want them to never take a bath in their life? Erfeng heard this and thought it was not polite, so she refused to marry.

This was the beginning of the feud between Tubo and Tuyuhun.

Fuye attacked Tuyuhun, who had said bad things about him, and then presented gold and silk to the court again, threatening: "If you don't marry the princess, we will invade."

Erfeng taught Hou Junji a lesson, but Fu Ye was very persistent. "You beat me well, but I will marry you even if you kill me!" After seven or eight years of this, Li Shimin could no longer hold back and ordered Li Daozong to take the princess to Tibet.

How did Fuye treat Wencheng? Wencheng hated the Tibetans' red faces, so he ordered the country to stop doing so. No one was allowed to wear red faces or felt furs when meeting the queen. Wencheng did not understand Tibetan language, so he found someone to teach him how to speak Chinese and write Chinese characters.

During his reign, the relationship between the two sides was quite good. Wang Xuance was robbed by the Indians on his way to the throne, and the emperor sent troops to punish him. When Emperor Gaozong succeeded to the throne, Fuye wrote a letter to warn Zhangsun Wuji and others that if the emperor's subjects were disloyal, he should send troops to the country to eliminate them. When he died, the court carved a stone statue of him and attached it to the Zhaoling Shrine.

It was also during the years when Fu Ye was in power that Buddhists flourished everywhere, and religious chaos also came.

The Jokhang Temple was under construction and was destroyed by fire.

In the 14th year of Tianbao, Bon followers launched a coup d'état and killed the Zamp, and ordered the extermination of Buddhism throughout the country - destroying Buddhist temples and burying Buddha statues. Temples were reduced to slaughterhouses, and Buddhist ministers were executed.

In the third year of Kaicheng, Bodhidharma succeeded to the throne. Feeling that Buddhism was evil and eroding the foundation of his rule, he once again destroyed Buddhism. In the second year of Huichang, he was assassinated by a monk.

These were only the two major ones. Since Songtsen Gampo, the dispute between Buddhism and Bon has never ceased, and all kinds of riots have emerged one after another. The warriors, nobles, and civilians of the two factions would fight at any time, and the queen could be hanged... But in terms of maintaining slavery and existing privileges, they were surprisingly united.

No matter what belief one has, it will always be defeated by reality. Faced with beautiful women serving as waitresses, boxes of glittering coins, groups of obedient servants, and a position that is above the mundane world and above all other beings, what should one believe in to resist temptation?

Therefore, facing the massive invasion of the Tang people this time, the Buddhist and Bon forces in Jin, Shan, and Jishi cities united without hesitation. First solve the main contradiction of survival, and then discuss the secondary contradiction of which is better or worse.

Ming Luo, the bright mirror of compassion and light, glanced at the Wangzao Tower shrouded in the morning light.

The east is about to dawn and the sun is rising.

well.

I looked at the table in front of the first floor of the pagoda, on which were placed sheep heads, cooked meat, grains, tsampa, and butter piles. In the past, fresh human flesh was used. However, the relatively mild upper world law had a profound influence, and coupled with the competition brought by the invasion of Taoism and Brahmanism, the primitive blood sacrifice habit was suppressed to a certain extent.

That’s okay.

In the distance, warriors stood in awe, and generals prostrated themselves on the ground devoutly, their armor shining like golden scales facing the sun. With more than 36,000 soldiers and more than 50,000 strong slaves, could they defeat the Tang people?

When the first rays of sunlight illuminated half of the clouds, Ming Luo raised the sun disk and said softly, "The Sun God is watching. We can begin."

Well, the scene is a bit spicy.

The two factions of charlatans pushed and shoved each other to compete for the first place, and even fought silently because they did not dare to blaspheme the gods. The women pulled the hair, the men pinched the neck, and several people were beaten with blood flying from their noses. In such a large-scale event, whoever goes on stage first means that this faction is stronger and more outstanding.

"Go away!"

"I curse you in the name of the God of the West Sea."

In the end, the yellow-headed monk is better at fighting than the white-hatted teacher.

The great sage Lingyan sat cross-legged in the middle of the scene. The bare-chested Vajra warriors and monks surrounded him in the center. The great sage suddenly spoke: "The Buddha appeared on the lotus in the Universal Light Hall, showing miraculous changes, and the Bodhisattvas from all directions came to gather."

Then, dozens of people chanted in unison: "At this time, we will ascend to the Yama Heaven Palace. The Dharma King will sit in the solemn palace to welcome the Tathagata and all the Buddha's sons of Samantabhadra. The wonderful sound will spread throughout the world. After chanting praises, the Venerable will take his seat..."

It's deafening.

"Ha, ha." The rhythm changed, and Vajra sang loudly: "Patience and firm faith are like Mount Sumeru. Dharani is deep and broad, like the ocean. Divine power is unobstructed, like the void. It eliminates all delusions, obstacles, and habits. It is like the scorching sun that melts the light ice..."

Mingjing Cibei Guangming Xinzhe was listening carefully at the side, but his face turned dark when he heard this.

Have these bald asses been drained of their essence and brains by women?
Are you reciting the Ksitigarbha Sutra when offering sacrifices to bless the soldiers and punish the Tang people?

Could it be that "The divine power is unhindered, like the void. It eliminates all confused habits and obstructions" means to make the boys run very fast, as if riding the wind?

The unrestrained Buddhists were immersed in peace and happiness and had completely fallen into the mundane world. Ming Luo even doubted whether these Vajra Warriors could recite a complete sutra.

After the great sage Lingyan borrowed the power of all Bodhisattvas and Buddhas for the three armies, the Bon teachers formally worshipped the heaven, earth, stars, mountains and rivers.

First is the nearby Changliu Mountain.

Please ask Baidi Shaohao to bring down divine punishment and let the Tang Dynasty Emperor Li Ye die suddenly.

Then there are the Jishi Mountain, the Daxia River, the West Sea, the Kanglang Mountain, the Yellow River and its gods.

Please cause the mountains to collapse and the rivers to flood to bury the Tang army.

After this step is completed, the fortune-bringer brings yaks, sheep, chickens, horses, dogs, macaques, and camels to the altar, and amid their wailing and screaming, first breaks their feet and kills them, then rips open their intestines and butchers them.

Poor dog, miserable camel!
After killing them all, the white-hatted teachers, the guards, the envoys, and the officers stood shoulder to shoulder in three rows and said to the heavens, the earth, the mountains, the rivers, the sun, the moon, and the stars: "We must all work together to protect our family. If you change your mind, harbor evil intentions, and turn back, the gods will see it and you will be treated like a sheep or a dog."

Then they picked up the plates and wine glasses and ate blood and meat.

All the sorcerers came up again and said to them solemnly: "Only the gods of heaven and earth know your intentions. If you break this covenant, your body will be torn apart and you will die with blood spitting out from your mouth. You will be sacrificed like this, and this maidservant will be sacrificed like this."

After that, a group of crying handsome slaves were brought up and thrown into the dug pit.

It's too bloody to describe.

Finally, the bright mirror, compassionate and bright Xinzhe Mingluo led everyone to kneel down, support themselves with their hands, and bark at the altar to express their respect for the gods. Yes, they imitated the barking of dogs. This is the traditional custom of Tubo, and this is how you bow to the venerable. It is no longer popular after the demise of Dafan, but they still follow the ancient rituals in grand sacrifices.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

After the dog stopped barking, everyone bowed again before standing up.

Under Ming Luo's crazy guidance, everyone started babbling, "King Niechi and his ministers practiced Baran Bon together and ascended to the sky! Soldiers ran and turned into lions, they could not sink in water, flowers bloomed in valleys, water could be made to flow, and fire could be generated from iron. They could subdue demons, press the sun and moon on the mandala, and make belts grow on the cave wall to bind the Tang Emperor. They could ride on beasts like horses and chant spells to collapse mountains. Ah ah ah ah ah——"

Tens of thousands of warriors and slaves who were watching from a distance cheered along.

"When you see the five gods, you will burn hell with golden grass and eat poison as if it were food."

"Sixty-one thousand Zhangzhung warriors fell to the ground, their hats flying up into the sky like birds chasing after the enemy."

"Be like Kunpeng, soaring into the clouds, throwing away clothes to block out the sun, resurrecting the dead, and standing upside down on the mountains!"

The witches each made a divination: It’s time to go to war.

The sacrifice is over.

The warriors' original low and fearful emotions were swept away, their eyes regained their spirits, and the sounds of swords hitting shields and spears hitting the ground rang out: "Fight, fight, fight!"

Ming Luo, the Mirror of Mercy and Light, and the Observer of Jincheng, smiled slowly under his thick beard and jumped on his horse: "Go!"

Then teams of infantry and cavalry began to move.

The system of the barbarians: The young are valued and the old are despised; the mother is subordinate to the son and the son is arrogant to the father. When going out to eat, the young go in front and the old go behind.

Just like marching and fighting. The youngest is in the first row, followed by the oldest in order of age, and the oldest is at the end. If it is a father and son, the son is in front and the father is behind. It is said that Tubo does not emphasize filial piety, but the picture of the son standing in front of his father is very touching. Speaking of filial piety... why is it so abstract.

Moreover, it is outrageous to arrange the troops based solely on age without considering strength, physical strength, and combat skills.

Watching my son die in front of me, I must have collapsed.

In the 16th year of Kaiyuan, Du Binke led 4,000 crossbowmen to encounter tens of thousands of troops in Qilian City. But what was the result? The captives fled to the mountains, crying everywhere.

In the 29th year, Tubo sent an army of 400,000 to attack Shancheng in the east. They were blocked at Huangshui by 5,000 troops led by General Sheng Xiye. After a fierce battle, the Tubo were defeated and fled, and then they turned to attack Shibao City.

In the eighth year of the Dali reign, Ma Lin led 2,000 men to attack the camp, and shot and killed the envoy in the dark night with an arrow. The bandits supported him and cried, and fled the camp.

In the eleventh year, Cui Ning of Jiannan killed and captured more than 200,000 people from the Tubo and its affiliated Turkic, Tuhun, Di, Man, and Qiang tribes, and captured nearly 2,000 people alive.

In the 14th year, 200,000 Tibetans attacked Yazhou again. 4,000 imperial troops and 5,000 Youzhou soldiers were dispatched to fight against them and defeated them.

There are many examples of this. The gap between us and the enemy is so huge that even a saint could not imagine how they could lose, but Tubo was defeated in a fancy way. Perhaps it has something to do with their customs, otherwise there would not be endless records of the captives crying and leaving.

……

On July 13, the second year of Jingfu, Tuoba Sigong sent his eldest son Renyou with 6,000 Xia soldiers to obey the imperial edict. Han Zun of the Shuofang army also sent Du Yuhou Yu Xiu with 3,000 cavalry to assist in the expedition.

On July 16, the sage ordered troops from all directions to approach Jincheng. To show their loyalty, the Golden Sword Envoy Gadbei, the Mist and Dew Envoy Lun Jiqiong, and the Suppressing Barbarians Ye Shi Changming gathered 12,000 troops and went around to the Jincheng Pass behind Jincheng, stationed at Zhongshan Bridge, and cut off the enemy's retreat to the north. Cooperating with them were the 3,300 Ashina troops who had recently surrendered and were given weapons and armor to be reorganized into the Moli Army.

The envoy to Mo Li was Lai Mei's eldest brother, Luo Xue. This branch of the Ashina clan was quite educated, and the seven brothers and sisters were named Luo Xue, Lai Mei, Li Ying, Ping Xi, Jia Xi, Ran Xiang, and Ying Chen. They were really underestimated.

On July 17, after several small-scale tugs of war in the Kanglang Mountain area, it was found out that the Tang army of more than 100,000 people was composed of warriors, civilians, surrendered foreign tribes, and criminals. Shancheng envoy Zhang Jiyong, Guzhou Jieer Gongba Cang, Jincheng Lianghui and other state inspectors Ming Luo, Guangen attack envoy Pululuheini and other captive generals decisively joined forces with more than 80,000 slaves from the manor and the Umu tribes to fight.

Let’s see who is more of a mob!
Ming Luo, Zhang Jiyong and other guys are quite courageous.

Don't be surprised. There were many Han people in Helong who served the enemy. There were also some ancient noble families, such as the Ma family in Liangzhou and the Gou family in Qinzhou. Zhang Jiyong, who occupied Shancheng, was a subordinate of Shang Bibi in his early years. In the Xiantong year, he killed Shang's son and established himself. At that time, he expressed his loyalty to the court. Today, this seems like an illusion.

Li's move to continue westward after taking over Hewei threatened his position as a local tyrant, so he stood together with Ming Luo.

At the beginning of the Si hour, there was a huge noise in the sky, and a cloud of dust rose from the fields covered with wild flowers and dandelions. A large group of enemy soldiers came into view, wearing red and black armor, and a large furry crown on their helmets, which looked like it was made of eagle feathers.

From a distance, it looks very intimidating.

The fierce cavalrymen were equipped with both men and horses. The fat warhorses were snorting, and the knights held their lances upright, bows were slung across their chests, and quivers were hung on their belts.

The infantry is very colorful.

Some wore grey leather armor, two swords, a lance, and a round rattan shield. Some wore iron chain mail and lamellar armor, which shone brightly in the sun. They rode camels, horses, donkeys, and other animals; they were part of the cavalry.

The overall formation is a goose-shaped formation with the two wings extending horizontally and facing forward in a staircase.

Ten years ago, Tubo was able to take advantage of the chaos to counterattack Huizhou. It is normal for them to gather tens of thousands of warriors to face a strong enemy this time. As a force, their strength is not bad. If a leader recognized by all tribes can emerge, they may be able to unite again to do something.

However, this possibility should be gone. The leaders of the Tibetan aristocratic families, Gadbei and Lunjiqiong, are fighting for the imperial court, so why are you still making trouble?

"Kill, kill, kill!!!" The enemy army stopped two miles away and launched the first round of demonstrative roars that shook the mountains.

"Boom, boom, boom." The war drums suddenly sounded, and the Tang people, who had been sitting on the ground with their guns in their arms and resting impatiently, stood up in a swarm, slapping their buttocks.

The warriors from various armies began to put on their armor, helmets, and swords silently, and checked again whether their spears and shields were strong.

The archer slowly strung his bow and took the spare bowstring and full quiver with him.

Qin Tai took out a rag and wrapped the knife handle tightly in his palm to prevent it from slipping out of his hand. He squatted beside Zhan Feng and chopped the opponent's spear.

He was sent to the front line again.

The dog emperor has tortured us for almost two years, and he is still angry. How petty! Wasn't it me who wanted to rebel in the first place? It was Li Maozhen who instigated us. It's because you have too many and too beautiful concubines, and Chang'an is prosperous, otherwise the soldiers of Fengxiang would not have been greedy.

I don’t know when I will be pardoned.

Good saint.

I have indeed changed my mind...

The second drum sounded, interrupting Qin Tai's complicated mood.

Looking up, I saw that the front line had already set out. The cavalry on both wings were adjusting their formations in batches and in an orderly manner to cover their advance.

"My fellow men..." Qin Tai called out to the nearly 2,000 villains in the Third Capital. He was friendly to everyone except the newly exiled soldiers sent by the dog emperor after the capture of Weizhou.

The same people from the end of the world, why do they know each other when they meet.

Qin Tai walked back and forth, asking everyone to eat their dry food and drink water again to ensure their physical strength.

"Commander, I... I'm scared." A skinny and pale captive boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old said timidly.

Seeing that the other party's hair was different, but it was not the common shaved hair, Qin Tai was about to say something, but he saw Yin Shouzhi, the dog emperor's lackey who temporarily served as the evil army's Du Yuhou, walking towards him with a whip in his hand, looking around all the way. He immediately covered the boy's mouth and pushed him into the crowd, then turned around and nodded and bowed: "Greetings to Du Yuhou!"

"When the third drum sounds, you will lead the captives in the capital to the front of the battle and persuade the Tibetans to surrender."

"Yes!"

……

Woo—dozens of horns were blown, indicating that the enemy and us were less than a hundred steps apart.

The saint stood on the hillside, overlooking the archers behind the battle line who were shooting the first wave of arrows in the Battle of Jincheng.

The warriors in the first row raised their long spears, looked at each other, kept their steps in unison, and began to reserve a space of one foot and six inches for defense.

Seeing this, the soldiers in the second row, the third row, and even the seventh row slowed down their pace and began to distance themselves from each other.

The Yingwu, Feixian and Guangrui troops behind the battle put their long spears at their feet, covered their heads with small cowhide round shields, and sat down on the spot, waiting for replenishment.

Ta-ta-ta, teams of soldiers holding large shields trotted in from the gaps between each row, stretched out their legs and sat down with their backs resting on their shields.

"Whoa!" The cavalrymen of Long Jie Sidu stopped on both wings and looked up.

"Swoosh, swish, swish!" The soldiers sighed as they looked at the second wave of arrows flying over their heads and in front of their eyes.

"If I die here, the saint must find me an adopted son, otherwise I will rebel even after I die."

"Damn it, I haven't even tasted a woman."

"I wonder if my old father has recovered from his illness?"

"Don't laugh, Lord, who is lying drunk on the battlefield. How many people have fought in ancient times."

"Fight at dawn with the golden drums, sleep at night with the jade saddle. It has been almost two months since we went out to the frontier. The saint should return home after conquering Jincheng."

"Hey, I'll eat a vinegar cake first."

The man reached out and caught a small falling leaf, then looked down at the texture in a daze.

The sound of dense armor plates colliding came over, and the footsteps suddenly became hurried. Zhan Feng shouted: "Kill!"

"Fire!" the officer shouted.

The 1,500 crossbowmen of the Eagle Shooting Army knelt on one knee and launched a third wave of rain of arrows.

(End of this chapter)