The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 520: Mo Zibu's Big Problem

Old Summer Palace, Savatthi.

This palace was modeled after the capital of Kusala Kingdom during the Indian Warring States Period, which controlled most of present-day Uttar Pradesh, India and part of Nepal.

The capital of Kusala is called Shravasti. It is the place where the famous Samana thought emerged in Indian history. It is said that the Buddha also lived here for twenty-five years and completed the basic theoretical construction of Buddhism.

Its penultimate king was the famous Buddhist god King Prasenajit. The conversation between the Buddha and King Prasenajit in Kusala was compiled into the Kusala Sutra.

Therefore, in the history of Buddhism, Kusala, especially Shravasti, which represents Kusala, is a veritable Buddhist holy city.

At the same time, the summary of the Buddha's enlightenment here had a great influence on Chinese culture.

The concepts of reincarnation, afterlife, hell, samsara, cause and effect, and retribution that are familiar to later Chinese people all originated in Shravasti.

Before these concepts were introduced to China, the Chinese believed that people would go to Mount Tai after death. The saying "When a Chinese person dies, his soul returns to Mount Tai" embodies this idea.

The Emperor of Dongyue, who is often heard of by people in later generations, is the main god of Mount Tai who emerged under the guidance of this kind of thinking. The Ten Kings of Hell under him are what people often call the Hall of Hell, which captures souls and spirits.

Therefore, great emperors in Chinese history often chose Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods. This was not because Mount Tai was the highest. Not to mention the distant Xiao Wutai Mountain in Hebei and Laojun Mountain in Henan were both higher than Mount Tai.

The reason why Mount Tai is important is that the Chinese believe that Mount Tai is the final resting place of the soul after death.

When emperors offered sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai, they were not only showing off their achievements to the living, but also demonstrating their accomplishments to the souls gathered at Mount Tai and to their ancestors.

The reason why Mo Zibu thought of the Emperor of Mount Tai and the Ten Kings of Hell was because someone mentioned the term Fengshan on Mount Tai.

It would be a lie to say that I am not tempted. There is no such thing as extravagance and waste. At worst, I can just pay for it myself.

Over the years, Mo Zibu has made a lot of money through Fuxing Company, especially the central bank under Fuxing Company.

Just from the currency reform and the issuance of new coins, after distributing most of it to the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Treasury, there were still six or seven million taels that ended up in Mo Zibu's personal pocket.

If you asked the imperial court to bear the cost of the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai with this little money, it might not even be enough.

But if Mo Zibu paid for it himself, let the Fuxing Company and the Audit Office of the Inner Court Transportation Department supervise its use, and had a financial expert like Heshen organize it, it would be enough to seal Mount Tai twice.

So the only person who made Mo Zibu hesitate was Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng.

You said that Xiao Yanyan forced you into a humiliating treaty in Chanzhou, forcing you to pay annual tribute, and you tried to escape several times before you left.

Your broken Song Dynasty, first, it has no Hexi and Longyou, second, it has no Shuofang and Lingwu, third, it has no Youbing and two states, fourth, it has no Liaodong and Liaoxi, fifth, it cannot take back Jiaozhi, and sixth, it cannot even save Li Shengtian from the Western Regions.

Who gave you, Zhao Heng, the courage to offer sacrifices to the gods on Mount Tai?

Mo Zibu thought about it and realized that if he really went to confer an award on Mount Tai, the scene would probably be something like this.

'Reached the highest mountain in China - Mount Tai.'

"Oh, isn't that Zhao Heng?"

"Let's take a look at the scenery in the distance, my family!"

Shit! Mo Zibu shuddered and threw aside the memorial to the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai proposed by Qian Dazhao, Ji Yun, and Yuan Shoutong.

Just when Mo Zibu was feeling a little depressed, Defei Ye Xiaomei came to play with Mo Zibu's eldest son Asen, second son Asu and eldest daughter Mo Xiuyu.

"Wow, so many Bodhisattvas!" The three children looked at the Buddha statues in Shravasti and immediately exclaimed with laughter.

Since it is called Shravasti, it is naturally a religious palace. There are as many as 110,000 gold and bronze Buddha statues in the city.

The Bannermen were Buddhists, so they were best at collecting these. Over the hundred years since the Manchus entered the Central Plains, whenever the Empress Dowager or the Emperor's birthday came, the officials, mainly the Bannermen themselves, loved to give Buddha statues as gifts. Together with the palace treasures collected by the royal family over the years, the collection has grown to its current scale.

There are not only many Buddha statues in Shravasti, but also the time span is particularly long, from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the present, especially those from the Khitan Liao, Jurchen Jin, and Mongol Yuan dynasties.

Historically, after the British and French forces looted the Old Summer Palace, except for a few hundred pieces that were shipped to Europe, all the items were melted on the spot by the white soldiers.

Among them, less than 20% were golden Buddhas, and the rest were mostly copper. Even so, they could not escape the clutches of the beast soldiers. Along with them, a large number of Buddhist scriptures and books recording related deeds were also destroyed.

This was one of the most devastating cultural catastrophes in Chinese history. The losses were incalculable and it caused a large number of related cultural gaps.

"These many Bodhisattva statues will all belong to our family from now on. You must protect them well." Mo Zibu said meaningfully.

Ye Xiaomei looked up in astonishment, not knowing what the emperor meant by this. Could someone come to rob the Shravasti City in the Old Summer Palace?

Instead, the three children agreed loudly. The eldest son Asen is ten years old, the second son Axu and the eldest daughter Mo Xiuyu are both eight years old. When their formal sense of independence begins to emerge, they have a special enthusiasm for the things assigned by adults.

After playing with the children for a while, the battle report sent by Li Xianwen from Lanzhou arrived. Mo Zibu was very happy but also a little sad.

The good news is that the chaos in Shaanxi and Gansu was quelled in just over a year, but the sad thing is that this unrest still led to the deaths of millions of innocent people.

Although it is much better than the historical death of more than 10 million Han people, it is still a million lives.

All of them are victims of the Han civilization, which has been suppressed to the bottom and lost all its glory in the past hundred years.

Seeing that Ye Xiaomei was a little interested, Mo Zibu handed the battle report to her to read. The three children also clung to Ye Xiaomei's shoulders and read it curiously.

After reading it, Ye Xiaomei sighed somewhat uncomfortably, and then said to Mo Zibu, "Your Majesty, it just so happens that Zhangjia Hutuktu, Master Dajue Guangde Puji (Zheng Xin), Master Chewu of the Zen Buddhism, and Zhang Qilong of Longhu Mountain are all in Beijing.

They can be summoned to Savatthi to hold a grand waterway ceremony for the victims of Shaanxi and Gansu, to pray for their salvation."

At this time, the 57th generation Zhang Tianshi Zhang Cunyi passed away two years ago, and Mo Zibu had not appointed a new Zhang Tianshi.

So in history, the 58th generation Zhang Tianshi, Zhang Qilong, had been active in Beijing, hoping to be summoned by Mo Zibu to inherit the title.

The fact that monks and Taoists hold water and land ceremonies together is a major feature of Chinese religion. Not only can they hold it together, but they also learn from each other and hold their own, which is very harmonious.

“Well, let’s get all the senior monks and abbots from all the major temples in Beijing to come and pay their respects.

He also ordered the Shuntian Prefecture in Beijing, the Yingtian Prefecture in Nanjing, the Guangzhou Prefecture in the southern capital, and all provincial capitals to suspend all banquets for three days as a sign of mourning.

Ye Xiaomei nodded, stood up, and went out to inform the Imperial Academy attendants and servants of the Civil Service Office who were on duty today. Mo Zibu looked at his three children and said, "Asen, Axu, Yu'er, what do you think father will do to punish these rebellious guys?"

"Kill them and let my uncle throw them all into the Yellow River!" The eight-year-old Mo Xiuyu's eyes were wide open and she waved her white little hands violently, looking like a heroine.

Mo Zibu was quite surprised. It turned out that this was the Hakka woman born to Ye Xiaomei. She had an impetuous personality and often shouted for war and killing. She was the most irritable but decisive one among the four sons and five daughters of Emperor Mo.

"I think we should let them convert. Those who convert to Buddhism will have their sins forgiven, and those who don't will be driven out."

The second son, Ah Xu, who was born to Wu Qian, the daughter of Phraya Chanthaburi of Siam and the current Queen Zheng Shishi, said with a slight stutter.

Just at this time, Ye Xiaomei came in with her little cousin. When she heard what Ah Xu said, her expression became very subtle.

Although Ah Xu was nominally the queen's son, his background meant that he would hardly gain much support in his fight for the throne, and he had no resources from his maternal family.

Therefore, this child is currently the most popular in the palace, because he has no competition with the current or future princes.

Ye Xiaomei likes him very much, so this subtle expression is mostly about relief and love.

"My son is kind and will be a good king in the future!" Mo Zibu praised with a laugh.

Ah Xu was influenced by his biological mother Wu Qian, and his adoptive mother Zheng Shishi also grew up in Nanyang, so his way of thinking is somewhat closer to that of Nanyang.

His opinion is the most common tactic used in Nanyang to deal with pagans. If you refuse to convert, then we will drive you away.

However, this is possible in Southeast Asia, but not on the mainland.

Because the South Seas are covered with tropical rainforests, there is hardly any human activity outside the settlements. There are big crocodiles, big pythons, poison gas, malaria, etc. everywhere.

There are also quite a few islands. If we drive people directly to the small islands and destroy all the ships, they will have nowhere to escape and will die on the spot.

So when it is called driving them away, they are actually being thrown into islands and tropical rainforests to die, which is very economical.

But on the mainland, especially in dry places like Gansu, if you throw it into a ravine, there is a high probability that it will still survive and its whereabouts will be impossible to track, so it doesn't work.

On this side, when Ye Xiaomei heard Mo Zibu say that Ah Xu would be a good king, she couldn't help but feel happy for the child.

Not only will he be able to avoid the open and secret attacks in the palace in the future, but becoming the king of a country in Southeast Asia is also a very good foundation.

After Ah Xu finished speaking, Mo Zibu looked at his eldest son Ah Sen. Ye Xiaomei's heart couldn't help but rise. He had now formed an alliance with the imperial concubine's younger cousin Chen Yizhen, and Ah Sen solemnly worshipped her as his godmother.

Asen was already ten years old and understood a lot of things, so he was also very nervous. After pondering for a while, he said, "Father, I think the suggestions of my eldest sister and second brother are reasonable, but they don't seem to solve the problem.

The fact that so many people in Shaanxi and Gansu have gone astray is not something that could have happened overnight. There must be a reason behind the fact that the Islamic sect has become so powerful.

However, I have never been to Shaanxi and Gansu, nor have I read the ministers' memorials, so I don't know what exactly happened in Shaanxi and Gansu, and it's difficult for me to offer any advice."

When the little cousin heard her son say this, she turned pale with fright. Your younger brothers and sisters have all given their opinions, but you, the eldest, don’t give any suggestions at all. Are you not even as good as your younger sister?
Unexpectedly, Mo Zibu burst into laughter and said, "Well said, Asen, this is what a mature and prudent person should say.

"Your father, I can tell you that what the emperor fears most is not diligence or laziness, nor simplicity or luxury. What he fears most is being deceived by those below him and not having a pragmatic heart."

Hearing what Mo Zibu said, the little cousin who was frightened just now immediately turned to joy.

Ye Xiaomei next to him was a little speechless. It seemed that she would have to teach Arsen more in the future.

As for Mo Zibu, Ye Xiaomei's inference some time ago was correct. He really needed his son to come out earlier and take control of some power to share the pressure with him.

Not to mention his sons, Mo Zibu used not only his three brothers and his father, but even distant relatives like Mo Shande.

As for whether the future crown prince's control of too many resources would threaten the emperor himself, Mo Zibu was not worried at all.

Because the princes of Han and Tang dynasties had the possibility of rebellion, such as Prince Liu Ju of Wei and Li Chengqian. They were qualified to rebel because during the Han and Tang dynasties, power was concentrated in the small Guanzhong Plain.

The power in the Guanzhong Plain was highly concentrated in Chang'an City.

In other words, at that time, if you wanted to rebel, as long as you could take over Guanzhong or even Chang'an City, everything would be solved. That's why the emperor had to seize every bit of power, otherwise there would be problems.

At this time, Mo Zibu had already traveled to Nanjing, Beijing and Guangzhou. Power was not concentrated in a certain region or city, but was spread across the country with the emperor.

Even if the prince usurps the throne and imprisoned Mo Zibu, and can control the political forces in Beijing, can you also control the court team in Nanjing and the standard team left behind in Guangzhou?
There are also the Jiangnan gentry headed by Suzhou, the Lingnan meritorious officials group headed by Guangzhou, the Nanyang meritorious officials headed by Jiading, and the Republican Parliament headquartered in Thang Long.

There are also a large number of Nanyang colonization groups and the bourgeoisie that is about to emerge with the strong support of Mo Zibu. Can you handle all of this?

If there really was a crown prince who could take care of all these people, the emperor would have abdicated long ago.

Therefore, Mo Zibu wanted to send Asen to Xi'an to let him see the world, but considering the child mortality rate at that time, he held back.

Subsequently, Mo Zibu ordered the Shaanxi Governor Mo Shande and the Jinyiwei Northern Pacification Division stationed in Shaanxi to each produce an investigation report on the rapid spread of Muslim religion in Shaanxi and Gansu.

As for how the chaos in Gansu will end, Mo Zibu still needs to make careful plans and must integrate comprehensive information from all parties.

Because the Tongzhi Rebellion in history basically wiped out all the Christians in Gansu, of course the price was that the Han people in Gansu were also basically killed.

Therefore, after 1860, the Qing Dynasty enjoyed about fifty years of peace in the northwest, until the surviving Christians from Qinghai were recruited by the Lianghui Ma family, who were recognized by Zuo Wenxiang, and continued to move down the plateau. It was not until 1910 that the situation began to get out of control again.

At this time, after two years of turmoil, there were still at least four million Christians in Shaanxi and Gansu. Among them, the one million moderate ones in Shaanxi could be split up and sent to Lower Burma and Japan.

But how to deal with these relatively radical ones in Gansu is indeed a problem.

Mozibu's current idea is that since they like the West, they should all migrate to the Western Regions, to Ili and Fergana.

Let them go and see whether the Muslim Mongols and Turks in Central Asia, whom they regard as their own people, welcome their religious fellow believers.

This is called fighting poison with poison. When these religious Han people from Gansu go to the Western Regions, they will find that the so-called unity is fake, and what the Muslim community likes most is infighting among themselves.

Mo Zibu wanted to see whether, when they faced immense survival pressure and a decent future, they would turn their hearts to the imperial court or continue to be dogs for the Central Asians.

(End of this chapter)