Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 392 Using Evil to Combat Evil
Liu Bei flipped through the documents in front of him: "Zhi Zhu, you and Zuo Rong built a great pagoda, and you killed countless people in Xiapi. It is not my fault that you are being accused..."

The documents on the desk were paper reports, which were being sent back by Liu Bei's troops from various counties in Pengcheng, Xiapi, and Guangling.

Guards kept delivering documents to the prefect's office and handing them over to Xun You.

Xun You was sorting through the entries one by one: "Every household in Xiapi County is starving and impoverished, and no family has any grain to grow. The villagers say that Master Fadu has great supernatural powers and can decide life and death..."

"The sixteen pavilions in Xiaxiang County were in ruins. The able-bodied men were forced to build temples to 'remove karmic obstacles,' while the old and weak survived on donations to the temples."

"Twenty wealthy families in Qulu County, with nearly a thousand members, all died without being buried. The villagers said that they were killed by Ze Rong in order to 'eliminate heretical views'."

“At the winter solstice, the two villages in the east and west of Tong County fought because of their different beliefs, resulting in the deaths of more than a hundred households. All the dead were people who did not believe in Buddhism.”

"All the wealthy families in Siwu Township have died. Some villagers claim that the 'Buddhist protectors' killed them under the guise of exorcising evil..."

"It seems that Master Fadu's claim of being able to sever life and death stems from his disbelief that the Buddha could be killed by a 'Dharma protector' like Ze Rong, right?"

As Fadu listened to these reports, he broke out in a cold sweat.

According to reports from Liu Bei's troops in various counties, Ze Rong has killed countless people in Xiapi in the past few months, mostly under the pretext of eliminating heretical views, and specifically targeting wealthy households.

But the high monk still had some self-control, at least he was quite stubborn: "This was all done by Zuo Rong, and has nothing to do with me. I was just translating the scriptures and did not do anything wrong."

"Regardless of who committed the murder, it was all because of the Buddhist sect."

Liu Bei didn't care what Zhi Zhu Na Jian said and directly defined the matter: "You are an envoy sent to the Han Dynasty by the Kushan tribe of the Yuezhi Kingdom, a missionary... Then this is a conspiracy by the Kushan to disrupt our Han Dynasty, and by barbarians to disrupt our China!"

"This is a blood feud! It is an enmity between the Han and the barbarians!"

After Liu Bei finished speaking, he looked at Fadu and said, "Fadu, I can let you live, but if you want to live, you must accept this Kushan conspiracy."

Fa Du was terrified: "What does the general want this humble monk to do?"

"You are the Kushan ambassador, and you can translate scriptures, so write more scriptures and record all the evils of Buddhism in the classics..."

Liu Bei looked at him coldly: "Didn't you say that sacrificing oneself to become a demon is also a form of enlightenment? Then you shall turn enlightenment into demonhood."

While the pagans can be suppressed and exterminated in Xuzhou, they are not confined to Xuzhou. If they are not eradicated, they will rise again sooner or later.

Zuo Rong may have been driven by greed, and the Fadu (Buddhist teachings) may have been used solely for spreading the religion and amassing wealth, but the hidden dangers and influences brought about by the Futu religion are difficult to eliminate.

The best way to sever ties is to characterize it as a conspiracy by foreign races and to completely regard the Buddhist religion as a barbaric and heretical cult.

Kushan monks, under the guise of Taoism, repackaged Buddhism and made it acceptable to the Han Chinese.

Liu Bei could then repackage it, turning the Buddhist sect into a genuine cult and eradicating it completely.

For example, the concept of reincarnation and blessings. If hunger and poverty can bring blessings in the next life, then if one is also hungry and poor in the next life in order to seek blessings in the next life, then wouldn't one be hungry and poor forever?
This can be interpreted as the world's suffering being brought about by the Buddha, who feeds on suffering and thus creates hardship.

For example, the idea of ​​taking refuge in the monastic order means leaving the secular world and abandoning one's family. This is abandoning one's parents and children, which is a great act of filial impiety.

It can be said that the foreign Buddhist temples lured the Chinese people away from their ancestors, specifically to sever the Chinese lineage; it was a conspiracy devised by foreign powers to cut off the Chinese people's descendants.

Whether or not this was the original intention of its doctrine, at least this is the result.

If this repackaged cult still has followers, then those followers are definitely anti-humanity. Anyone who believes in it should be killed; the world should punish them without hesitation.

The dignity of the Han Dynasty has not been lost, and the self-respect of the Han people remains. By defining Buddhism as a barbarian cult plotting to disrupt China, and by regarding the massacre in Xiapi as a foreign conspiracy, various foreign religious sects can lose their market.

The Han people have their own beliefs, and beliefs do not necessarily have to be expressed through religion. The most basic ancestor worship is itself a form of belief.

Nuwa mended the sky, Suiren brought fire, Fuxi enlightened the people, Shennong identified grains, Xuanyuan laid the foundation, Yu the Great controlled the floods, Cangjie created characters, Houji taught farming...

These are the ancestors and deities officially worshipped by the Han Dynasty, each a true ancestor who fought against heaven and earth for the benefit of all people.

This belief in the ancestors of civilization advocates that human will can overcome nature and encourages self-improvement. The values ​​it conveys are much healthier than those of Buddhism.

"This matter is beyond the capacity of this humble monk alone..."

Fa Du already understood Liu Bei's meaning and trembled all over.

"Of course, so you need to find people... There are quite a few people from your Kushan Kingdom who have come to our Great Han. Where are your fellow disciples? Write a letter to summon them to come and compile the new Buddhist scriptures with you. Just say that the court intends to greatly promote Buddhism and ask them to come quickly..."

Liu Bei laughed sarcastically: "You have so many concubines in Xiapi, you must have children. Where are your family?"

"...This humble monk is a monk, how could I speak of family or offspring..."

Fadu's expression darkened further: "My fellow disciples have all scattered and their whereabouts are unknown."

"Since you're unwilling to cooperate, there's no point in keeping you around."

Liu Bei turned to Zhang Fei and said, "Yide, conduct a thorough search of all counties and prefectures. Anyone with curly hair like him, a barbarian, should be killed on sight... Slice this man to pieces, and make his concubines confess the whereabouts of his family and children. Slaughter them all..."

"and many more!"

Fadu was clearly not a tough guy: "General, all of my Kushan envoys are in Yangzhou... I will write a letter right away!"

“Very good... Master Fadu is indeed a genius of our time.”

Liu Bei nodded: "Tell me what you know... You should understand that you must be useful to me to avoid death."

The chief envoy sent by the Kushan Empire to the Han Dynasty was named Zhi Loujiachen, or simply Zhichen.

The Kushan Empire integrated politics and religion, and all its envoys were monks.

When Zhi Loujiachen's delegation came to the Han Dynasty, it was probably true that they originally intended to invade the religion. At that time, Emperor Huan Liu Zhi was indeed interested in Buddhism.

However, Emperor Huan died just a few days after Zhi Chen arrived in the Han Dynasty.

Liu Hong ascended to the throne through a selection process. The young emperor did not believe in Buddhism, nor did Dou Wu and Dou Miao. Therefore, Zhi Chen failed to gain access to the upper echelons and could only compile scriptures in Luoyang.

In order to open up the market for Buddhism in the Han Dynasty, Zhi Qian used the pretext of Huang-Lao and alchemists to repackage Buddhism. The scriptures he "translated" actually used Taoist terms.

This is different from the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra compiled by the Indian monk Falan and others at the White Horse Temple.

However, when Liu Hong was alive, the Way of Peace was the mainstream in the market, and the Floating Pagoda was ignored.

After Zhi Loujiachen "reformed" the Buddhist scriptures, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out. During those years, the upper echelons of the Han Dynasty were overwhelmed with problems and no one had the mind to pay attention to Buddhism.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, Luoyang purged sorcerers and Taoist priests. The monks of the Kushan mission happened to be trying to spread Buddhism by using the sorcerers' and Taoist doctrines, so they were also regarded as heretics and witchcraft and were expelled from Luoyang.

To avoid the ravages of war, Zhi Qian traveled to Yangzhou. His disciples, Zhi Liang and Fa Du, spread their reformed Buddhist teachings in Danyang and Wujun, and their efforts were quite successful.

The upper echelons were not reached, but the Yue people were quite easy to deceive. As a result, most of the Kushan delegation moved to Yangzhou. It was at that time that Fadu tricked Zuo Rong into becoming a "protector of the Buddhist sect" in Danyang.

Tao Qian recruited soldiers in Danyang and recruited Zuo Rong as a general. Fa Du then followed Zuo Rong to Xuzhou.

Fadu did indeed have a son named Zhi Jin, who was born in Luoyang in the first year of Jianning (168 AD).

In fact, all these Kushan monks had wives and children, and their children were named according to Han Chinese customs. Their original doctrines were very different from the doctrines they rewrote after arriving in the Han Dynasty.

Zhi Liang, a disciple of Zhi Qian, and Zhi Jin, the son of Fa Du, are currently both under Yuan Shu's command... or more precisely, under Sun Jian's command.

Sun Jian himself did not believe in Buddhism, but his wife did. Lady Wu was a staunch Buddhist believer and preached the religion according to the Dharma.

According to the law, the plot to seize Xiapi was an idea that Sun Jian suggested to Yuan Shu. Taking advantage of Tao Qian's dismissal and Zuo Rong's death, he contacted Cao Bao to incite the followers of the Buddhist sect to cause trouble, and had Cao Bao hold Xiapi and wait for Yuan Shu's army.

If Cao Bao had held out for a few more days, he could have waited for Yuan Shu's army. Zhang Fei alone wouldn't have been enough to break through Xiapi, and Cao Bao could have even incited Zhang Fei to kill the followers of the Buddhist sect, triggering a full-scale rebellion against Liu Bei in Xiapi. The law, of course, would have been the means to coordinate Cao Bao's recruitment of followers to "protect the sect" in Xiapi.

If Zhang Fei had killed the believers outside the city, the Buddhist sect would have revolted, and Cao Bao would no longer have needed to expend food supplies to defend the city, nor would he have needed to flee Xiapi.

If Xiapi were to revolt and refuse to submit to Liu Bei's rule, and Yuan Shu were to seize the territory and take the grain, Zhang Chao and others would inevitably defect to Yuan Shu.

The three southern prefectures of Xuzhou are now connected with Huainan, and their power will surge. The various families in Xuzhou are already opportunists, and most of them will likely submit to them.

However, Liu Bei's army arrived too quickly, and Zhang Fei did not attack the believers. Cao Bao became cowardly, and Xun You devised a plan to deliberately lure Cao Bao out of the city, thus ruining the plan.

This incident seems to have caused Yuan Shu no loss... but that's only in appearance.

In reality, if Yuan Shu had seized Xiapi from Liu Bei, Yuan Shu and Liu Bei would have inevitably fought each other, which was actually a trap for Yuan Shu.

Regardless of victory or defeat, Yuan Shu would have to face Liu Bei's counterattack.

Sun Jian was in Jiangxia at the time; he wasn't near Xuzhou and wouldn't be cannon fodder on the front lines.

This was truly no loss for Sun Jian. If Yuan Shu won, he would have contributed; if Yuan Shu died, he could escape control. In any case, he had only given Yuan Shu an idea, which was effortless.

But now that Liu Bei knew, he certainly couldn't let Sun Jian have it too easy.

“Fadu, since you are familiar with Sun Wentai, you might as well write him a letter as well. Just write a sentence like, ‘The Buddhist movement has risen up, and Yuan and Liu will surely fight over Xu. The Emperor has appointed you to lead the campaign against the barbarians.’”

After listening to Fa Du recount what he knew, Liu Bei looked at Fa Du with a half-smile and tossed him a bamboo slip.

Considering Yuan Shu's comprehension ability, Liu Bei did not use overly complex metaphors.

Fa Du shuddered as he saw Liu Bei place his hand on the hilt of his sword and pick up the pen with trembling hands.

……

Southern part of Xiapi, northern part of Huailing County.

This is the hilly area on the north bank of the Huai River.

The Huailing area has a wide field of vision and a dense network of waterways. Scattered on the alluvial plain are some low, residual hills, most of which are only a few feet high, which are not good ambush locations.

Zhao Yun was standing on a mound, looking at the river.

Across the river, a large army, numbering over ten thousand, was approaching from the south of the Huai River and was crossing the river in batches.

Judging from the flags, they should be Ji Ling and Wu Jing, both of whom were Yuan Shu's men. Wu Jing was Sun Jian's brother-in-law and Lady Wu's younger brother.

There were no bridges across the Huai River back then, and there weren't many boats at the Huailing ferry crossing. Moreover, the river was covered with ice, so crossings could only be done in batches.

However, the enemy ships were scattered, and very scattered at that...

It appears that each of the first boats to cross the river was a scout, not a troop transport.

"Go and report to the lord that Yuan Shu's subordinates Ji Ling and Wu Jing have led more than 10,000 troops to attack... The enemy has many scouts and is very cautious, so we cannot set up an ambush. Our troops can only hold the north bank."

After confirming the composition of the enemy forces, Zhao Yun sent someone to report the military situation to Liu Bei.

"General, should we request reinforcements from our lord?"

Konoe asked a question.

“No need to call for help… but Ji Ling is quite troublesome, there are too many scout ships.”

Zhao Yun shook his head, his face showing some regret: "Order all units to disperse and engage the enemy. Once the enemy reaches the shore, intercept their ships and try to prevent them from returning to the other side of the river."

Zhao Yun currently commands 3,000 men, including 1,200 Xuanjia cavalry.

Liu Bei's original order was to ambush any army encountered in Huailing, and Zhao Yun had already set up an ambush on the hills on the north bank.

The problem is, this time we're dealing with Ji Ling.

Ji Ling was originally from Xiapi and was extremely familiar with the terrain of Xiapi. This method of dispersing all the ships first clearly meant that a large number of scouts were sent to every possible ambush location.

Dozens of boats of various sizes and thousands of people were all used by Ji Ling as scouts.

Scouts themselves are not difficult to deal with; the difficulty lies in their caution, which makes ambushes impossible.

Zhao Yun could only do his best to hold the riverbank, constantly intercepting scouts and seizing boats, moving from the shadows to the open to prevent the enemy from crossing the river.

This is not an ambush, but a defensive position.

Such a siege is usually difficult to end in a short time, because it is impossible to seize all the ships; one can only hold the riverbank indefinitely.

But five days later, Liu Bei ordered Zhao Yun to withdraw his troops.

……

South of the Huai River, at Ji Ling's camp.

Ji Ling gazed at the scattered boats on the river, his face filled with deep sorrow: "Our scouts have suffered heavy losses... The one blocking our way is Zhao Yun. It seems that Cao Bao's plan to surrender Xiapi is unreliable!"

“Cao Bao and Zu Lang were not on good terms with me when they were in Danyang, so they were not trustworthy people to begin with.”

Wu Jing said to him, "Although Cao Bao has agreed to submit to General Yuan, I'm afraid he's just waiting for a better price. These people from Danyang are like that; they're all wavering and greedy..."

Yuan Shu colluded with Cao Bao, allowing Cao Bao to defend Xiapi. Ji Ling and Wu Jing were originally going to Xiapi to reinforce it.

Of course, while it's called reinforcement, it's actually a reception.

But they were indeed a little late, unaware that Cao Bao was already dead—they had not yet received any news from north of the Huai River.

"What a pity for our army's scouts..."

Ji Ling's face was full of displeasure: "Right now, Zhao Yun seems to be withdrawing his troops... but this must be a trap! Does Zhao Yun really think I'll fall for it?"

In fact, Zhao Yun really did withdraw his troops...

"Retreat."

Wu Jing shook his head and said, "We have been stuck here for several days. News from Huaibei has been cut off. Cao Bao is obviously unreliable. I'm afraid Xiapi is no longer a viable option."

"But our lord is short of food..."

Ji Ling turned to Wu Jing and said, "If we retreat like this, we'll both be punished by our lord."

It wasn't necessarily just because he was going to be punished by Yuan Shu; Ji Ling was, after all, from Xiapi, and of course he wanted to return to his hometown.

"Report! A messenger has crossed the river on the north bank, carrying a letter to be delivered to Lord Wu."

While the two were struggling with their decision, a soldier came in carrying a letterbox.

Wu Jing opened the mailbox, glanced at the letter inside, and his expression changed drastically.

Ji Ling was puzzled and intended to look at the contents of the letter box, but Wu Jing tucked the bamboo slips inside into his robes.

(End of this chapter)