I, Altria, only want to rule China.

So she might as well develop her technology secretly and let Northern Wei and Liu Song continue to fight. Then when they are both defeated, she can take them down in one fell swoop!

After all, the goal of both the Northern Wei and Liu Song was great unification, so they would only think about defeating each other first. As for the small Western Liang, as long as the Northern Wei found that it was a tough nut to crack, it would not want to gnaw on it first.

And her Xiliang just happened to close the Hexi Corridor, so they would know nothing about anything in the Western Regions. It can be said that this is very beneficial to Leah.

"I will send people to the countries in the Western Regions to understand the situation there, and I will not let my lord down." Yu Ming replied immediately, with a hint of excitement in his tone.

"I heard there are many monks here. Is this true?" Liya asked again.

"Indeed, there are a lot of people here. Originally, there weren't that many people here. Many people who committed crimes in the court were exiled to the border. As time went by, there were more and more people here, and many of them became monks."

Yu Ming explained.

"If I want to dismiss those monks and let them become ordinary people again, do you think this is possible?"

"This is unlikely. Monks have the right to tax exemption. If they are asked to disband, they will definitely encounter considerable resistance. However, if the lord wants to forcibly disband them, it can still be done." Yu Ming thought for a while and said.

Chapter 41: The Monk's Disposal

When Buddhism was first introduced to China, there were not many believers, and the donations received by temples were very limited. In addition, monks were prohibited from obtaining these properties, so the economic conditions of temples and monks before the Eastern Jin Dynasty were not as good as those in later generations. There are even records of monks starving to death in historical books.

Therefore, in order to survive, many monks broke their vows and engaged in production, cultivating fields, running handicrafts, and some monks even managed their business well, and their wealth doubled.

But later during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Buddhism was believed by more aristocratic families and even the royal family, who donated large amounts of land and houses, as well as many dependent populations.

These land and money, coupled with the preferential policies of not having to pay taxes and performing corvee labor in many cases, also multiplied the economic strength of the temples.

There were actually many reasons for people in ancient times to become monks. Faith was certainly an important factor, but it was not the only reason. Most monks became monks because of many practical factors.

He lost his father and mother at a young age, and even with the help and care of his relatives, he still had a hard time.

Therefore, many people went to relatively stable temples to seek shelter because of the war, and became monks in order to continue to survive.

Raising orphans and widows can not only improve the social reputation of the temple itself, win it fame and expand its influence, but also obtain free labor. Those with good qualifications are carefully cultivated, which is beneficial to the development of Buddhism itself.

Both parties were happy to accept this win-win behavior, so the temples adopted many orphans and even young people. This also led to a large number of farmers choosing to enter Buddhist temples and become monks in order to escape taxes and labor service.

As a result, from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, all the successive regimes, except for some emperors who were fanatical Buddhists, formulated relevant measures to limit the expansion of the number of monks, strictly prohibited private ordination of monks, and tried every means to curb the number of monks.

Of course, now that Leah has carried out land reform, the number of monks will drop sharply in the future, just like in modern times. When you can eat and drink enough, how many people are willing to become monks?

But even so, there are still large tracts of land in Dunhuang occupied by these monks who can only beat wooden fish and chant scriptures. Although these monks are not from aristocratic families, they are more like aristocratic families.

"You continue to collect information about the countries in the Western Regions for me here. Now I'm going to go see those monks." Leah said.

In Liya's opinion, these monks should return to their original state, engage in production, cultivate the fields, and run handicrafts, instead of chanting scriptures and exploiting others.

She is not against monks, nor will she demolish temples on a large scale, but the monks must follow her rules.

"Yes, my lord." Yu Ming nodded.

After leaving Yumen Pass, Liya returned to Dunhuang County again. Here, Liya carried out reforms as before. It can be said that all the land that originally belonged to those monk families was distributed to the people.

Although the noble families here were dissatisfied, they did not dare to say anything in the face of Leah's army.

However, those monks were used to being respected, so they came to us and wanted to ask for an explanation.

A week later, an old monk asked Liya who was measuring the fields: "Donor Long, I don't know why you have occupied our fertile land. Do you know where you will put us by doing this?"

"Have I occupied your fertile land? You, old monk, talk very interestingly." Leah glanced at the visiting monk and immediately frowned.

Although this old monk has a white beard, his eyes are bright and sharp, his breathing is steady and powerful, his steps are steady, and the staff in his hand weighs at least 100 kilograms. He is definitely a congenital master.

Behind this old monk, there were a total of 18 monks, with strong khaki muscles and bulging temples. They were all first-rate masters.

Are these the Eighteen Bronze Men of Shaolin? Leah inexplicably thought of this, but this old monk brought so many masters here, it was obvious that he came to threaten Leah.

“Among those fields that you snatched from the aristocratic families, many belong to us.” Behind the old monk, a young monk who seemed to have a bad temper said immediately.

"I see. Since the land belongs to the masters, I should return it to them." Leah said with a slight smile.

After hearing what Leah said, the monks' expressions immediately became much better.

Liya spoke again: "But let me be frank. These fields can be returned to you. But you must pay taxes for every acre of land, just like the local people. Otherwise, I don't mind doing the same as Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Tao, and carrying out an anti-Buddhist campaign!"

As long as the land of the noble families was returned to the common people, it would be enough for the common people to be self-sufficient. If these people felt that they had nothing to do and were willing to work as laborers for these monks, she would not say anything.

"Donor Long, do you know what you are talking about?"

Following Leah's words, the monks' eyes widened and they looked at Leah with murderous intent.

In response to this murderous intent, Leah just sneered.

The so-called anti-Buddhist movement was caused by the fact that monks had traditionally been exempted from taxes and corvee labor, which brought disaster upon themselves.

In order to unify the north and consolidate its position in the Central Plains, Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Tao, made it so that all the people could be soldiers. So in 438, he issued an edict that all monks under the age of must return to secular life and serve in the military.

He also followed the advice of Prime Minister Cui Hao, converted to Kou Qianzhi's Tianshi Dao, rejected Buddhism, and gradually developed actions to destroy Buddhism.

Then in 444, he officially suppressed the monks. He ordered that everyone, from the king to the common people, was prohibited from privately keeping monks, and all monks who were secretly kept were required to be handed over within a certain period of time. If anyone concealed the truth, the entire sect would be exterminated.

The following year, the Hu people Gai Wu from Lushui rebelled in Xingcheng, with more than 100,000 people.

In 447, Emperor Taiwu personally led his troops to suppress the rebellion. When he arrived in Chang'an, he found weapons in a temple. He suspected that the monks were in collusion with Gai Wu and was furious, so he ordered the execution of all the monks in the temple.

Cui Hao further advised the emperor to destroy Buddhism, so Emperor Taiwu implemented a harsh policy to abolish Buddhism: killing monks in Chang'an and burning all scriptures and statues in the world.

For a while, the whole country was in a panic.

If the Crown Prince at that time had not been a devout Buddhist and had not repeatedly submitted petitions to dissuade Emperor Taiwu from doing so, the edict to abolish Buddhism would not have been delayed, and the monks who lived farther away would have been able to escape upon hearing the news and finally run to Mogao Grottoes.

However, no temples and pagodas within the Wei State were spared. Six years after Buddhism was abolished, Emperor Taiwu passed away and Emperor Wencheng ascended the throne. He issued an edict to revive Buddhism, and Buddhism gradually recovered and developed.

Chapter 42: Unification of Xiliang

It can be said that this move by the Northern Wei emperor saved Leah a lot of trouble. If she took over the territory of the Northern Wei in the future, she would not be branded as an exterminator of Buddhism, and those monks would not be afraid of her.

Now when these Buddhists heard what Leah said, they were undoubtedly exposed by Leah, and it was understandable that they would be so angry.

But Leah is not afraid of them. She has 5000 troops under her command. If these monks dare to act recklessly, she will not be polite.

"Is this a difficult thing for you? All under heaven belongs to the king. All the people in the world are his subjects. If you cannot even accept this condition, and still want to spread your Buddhism in the Central Plains, you should return to India."

Leah said bluntly

Of course, these people were not Indians, but it is an indisputable fact that Buddhism originated from India.

Hearing what Leah said, the old monk closed his eyes, as if he was thinking.

Ten minutes later, the old monk opened his eyes, sighed, and said, "I understand. We will pay taxes according to the laws of Donor Long. But I hope Donor Long will not make things difficult for us monks in the future."

For the old monk, paying taxes is actually nothing. Ordinary people can afford it. They now control a large amount of land, so it is impossible for them not to be able to pay.

The difficulty lies in the fact that after Leah's policies are liberalized in the future, a large number of civilians will be liberated.

After these common people had their own land, it was not so easy to get them to become monks. This was also what the old monk was struggling with.

If sentient beings are not suffering, how can Buddha save them?

But if they really had a conflict with these imperial soldiers, they would certainly be driven out of this last area of ​​the Northern Wei, so they could only endure it!

Waiting for a Buddhist leader to appear, then they will have a new turn of events!

These monks may not be good at other things, but when it comes to forbearance, there is really no one who can compare to them.

Even if someone shits on their heads, they can endure it. This is something unique to them.

Of course, this is just a metaphor. Anyway, once these monks face a force stronger than them, they will be particularly tolerant. If it is weaker than them, sorry, it is the mighty dragon that will strike back with a heavy punch!

It can be said that so far, Liya has conquered the Xiliang area west of Dunhuang, and almost half of Xiliang is in her hands, leaving only six counties.

I don't know if Li Lin went to get it. I hope he has enough ability.

After all, there are not many soldiers stationed in the six counties, basically between 1000 and 2000 people. If Li Lin is capable enough, 5000 people at most will be enough.

Don't underestimate 5000 people. In the past, Yue State conquered Wu with 3000 soldiers, and later, Sun Ce conquered the entire Jiangdong with 5000 soldiers. It can be said that soldiers can actually do a lot of things.

Besides, he still has some grenades made of gunpowder in his hands. If he can't capture the six counties, Leah will really doubt his ability.

Liya withdrew her thoughts. She couldn't return to Liangzhou immediately because Dunhuang had not yet completely stabilized. She might need about a week.

The longer Leah stays here, the more stable Dunhuang will be. At least she has to distribute all the land.

After a week passed, Leah felt that it was almost done, so she left some people behind to keep in touch and returned with the army.

It took her almost a month to get here, plus she spent more than ten days in Dunhuang to stabilize those aristocratic families. All in all, it took her almost two months, almost three months.

I can only say that this road is not easy to walk on. Once she gets cement, it will be much easier to walk on.

Leah first returned to Linsong County and found that these noble families were very well behaved. She then asked the local people about the affairs of these noble families.

The people's answer was that the noble families had become much more honest and there were no more incidents of people being injured in the streets.

Leah nodded with satisfaction. Although these noble families were only afraid of her and did not dare to act openly, this also showed that as long as nothing happened to her, these noble families would not dare to act recklessly.

Then Leah returned to Wuxing County. After learning that she had conquered Linsong and Dunhuang, the residents welcomed her arrival as if it were New Year's Day.

After greeting the people, Leah asked Hua Mulan about the situation in Wuxing County and Wuan County.

Hua Mulan's answer can be said to have made Liya very satisfied. After she reformed these counties, Liya's reputation has reached its peak in the eyes of the people.

Whenever people talk about Leah, they will be excited. Some even say that Leah is the reincarnation of a goddess from heaven, and that God sent her down to earth to save them. It can be seen that Leah has completely won the hearts of the people here.

Just after Liya brought Hua Mulan back to Liangzhou, she also learned that Li Lin's army had completely captured the remaining six counties in Liangzhou half a month ago.

"My lord, I have fulfilled my mission and captured six counties half a month ago!" After Leah came back, Li Lin told her about what he had done in the past two months.

During the first month, he did not take any action, but just managed everything in Liangzhou that Leah had instructed before she left. When he felt that it was about right, he asked Merlin to help manage all matters in Liangzhou.

After doing all this, he led 5000 soldiers to first capture Jincheng, then other places one by one, and finally conquered the north.

This process took him less than a month, but the result was that although the conquered counties now belonged to Leah, these counties had not been reformed and were simply conquered.

Leah didn't say anything about the result. If Li Lin, a military general, was asked to handle such reforms, it would only backfire. So leaving it alone and letting her come back was indeed the best option.

As for the reform, Liya thought about it for a while and felt that she should train a few such talents. She couldn't waste time on reform every time she conquered a territory, right?

There must be specialized people to do this kind of thing.

Thinking of this, Liya asked Hua Mulan: "Mulan, you have been in Wuxing County for the longest time. Do you have anyone to recommend? Someone who is specifically responsible for these reforms?"

Hua Mulan thought for a moment and said, "People who want reform? During the time I was in Wuxing County, there were some people who gave me advice. My lord, do you want those people to continue to help us?"

Chapter 43: Mohism

"Well, I hope you can call those people over and let them form a special team, not just one, but multiple teams to be responsible for this matter." Leah said.

If there was a team specifically responsible for this matter, her life would be much easier in the future as she would only have to focus on fighting.

"Okay, I'll go back to Wuxing County and invite them over." Mulan nodded.

"Sorry to trouble you." Leah looked apologetic.

He had just brought Mulan back to Liangzhou, but now he wanted her to go back.

Seeing Liya's apologetic look, Hua Mulan quickly shook her head. It was not a big deal for a master to apologize to a subject. She quickly said, "It's okay. I like what the lord announced. I will bring those people here as soon as possible."

After saying this, Hua Mulan left.

After Hua Mulan left, Leah thought about it and decided to ask those who had previously participated in the Liangzhou reform to help. Since she wanted to build such a team, the more people the better.

The more people there are, the faster it will be implemented.

Otherwise, the people will be confused when the time comes. Why are land reforms being carried out in other places, but not here? Are the legends all false?

Once the people fall into this kind of thinking, they will doubt and distrust her rule.

"Merlin, what is the current situation in the Northern Wei Dynasty?" Leah asked Merlin.

"The Northern Wei? They're really angry! You don't know, they've already mobilized 50,000 elite soldiers and have set off. I estimate they'll arrive in Liangzhou in less than a month." Merlin smiled when he heard that.

"Why are you so happy? People who don't know you would think you are from over there." Seeing Merlin's smiling face, Leah became a little angry.

The Northern Wei's reaction did not surprise her. It would be strange if they did not react when a state was suddenly seized, especially a place like Xiliang that was specially used for raising horses.

"Really? Doesn't this show that I have confidence in you?" Merlin straightened his expression.

"Forget it, how is Li Lin's research on gunpowder going?" Leah asked again.

"We have solved the problem you mentioned, my lord. Now we can use the gunpowder perfectly." Li Lin replied.

"Huh? So fast?" Leah was a little surprised.