The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 683: Dayun Temple
Within three years of the Holy Roman Empire, two emperors died suddenly, and the country was on the verge of collapse.

When Mo San Ge thought he was going to challenge France alone and was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, the Hui tribe was also undergoing drastic changes.

Shule (Kashgar).

More than 40,000 brave Kazakh men from the Great and Middle Yuz tribes, under the supervision of 15,000 Mongolian cavalry, arrived 30 kilometers northeast of Shule City when the snow on the ground began to melt.

This is a desolate wilderness, the ground is covered with gravel and loess. Looking into the distance, you can see a raised earthen ridge, like a fallen dragon, lying quietly on the ground.

In the middle of the dragon's back, a pagoda stands alone. It is weathered and looks no different from a pile of earth.

Only by comparing the geography with ancient books and digging downwards can we barely confirm that this is the site of Shule Dayun Zen Temple, once the largest Buddhist temple in Shule.

This temple was built by the order of Wu Zetian, the Great Saint of Zhou Dynasty. All the abbots and monks came from the sacred capital Luoyang. After Wu Zetian, it was the center for the Tang Dynasty to control the culture of the Western Regions.

In history, the Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions resisted the greening of the Muslim sect for hundreds of years after the Central Plains was unable to support it. The root cause lies here.

During the Five Dynasties period, after the Li family of Khotan drove out the Tubo, kings of all generations came here to worship Buddha and pray for blessings.

However, by the end of the reign of Yuchi Pizhirama, the grandfather of the famous Western Regions Han ruler Li Shengtian, the Shule people began to carry out greening, and Dayun Zen Temple was gradually destroyed.

After that, the Kingdom of Khotan launched at least five large-scale wars, hoping to capture Shule, protect Dayun Temple, and curb the eastward advance of Muslims, but each time it won first and then lost, it failed to succeed. As a result, during the reign of Li Shengtian's grandson, the Western Region Han Kingdom of Khotan also fell.

By this time, Dayun Temple had been completely ruined. During the Republican period, this place was called Mor Pagoda.

'Woo-woo-woo!'

The huge conch shell sounded, and the desolate horn echoed on the yellow sand with some remaining snow.

As the reputation spread far away, two groups of people, one in the south and one in the north, marched towards them in a mighty force.

The man coming from the south wore a yellow peach-shaped Banxia monk hat and an orange robe. He was obviously a high-ranking Tantric monk, but he was not from Qiangtang, but from Beijing.

In the middle of the monks were carrying a Dharma bed, and sitting on the bed was a golden sculpture of the fourth Jamyang Khyentse Yeshe Danbi Gyaltsen.

The reason why it is a golden body is that according to the rules of Tantric Buddhism, only after the previous Buddha passes away can a baby born after the death be selected as a reincarnated soul child.

Otherwise, it would be a joke if the previous one was reincarnated before he died.

Therefore, it was only after the third Jamyang Khyentse passed away in the eleventh year of Guangzhong (1786) that the imperial court began to recognize the reincarnation of the spiritual master.

Therefore, the Fourth Changkya Yeshedan Bigyenzan was born in the twelfth year of Guangzhong (1787), and he is only five years old this year. He is still being raised by Mozibu in the Lama Temple in Beijing. It is naturally impossible for him to travel thousands of miles to cross mountains and rivers.

The people coming from the north were even more powerful. Leading the way were dozens of monks wearing plain white robes and white hats with pink lotus patterns on their heads. However, the robes were not long, only reaching a little below the knees.

These monks did not wear shoes, so their bodies below the knees were basically bare, except for a lifelike white lotus with roots tattooed from the instep to the thigh.

These people were wearing thin monk robes and stepping directly on the snow with their big feet in an environment of less than five degrees Celsius. Not only did they not look afraid of the cold at all, but they also looked quite solemn, and their steps were rhythmic and very uniform.

This is something that our religious believer, Zheng Xin Zheng Guozhang, who is almost crazy about it, came up with. It is called the Bu Bu Sheng Lian Xiao Yao Fa, and he also calls these ascetic monks White Lotus Warriors.

This is fucking shit! Mo Zibu has secretly complained about it many times. Are you a Buddhist, a Taoist, or a Confucian? It’s fine if you just follow the saying “lotus blooms at every step,” but now you’re a monk, how can you be free and unrestrained?

And aren't you a monk? Why are you still following the Yellow Turban Warriors of the Cospree Taoist sect?
It’s just that mixing more Taoist elements into the White Lotus Sect is in line with the national interest, so Mo Zibu only complained secretly but showed great support on the surface.

The gold, silver, and ritual implements bestowed upon Zheng Xin, the Bodhisattva Pudu Cihang, every year are several times more than those bestowed upon other Buddhas.

Behind these eighty-eight white lotus warriors who were leading the way with lotus flowers blooming at every step, there were eighty-eight monks dressed in tight clothes, with flintlock rifles slung across their shoulders, goose-feather knives on their waists, and long spears in their hands.

This long spear is similar to the Mo Dao restored in later generations. The blade and the shaft are in a ratio of 4:6, and it looks cold and shining. When held by a group of strong monks, it really has some of the demeanor of the Tang Dynasty Mo Dao Army.

Zheng Xin sat upright on a sedan chair carried by twenty-eight people, wearing a plain white monk's robe. However, he was not bald, but had a spiky head that was almost like a flat head.

This was the revival of doctrine that Zheng Xin called for. He believed that monks before Emperor Wu of Liang should dress like this.

This series of reforms, including allowing White Lotus monks to marry and have children, drink vegetarian wine, and eat three kinds of pure meat, were the main contents of the doctrinal restoration advocated by Zheng Xin.

It is said that our Pudu Ci Zheng Zun Buddha, who is called Zheng Wang Buddha by the people, is working on revising Laozi's Huahu Sutra and wants to make it one of the main scriptures of the White Lotus Sect.

Crown Prince Asen was standing on the dais watching Taksin's troops approaching. If he hadn't known that it was Taksin who was coming, he would have thought that someone was rebelling and attacking him.

"Zunfo is from Lingnan, so he always pays attention to detail in everything he does. If he only has eight White Lotus Warriors as guards, it would seem a bit underwhelming, so he usually travels with eighty-eight people."

Next to Asen, the sixteen-year-old Chen Huacheng, a brave player from southern Fujian, explained with a smile.

Although he was smiling, his hand involuntarily touched a long steel shield beside his leg.

This steel shield weighs 256 kilograms. If someone opens fire, he will quickly lift it up to block the prince's way, and then the 300 elite cavalry of the Yulin Guards will escort the prince away.

Asen saw Chen Huacheng's nervousness, so he was no longer nervous. If his subordinates could do the same, he would naturally feel safer. Therefore, he became more and more satisfied with this personal bodyguard who was two years younger than him.

Asen looked up and saw that behind him was the only remaining Mor Pagoda of Dayun Temple. Under the thin spring sunlight, the originally rustic pagoda seemed to know that it was about to be reborn and seemed to have become somewhat golden.

"We found it, we found it!" Suddenly, thunderous cheers rang out, one after another.

Before long, the camp of tens of thousands of people was filled with cheers, and even the Buddhist teams that were forming battle formations in the south and north to come and pay homage started to make noise.

Asen was also a little excited. He waved his hand and controlled the command flags of various armies, which immediately flew everywhere from him to coordinate the advance and retreat.

Soon, Ningxia Prince Li Xianwen came forward with the Flying Tiger Banner and reported, "Your Highness, we have discovered something at the ruins of Dayun Zen Temple. I beg to see it for you all present."

Although Asen usually respected his uncle, at this moment, he was the king and Li Xianwen was the minister. Therefore, only after his uncle's permission did Li Xianwen stand up from his kneeling position.

"Order all the leaders of the tribes, all the officers above the rank of lieutenant colonel in the army, all the thirty-six Huiliang clans stationed there, and all the princes and nobles of the various tribes north and south of the desert to come forward and pay homage."

Asen agreed immediately, and naturally asked them all to go over and see the dumplings wrapped in vinegar.

The area to be excavated was not actually very large, but the most advanced picric acid explosives developed by the Huang Juedan Institute of Chemistry of Hangzhou Qiantang University were used. They were carefully transported from more than 10,000 miles away in a sealed box painted three times.

So when everyone followed Asen over, they suddenly saw a huge hole blown out under the ruins of Dayun Zen Temple, which was big enough for ten people to walk in side by side.

After entering the big cave and walking forward for more than ten meters, and then passing a small path with rocks flying everywhere, a spacious hall appeared before everyone's eyes.

Various items were scattered in the hall, and a pungent smell kept wafting into everyone's nose. Sixteen Yulin guards and archaeology students from the Hongwu Imperial College were holding torches and looking at everyone enthusiastically.

"Your Highness, we found it, we found it!" The 26-year-old textual research scholar, Wang Yinzhi, a Hanlin scholar of the outer court, looked at Asen excitedly.

Following the direction of his finger, a huge Buddha head appeared in front of everyone in the reflection of the fire.

This Buddha has only a head and no body, and is carved on the wall.

"Your Highness, please." Wang Yinzhi walked over with Asen and gently pushed the Buddha's head from left to right. A small hole was cut into the Buddha statue very smoothly, revealing a small niche inside. There was a wooden box in the niche. It was dusty and worn, but it could not hide its own elegant aura.

Asen personally reached out and took out the wooden box. The hall immediately became quiet with only the rapid breathing of hundreds of people.

Wang Yinzhi trembled as he spoke, "This type of stupa has always been built to preserve Buddhist relics. Records from the Tang Dynasty to the end of the Northern Song Dynasty all mention the storage of Buddhist relics at Dayun Temple. Please forgive me for the audacity, but I have opened it. This is indeed a Buddhist relic."

Upon hearing this, Asen gently opened the wooden box that had been opened long ago. He saw a piece of brocade in the box, and on the brocade were two inconspicuous "pebbles" that didn't even shine much.

"Amitabha!" Several eminent monks from Daxingshan Temple in Xi'an and Ta'er Temple in Xining couldn't help but chant the Buddha's name. Then they said to Asen, "Your Highness, please let me and the others see this treasure."

Asen handed it over without hesitation. As for the identification of Buddha relics, those Buddhists have their own methods. It is said that in order to achieve the desired effect, many famous monks would swallow certain items in advance when they were cremated.

After a while, when everyone was holding their breath, the eminent monk from Daxingshan Temple in Xi'an suddenly roared like a whale sucking water, turned around and knelt on the ground with a thud.

"Congratulations, Your Highness! This is a genuine Buddha relic. It must be two of the three that the Great Saint Empress Wu Zetian gifted to the Dayun Monastery in Shule from the divine capital of Luoyang." "It has been a thousand years. The Buddha's precious relic has finally seen the light of day. It will surely protect our Great Yu Dynasty for thousands of years."

They actually found it, and Asen laughed. He had originally planned to dig out a few precious Buddha statues and start making a fuss, but he didn't expect to actually find the Buddha's relics.

"The Buddha's relics have been seen again. It seems that the Buddha's light has not yet dissipated in this Western Region. With the help of our Dayu Heavenly Army, we will sweep away the bandits and recover the Han and Tang Dynasty lands. This is truly God's will!"

Asen smiled and said, "Since the Buddha treasure has been found, let's rebuild Dayun Zen Temple and divide it into two courtyards, the south courtyard belongs to the Tantric Sect, and the north courtyard belongs to the White Lotus Sect.

Uncle, capture 20,000 rebels and 30,000 Hui people and recruit them immediately. They are the ones who destroyed it, so they must do hard labor to atone for their sins!"

After Li Xianwen received the order, the news that the Buddhist treasure had been found spread farther and farther, and cheering crowds were everywhere.

Zheng Xin, the Compassionate Buddha, and the high monks representing the Fourth Jamyang Khyentse gathered the believers on the spot and started the Dharma Assembly.

The devout Mongolians and followers of the White Lotus Sect also began to chant in the snow. When Asen appeared holding the wooden box of Buddha's relics, thunderous cheers were heard, and at least thousands of people bowed down to him at the same time.

This is the effect you want!

However, Crown Prince Asen came all the way from Dunhuang not just for the 300,000 Hui people, as they had already been determined to be taken away.

The 100,000 Han people who are expected to move to Huibu have already completed registration in Shanxi and northern Henan and will set off soon, so there is no need for any ceremony.

Such a grand ceremony was actually prepared for the two Yuzh people in Kazakhstan.

They are still superficial believers in Islam, and are the type that can be changed. Moreover, Borot Khan of the Great Juz and Hasmu, the acting Khan of the Middle Juz, have already agreed to convert.

In the fanatical atmosphere, Asen sat in the arranged main seat. The Buddha Zheng Xin was on Asen's lower left, and the Living Buddha Tenzin who replaced the Fourth Jamyang Khyentse was a little lower on the right. The other monks of the White Lotus Sect and the Tantric Sect stood on both sides.

In front of them, there were two obstacles, one of which was a rectangular area about one meter long and covered with sharp broken porcelain pieces.

Next came a strip of burning charcoal, about three meters long.

Zheng Xin looked at Asen and said with a smile, "The herders of Great Yuz and Middle Yuz have abandoned the Buddha and believed in evil heresy. The reason is that they have been bewitched by the evil monk.

The compassionate and merciful Buddha Mingwang has descended upon the world and given them a chance to reform. As long as they pass this trial of swords and fire, and use their sharp blades to drain the evil monk's blood and their raging fire to burn away his false words, they will be able to return."

As expected, the Chaoshan people are smart and good at coming up with tricks. Originally, Asen and Li Xianwen planned to directly execute the Muslim monks in the Great and Middle Yuzi tribes and consider the two tribes as converting to Buddhism.

But Zheng Xin said that if one did not go through hardships to convert to Buddhism, who would take it seriously? Was this like going to a brothel to hire a singing girl, or becoming a believer in the Avatar?

When Asen heard this, he thought it made sense, so there came this test of mountains of swords and seas of fire.

However, no matter how Asen thought about it, he felt that this did not seem like an initiation ceremony, but rather something like the Tiandihui of the Guangdong people, like a big boss recruiting younger brothers.

Well, if you think about it carefully, it seems to be the same.

The first person to walk through the mountain of swords was Hasmu, who was chosen by Chen Guangyao to become the acting Khan of the Right Wing Juzi.

The guy pretended to be grinning, but in fact, he was wearing a pair of thick-soled shoes and the porcelain pieces could not hurt him at all.

This can also be considered a kind of welfare. Those who are indispensable in terms of interests should naturally be given preferential treatment.

Next was the sea of fire. Hasmu jumped over from a distance of ten feet with one flying step. However, since it was too far away, his landing was naturally unstable, and he rolled directly in front of Asen.

Hasmu was terrified and kept kowtowing and apologizing, but Asen smiled faintly and ordered someone to help Hasmu up.

"Don't panic, as long as you serve faithfully, this place will be yours."

Hasmu was overjoyed and kowtowed three more times. Then he stood aside, puffing out his chest and protruding his belly to look majestic.

The second person to come was Borot Khan of the Left Wing Great Juz. He also had a pair of thick-soled shoes. This guy was very aware of the times and had often paid tribute during the Qianlong period, so there was no need to make things difficult for him.

However, many of the later ones did not have this preferential treatment.

Especially when there are a large number of mutineers in the tribe, or those who are very devout to the Islamic faith, they basically go into battle barefoot.

When they were crossing the knife mountain, blood was gushing out, and jumping into the sea of fire was extremely painful. In addition, some of them were too old to jump well, so they fell into the fire and rolled on the ground.

There were even several people who were burned in the fire and were dying, and they did not complete the trial.

Asen sat upright on a high place, motionless, forcing himself to watch people being burned and almost dying on the spot. It was just like what the Buddha Pudu Cihang said, without price, who can cherish it?

Of course, only a few people can go to Asen to go through the mountains of swords and the sea of fire. The vast majority of the left and right wings are in the camp outside, completing the ceremony under the supervision of Dayu officers.

The knife mountain means cutting your face with broken porcelain pieces, and the sea of fire means making a bonfire and jumping into it. Anyway, these people basically have no ability to make their own decisions and have to listen to the khans above them.

At night, the banquet ended. Asen drank a little too much and was about to go to bed when he heard Chen Huacheng report that Li Xingtai, the second son of the Prince of Ningxia, wanted to see him.

Asen could only straighten himself up and sit down, then be summoned.

But this time, it was Asen who drank a lot of wine, while Li Xingtai hardly drank a drop of wine at the banquet because he had important things to do.

"Your Highness, I came here this time with a request." Li Xingtai's embarrassed expression was a bit cunning.

"Tell me, you and I are blood cousins. As long as the request is not too difficult, I will agree to it." Asen was also drunk, and he was surprisingly straightforward.

"Okay, then I thank His Royal Highness." Li Xingtai first blocked Asen's escape route, then whispered, "Then please hand over the 500 Yulin guards who are protecting you to me."

"Ah?" Asen was extremely surprised. "Why do you need so many Yulin Guards? The tribe has been pacified now."

"Westernward, over the Tianshan Mountains!" Li Xingtai said solemnly, "I have already selected three thousand brave warriors. If we can get five hundred Yulin Guards to help us, our chances will be even better."

Asen's eyes suddenly widened. He knew what Li Xingtai was going to do.

This second cousin couldn't wait until next autumn to attack Andijan in the Dayuan Basin (Fergana Basin). He wanted to cross the snow-capped mountains in the west and raid the capital of Kokand now.

"Second cousin, crossing the Great Snow Mountain in March is too difficult. You might even be in danger!"

"It's like walking on the edge of a knife. There will be danger as long as you go to the battlefield." Li Xingtai didn't care.

"The difficulty is high, but the corresponding benefits are also high. As long as my divine troops descend from the sky, the Kokand people in Andijan will be captured before they have time to react. By then, the Kokand Empire will collapse directly. How much easier."

After that, Li Xingtai gritted his teeth and assured, "Your Highness, don't worry. I've already found a guide. Crossing the snowy mountains will be no problem. Of the five hundred Yulin Guards, I can at least protect three hundred for you."

Asen took a breath of cold air. This was the casualty rate. These were the Imperial Guards!
"Does uncle know?" Asen asked.

"I know. Even though he doesn't support me, he can't persuade me. Your Highness, please trust me this time. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Khan of Kokand is mobilizing troops from all over. If we wait until next autumn, they will have secured the dangerous pass and we will not be able to get through without losing tens of thousands of lives."

"Okay!" Arsen clenched his fists tightly. Under the influence of alcohol, he made the most impulsive decision in his life.

"Chen Huacheng, gather all the officers above the rank of captain of the Imperial Guards. I want them to do something important!"

Chen Huacheng's eyes lit up with surprise, but he soon looked at Asen with concern, "But Your Highness, you still need guards!"

Asen's face flushed with excitement. He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about it. I will ask Dong Jinfeng to send a few hundred cavalrymen as guards. How can I let my little matter delay the national affairs?

My cousin doesn't even want to live, so why should I worry about my own safety while I'm in the country? You guys can just go and make contributions to the country without worrying about it!"

(End of this chapter)