Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 120: Cracked Earth (Part )

Lu Shang and Zuo Tiancheng stood on the left and right, their eyes turned to Huilin.

"Amitabha,"

Huilin's expression was calm. He clasped his hands together and said to Yang Lin, who was sitting in the main seat, "I, Huilin, greet the Prince of Kaoshan. May the Prince live a thousand years and enjoy an endless life of happiness and longevity."

Yang Lin nodded slightly, a look of scrutiny flashing across his eyes, but instantly covered by a smile. He said in a gentle voice, "Master, there's no need to be so polite. I've long heard that you possess profound Buddhist knowledge, are well versed in Vinaya, and have unique insights into the Ten Recitations of the Vinaya. You're known as the foremost lawyer in Northern Qi."

"I have long listened attentively, and my yearning is ever deeper. I only lament that I have no connection with the Buddha, and have never been able to see the Master's golden face. I wonder why the Master has come to our army?"

Huilin bowed slightly and said something shocking, "I am here to avert a disaster."

Yang Lin gently stroked the armrest of the chair with his right hand and slowly said, "Killing calamity?"

"I have fought wars across the country to protect the Sui Dynasty and the Yang family. How can I talk about killing people?"

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Huilin, as if trying to see through her thoughts. He said, "Master, since you have attained the holy way, you should understand my painstaking efforts."

After saying this, he leaned back in his chair, his left hand casually resting on the armrest, and said, "However, since Master has said this, I would like to hear your opinion."

Hui Lin's face was calm, and he met Yang Lin's gaze peacefully. He said, "Your Highness, you personally led a large army from the capital, Daxing, out of Shuozhou, north to Chile, to aid the Turkic people of Shabolue, and defeated Datou Khan at Jinshan. Your military achievements are so illustrious that I have great respect for you."

"But, Your Majesty, do you really want to completely eliminate the already severely weakened Datou and allow Shabolue to swallow up the Datou people?"

"In my early years, when I was preaching under Tuoba Khan, I met Shabolue several times. Shabolue is a man of great ambition. Now he is using the power of the Sui Dynasty to defeat Datou. Once Datou is eliminated, there will be no force on the grassland to check him, and he will surely become more powerful."

"Once Shaboluo reunites the Turkic tribes and expands his power, there's no guarantee he won't covet the northern borders of the Sui Dynasty again."

"I have heard that Shabolue's Khatun Yuwenshi is a daughter of the Northern Zhou royal family and has a blood feud with the Sui Dynasty. Once Shabolue becomes powerful, with Khatun Yuwenshi's instigation, the flames of war will reignite and countless lives will be lost."

Huilin lowered his head and said, "Your Highness, keeping Datou will do more good than harm. With Datou in the Western Regions to check and balance Shabolue, the northern border of the Great Sui Dynasty will not be troubled by border troubles."

Yang Lin raised his eyes slightly and said, "Why did this prince still act like a master? He went to the military camp at night. It turns out that he came to lobby for Datou."

Huilin said calmly, "Your Majesty, I understand that although I came here at the request of Datou Khan, what I just said is from the bottom of my heart."

"I am not a lobbyist for anyone, but I do not want to see the common people suffer, or the Han and the Hu people suffer, so I am asking for peace on behalf of Datou Khan."

"Hahaha!"

Yang Lin threw his head back and laughed, his laughter was a bit cold and echoed in the tent.

"Master, that's easy for you to say. The imperial court spent countless money and levied hundreds of thousands of troops to march north to Chi-Le. This wasn't just for sightseeing."

"You expect me to withdraw my troops with just a request for peace? Master, you think too simply."

Yang Lin knew Huilin, who had a deep connection with the Sui Dynasty. He was a disciple of Zen Master Sengchou in Yang Jian's previous life. However, once he entered the cycle of reincarnation, all his past was gone. Although Yang Jian was the reincarnation of Zen Master Sengchou, he did not have Sengchou's compassion.

Not to mention that Huilin was only Sengchou's disciple, even if he was Sengchou's blood relative, Yang Lin would not withdraw his troops just because of his words.

Even if Yang Jian were here, he would not care about the relationship between master and disciple in their previous life.

Yang Lin's eyes were icy, revealing a chill in the candlelight. He walked straight to Huilin and said, "Master, the court has expended so much manpower and material resources to get here. If you withdraw your troops lightly just because of a few words of peace, how can I have the face to face you? How can I explain to the officials in the court and the soldiers who fought so bravely?" Lu Shang was standing by, silently watching Huilin, observing the appearance and spirit of this number one lawyer in Northern Qi with his eyes.

After Lu Shang cultivated the Seven Apertures Heart, his mind was greatly opened, his thoughts were clear, and he made progress in the cultivation of various acupoints. Among them, the eye spirit among the twenty-four Huangting spirits made the greatest progress.

Lu Shang divided the eye spirit into yin and yang, forming the sun and the moon. This is called the sun spirit Yuyi, which holds pure yang qi and its image is like the sun, and controls the yang qi of the eyes. The moon spirit Jielin, which has pure yin nature and its image is like the moon, controls the yin qi of the eyes.

His pair of divine eyes, after being cleansed by the yin and yang qi, became more and more intelligent.

When looking at Huilin, one saw a faint golden light emanating from Huilin's body, and a solemn Dharma image, with one hand making the fearlessness seal, stood behind Huilin.

"Sure enough, this monk has great magical powers. No wonder he can become Datou's lobbyist."

Lu Shang pondered in his heart, his eyes becoming more profound.

Hui Lin said calmly, "Your Highness, I did not come here empty-handed. I brought a scroll of the Western Regions Geomancy Map as a token of appreciation for Your Highness's support."

"Western Regions Geomancy Map?"

Yang Lin frowned and leaned forward unconsciously.

Huilin slowly raised his hands, and his wide monk's robe slipped off, revealing a pair of bony hands holding an ancient sandalwood box.

The surface of the box is carved with strange beasts, which seem to be alive under the candlelight.

Huilin said softly, "Your Highness, this map details the mountains and rivers of the Western Regions, the important passes and roads, and the settlements of various tribes."

As he spoke, he gently opened the box and took out a parchment scroll.

Huilin slowly unfolded the sheepskin scroll. Under the candlelight, the lines on the scroll were clearly visible.

Yang Lin's attention was instantly drawn to him. He stood up involuntarily and strode to Huilin. With his hands behind his back, he stared at the scroll with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He said, "This map is so detailed!"

Huilin replied, "This map was passed down by Datou Khan's father, Shidianmi Khan. Shidianmi Khan conquered the former Wusun territory and his fame spread far and wide throughout the Western Regions. They presented this map as a sign of submission."

"Today, I present this painting to the prince, hoping it can stop the war."

Yang Lin stared at the sheepskin scroll. The atmosphere in the tent was so heavy that it was almost suffocating.

His gaze slowly shifted from the mountain and river markings on the map to Huilin's calm face.

Yang Lin said coldly, "Master, although this map is indeed a treasure, if you think I should withdraw my troops based solely on this, you are underestimating my 100,000 men. Datou Khan asked you to bring the map with you. What are your other plans? Tell me everything!"

"Amitabha,"

Huilin clasped his hands together and said, "Your Highness, Datou Khan sincerely seeks peace. In addition to this feng shui map, he is willing to send his second son as a hostage to Daxing and cede the three cities west of Dunhuang. From now on, he will pay tribute to the Sui Dynasty every year with ten thousand fine horses and one million kilograms of fine iron."

"With Datou Khan keeping Shabolue in check in the Western Regions, the northern borders of the Great Sui Dynasty will not only be safe from invasion, but will also be able to enrich the treasury through trade."

(End of this chapter)