Chapter 125 Buddhist Dragon Girl (4k)
General Su Ze stationed his camp near Jinyang City. He and Yu Jin took the officers in the camp to Jinyang for the banquet.
Looking at the solid Jinyang City, Su Ze suddenly asked Yu Jin beside him: "Brother Yu, how many troops do you need to capture this Jinyang City?"
Yu Jin was stunned for a moment. Attack Jinyang? Isn't Jinyang in the hands of the imperial court? No matter how powerful the Rouran people are, they can't reach the city of Jinyang, right?
But he still thought about Su Ze's question and said, looking at Jinyang City, "If we attack from the south, we will need ten times as many troops to take it down."
Su Ze nodded. Jinyang was surrounded by mountains to the east and west, making it impossible to deploy troops. The city wall on the south was high, and the narrow terrain made it impossible to deploy superior forces. It was very difficult for the soldiers to climb the city wall. It would take ten times the number of troops and a huge cost to take it down.
Su Ze drooled as he looked at Jinyang. What does it mean to be the foundation of kingship and hegemony? Jinyang is the foundation of kingship and hegemony!
But no one has yet realized the strategic importance of Jinyang. At this time, it is just a city that the army passes by on its way north.
It would be great if I could spawn more followers, stay in Jinyang City and ambush, and wait for an opportunity to seize Jinyang City when something changes in the world?
It’s a pity that I still have too few followers. I hope I can complete the plan to assassinate the King of the Ruin as soon as possible and produce some high-quality followers.
When they were about to reach the city of Jinyang, Li Chong ordered his men to hold high the White Tiger Banner granted by the court. The gate of Jinyang was immediately opened, and a group of officials came out of the city to welcome Li Chong and his generals.
Jinyang was the seat of Bingzhou, but among the officials who came to welcome Li Chong, there was no highest official of Bingzhou, Gao Chuo, the current governor of Bingzhou, who did not appear in the welcoming team.
The general who was going to the war was not personally welcomed by the governor of a state, which was already a slap in Li Chong's face.
Li Chong was called "Crouching Tiger", so he was naturally not a good-tempered person. He picked up the horse whip and whipped the clerk of the governor's mansion and asked:
"Where is your Governor Gao?"
The clerk was whipped but did not dare to resist. He just lowered his head and knelt down and said, "Governor Gao is still inspecting Shangdang County and has not had time to return to Jinyang!"
Hearing this, Li Chong was furious, but he suppressed his emotions and said to his attendants, "Gao Chuo has insulted me too much. I will report him to the court!"
However, Li Chong did not continue to be angry with the clerk of the governor's office. Instead, he put away his whip and led his troops into Jinyang City.
The officials in Jinyang City looked at the clerk of the governor's office with amusement eyes, and then followed Li Chong into Jinyang City.
After entering Jinyang City, Yu Jin quietly asked Su Ze: "Brother Su, why did the governor of Bingzhou stay in Shangdang?"
Su Ze sighed and said, "Have you forgotten that General Yuan Yao, the General of the East, is conquering the Mahayana sect in Jizhou? Shangdang is the key point of the Zhang River, and the military rations for the expedition to Jizhou must be transported from Shangdang. This Governor Gao should be in Shangdang to supervise the military rations."
Yu Jin then remembered that the Northern Wei Dynasty had more than just their own expeditionary force, but he still did not understand the dangers of the court, and asked Su Ze:
"Then this Governor Gao is also working for the Wei Dynasty. I don't think General Li is such a stingy person, right?"
Su Ze sighed and said:
"Gao Chuo was born in the Bohai Gao family. He was implicated because of Gao Zhao, and was later promoted to Bingzhou governor on the recommendation of Qinghe Prince Yuan Yi."
Yu Jin still didn't understand the key point. Su Ze sighed and said:
"Now the Mahayana sect is causing trouble in Jizhou, and its followers are sweeping across the northern land. Gao Chuo is from the Gao clan of Bohai, so he should be more concerned about the war in Jizhou no matter what, so it is normal for him to be more attentive to that side."
"Moreover, the Grand Commander of Yuan Dynasty is close to the Prince of Qinghe. Gao Chuo started his career by recruiting people for the Prince of Qinghe, so naturally he should help him more."
"Gao Chuo stayed in Shangdang to show his loyalty to the King of Qinghe."
Yu Jin was surprised and said, "No way? Are they still fighting among the parties now?"
Yuan Yao was appointed as the Grand Commander to fight against the Mahayana sect, which was highly recommended by King Qinghe, so he was a member of the faction of King Qinghe Yuan Yi.
This time, it was King Jiangyang Yuan Yi who pushed for the mission of escorting the Rouran King back north and conquering the Rouran at the same time.
Gao Chuo was unwilling to welcome Li Chong in Jinyang, and deliberately stayed in Shangdang to prepare for the transportation of military supplies for Yuan's expedition to Jizhou. Since it was a matter of standing on the same side, he naturally could not waver.
This is just the beginning. The last years of any dynasty are often when party struggles are most serious.
The incident outside the city gate did not affect Li Chong's mood. When he saw the banquet prepared for him by the Jinyang officials, a smile finally appeared on his face.
Su Ze saw the sumptuous banquet and the officials and powerful people of Bingzhou gathered around Li Chong, and whispered to Jin:
"It seems that Governor Gao does not have a strong control over Bingzhou."
Yu Jin couldn't understand the ins and outs of these official circles, so he asked again, "How did Brother Su figure that out?"
Su Ze said: "The officials and powerful people of Bingzhou are welcoming General Li. Look at the clerks in the governor's office, they are fidgeting. It is obvious that Governor Gao has not been able to control the powerful people of Bingzhou."
"But these powerful families are fence-sitters, and they may not be deliberately going against the Governor's Office."
Yu Jin admired Su Ze more and more. It turned out that he was still Brother Su! He knew everything!
At this time, Li Chong pulled a young man in aristocratic clothing to the table. Su Ze looked at the young man standing side by side with Li Chong in confusion. Why had he never seen this young man in the army?
Yu Jin reminded Su Ze: "Brother Su, that is the Rourou King Anagui."
"what?"
Su Ze looked at him carefully. The last time he saw Anagui at King Qinghe's hunting ground, his hair was braided with pearls, he was wearing a grassland-style robe, and he had a wild beard.
But the Anagui we saw today was already wearing the hair crown of a Luoyang noble, dressed in the clothes of a Northern Wei noble, and his beard was carefully trimmed, making him look much younger than last time.
In fact, Anagui is not very old. After being dressed like this, he actually looks like a young man from a wealthy family.
Su Ze did not expect that the Rouran King was so flexible. In order to reassure the Northern Wei monarch and his ministers, he could actually do this. He spoke in the elegant Luoyang accent and greeted the Bingzhou tyrants. Under the leadership of Li Chong, he also greeted officers such as Su Ze.
After a while, Anagui came to Su Ze. When he saw Su Ze, Anagui's pupils shrank obviously, but his facial expression did not change at all. He said to Su Ze in a kind tone:
"Captain Su, long time no see. This time I'll have to trouble you to escort me back to the royal court."
Su Ze crossed his arms and replied, "I am following the imperial military order to escort the king back north, and I will do my best!"
This Rourou King is indeed a tyrant. He can greet Su Ze who framed him without changing his expression. But Su Ze saw the resentment flashing in Anagui's eyes. Su Ze knew very well that if Anagui was really allowed to return to the grassland, he would become a serious problem in the future.
After this simple episode, everyone sat down to the banquet. Anagui looked at Suze not far away and said to his confidant behind him, "That guy wants to harm me."
The two trusted assassins stared at Su Ze and said with hatred: "Khan, please give us a chance to be loyal!"
Anagui immediately said, "No! Su Ze is Li Chong's favorite general. Everyone knows the hatred between him and me. If he is stabbed in the army, I will definitely be suspected. If it delays my return to the north, it will not be worth it."
The two trusted warriors said unwillingly: "Khan! What if this beast harms you again?"
Anagui shook his head and said, "Since I left Luoyang, I have lived in Li Chong's tent. As long as I don't leave there, that guy will have no chance to harm me. As long as we return to the grassland, we will naturally find a way to deal with him!"
There was a murderous gleam in Anagui's eyes. He had already thought of a countermeasure. As long as he could become the Khan of Rouran again, he could just march his troops south and demand that the Northern Wei court hand over Su Ze to him to vent his anger.
As long as he could return to the grassland and regain the throne of Khan, Su Ze would be a small character, and killing him would be as easy as killing an ant.
But Anagui still didn't understand why Su Ze wanted to frame him to such an extent. It wasn't like he and Su Ze had any deep hatred, right?
But now the two sides have reached a life-and-death situation. Anagui decided to continue to endure and only return to the grassland alive, which would mean that he has won.
At this moment, a waiter called out the names of the princesses: "Princess Shouyang is here!"
Su Ze looked towards the entrance of the banquet hall in the direction of the voice, and saw Princess Shouyang in plain palace dress appearing outside the door. Her face was 70% similar to Princess Chenliu, but unlike Princess Chenliu who was increasingly showing charm and beauty, Princess Shouyang was like a fairy who had descended to earth without much experience in the world.
Princess Shouyang holds a string of Buddhist beads in her right hand, which adds a touch of holiness to her innocence.
Historical books have described the beauty of Princess Shouyang in great detail, but Su Ze never expected that the real person would be so beautiful.
Even the Rourun King Anagui, who was sitting next to Li Chong, couldn't take his eyes off him.
The upper class of the Northern Wei Dynasty was open-minded, and there were successive female rulers such as Empress Dowager Wenming and Empress Dowager Hu. It was not uncommon for women to attend banquets.
However, Princess Shouyang and Anagui had not yet married, so she and Anagui sat on both sides of Li Chong respectively. After taking their seats, Princess Shouyang nervously moved her Buddhist beads and lowered her head to look at the table.
Because Princess Shouyang was at the table, Li Chong restrained himself a little and did not openly hug the beauty as he did before. He just harassed the maid who was serving wine from time to time. As the banquet gradually reached its climax, the atmosphere became more and more heated.
At this time, everyone started to leave their seats to toast, and even Yu Jin was dragged away by his colleagues to drink. Only four people remained sitting in their original seats.
Li Chong seemed to be drunk, tightly grasping the hand of the waitress who was serving wine, but his eyes were observing the performance of the generals at the banquet.
He memorized how everyone behaved after drinking, and had a general idea of their personalities.
Princess Shouyang was obviously not used to such a noisy banquet. She lowered her head and held her Buddhist beads, like a little white rabbit that had strayed into a wolf's den.
The Rourun King Anagui was also sitting at the table. He knew that he was not welcome and no one took the initiative to toast him. His eyes kept drifting to his future wife.
Before the marriage was granted, King Rouran had never seen Princess Shouyang. When he saw Anagui today, he felt that the royal family of Wei was so generous!
Let’s not talk about Princess Shouyang’s extremely rich dowry. According to the rules of the grassland, only the most powerful people are worthy of owning such a beauty, right?
At the banquet, everyone's eyes kept turning to Princess Shouyang, and many officers and soldiers present secretly vowed in their hearts to escort this delicate and flower-like princess to safely reach the grassland royal court.
Only Su Ze lowered his head and looked at the table. He only responded when someone toasted him. His eyes only swept over Princess Shouyang once, and then he focused his attention on the system.
Today is the day when the system is refreshed. Although the task has not been completed and the probability of getting orange and purple is not high, Su Ze still opened the system.
Just as Su Ze was waiting for the mall to refresh, Princess Shouyang, who had been silent throughout the banquet, finally plucked up the courage. She picked up the wine glass, left her seat accompanied by her maid, and walked leisurely to Su Ze.
Everyone at the banquet stopped chatting and turned their attention to Princess Shouyang. When Su Ze realized that the atmosphere was not right, he looked up and saw Princess Shouyang's beautiful face.
"Your Highness?"
Su Ze couldn't understand what Princess Shouyang wanted to talk to him about.
The assassination of Anagui was commissioned by Princess Chenliu and Yuan Ziyou, and Princess Shouyang did not know about it.
Princess Shouyang was not good at talking to strange men. She held the Buddhist beads tightly and said after a long while: "Su, Captain Su, before I left Luoyang, I often went to Longhua Temple to listen to Master Bianji's lectures on Buddhist scriptures. Before I left, Master Bianji once told me that if I had any questions about Buddhism that I didn't understand, I could ask Captain Su."
Bian Ji?
Su Ze then remembered this [debating monk who did not observe the precepts]. Since Bian Ji was welcomed into Longhua Temple, Su Ze allowed him to move freely like the statue-casting monk Su Tong, and Bian Ji preached in Longhua Temple.
The Buddhist teachings taught by Bian Ji were simple and easy to understand, and were interspersed with many Buddhist stories. They soon caused a sensation in Luoyang, and people flocked to Longhua Temple to listen to the lectures. Longhua Temple was transformed from a family temple dedicated to the imperial army into a famous temple that could influence the whole of Luoyang.
And Bian Ji went from being a wild monk of unknown origin to a master of a school, and many dignitaries invited him to give lectures.
Princess Shouyang, who was anxious and upset about her marriage to the grassland, also invited Bian Ji to her house to give lectures. Princess Shouyang, who was simple in nature, was immediately attracted by this new Buddhist theory and became a devout believer.
Before leaving, Princess Shouyang asked Bianji for divination about the future. Bianji said to Princess Shouyang:
"Your Highness is the reincarnation of the Buddhist Dragon Girl. You are a person of great fortune and compassion. You have a deep Buddha nature, but you still lack one thing in order to return to the Pure Land."
Princess Shouyang naturally asked anxiously, and Bian Ji said: "In the Buddhist temple, in front of the smiling Maitreya Buddha, there is a fierce and angry Dharma Protector Vajra. Your Highness has a heart of a bodhisattva, and you still need a Dharma Protector Vajra with thunderbolt means."
"Where is the Dharma Protector of this palace?"
Bian Ji said: "Your Highness is going to the grassland for marriage, and the captain Su Zesu who is escorting Your Highness is your Dharma Protector Vajra."
Princess Shouyang kept Bian Ji's teachings in mind, but she had no chance to contact Su Ze along the way. Today at the banquet, she finally plucked up the courage to walk up to the table and talk to Su Ze.
(End of this chapter)