When the solar eclipse appeared, Li Qiao, the third product under the Tongzhongshu Gate of the Tang Dynasty, was facing the wat board, bitterly showing the harm of the flooding of Buddhism.

"The scriptures translated by Zen Master Xuanzang all persuade people to be compassionate, and there is not a word about false decoration. And now all over the Tang Dynasty, Jialan is making great things, and it is extremely luxurious. The manpower and materials needed are all from the people. It is called a charitable donation, but most of them are forcibly apportioned, and the amount is twice the amount of taxes. So that the Buddhist temple is surrounded by dozens of miles, and the houses are surrounded by four walls. And the monks of the temple do not get tired of eating, clothes are not tired of luxury, before and after entering and exiting, the guard of honor is flourishing in the history of thorns......"

As soon as he started, he felt that the light in the Zichen Hall suddenly dimmed. Immediately after, between heaven and earth, the wind is blowing!

"It's going to rain again? This winter's weather is really evil! Several sleepy low-ranking officials turned their heads in astonishment and looked out the window, and everyone felt a little bored in their hearts.

This winter's rain has been a bit harder! Although the flooding disaster inside and outside Chang'an City has been greatly alleviated due to the successive investment of windmills and machine shafts, the wet weather still brings many inconveniences to people. Especially the officials who need to respond every day, the moment they come out of the warm home, they are simply blown by the wet wind.

However, soon, the eyes of these little sesame officials were frozen on the window lattice. Their eyes were round, and their mouths were wide open enough to fit eggs.

It's not going to rain, although the wind outside is strong, there is no shadow of dark clouds on the nearby roof~ The sky in the distance is also blue. It's just that the sun is a little dimmer today and continues to get darker.

"It's broken, Eclipse! For the second time in a year! What did the people of Hun Tianjian do to eat, such a big thing was not predicted! Not only did the low-level officials who were close to the window find out that the situation was wrong, but the servants, Shangshu, Shizhong, and generals who were close to the imperial case also guessed what was going on in the sky with their experience and the sudden change of light, and in an instant, everyone's faces could not hide their shock.

A solar eclipse is not a rare celestial phenomenon, especially for a country as vast as the Tang Dynasty, which occurs in different places almost every five or eight years. However, it is all too rare to have two eclipses in one year, both of them in Gyeonggi! (Note: This is a historical fact, in 707 AD, there were two solar eclipses in one year.) ）

If Supervisor Hun Tian had made a prediction first, even if the prediction was not accurate, the imperial court could make some preparations in advance to deter those unscrupulous people, lest they take the opportunity to bewitch the public. At the same time, they tried to appease the people as much as possible, so as to prevent the people from being easily incited to gather a crowd to make trouble. (Note: During this time, the Tang Dynasty adopted the Lin De calendar, and one of the reasons why the Lin De calendar was later abolished by Li Longji was that it was impossible to accurately calculate the solar eclipse.) ）

And this time, the Heavenly Prison had no warning of the appearance of the solar eclipse! It's too late for everyone to prepare the "Edict of Sin" for the saint, let alone arrange soldiers and horses in advance to protect the place!

"Therefore, Weichen is willing to ask the Holy Lord to make a decision as soon as possible, limit the number of Buddhist temples and degrees, strictly prohibit the large-scale construction of the law, strictly prohibit the law from painting gold again, and strictly prohibit monks from all over the country from interfering in the daily government affairs of the government. Those who dare to disobey will be severely punished! Knowing that the situation around him was wrong, Li Qiao, a third-grade student under the Tongzhong Book Sect, still stubbornly put forward the strips on the wat board one by one, and the harmless faces of ordinary people and animals were full of stubbornness.

It's true that he's a good man, and it's true that he doesn't like to get involved in court battles, but he's not a clay sculpture. In recent days, the courtiers and central ministers have been staring at a series of major cases, such as extermination, assassination, and arson. And he keenly discovered the problems hidden behind this series of big cases. That is, Buddhism has infiltrated the Tang Dynasty court and local government to a very serious extent, and if it is not strictly restricted, sooner or later there will be chaos.

However, his words were quickly drowned out in a chaotic shout.

"Holy Lord, there is an eclipse of the sun, please avoid the side hall according to the custom, burn incense and pray, in order to ask God to bless me with the peace of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Holy Lord, the sudden appearance of a solar eclipse must be a warning from the heavens. The minister asks the Holy Lord to suspend the court meeting and take refuge in the side hall to pray for the blessings of all the people! ”

"Saintly, the White Horse Temple was slaughtered, the Seondeok Temple was destroyed by fire, and then the solar eclipse suddenly appeared. It may not be that the gods and Buddhas are angry and punish the world for disrespect! ”

"Holy ......"

"That's it for today's meeting. The civil and military below the three grades shall be returned to the official office. If you have more than three grades, follow me to the side hall to burn incense and pray for blessings. "Ying Tianshen Dragon Emperor Li Xian, was shocked by the sudden appearance of the solar eclipse, and was stunned for a long time, before he had to stand up from the dragon chair and make a decision with a desolate face.

"Floods, winds, heat, and two solar eclipses in a year! Is it true that I, the emperor, are not treated by God? I clearly haven't done anything bad, and I've tried my best to rehabilitate those who were wrongfully killed by the queen mother! The scream of sorrow quickly welled up in his heart, and tears quickly blurred his eyes.

However, at this moment, no one will understand his difficulty. As soon as he entered the side hall, before he had time to breathe a sigh of relief, Xue Sijian, the general of the Left Prison Gate, had already chased in in a panic, "Shengshang, Qi Shengshang, Hun Tianjian Supervisor Dou Lu Shan, Young Eunuch Wang Chongfu entered the palace to apologize." ”

"Excuse what? I don't have time to listen to them plead themselves today, and let them go home and be dealt with! Ying Tianshen Dragon Emperor Li Xian was annoyed and tired, flicked his sleeves, and commanded sharply.

"Yes!" Xue Sijian, the general of the Left Prison Gate, did not dare to disobey, bowed and saluted, and left in a hurry.

Ying Tianshen Dragon Emperor Li Xian's mood was even worse, and he threw a sentence at the civil and military ministers in the side hall, "I go to bathe, you wait for each to burn incense!" I'm going to find a place to hide first, out of sight. However, as soon as he took five or six steps, behind him, there was another admonition from the servant Qing Ji Ne: "Holy Lord, Weichen thinks that he should summon the corresponding officials of the Hun Tian Prison to thoroughly investigate the cause of the eclipse. ”

"Thorough investigation, thorough investigation of what? When the Great Holy Empress was alive, solar eclipses also happened many times, why didn't you wait for a thorough investigation?! Li Xian finally couldn't bear it anymore, pricked up his eyes, and roared sharply.

When his mother was in power, the eclipse occurred, but no one dared to take the blame for his mother's moral failure. How did you get to him and even say the word "thorough investigation"? The so-called "thorough investigation" is not all about forcing him, the son of heaven, to issue an edict to punish himself, even if he hasn't made any mistakes recently!

"Holy Lord, two solar eclipses in a year are by no means ordinary!" The servant suddenly became an upright minister, took half a step back, and bowed unhurriedly again, "Weichen thinks that it may not be the fault of the ruler. If it is invaded by external evil, it may also trigger a warning from the heavens, and the solar eclipse will suddenly appear! ”

"Invasion of foreign evil?" The Ying Tianshen Dragon Emperor was stunned, and suddenly felt that Ji Chu Ne looked so good and pleasing to the eye. "You're saying that the eclipse has nothing to do with me?!"

"Please summon the Holy Saint to Doulu Prison!" I had already guessed that after my words came out, it would have such an effect, Ji Chu Ne bowed down again and begged for help, and in an instant, he was full of righteousness from head to toe!

"Initiation of the Holy Spirit!" Before his words fell, Xun Yu, who was on duty, hurriedly chased after him, and bowed his hand towards Li Xian, "Doctor Yinqing Guanglu, Shangyong Gong, Shengshan, Zhongtian, and Ximing Three Temples Master Huifan, please see you!" ”

Immediately after, another Qianniu on duty rushed in, with obvious surprise in his voice, "Holy Lord, great joy, great joy!" Zhang Renyuan, the chief administrator of Shuofang Dao, broke through the Turks in Baiyun Mountain seven days ago and beheaded 4,567 levels. The messenger has arrived outside the palace and asked for an audience! ”

"Woo-woo-" The wind blew through the cracks in the window into the side hall, making a dragon-like sound.

It was getting darker, and the candlelight cast the shadows of people on the floor, long and short.

……………………

"Woo, woo, woo-" The cold wind blew through the cracks in the wood into the makeshift altar, like a ghost crying.

"Master, great joy, great joy!" Monk Dingtai, the abbot of Weinan Baimashan Temple, ran to send it with a face full of joy, and bowed to his master, the founding county prince of Dunhuang, and the chief doctor Huiming: "Master, Weinan County has made Fang Gong softened, and he was completely softened." said that he was willing to lead the practice and become a Buddhist layman. I beg Master to give him the Dharma name. ”

"Amitabha!" Under the candlelight, a monk with white hair and a golden silk robe smiled and pronounced a Buddha name, and nodded slightly, "Since he is willing to worship the Buddha sincerely, then call him Pu Fang, and count him as your apprentice." Tell him that to be convenient with others is to be convenient with yourself. There is a Buddha in my heart, and I don't care whether I bring hair or lose it. ”

"Yes!" Monk Dingtai bowed down to receive the order, but he didn't leave immediately, lowered his voice, and continued to report: "Master, he is the county commander of Gyeonggi, and his level is much higher than that of the locality, and he is placed in the ...... of the word "Pu"

"After this battle, there will definitely be many officials who want to become lay priests in the future!" Zen Master Huiming smiled, and a little disdain suddenly appeared on his thin face, "If it was four days ago, he could have been a junior disciple for you." Now, being your apprentice actually exalts him! ”

"Yes, what Master taught! Today, indeed, is very different from the past! The abbot of Dingtai suddenly realized, and he patted his master's ass convincingly.

Four days ago, the wind and rain were like obscurity, and the good men and women could not stand the cold, and dispersed one after another. Many people believe that Buddhism is going to make a joke this time, and Weinan County Ling Fanggong took refuge at that time, of course, it was a charcoal in the snow. Sensei said that if he is a Dingzi generation, even if he is directly included in the Hui character generation, and becomes his Dingtai's uncle, there is no problem.

And now, the eclipse has appeared, the overall situation will be decided, and Fang Gong will come to defect again, which is the icing on the cake.

When the eclipse is over, the reputation of the "evil demon" is confirmed to the person surnamed Zhang on the other side of the river, and the master and himself only need to raise their arms and shout, and the good men and women can tear down Zhangjiazhuang into white ground. Regardless of whether the Weinan County Ya faction sent officers to stop it, the result was the same.

"Wait a while, send a few Vajra who practice at home to cross the river with good men and women. Find the demon surnamed Zhang and get rid of the evil! Just as he was thinking happily, Zen Master Huiming's voice came from above his head again, without any Buddhist compassion.

"Master, the Holy Queen specially sent someone to explain that she wanted to save her surname Zhang's life!" The abbot of Dingtai was taken aback and hurriedly reminded in a whisper.

"Can't stay!" Zen Master Huiming smiled and shook his head slowly, "Even if you send a wrestler to do it, the Holy Queen's side, the teacher will report to her that the good men and women are angry and can't hold back, that's it." ”

"Obey Master's Decree!" Dingtai hesitated for a moment, bowed down again to receive the order, but there was a faint puzzle in his eyes.

Zhang Qian is not dead, and it has nothing to do with him. In fact, there have been many "evil demons" who have died directly and indirectly at the hands of Buddhism over the years, and this one surnamed Zhang is no different. But the Holy Queen has confessed that she wants to save Zhang Qian's life, but her master is still ready to eliminate all evil, which is somewhat puzzling.

And as far as he knows, the destruction of the White Horse Temple has nothing to do with Zhang Qian. The reason why the conflict between the two sides has reached this point is completely wrong.

"Killing him was ordered by the sect master himself!" Seeing Dingtai's reaction in his eyes, Huiming was afraid that he would not do his job properly, so he lowered his voice and quickly added, "The reason is not the White Horse Temple extermination case, but the excerpt he gave to the Shenlong Emperor." "The affairs of the world belong to the court, and the affairs of ghosts and gods belong to the gods and Buddhas." If Emperor Ying Tianshenlong was bewitched by his words, the efforts of two generations of Buddhism would be ruined! ”

"Disciple knows! Disciple, let's arrange it! "Dingtai finally understood why the noble masters, uncles, and uncles did not hesitate to activate the dark line hidden in the Heavenly Prison, and also destroyed a nominal Wupin Young Eunuch. It's not that the knife kills the chicken, but that this person died by himself, touching the bottom line of Buddhism!

"My sect was originally not called the White Horse Sect, and it has nothing to do with the White Horse Temple in Luoyang. In that year, when the Emperor of the Golden Wheel Holy Spirit of the Great Zhou Dynasty was in power, my sect was originally the Great Cloud Sect, with 384 states in the world, and there was a temple named Dayun in the state. And the White Horse Sect was just a branch established by my Great Cloud Sect just in case of emergency. It's just that the old sect master at that time couldn't bear it and didn't kill the person surnamed Di in time. Let this person later be the right-hand man of the Heavenly Book Golden Wheel Holy Spirit Emperor, which led to the failure of the plan of the Eastern Earth Buddha Kingdom. Zen Master Huiming's voice continued to sound, and it was even colder by the southwest wind outside.

"Huh?" The abbot of Dingtai, who was only included in Huiming's sect five years ago, was stunned when he learned for the first time that there was such a secret hidden in the sect.

"Under the calculation of the demon surnamed Di, the Great Cloud Sect fell apart, and the old sect master also felt remorse and died of guilt." Knowing that this disciple of his own family was afraid of the power of the imperial court, Zen Master Huiming thought about it and continued to add in a low voice. "Now, it is not easy for the sect to use this branch called Baima back then to be reborn from the ashes, and to support the second Holy Queen, and there must be no second Di Renjie in the world!" (Note: The Emperor of the Golden Wheel Holy Spirit of the Great Zhou Heavenly Book is the emperor of Wu Zetian.) She ordered all states in the world to build Dayun Temple, which is a historical fact. ）

"The disciple understands, the disciple will personally lead the team to cross the river in a while, and eliminate the demon guard!" Finally fully understanding his master's foresight, Dingtai gritted his teeth and nodded vigorously.

"Take all the fire oil in the altar!" Huiming nodded with satisfaction, and then, he raised his hand again, put his hands together, and his face was full of compassion, "If you can't open the door of his house for a while, let the whole courtyard be burned by fire, just in case." ”

"Disciple obeys the law!" Abbot Dingtai gritted his teeth and agreed, his eyes shining with cold light.

"Woo-woo-woo-woo-" The cold wind blew through the cracks in the wood, blowing the inside of the altar wet and cold, like eighteen layers of hell.

The sun in the sky has been completely swallowed by the "evil demon", and in an instant, the whole world is as black as ink.

…………

"Hurry up, check the twist rope that started the fire, and pull it back as hard as you can!" On the other side of the dark river, Zhang Qian sat on a four-wheeled cart and urged in a low voice.

"It's too dark to see clearly!" Guo Nu groped his fingers for the round hole specially opened at the end of the bronze bell and complained in a low voice. "The sun isn't moving too fast, and the eyes can't adapt at all!"

"You cover the air lamp with a cloth, shine it from a distance, and be careful not to get too close!" Zhang Qian pondered for a moment, and then quickly gave a suggestion. The voice was tinged with rare nervousness and impatience.

The cycle of a total solar eclipse is usually three to six minutes from the time the sunlight is completely blocked by the moon to the time the moon moves and allows the sunlight to re-illuminate the area where the total solar eclipse occurred on Earth. Although in the name of ringing the bell to drive away the tengu, he asked Guo Nu, Ren Cong and Luo Huaizu in advance to push the three "bronze bells" to the pre-planned position. There is not enough time left for him. So, he has to race against the clock as much as possible.

"I'll come, I'll come, the old man's eyes can see at night! The old man's side has already been checked! Luo Huaizu's voice sounded in time, faintly with a little excitement.

Until now, he still didn't believe that with just three bronze bells, Zhang Qian could dismantle all the conspiracy of the monks. However, it did not prevent him from participating with the most positive attitude. After all, this is already Zhang Qian's last resort. If this trick didn't work, Zhang Qian had to beg him to make a move. At that time, no matter what he asks, Zhang Qian may only be able to let him slaughter!

"Don't move, I can see it myself. I just didn't fit in with it just now! Guo Nu refused to let Luo Huaizu do the work for him, blocked this person with his left arm, and continued to grope on the bronze bell with his right hand.

With the experience that had been left in his head hundreds of times before, and the rapid adaptation of his eyes to the dark environment, this time, he finally got his wish. First, the end of the twisted rope used for ignition was determined, and it did not fall off from the hole reserved on the bell body, and then he bent down and quickly pulled the twisted rope hanging on the handle of the wheelbarrow to the distance.

Luo Huaizu smiled, pulled the twisted rope in his hand, and retreated to the designated place. Immediately, Ren Cong also silently completed the inspection task and quickly followed.

Zhang Qian sat on the four-wheeled vehicle, pushed by Ren Quan, and walked last. After exiting all the way out of ten steps, he stopped the four-wheeled bicycle again, and then whispered to Luo Huaizu, Guo Nu and Ren Cong, "Tie the twisted ropes together and light the fire!" ”

"Yes!" The three of them agreed, and tied the twisted rope used to start the fire in one place. Immediately after, Guo Nu personally took the Qi Death Wind Lantern from Zhang Qian's hand, lifted the black cloth covering it, and quickly poked the upper mouth of the glass lamp towards the end of the twisted rope.

"Snort-" The three brothers personally kneaded the fire twist rope, and brilliant sparks appeared. Immediately, the spark split into three, not disturbed by the cold wind at all, and went straight to the bronze bell that was placed diagonally on the ground with the three-door and the wheelbarrow.

"Run-" An anxious shout came out of Zhang Qian's mouth, making Luo Huaizu, Guo Nu and Ren Cong, who were enjoying the brilliant sparks, all turn their minds around. Immediately following, the six legs moved quickly, chasing Zhang Qian, who had been pushed by Ren Quan and ran out of half a foot away.

"Bang-" A thunderclap exploded on the riverside, making Guo Nu, Ren Cong and Luo Huaizu forget Zhang Qian's instructions again and turned back in amazement.

I saw a scarlet fireball, which suddenly appeared in the night sky, dragging a short tail mark like a meteor, heading straight for the swaying altar not far away.

"Bang-" "Bang-" Two more muffled thunders exploded on the riverside. This time, the three of them saw it more clearly! Two new fireballs accompanied by thunder roared out from the bronze bells on the left and right sides, and swept through the air like meteors. One quickly disappeared, and the other fell heavily on the altar.

"Boom!" The first "meteor" that landed on the ground exploded on the left side of the altar, like a peony blooming in summer.

This was followed by the second, "Boom! It was at least five feet away from the altar, and it was gorgeous, but there was nothing to do about the altar.

The third meteor has not moved. The three of them didn't know why, Qi Qi turned his gaze to Zhang Qian. And Zhang Qian also turned his head back from the four-wheeled vehicle, looking at the altar that did not move at all, and there was obvious disappointment in his eyes!

It failed, although a copper cannon was added for the time being, it still failed. The original gun, built with reference to the bowl cannon, was too powerful and too unreliable. Although a clay pot filled with black powder was used as a flowering bomb, it still only blew a hole out of the left side of the altar, far from reaching the goal of blowing the altar into the western sky as a whole!

"Again, I remember you still have a couple of jars!" From Zhang Qian's face, Luo Huaizu knew that the result was unsatisfactory, stomped his feet, and urged loudly.

As soon as the words fell, on the other side of the river, another muffled thunder sounded, "Boom! In an instant, the earth shook.

Luo Huaizu turned his head in amazement, only to see that the altar carefully built by the monks turned into a huge mushroom, which swayed up with the southwest wind. Flames flew everywhere, illuminating both sides of the river as bright as day!

"Boom, boom, boom!" As if the gods were angry, more thunder sounded from the place that originally belonged to the altar. Combine the mushrooms made up of flames and smoke to become thicker and taller!

The wind sent a smell that was extremely familiar in another time and space across the river bank and into Zhang Qian's nostrils.

"There's gasoline hidden in the altar?" Zhang Qian paused, and in an instant, his eyes suddenly became brighter than flames.

Not gasoline, but definitely related to oil! He finally knew how the White Horse Shande Temple in Chang'an City burned down. It was not that someone stole the gunpowder that was sent into the treasury of the Ministry of War, nor was it that a third party fished in troubled waters, but that the monks set fire to themselves and burned themselves!

"Let's go, while no one is paying attention! Collect the bronze bell, let's go! Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he hoarsely commanded quickly, "Ren Quan, push me home." Hang all the bells on the trees and let everyone ring the bells to drive away the tengu! ”

No one responded!

Guo Nu, Ren Cong, and Luo Huaizu all looked at the flames that were rolling and burning on the other side of the river, their mouths wide open, and their bodies trembled like chaff.

Looking at Ren Quan, the housekeeper who is responsible for pushing the four-wheeled vehicle, it is even more unbearable, not only the two wars, the edge of the trouser legs, but also a large stream of water, dripping down.

"Let's go, the bronze bell is gone! If you don't leave, you'll be discovered! Zhang Qian pushed Ren Quan hard and urged loudly. Immediately, he stretched out his uninjured right leg and kicked Luo Huaizu, who was closest to him.

"Ahh After running for more than a dozen steps, he decisively turned around and ran back to the riverbank, dragged a wheelbarrow that had almost fallen apart, and with the bronze bell on it, turned around again, and rushed towards Zhuangzi.

"Senior brother go first!" Guo Nu and Ren Cong finally came back to their senses, and they also followed Luo Huaizu's example and ran to the riverside. dragged up the wheelbarrow and rushed towards Zhuangzi with the bronze bell. lest the other two artifacts that can create "meteors" fall into the hands of outsiders.

And daylight, at the moment when the figures of the two were about to submerge into the courtyard of the Zhang family, re-emerged from the black sky, and immediately, it lit up the whole world!

"Dangdangdang......" After a while, the crisp bell rang from Zhangjiazhuang and echoed on both sides of the river.

The wind has stopped! The sun is getting brighter and brighter, and there is warmth all of a sudden, and the mountains and rivers suddenly become extremely bright!