A team of five consultants.

The three armorers were selected by the Governor's Office from the battalions of the Imperial Guard, and they were all from the Western Regions.

The one with the pleated hakama is Shi Liang.

The monk is recommended by Daozhi, Qiu Ci people, called Ananda Xina, because the name is slightly longer and difficult to remember, it is referred to as Ananda by some Tang people. Ananda is over 40 years old this year, and when he was young, he traveled to the Northern Tianzhu countries and the Western Regions, and was familiar with the languages of the Western Regions, and was familiar with the customs and customs of each country. He arrived in Longzhou more than ten years ago, and he is now fluent in Tang dialect.

Speaking of language.

On the one hand, the languages of the people of the Western Regions are quite different; Second, because it is located at the intersection of the four directions, the Tang people in the east, the nomadic Hu people in the north, and the Tianzhu people in the west all have a lot of contacts with it, so the language environment of this place in the Western Regions is quite complicated. Every country has a mandatory official position, that is, the translator, called the "chief translator", with as few as one person and as many as a few.

The language is complicated, but the text is fine.

Shanshan, Qiuzi and other countries mostly use the Lulu script, that is, Tocharian script; The monks read the scriptures and recited the Buddha, mostly using Tianzhu script.

Shi Liang, Ananda and others climbed the platform to meet Xin Er.

They did not come for anything else, mainly to report on the results of the work of summoning interpreters for the troops in Dunhuang County.

The subordinates under the Xin Er tent, either for Hu Qi or Tang Pawn, no one understands the Western Regions, and they are going to fight in the Western Regions, so they must assign one or two interpreters to each battalion. Otherwise, if the soldiers enter the enemy country and the language is not understood, the generals and soldiers will be deaf and blind.

Shi Liang reported and said: "Ming Gong, Xia Guan and others have recruited fourteen merchants from the Western Regions and Tang merchants who can speak the dialect of the Western Regions. ”

"Is it reliable?"

"Whether it is the Tang Dynasty merchants or the Western Regions merchants, they all settled in Dunhuang, and their families and relatives are all in the county."

Xin Er nodded, instructed Zhang Gui, and said, "Changling, assign these fourteen people to the army!" Remind him, "Pay them half of the promised reward first, and reassure their hearts." ”

Zhang Gui promised.

Fourteen translators were soon assigned to the battalions of the army. These interpreters also serve as village guides, in case the battalions lose contact with the Chinese army due to unfavorable battles, weather changes, or inappropriate marches.

Stayed in Dunhuang County for one night.

At noon the next day, Beigong Yue led the troops to arrive.

Xin Er met with him, and that night, a banquet was held to entertain Beigong Yue and his military academy.

Beigong Yue brought a letter and gifts from Saikai Taishou Duya.

When Xin Er got married, Duya had a gift delivered. The gift he gave that time was not expensive, but the gift of thousands of miles was enough to show his affection. This time, the gift given by Du Ya was heavier, with fifty pieces of fine armor and 100 carts of grain. Xihai is very poor, and the people are very small, so fifty pieces of fine armor and a hundred carts of grain are expected to be all that Duya can squeeze out of the treasury.

Xin Er's friendship with Du Ya was at most an acquaintance earlier; When aiding Xihai and fighting against Rouran, the two fought side by side, and the relationship deepened a little; Since Xin Er entered the dynasty and his status rose, the relationship between the two has gradually become close. Du Ya is also a Yushi, and he is good friends with Sun Yan, the hope of Yushi, through Sun Yan, Du Ya has shown goodwill to Xin Er several times, and Xin Er reciprocated to Qiong Yao, and he was also very polite to him.

Xin Er let Beigong Yue's troops rest for a day, and the next day, the soldiers and horses left the camp.

The yellow city walls of Dunhuang County slowly receded to the east.

At the beginning of the march, the places along the way were not very barren, there were quite dwellings, looking north, and even the touch of green on the bank of the Shule River could be seen in the distance, and red willows and poplars could be seen on the roadside. There are nearly 100 miles, and most of them are red and white saline-alkali land, rare plants, and the most common is the semi-shrub called "white grass" by the locals, which is camel thorn.

The summer was scorching, and the three armies sweated like rain.

Out of the Yumen Pass, the endless yellow sand jumped into view.

In the past year or so, Xin Er has led his troops to cross the quicksand three times, the first time was to return to the royal capital from Inoze, the second time was to go north to aid Xihai County, and the third time was the most arduous, that is, to attack Shuofang for thousands of miles. With these three experiences, Xin Er has a good idea of the difficulties he will encounter, and his emotions are no different from usual.

He also had the leisure to stay outside the Yumen Pass, review the way he came, look forward to the future, and smiled at Yang Fu, Zhang Gui and others on the left and right: "Reading the historical books, where you go to Yumen, you will feel sorry for every life." Now that I am here in person, I have no strange feelings, which is also strange! ”

Yang Fu said with a smile: "The general is not satisfied with the attack on the Western Regions today, and the victory is in his hands, such as drinking cold water, he has no emotion." ”

Xin Er laughed, looked down on the troops on the road, and looked at the distance again, when the afternoon, the red sun was like a wheel, and the sand was like the sea. The blue of the sky and the yellow of the sand sea are boundless, reflecting up and down. The long queue of more than 10,000 riders walks in the middle, giving people a sense of magnificence.

Xin Er sighed sincerely: "I heard that the countries of the Western Regions like to sing and dance. Such a vast scene, spectacular beauty, people walking in it, trance feel the size of the world, and their own body is like a drop in the ocean, it is indeed not a song without romance, non-dance without expression! "I really wanted to recite something, but I looked up and thought about it for a long time, searched my intestines and scraped my stomach, but I couldn't find a suitable poem for a while, and I didn't have the talent for improvisational writing, so I had to stop.

Ananda, the monk of Qiuzi, who was accompanying him, sat on his horse, clasped his hands together, and said: "In the land of the Western Regions, there is not only this magnificent scene, but also not only wonderful songs and dances. ”

Xin Er smiled and asked, "Since the great monk has spoken, he must have something to say?" What do you want to say? ”

"In the land of the Western Regions, there is a big treasure, and the desert sea, singing and dancing can't reach it."

"What baby?"

Ananda said, "The poor Dao is a Qiuzi people. In the country of Qiuzi, there is a great wisdom master, I wonder if the general has heard of it? ”

"Who?"

"This man's name is Kumarosh. His father, Kumaroyan, was originally a noble man of Tianzhu, and traveled around the world to seek the Tao without heirs, and went to Qiuci to marry the sister of the king of Qiuzi, and gave birth to Kumarosh. Jain is smart and talented, one day he saw the desert mounds, realized the suffering of the world, and took refuge in my Buddha. Kumarosh was seven years old and became a monk from his mother. Kumarosh was extremely intelligent, literate at the age of three, read at the age of five, went to study at the age of nine, and completed at the age of twelve. After returning to Qiuzi, Kumarosh preached the scriptures and said, and his fame shook Haidong! A three-fruited arhat prophesied that if Kumarosh did not break his vows before the age of thirty-six, he would become the second Buddha. General, Kumarosh, the great treasure of the turtles! ”

Xin Er said, "Kumarosh? "That's a familiar name." "It seems that in the previous life, where did I see it. He asked Yang Chao and Zhang Gui, and said, "Do you know this person?" ”

Yang Chao and Zhang Guiju said: "I have heard of it. ”

Yang fashionable celebrity style, and Dingxi monks, also have a lot of dealings, said: "It is said that the country of Qiuzi originally believed in Hinayana and now its people respect Mahayana, that is, the power of Kumarosh. ”

Theravada Buddhism attaches great importance to one's own practice, while Mahayana Buddhism is concerned with the suffering of the world.

Unlike Khotan and other countries in the south, the northern countries in the Western Regions such as Qiuzi originally believed in Theravada Buddhism. Kuramash's earliest study was also Theravada Buddhism, which was the most popular "Mulasarvastivada Path" at that time; After completing his studies, he met several Mahayana Buddhist monks among his disciples who returned to China, and was influenced by them to convert to Mahayana Buddhism. Kumarosh was a brilliant and eloquent man, and he argued with the monks of the kingdom and persuaded most of them that he had changed the old pattern of Buddhism in the country in one fell swoop, and made the Mahayana rise to the top, replacing the Hinayana position.

As for the similarities and differences between Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism, Xin Er only knows a general idea, but he also knows that compared with Theravada Buddhism, which only cultivates individuals, Mahayana Buddhism pays attention to "purifying sentient beings", and in the attitude of "joining the WTO", it is very different from Hinayana Buddhism. Politically speaking, Mahayana Buddhism is actually far more conducive to the narcotics and control of the people in power than Theravada Buddhism. Kumarosh's conversion to Mahayana should have been out of his own compassion for the suffering of the world, but the support of the royal family of Qiuzi for him is not easy to say.

Thinking of this, Xin Er smiled to himself.

All he thinks about the political struggle of the imperial court all day long, and all he thinks about is the rich country and the strong army, and unconsciously, his way of looking at events and considering problems is always inertly skewed politically. Yang is fashionable with a Hinayana and Mahayana sentence, and he can associate these things.

Shin Er asked Ananda and said, "Do you know Kumarosh?" ”

Ananda said, "Poor Dao once practiced at the Great Pear Monastery in Qiuzi, and he was not only acquainted with Kumaroshi, but he was also acquainted with him. ”

The temple is the royal temple of Qiuzi and the largest temple in Qiuzi. Kumarosh's mother had studied Buddhism at this monastery, and Kumarosh stayed at the monastery after returning to Japan. Ananda was in the same temple with him, and the relationship between the two was not shallow.

Xin Er said: "When I stay in Qiuzi, then I bother you to make a recommendation to me, and I also know the great wisdom in your mouth." ”

The soldiers have just come out of the jade gate, and Ananda has introduced Kumarosh, and Yang Chaoyun Xiner "has the ticket to win", whether this is the case, needless to say, but in this battle, the determination to win and not win is already made.

After speaking, Xin Er raised his whip and rode away, and the sheep and others followed closely behind, merged into the marching troops, faced the yellow sand, and galloped westward.

A few days later.

After the White Dragon Pile, in the dry desert, there was suddenly water and gas, and after a short walk, the Prison Lanhai appeared in front of the troops.

No wonder it's called the sea.

It is more than 300 miles from north to south, and dozens of miles from east to west.

There is a large river in the north and south of Bo.

These two rivers run through Qiuzi and other countries in the Northern Western Regions, and the other flows through Shanshan in the Southern Western Regions.

Between these two rivers is the 2,000-mile desert that divides the countries of the Western Regions into north and south.

The seashore of Gulan is full of reeds, flocks of wild birds, the sea is blue, and the fish leap in the water. The troops who had just crossed three or four hundred miles of desert had arrived here, and those soldiers who had not come here could hardly believe their eyes, this was simply another world! If it weren't for the strict restraints of military law, I am afraid that they would immediately be tempted to leave their headquarters and rush to the coast in groups, kneel on the ground, and pour water on their faces.

More than 100 riders rushed along the shore.

The first was a white-faced, beardless man, about thirty-four or five years old, without armor, but wearing only a pleated hakama, with a white veil on his head, and no sword. Like a scribe. When he arrived at the Xiner Central Army, this person dismounted to greet him and reported his name: "The last general, Shi Suogong, the chief of the Western Regions, greets the general." ”

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