Tang Zhangwei adopted a divide-and-conquer strategy against those Zoroastrians, although Zhou Nanheng, a Jianghu person, did not quite understand.

However, Fei Xuechun and other top figures in the Tang Dynasty were in awe of Tang Zhangwei.

Because, as long as the Zoroastrians split from within, then Tang Zhangwei could completely wipe out the entire Zoroastrian believers without a single soldier.

Of course, now Tang Zhangwei will not be in a hurry to express his position, he must be patient if he wants to completely conquer those fools.

In Tang Zhangwei's mind, Tang Zhaozong and the Zoroastrian were not opponents of the same level as him, he was just a headache and tired of these opponents.

Tang Zhangwei often said to Fei Xuechun: "Dealing with Zoroastrians hurts more than eating steamed meat." ”

At first he ate only half of his bread and no meat at all. He drank water from the stream during the day, diluted his beer, and refused to drink wine. He blamed a healthy young monk who wanted to add porridge, and made the young man who jokingly drank someone else's wine cry.

When the monks walked back to the monastery from the top of the hill for lunch, Abbot Philip thought that the monks showed no evidence of gluttony. The young people are lean and vigorous, while the older ones are slender and tanned. None of them had the kind of pale and fat appearance of being fed and doing nothing all day long. Philip believed that monks should be thin. The fat friars would cause the poor to hate these servants of God.

Peter came up with a trick to cover up his condemnation in the form of confession. "I have always been guilty of gluttony," he said that morning, as they sat down on a freshly cut tree to rest, eating rye bread and drinking beer, "and I have violated the commandment of St. Benedict, and the monks were not allowed to eat meat and drink wine. He looked around at the people around him, his head raised, his dark eyes shining with smugness, and finally he turned his gaze to Philip, "Everyone here is guilty of the same sin," he finished.

It's sad that Peter could be like this, Philip thought. This man is devoted to God's cause, he has a brilliant mind, and he has great strength to not stop until he reaches his goal. But he seems to be inexorably determined to stand out, to always be conspicuous; And this drove him to create trouble. He was indeed a black sheep, but Philip loved him as much as he loved anyone else, because Philip could see the restless soul behind his hubris and vitriol: he didn't really believe that anyone cared about him sincerely.

Philip said: "These words give us an opportunity to recall what St. Benedict had to say on this subject. Do you remember what he said, Peter? ”

"He said, 'Meat should be avoided by everyone but the sick.' And he said: 'Wine is not the drink of monks. Peter replied.

Philip nodded. Unsurprisingly, Peter did not know as much about this precept as Philip. "Almost, Peter," he said, "the saint is not referring to flesh, but to 'the flesh of a four-legged animal,' and even then he points out exceptions, including not only the sick but also the weak." What does he mean by 'weak'? In our little world, we hold the view that those who have been weakened by hard work in the fields need to eat some beef from time to time to maintain their strength. ”

Peter listened to these words in silence, and furrowed his eyebrows disapprovingly, and the two thick black eyebrows joined together on the bridge of his large hooked nose, and the whole face became a mask of forcible contempt.

Philip went on to say: "On the question of wine, the saint said: 'We explain that wine is by no means the drink of the monks. The use of words like 'we explain' means that he does not fully endorse the prohibition of alcohol. He also said that a pint a day is enough for anyone. He wants us not to drink too much. Isn't it clear that he doesn't want the monk to quit drinking altogether? ”

"But he said that you should be frugal in all things," Peter said.

"Are you saying we're not frugal here?" Philip asked him.

"I think so," he said categorically.

"'Let those who God have given moderation know that they will be duly rewarded,'" Philip quotes, "and if you think the food here is too generous, you may eat less." But remember that the saint said something else. He quoted from 1 Corinthians, where St. Paul said: 'All men have God-given gifts, one one this and the other another. Later, the saint told us: 'For this reason, it is not possible to decide without doubt about the amount of food that someone else eats.' As you fast and reflect on your sin of gluttony, Peter, remember that. ”

They later went back to work, and Peter looked like a martyr. Philip understood that he would not be left speechless so easily. Of the friar's three vows, "poverty, purity, and obedience," it was obedience that bothered Peter.

Of course, there were ways to deal with disobedient monks: solitary confinement, bread and water, flogging, and finally excommunication and excommunication. Philip was usually indecisive in using these punishments, especially if a monk wanted to test Philip's authority. As a result, he became a tough enforcer of discipline in people's minds. But in fact he hated the use of harsh punishments—it caused disharmony among the monks and was unpleasant to everyone. Anyway, in Peter's case, punishment would never do any good—indeed, it would only make him more proud and unforgiving. Philip had to find a way to control Peter and soften him at the same time. It's not easy. But he thought at the time that if everything was so easy, people wouldn't need God's guidance.

They reached the glade where the monastery was located. As he walked through the clearing, Philip saw Brother John wave vigorously at them from the sheepfold. His name is Eightpence Yoni, and he's a bit of a goof. Philip wondered what he had to be excited about. With Yoni was a man in a priest's robe. He looked familiar, and Philip hurried over.

The priest was a short, sturdy man, about twenty-five years of age, with short black hair, and bright blue eyes that blinked sensitively. Philip looked at him as if he were looking in a mirror. He was amazed to realize that the priest was his brother Francis.

Francis is also holding a newborn baby.

Philip didn't know which one shocked him more: Francis, or the baby. The monks all gathered around. Francis stood up and handed the child to Yoni, at which point Philip hugged him. "What are you doing here?" Philip said happily, "How did you hold a baby?" ”

(End of chapter)