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Nepal, nestled at the foot of the southern foothills of the Himalayan peaks, is a small religious kingdom full of legends and charms...... In this country at the foot of the Himalayas, shuttling through the temples where Hinduism and Buddhism merge, there are people who smile and say aa to you every day. Whether you're hiking or looking at it, Nepal has everything you would expect from a snow-capped mountain.

Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, is located between India and Tibet, at an altitude of 1,370 meters above sea level, and is the heart of Nepal. The Bagmati River and its tributaries run through the valley. Due to the mountainous terrain and complex terrain in Nepal, Cai Yi's army of 30,000 found two Chinese living in Nepal, Ye Mengxin and Ye Mengsheng, and the two brothers acted as translators and guides for the squadron. Their ancestral home is Meixian County, Guangdong, and their grandfather came to Nepal during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. On the shoulders of his younger brother Ye Mengsheng, riding a cute little monkey, vigilantly looking at the strangers around him. His elder brother Ye Mengxin brought Cai Ye a history book for Nepal University, and Cai Ye was like a treasure to understand the history of Nepal.

Nepal was still in the feudal dynasty of the Shah in 1908. Nepal is a mountainous country with a rectangular border, 850 kilometers wide from east to west and about 200 kilometers wide from north to south. The Himalayas have become a natural border between Nepal and China, and eight of the world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest, are in Nepal, with many high mountains, which is the reason why it has not been completely unified for a long time in its history.

By the 18th century, the subcontinent was gradually being eroded by the British East India Company. In order not to repeat the mistakes of India, the Gurkha king Prithvi, who had strategic vision and outstanding military talents. Narayan. The Shah launched a war to unify Nepal in 1742. After more than 20 years of hard fighting, Prithvi finally conquered a series of princely states under the Himalayas and besieged Kathmandu in 1766. September 1768. Prithvi took advantage of the Mara Dynasty's Indra festival celebrations to launch a surprise attack on Kathmandu and captured Katu without bloodshed. In the same year, Prithvi moved its capital to Kathmandu, the Gurkha Kingdom became the Kingdom of Nepal, and the Shah dynasty unified Nepal.

In order to consolidate his rule, Prithvi gradually established a centralized state apparatus and launched a westward expedition in 1771. But at the end of the year it was defeated under the siege of the coalition forces of the western princes. In 1772, Prithvi turned to the east and won a complete victory. The Nepalese border extends to the Mechi River, which borders Sikkim. After the death of Prithvi, his son Pratap. Sinha continued the cause of unification. However, he died young, and his 2-year-old son, Lana. Bahadur. Shah succeeded to the throne. by Wang Shu Bahadur. Shah Regency. Bahadur during his 18 years in power. He conquered all the princely states in the west, invaded India in the west, reached Kashmir in the front, invaded large areas of Sikkim in the east, and once invaded Tibet, China, so that Nepal's territory reached its peak. After a failed invasion of Tibet, Nepal made an alliance with China and declared itself a vassal to the Qing Dynasty. It is a vassal state of China.

In 1795, Lana. Bahadur. The Shah is pro-government. The first thing he did was to bring his uncle Bahadur, who had made great achievements in battle. Shah was imprisoned and executed. Nepal is mired in civil strife. In 1805, Rana was killed by his brother, and his 8-year-old son, Gilban. Yoda succeeded to the throne by Bhim. Forest. Prime Minister Thapa is in power. The civil strife in Nepal provided an opportunity for the British to intervene. In 1814, the Anglo-Indian governor Hastings launched the Gurkha War to seize the plains of Nepal. The British army concentrated 24,000 troops, equipped with modern guns, and invaded Nepal in five ways. Nepal turned to China for help, and on the other hand, it gathered an army of 12,000 troops to fight. The war was raging, with both sides suffering heavy losses, and in the end Nepal was defeated by being outnumbered and Chinese reinforcements did not arrive. Nepal was forced to sign the unequal Treaty of Sagoli, ceding large swathes of territory to India. But the brutality of the war also shook Britain, and it gave up its intention to continue the conquest.

After the war, Nepal was plagued. In 1816, King Gilda died of smallpox and was succeeded by 2-year-old Eugendra. Forest. Thapa is in power. In order to regain lost territory, abolish unequal treaties. Beamm began Nepal's first modernization reform. In order to deal with the British, Bhim contacted France, the sworn enemy of the British, which at this time coincided with the time of Napoleon I. With the help of the French, Nepal built a modern military factory, reformed the military system, and vigorously developed trade and established industry. However, all this was naturally hated by the British, who, at the instigation of the British, were arrested by their political rivals, the Pander family of Lana. Zhongge killed by tricks. After Bhim's death, Nepal was plunged into civil strife. The British had been keeping an eye on the chaos in Nepal and they finally chose the Gurkha soldiers. Bahadur. Rana acts as its agent.

In 1846, Zhongge. Bahadur. Rana staged a coup d'état, killed more than 400 prime ministers, generals, and ministers, seized real military and political power, proclaimed himself prime minister, abolished King Eugendra, and appointed King Surendra as a puppet. Since then, the Rana family has been the hereditary prime minister and has begun to implement a military dictatorship in Nepal. During this period, the Rana family pursued a policy of ignorance at home and loyal to the British Empire externally, and Nepal gradually became a British protectorate.

The powerful Zhongge. Bahadur. Rana has carried out a number of reforms that have given Nepal a step towards modernization. Out of curiosity, he visited Europe. He was the first Hindu prince to break religious taboos and venture to visit the country of cattle eaters. In 1857, he provided decisive military assistance to the British in the Great Revolt of the Indian People. As a result, Nepal was able to reclaim the Terai Plains. In order to avoid the colonization of Nepal and in exchange for the long-term support of the British, the Rana family allowed the British to recruit Gurkha mercenaries in Nepal, which later became the most elite unit of the Anglo-Indian army, and contributed to the British Empire in all major wars.

Zhongge. Bahadur. After Rana's death, there was infighting within the Rana family over the post of prime minister. Because the Rana family has a fatal problem, that is, in order to prevent the younger son from succeeding to the throne and allowing the king to take advantage of the opportunity, the Rana family adopts the inheritance of brothers. In this way, it is inevitable that there will be fights. So. Every prime minister of Rana has an unstable position and does not trust his own family. The only thing they did during their tenure was to loot as much money as they could. Despite this, they almost all died unnaturally. Until 1901 succeeded to the throne Chandra. Shamshell. Lana.

Chandra surveyed the successors. It was divided into four gears, and the order of succession was determined, so that there were many fewer disputes within the family. He received a higher education and was the first Prime Minister of Rana to receive a degree. So he implemented some relatively enlightened policies internally, such as abolishing slavery, building Nepal's first university, sending the first students to Japan, starting the work of unifying Nepal's Chinese language, and having a power station built to illuminate the royal palace. Because of his loyalty to the British. Strong support from the UK.

Cai asked Ye Mengxin, so to speak, "Nepal is still Prime Minister Chandra. Shamshell. Rana is in power. Closer to the British? And the king's power is on the side? ”

Ye Mengxin nodded and replied, "Yes, General, King Barrisway, who is now Chinese New Year's Eve three years old. Bill. Bikram. The Shah is a puppet king. Generally, there are only major sacrificial events. He just showed up. Chandra was largely obedient to the British. ”

Cai pondered that Nepal has now undergone some modern reforms. There are too many lofty mountains and mountains to attack by force, so he asked: "What is the attitude of the king of Nepal towards China?" ”

Ye Mengxin said: "The king of Nepal is close to China. There is also one of the most widespread legends in Kathmandu, saying that in ancient times, the Kathmandu River Valley was a huge Longtan Lake, and people had to inhabit the high mountains on both sides of the river valley in order to survive, and it was very inconvenient to walk. Someday. Manjushri of Mount Wutai in China passed through here and learned that the people were suffering. So he was full of kindness, and he swung his sword and opened a great mountain, forming a huge gorge, and the lake poured out along the canyon, forming a rich valley. So the people rejoiced, came to the valley, built houses, settled down, and formed a city, which was Kathmandu. In order to be grateful for the kindness of Manjushri Bodhisattva, people built a Manjushri temple on Swayambu Mountain, until now every year in February on the Spring King Festival, many local people come to Manjushri Temple with a pious mood, offer incense, bow and worship. During this festival, the king also worships Manjushri. ”

When Cai Ye heard this legend for the first time, he smiled and said, "I have only heard that there are many temples in the city of Kathmandu before. I didn't expect that there was also a temple of Manjushri. ”

"The city of Kathmandu is a major transportation artery between China and India. Therefore, the three religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Lamaism converge here, and a large number of temples and stupas have been built in the city. There are more than 2,700 temples in the ancient Heshwari Temple, Jagannath Temple, Queen Mother Temple, Shiva Temple, Talezhu Goddess Temple, Three Realms Magic Temple, Shiva Parvati Temple, Goddess of Literature and Art Temple, Black Sky Temple, Swayambu Stupa, etc., forming a unique landscape of temples more than residences and Buddha statues more than residents, and has the title of 'City of Temples'. ”

"What's the climate like in Kathmandu?" ”

Ye Mengsheng replied: "The Buddha cares, the sun is shining all year round, the trees are lush, and the flowers are in full bloom!" ”

Cai asked, "Is there anything special about the local area?" ”

Ye Mengsheng said: "One of the major features here is that there are monkeys living in ancient temples, and there are hundreds of them. Monkeys of all sizes spend their days frolicking, basking in the sun or playing around the temple's exquisite stone carvings, minarets, and Buddha statues. Numerous temples are interspersed among the humble slums. So the locals say that this is a religious shrine full of red-walled temples, and the other is a chaotic city full of monkeys and beggars. ”

Cai Yi laughed and said, "Monkey, this is interesting. We might be able to use monkeys to help us achieve our military goals. ”

Ye Mengsheng nodded and said, "Nepalese people are not wary of monkeys. Just as Indians respect cows, respect monkeys. ”

Just as Cai's army was approaching Kathmandu, at the Narayanhiti Palace in Nepal, Prime Minister Chandra. Shamshell. Lana was on the edge of his seat.

Located in the heart of Kathmandu, Narayanhiti Palace is a unique palace with pale yellow and dark red tones. It is walled with a silver galvanized iron fence that is several feet high. The roof of the palace is a double-eaves tower type gilded treasure roof, which has the characteristics of Nepalese architecture. On both sides of the steps of the main entrance of the building, there are symmetrical giant lions, giant elephants, horses, peacocks, fish and stone carvings. In the center of each of the four palace doors is a pair of ivory eyes, which symbolize the all-powerful discerning eyes of God. The door is carved with images of the moon god riding a deer and the sun god riding a horse. Four large log pillars outside Xiamen support the eaves of copper plate tiles, under the columns are placed a large water urn of sterling silver, carved beams and painted buildings, all over the conch, flags, lotus, water urns, dust, umbrellas and other ornaments that symbolize auspiciousness, the colors are gorgeous, the shape is vivid.

The main halls of the palace are the Audience Hall, the Imperial Throne Hall, and the Banquet Hall. Prime Minister Chandra of Nepal. Shamshell. Rana was in the throne room on the second floor to discuss countermeasures with his courtiers.

In the throne room, two rows of octagonal palace lamps with copper chains are hung on the ceiling, huge portraits of the Shah's monarchs are hung on the wall, the roof of the hall is in a circular radial shape, and the crystal glass chandelier is hung high in the center. On the king's golden throne on the platform in the hall, the thirty-three-year-old King Barrisway. Bill. Bikram. Shah closed his eyes and said nothing.

The base of the king's throne pillar is composed of overlapping lion and elephant carvings, and is covered with a golden canopy, which is very majestic. The throne is usually flanked by a smaller throne for the crown prince and the crown prince's heir, Chandra. Shamshell. Rana sat on the smaller throne.

Chandra. Shamshell. Lana stood up from the small throne, clenched his fists, and said: "Now, the army of the Chinese Empire is approaching the capital, and for the sake of the country, we must fight side by side with the British!" ”

The courtiers below whispered, all looking at King Barrisway. Bill. Bikram. Shah, the king leaned back in his chair and pretended to be asleep. (To be continued......)