Just after the New Year's Festival, the dripping winter rain pushed the coldness of this solar term to another climax. Diaphragm

On the wide official road that had just been leveled a few years ago, a team slowly moved forward.

Hui An lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out with his eyes peaceful, but there was some worry in his eyes.

As far as the eye can see, the freshly harvested fields are covered with a thin layer of frost, leaving behind a little withered and tired of the rice stubble, as lifeless as this winter.

However, looking at this scene, Hui'an had another experience.

"Although this Qianzhong County has been peaceful at the beginning, along the road, all the prefectures and counties have resumed production. The people cultivated in an orderly manner, and the merchants traveled and traded, but there were not many traces of war. ”

Retracting his head from the outside, feeling the peaceful atmosphere, Hui An showed a slight smile on his face, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

But then he remembered something, and the smile quickly faded, revealing a hint of complexity. Diaphragm

"Senior brother, doesn't this mean that it is a wise choice for me to wait here?"

On Hui'an's side, there was still a person sitting in the carriage, and Hui'an's general appearance was solemn with a yellow monk's robe and a robe.

The golden sunlight shone in from the outside, falling on the white bald heads of the two of them, and there was a sense of sacredness at this time.

But no matter how sacred the appearance is, at this time in the hearts of the two, there is not a little joy, more of an uncertainty and sorrow for the future.

"The ...... of the smart choice"

Hui An chewed on this sentence, the expression on his face kept changing, all kinds of emotions were surging, but in the end, he showed a little relief, and said with a wry smile: "Yes, Hui Ming, you are right, a wise choice." Maybe the past is a big dream.

We and other outsiders, vainly using the idea of power, rashly intervened in the world from outside the world, got involved in the dynastic disputes in this world, and tried in vain to establish the holy land of Buddhism, and finally ended up today. Diaphragm

Not only were the sects separated, but the same sects were killed and wounded.

Even more so, the hundreds of thousands of people in Xichuan County also suffered with us and suffered from the disaster of the soldiers.

These many sins and sufferings all started from my Baifeng Temple.

Perhaps when we supported the Holy King to move from Linhai County to this western land, and since the founding of the country, we have already doomed today's difficulties.

Everything was planted from then on, and it eventually came to fruition. ”

While speaking, Hui'an remembered the peaceful days when everyone was in the temple together in Baifeng Temple in Linhai County in the past.

At that time, although there was only one mountain temple in Baifeng Temple, there were only thousands of people in the temple. Diaphragm

But everyone is self-reliant, at the foot of the mountain, opened up 10,000 acres of fertile land, planted many fruits and vegetables, and lived their lives leisurely.

Although it is a little jealous of the Yue court, there are still many devout believers in Linhai County, and the incense is still prosperous in the Buddhist lineage, and there is no danger of inheritance.

However, in the end, because the people in the temple were so moved that they did not want to endure the constraints of the imperial court and wanted to further promote Buddhism, they finally made the decision to move to the west.

After arriving in this Xichuan County, although this place was poisoned by the war, most of the people were killed and injured, and the rest were also poor.

But everyone in the Baifeng lineage is not afraid of difficulties, and begins to build this ideal Buddhist paradise with confidence.

The beginning was indeed good.

After several years of governance, the Xichuan Kingdom gradually recovered from the wounds of war, and the local people were grateful for their kindness and began to convert to Buddhism. Diaphragm

As a result, the Xichuan Kingdom gradually became known as the Buddha Kingdom, and their leader, the holy monk Jihui, was also a secular prince and was honored as the Holy King.

But it was like a twist of fate.

It seems to be to punish them for their desire for power.

When the name of the Holy King appeared, Bing Ge also descended on this paradise of Buddhism.

The Holy King accepted the invitation of the state of Chu and began to conquer the southwest, intending to preach Buddhism here and convert those fierce and bloodthirsty Yi people to Buddhism.

In the early stage, the Holy King's actions were indeed smooth, and he soon conquered a small Yi country.

And they, the monks of the temple, also followed. Diaphragm

He established temples and monks in the conquered lands, intending to establish a Buddhist order just like the Nishikawa Kingdom.

Everything seemed to be moving towards their ideal world.

But in the end, a thousand-mile raid by Nanzhao completely shattered the dreams of the monks of Baifeng Temple.

The Buddha was destroyed, and the thousands of monks who stayed in the city, despite their hard work, were still unable to defeat the Yiren Grandmaster in the end, and were slaughtered by the army of the Yiren.

In the end, only hundreds of fellow disciples who saw the opportunity quickly escaped from the city and escaped this catastrophe.

Blood, fire, wailing, death, anger, fear......

Hui An thought back to the scene when he escaped from Jinguan City, his body couldn't help but tremble slightly, and his self-cultivation in the past decades completely turned into smoke on that desperate day. Diaphragm

And after that day of despair, it wasn't the end.

Because those ferocious and powerful enemies of the Buddha did not stop their footsteps after breaking through the Buddha Capital.

Instead, they went around raiding and slaughtering everything in the Promised Land.

The monks were killed, the temple was burned, the devout believers were enslaved, and their years of hard work and thousands of years of accumulation in the Baifeng Temple were also destroyed in this catastrophe.

Up to now, the original prosperity and the number of people in the same family are now only three or four hundred. At this time, there were only a few counties left in Nanchong Prefecture, and they could only rely on the help of Han China.

A dream in the past has turned into a bloody reality at this time, revealing the most cruel scene in the world.

Whenever I think about this, I feel a lot of pain. Diaphragm

I have regretted countless times that I was high-spirited, excited, and supported the Holy King to move westward and come to this western land to establish the Buddha country.

Now the catastrophe of Baifeng Temple and the catastrophe of Xichuan Country are all his sins.

Hui An couldn't help but shed tears.

Seeing this, Hui Ming, the junior brother next to him, who had the same experience, how could he not know what his senior brother was thinking, and hurriedly said with relief: "Senior brother, moving to Xichuan in the past was a unanimous decision in my temple, and it was not the fault of the senior brother alone.

And now the same door in the temple has also paid for the past and paid their lives to go to the catastrophe.

Now that we are lucky not to die in the catastrophe, what we think, but how to redeem this catastrophe, help the remaining people survive, and continue the inheritance of Baifeng Temple.

Moreover, there are still 50,000 or 60,000 remaining believers in the Buddha country, and they trust us and others and are firm in the Dharma, and we must also find a way out for them. Diaphragm

Now the Buddha kingdom can no longer shelter them, so they have to find someone stronger who can also shelter them.

Isn't this exactly what we are doing from Qianzhong County in Chu State? ”

Hui Ming said, and couldn't help but look out of the car.

By this time, the convoy had already walked through the countryside and entered a small town on the official road.

It's not a big town, and it looks like it's a few hundred households. But the only street in town, with a dozen or so shops scattered around, has reopened.

There are people walking on the streets, dressed in the familiar Dayue clothes, no, they should be called Chu people's clothes.

Since the establishment of the Xichuan Kingdom, the people have imitated Buddhism, and both men and women have changed to wear monk's clothes, and this kind of clothing is rarely seen in Xichuan country. Diaphragm

At this time, after a few years, it is even more emotional to see the familiar scene again.

There are some children running and frolicking in the rain on the road, looking at their faces and skin colors, they are slightly different from the Chu people, and they can be recognized that they should be of Yi blood.

However, these Yiren children, who are now wearing clothes, have changed to Chu clothes. On his head, he also learned from the children of the Chu people, and tied his hair in braids.

At this time, in Hui Ming's eyes, except for the words spoken by these Yiren children, which are different from the official words passed down from Jinling by the Chu people, everything else is no different from the Chu people.

The remaining differences, as time passes, will gradually assimilate.

At that time, there will be no more Yi people here, and the rest will be Chu people.

Seeing this scene, Hui Ming's eyes were a little dazed. Diaphragm

How long has the state of Chu ruled here?

Even if it is counted from the time God sent troops in July of the fifth and fourth years, it has only been less than a year and a half.

In less than a year and a half, this barbarian land, which is completely unfamiliar and very different from the culture of the Chu State, has been built into what it is today?

It not only healed the wounds of the war that lasted for several years, but also restored local production and construction, so that the people could cultivate with peace of mind and travel and trade.

Even for the assimilation of the Yi people, it is done so cleanly and thoroughly, leaving no chance at all.

In contrast, think about them?

Perhaps on that day, we really shouldn't have agreed with the westward relocation of the temple and interfered with the world. 'Ahh

Shaking his head, Hui Ming's face also showed a bitter smile like that of his senior brother Hui An.

The convoy continued to move forward, the wagon crushing against the dirt.

But the two people in the carriage were speechless, closed their eyes to each other and meditated, not knowing what they were thinking.

……

Stone City, Imperial Palace.

After Lu Yuan reviewed the batch of notes accumulated in the past few days, and after dealing with the government affairs, he put down the pen in his hand, and let the side take it to the front court, so that they could send it to the various departments quickly, and after reviewing and executing, he got up and stretched.

Although he had only dealt with government affairs for two hours, for him, a master and monk, he sat in front of the book for two hours. There won't be much physical exhaustion. Diaphragm

But there is no physical exhaustion, but there is a lot of mental exhaustion.

Dealing with government affairs is quite exhausting, and it is necessary to consider all aspects, study the interests of all parties, and then take the lead in your own interests and make all kinds of balanced compromises.

As the monarch of the Chu State, Lu Yuan knew that every thought he had and every decree he signed would affect the interests and fate of tens of millions of people after it was sent to the court.

Therefore, every time he handles government affairs, he is cautious and does not dare to be negligent.

"So sometimes I really envy those faint kings, who don't care about anything, don't do anything, just care about pleasure. Even if millions of people die below, they don't care.

But although those days were good, I, a soul from another world, could never be so ruthless.

In this world, since the people of the world have provided me with luck and tax revenues for me, then as a monarch, I naturally have to provide them with shelter. Diaphragm

Maybe this is my last bit of persistence in this troubled world. ”

Lu Yuan walked out of the main hall and came to the outer eaves corridor. At this time, the winter rain is cold, and the fine raindrops hit the eaves overhead, making a crisp sound.

Listening to this natural voice, the depression accumulated when dealing with government affairs could not help but be swept away.

The monk understands the heart of heaven and obeys nature. Even if you are a martial artist, you need to understand the world and cultivate your self-cultivation.

As Lu Yuan, who had achieved a little in both the Immortal and Martial Paths, standing here at this time, his body and mind had already merged with the surrounding nature and become one.

It was as if he had become this rain, constantly knocking on the earth with the change of the wind, bringing revival to all things.

After squinting at the rain scene for a long time, feeling that his body and mind were emptied, Lu Yuan breathed a long sigh of relief. Diaphragm

Then with a smile on his face, he turned around and walked towards another palace.

Today's political affairs have been dealt with, according to the time plan he set, after lunch, he will start practicing in the afternoon, and continue to comprehend the magic runes of the Yellow Turban Force.

Since the beginning of December last year, Lu Yuan has been contemplating the magic power of the Yellow Turban Force, and now that a month has passed, he has already learned a little.

Although it is still not enough to refine the Yellow Turban Lux from this, it is a big step away from that goal.

I think that in two months, after 100 days of enlightenment, I can try to refine the Yellow Turban Lux.

And at that time, Da Chu will also add another innate statue, and the defense gap of Xichuan County among the four counties will also be completely filled.

Everything is changing for the better, and everything is progressing smoothly, which naturally makes Lu Yuan feel happy. Diaphragm

These days, I have a smile on my face all the time, and even the atmosphere in the palace is much more relaxed.

After finishing lunch in a happy mood, Lu Yuan prepared to take a short breath before starting to practice.

But at this moment, the chamberlain hurriedly came to report.

"The envoy of the Xichuan Kingdom has arrived, and he wants to see me?"

Lu Yuan looked at the attendant who came to spread the news, and couldn't help but be slightly surprised.

He had known about the news that the envoy had been sent by the Xichuan Kingdom for a long time.

Those envoys were able to pass smoothly all the way through Qianzhong County, without the slightest obstruction, and they were not limited to Lu Yuan's orders. Diaphragm

"Back to the king, according to the official who came to Honglu Temple to spread the news, the two chief and deputy envoys of Xichuan Kingdom immediately asked for a meeting after arriving at the hotel arranged by Honglu Temple.

Honglu Temple has already carried out persuasion, but the other party still insists on doing so, only saying that there is an important event, and the king must be faced in person, and there can be no delay.

Therefore, Honglu Temple had no choice but to send someone to the palace to spread the news and ask the king to make a judgment on this. ”

The chamberlain said so.

Since Lu Yuan returned to Stone City from the front line and handled government affairs in the palace here.

In the rear, on the side of the capital of Baling Kingdom, various ministries and offices in the DPRK and China gradually transferred a group of people to Shicheng to form a temporary court to assist him in handling government affairs sent from all over the country.

Therefore, although this is only a temporary palace, the rules and regulations are no different from those in Baling City, at most because of the lack of manpower, it is a little simpler. Diaphragm

But now, after the arrival of these envoys, they did not follow the rules first, and slowly waited for the meeting under the arrangement of the officials of the accompanying Honglu Temple.

On the contrary, as soon as he arrived in Stone City, he immediately asked for a face-to-face meeting, which was really unexpected.

This is really embarrassing for the people of Honglu Temple.

"Something important?"

When Lu Yuan heard this, his brows furrowed slightly, and he thought about it carefully: "Since they want to see me so much, let's see me." Go to the Tongchuan Honglu Temple, and let them bring the envoy of the Xichuan Kingdom over. Lone is here to see them. ”

"Yes."

The chamberlain answered, and then went down to give the order. Diaphragm

After Lu Yuan left, he continued to sit at the head of the hall, frowning and pondering, thinking about the intentions of these envoys from Xichuan Kingdom.

……

The wait wasn't too long.

After sending someone to pass the message, the two monks Hui'an and Huiming, who had been waiting to be received, soon entered the hall under the leadership of the chamberlain.

"The minister has seen the king."

When they arrived in the hall, Hui An and Hui Ming, who had already set foot in the red dust of the world and could not be regarded as monks, saluted Lu Yuan according to the etiquette of foreign envoys.

"No courtesy." Diaphragm

Lu Yuan bowed slightly, then glanced at the two envoys below who were still dressed as monks, and secretly sighed that the Xichuan Buddha Kingdom really deserved its reputation, and then asked: "The envoy came from thousands of miles away, and after arriving in Shicheng, he was in a hurry to meet Yu Gu, I don't know what happened?" ”

The two monks below Hui'an and Huiming, since entering the main hall, carefully observed Lu Yuan.

Looking at each other, the two of them only looked at heaven and earth, as if there was no such person in the hall, only nature.

Just this first meeting, the hearts of the two of them were in a pang.

Born in the holy land of Buddhism, their vision is naturally much higher than those mediocre people.

Knowing the temperament state of the King of Chu in front of him, it is clear that he has cultivated to an extremely high depth, and as the legend says, he has begun to return to the basics and blend into nature.

This is a realm that even their Holy King has not reached. Diaphragm

'I heard that the king of Chu is heroic and wise, and he has received the relics of the immortals, and in just over ten years, he has achieved innate and reached the realm of the holy king, and he is a real genius.

Now that a few years have passed, looking at the cultivation of the King of Chu, he has surpassed the Saint King, has he not reached the cultivation of the second innate realm? ’

Hui An's conjecture was shocked, but at the same time, he was a little happy.

The King of Chu is stronger, and for the purpose of their trip, it is a good thing that is harmless, so they are naturally happy about it.

Therefore, with such thoughts, he couldn't help but respectfully replied: "Back to the king, the foreign ministers came this time to ask for membership from the state of Chu on the order of the Holy King, and came to join him. ”

When these words fell, Lu Yuan's breathing suddenly stagnated.

What's the situation? Diaphragm

Affiliation, for the sake of attached?

Nishikawa wants to surrender to himself and then annex the whole country?

After sorting out the meaning of the other party's words, Lu Yuan's stagnant breathing finally recovered, and then he took a deep breath and asked seriously: "The envoy is not joking, did the king of Xichuan really let you come to Natu to surrender?" ”

While speaking, he stared at Hui An tightly, trying to see the clues from the other party's expression.

However, in the face of Lu Yuan's scrutiny, Hui An looked calm and calmly replied: "Your lord, there is no need for the foreign minister to say this. But the holy king has the intention of sacrificing the land and surrendering. This is the household registration atlas of Xichuan Kingdom, and the foreign ministers have also brought it, and the king can review it. ”

After the words fell, Hui An lowered his head, took out an atlas from his arms, and raised his hands high above his head, with an extremely humble posture.