In classical feudal times, if tens of thousands of powerful terrorists emerged throughout the land, the dynasty was not far from its demise.
Therefore, the simplest method of killing is unacceptable. Using it would be like stirring up a hornet's nest.
“Although the Buddhist sect has great power, what they can truly offer are these tens of thousands of monk soldiers, plus hundreds, or even thousands, of innate masters. If they unite, they are indeed very powerful. As long as we find a way to divide them, the rest will be much easier to deal with,” Lin Yang said with a smile.
The simplest way is to train a group of experts to kill all the abbots and their successors in the temples. Then, recruit one group to attack another, and in just over ten years, the Buddhist influence can be reduced to more than half.
This method can be described as simple, direct, and to the point!
If the imperial court is willing, isn't it a simple matter to find a way to get rid of some abbots and the already designated successors?
The temple can be preserved as long as one abbot dies. The imperial court's efforts to suppress Buddhism are so weak. The monks should be happy!
Then, all that was needed was to dispatch a few hundred Confucian officials to do all day long, doing nothing but keeping a close watch on the temples one-on-one, sowing discord and division. The same tactics used in the imperial court were applied to the temples.
It's easy to sow discord among fellow disciples, to cause conflicts among elders, and to reignite the sword-qi rivalry among the various temples. For martial artists and officials to play mind games and scheme against each other is just asking for trouble.
However, this is on the premise that Zhang Lu has already unified the country. Otherwise, the monks will rebel.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Yang smiled and said, "I must say, the reputation of Buddhism is quite well managed these days. At least, it is very good in the eyes of the gentry. In particular, Cihang Jingzhai, under the banner of choosing an emperor on behalf of Heaven, has greatly misled some people."
"So, in my opinion, the first step is to destroy the reputation of Cihang Jingzhai. Or at least, to make the feudal lords lose interest in them. Once the feudal lords lose interest in Buddhism and stop supporting it, the rest will be much easier," Lin Yang said excitedly.
Just now, Lin Yang had a sudden inspiration and a brilliant idea came to him. If it came to fruition, Cihang Jingzhai would truly be doomed!
If all the feudal lords in the land were to launch a collective campaign to persecute Buddhism, what could the Buddhist community do? It's estimated that at that point, besides slowly waiting to die, they would have no choice but to resort to desperate measures and seek refuge with the barbarians. But wouldn't that be even better? In an instant, their reputation built up over hundreds of years would be completely ruined.
"Oh, does Feipeng have a solution?" Zhang Lu asked curiously.
"Master, in your opinion, why does Cihang Jingzhai have such a great influence now?" Lin Yang asked in return.
"Hmm, is it because of tens of thousands of monk soldiers? No, at least not entirely. It's because they're choosing an emperor on behalf of Heaven, but that's not entirely true either. It's because of the various masters of Buddhism, but that's still somewhat one-sided. Hmm, it's because they hope to gain the support of Buddhism in order to seize the world." After thinking for a moment, Zhang Lu said.
Hearing this, Lin Yang smiled. Then, he continued, "So, where does Cihang Jingzhai's immense prestige come from?"
"It's because they successfully elected an emperor, namely Emperor Wen of Sui! So, with this successful experience, more people in the world believed in them," Zhang Lu continued.
"What if we also choose an emperor on behalf of Heaven?"
"But the feudal lords don't believe us?"
"They will believe it, they will believe it very soon."
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Chapter 79: Cihang Jingzhai, the job-stealer has arrived!
In a tavern, a storyteller suddenly appeared. And just by looking at his clothes, one could tell that he came from the Shilong Taoist Temple! Looking at the guests in the tavern, he finally began his storytelling.
"It is said that there is a group of people who live in blessed lands and grotto-heavens, cultivating immortality and attaining eternal life!"
"They can fly and teleport, they can rejuvenate, and even the food they eat is different from ours. They consume spirit rice and spirit dew; they are free from illness and disaster, they..."
"Shh, who are they? Could they be the legendary immortals?" one diner asked directly.
"That's right, young man, you're right. They are the legendary immortals!" the storyteller said with a smile.
Everyone knows how powerful immortals are, but how does one become an immortal? How does one transform from a mortal into an immortal?
Then, before the diners could speak, the storyteller continued.
"Friends here today are all martial arts practitioners. Many of you with family traditions in martial arts should have heard of the phrase 'Breaking Through the Void'! This 'Breaking Through the Void' is actually a method for martial artists to achieve immortality. Once you successfully reach this state, the gates to immortality will open, and you can ascend to heaven in broad daylight!"
(Ordinary martial artists wouldn't normally know these things. However, after receiving much knowledge left behind by the Chosen Ones, these things have spread accordingly.)
"Broken through the void? Really?" a diner asked curiously.
"Of course it's true! Let me tell you, my sister's friend's brother-in-law... said..." A diner nearby slowly introduced the story amidst the admiring expressions of the crowd.
Soon, the once quiet restaurant was filled with noise, and even the guests in the private rooms upstairs began to listen intently. Seeing this, the storyteller nodded in satisfaction.
"That's right, this is indeed a path to immortality. But breaking through the void is extremely difficult; only the most outstanding individuals, those with great opportunities, great fortune, and great perseverance can achieve it!"
"Throughout history, there has only been one Sword Saint, Yan Fei! Moreover, even he only managed to break through the void and depart after he had discerned the secrets contained within the Three Jade Pendants of Heaven and Earth."
"As for Master Sun En of the Celestial Masters Sect back then, how powerful he was, but in the end, didn't he also fail? In other words, there isn't a single person who can break through the void solely through their own abilities!" the storyteller sighed.
(Ordinary people don't know about things like Yang Shen and Yin Shen. To them, Sun En's physical destruction means certain death and failure.)
Upon hearing this, the diners below also sighed. Indeed, how difficult is the path to shattering the void and becoming an immortal through martial arts! Only Yan Fei was so lucky that he obtained a treasure left behind by an immortal and was able to ascend to heaven.
However, at the same time, the storyteller's actions also attracted the attention of some guests upstairs. For example, in one of the private rooms at that moment.
"Wuji, go and see what's going on down there. Why is it suddenly making such a commotion?"
The speaker was a young man. He looked very dashing; there's a saying that describes him as having the qualities of a dragon and phoenix, and the appearance of the sun and the moon.
Just sitting there, he exudes the majesty of a sovereign, a natural-born leader who commands all beings! The same words, spoken by him, carry even greater persuasive power.
This man was Li Shimin. At this time, he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Qin, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would become the future Emperor Taizong of Tang. However, this time, there was clearly an unexpected turn of events.
Furthermore, he was also the chosen Son of Heaven of this world. Beside him were numerous generals from the Heavenly Strategy Bureau.
Upon hearing this, another young man sitting nearby immediately left. This man was none other than the renowned Changsun Wuji. Unfortunately, in the world of the Tang Dynasty, his importance paled in comparison to that of his historical counterpart.
Sitting in front was a middle-aged man. He looked very dignified, with a beard, and quite mature. He was holding hands with a woman without any attempt to hide it, which seemed rather unconventional. The woman, on the other hand, was holding a red whisk.
This characteristic is already quite obvious: an older man and a younger woman, plus the red whisk, one can easily guess their identities with a little thought—the military genius Li Jing and the Red-Haired Woman.