Chapter Seventeen: Jinshan Temple, a haven of filth and corruption, and the public-spirited Minister Xu.
With a thunderous roar, amidst the resentment of the entire city's inhabitants, or rather, amidst their anticipation, Xu Xian, along with his brother-in-law, County Magistrate Li Gongfu, eight hundred county soldiers, and one hundred household servants, all set out!
The footsteps were not very synchronized, but a large-scale operation involving more than nine hundred people would have been quite a spectacle in ancient times.
These eight hundred soldiers from the county were all dressed in armor, though not iron armor, just leather armor. Even so, they were still a formidable elite force.
The broadswords they were holding were new ones that had only been replaced in the last few days; if you smelled them closely, you could even detect the aroma of oil on them.
In addition, there were at least two hundred archers. Although these archers were not perfect marksmen, and their bows were not particularly powerful—merely low-strength bows—their deterrent effect was still greatly enhanced!
With a whoosh, a group of nearly a thousand people headed straight for Jinshan Temple outside the city! Even from a distance, one could feel the heavy, menacing aura emanating from them!
This time, Jinshan Temple was finally free of worshippers. After all, the imperial army had arrived; how many people would be so foolish as to stay in the temple to offer incense? How strong must their hearts be!
Wow, Jinshan Temple wasn't completely unprepared. However, they never expected Xu Xian's actions to be so swift and decisive!
Well, it's like the Chu-Han Contention. Everyone involved was a nobleman, and everyone cared about their reputation. Generally speaking, if you lost, you lost.
But who could have imagined that a guy named Liu Bang would be so shameless? Everyone has a sense of shame, so when someone suddenly appears who is shameless, it naturally catches everyone off guard. Therefore, Liu Bang won.
Similarly, before the Xuanwu Gate Incident, it was relatively rare for the emperor's sons to betray each other. As a result, Li Shimin caught Li Jiancheng off guard, and thus Li Shimin won!
At this moment, Xu Xian caught Jinshan Temple completely off guard! They never expected that the imperial army would be mobilized to do this!
This has never happened before! How can anyone guard against it? As a result, the abbot accidentally made a foolish move!
He directly mobilized all the monks with sticks within the temple! With a whoosh, more than two hundred monks with sticks appeared in Jinshan Temple.
These monks, each with a strong, muscular physique, were clearly robust men. Wielding thick wooden clubs, as thick as their forearms, they swung them, creating gusts of wind as they did so—a truly awe-inspiring sight!
However, at this moment, instead of having a deterrent effect, it only made Xu Xian smile smugly. These monks alone confirmed many rumors! It just goes to show that, no matter what, having a terrible teammate on the other side is always crucial!
"Amitabha Buddha, why do you surround this temple, benefactor?"
"Hmph, I have received a complaint from a victim that Jinshan Temple is a den of iniquity, imprisoning women, and committing heinous crimes. Do you have anything to say?" Li Gongfu rode his tall horse to the front and shouted loudly.
Upon hearing this, many onlookers believed it. After all, they were government officials; their words and actions naturally carried authority!
"This is utter nonsense; it's pure slander!"
"So, would you dare let us investigate?"
Upon hearing this, Monk Kongyu fell silent. This matter wasn't his concern! If his master, Fahai, didn't allow it, his opinion wouldn't matter!
But why is it that even now, the once all-powerful grandmaster still hasn't reacted at all?
Master, if you don't show up soon, I'll have no choice but to let them search the place. Otherwise, the entire temple, hundreds of people, will perish here!
However, before the monk Kongyu could speak, Xu Xian spoke up.
"Hmph, I've heard that your temple has many shady dealings going on. Last time, you even used sorcery to injure the yamen runners. Zhang Ban Tou is still seriously injured. Are you planning a rebellion?"
"Come on, take them down! First, put them in chains, then throw them in jail and investigate them thoroughly!" Li Gongfu ordered directly.
Upon hearing this, since Abbot Kongyu had not given the order to resist, the monks, despite their resentment, did not rebel.
Seeing this, Xu Xian couldn't help but sneer. You think you can get away with it by not resisting? What are you thinking! Wasn't he innocent in his past life? Wasn't he still imprisoned by Fahai in Jinshan Temple, becoming a monk for twenty years!
Thinking this, Xu Xian nodded three times. Like a secret signal, something soon happened inside the temple!
It turned out that just now, after Xu Xian nodded, several masked men in black climbed over the wall and entered Jinshan Temple from behind.
Anyway, all the monks in the temple were gathered in front of the gate at this time, so even if someone swaggered in, no one would notice.
With a hiss, flames appeared. With the help of the oil, in less than a minute, the central Mahavira Hall was engulfed in flames.
Thick smoke and raging flames were clearly visible even standing at the entrance. This grand hall was probably doomed!
"Let me go, I need to put out the fire."
"What? You want to run away? Are you looking for death?"
"This is my home, I've lived here since I was a child! No, I have to go and put out the fire!"
"Amitabha, I can't hold back any longer. I'll go first to put out the fire; that's the most important thing."
bump
kill
"Amitabha, enough, enough, let all the sins fall upon me, monks, make your move!" Seeing the scene, Kongyu gave the order directly.
Clearly, this was a carefully designed trap. First, he used his maturity and caution to make the monks submit.
Then, they deliberately set fire to the main hall, causing these monks, who had lived in the temple since childhood and considered it their home, to begin to rebel.
This act of resistance, even if it solidifies the temple's reputation, will likely result in accusations of harboring filth and corruption, and Jinshan Temple will probably be directly labeled as a rebel!
Therefore, if you resist, you will die; if you don't resist, you will also die. So it's better to resist before you die!
With a clang, the monks and the county soldiers clashed. The soldiers wore leather armor and carried broadswords, while the monks wore robes and held round wooden clubs. They fought right around the temple entrance.
The county soldiers wanted to go in, but the monks with sticks blocked their way!
The county soldiers outnumbered the monks.
The county soldiers were organized into units, but the terrain limited their movement, making their effectiveness limited. The monks, on the other hand, formed small groups of three to five, which were better suited to the narrow terrain.