Realm of Power

The afterglow of the sun reflects the distant Zen temple like a burning golden edge. When the southwest region is suffering from the continuous rainy season, in the plain area of ​​Dijing West Road, there is a bright sun and bursts of chanting.

The melodious sound seemed to come from an unknown distance. The fat man stood on a tall building weighing a thousand kilograms, overlooking the entire Dijing West Road. The city below the monastery expanded to both sides with a main road as the center. The scale is complete and uniform. The three-color glazed tiles on the top of the building look brilliant under the sunlight.

This is a very famous Nirvana Zen Temple on Dijing West Road. It is said that its construction history can be traced back to the time when Buddhism returned to the East six hundred years ago. It is the final resting place of the generation of saints, Master Dai Xuan, who returned from the Nanxi Empire, the birthplace of Buddhism. The other buildings are based on the main hall on the axis as a whole. It is distributed in all directions in an orderly manner, separated by forest roads, and has a solemn and sacred atmosphere. A large incense burner is placed in front of the Buddhist niche in Baishi Square. The burning sandalwood is sending out a large amount of fragrance, permeating the entire space, making people feel relaxed. I couldn't help but calm down and feel a touch of otherworldly atmosphere.

Although the grassland people are cruel, they are devout people who believe in gods. After entering the Zhongbia region, some grassland nobles began to believe in Zhongbia Buddhism. The Lin Dan family, a prairie nobleman stationed in this city, among others Lin Dankula is a devout Buddhist.

Under the protection of Lindankula, this holy place in the hearts of Buddhists has been preserved from the destruction of war. Unlike other areas near the Imperial Capital, which were trampled by the prairie people, they were almost in dilapidated condition, whether it was residential landscapes, Whether it is a palace or a temple, almost no one has escaped from the grass. It is said that the demonic palms of the original people were taken away by the Emperor Feng Chanyuan, which is also known as the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Palace together with the Nirvana Chanyuan. Not only were the main beams of the main hall dismantled by the prairie people and used as flagpoles for the military tents, but even the six pillars enshrined in the center of the main hall were The hundred-year-old gold inlays of the Holy Son were dismantled by the prairie people, melted into gold nuggets, and brought back to the prairie.

The Central Bian ethnic group has always been xenophobic, but 80% of the people are Buddhists. The tentacles of the empire have begun to touch the hinterland of Central Bia. Naturally, it is necessary to understand the customs, customs, and religious beliefs of the Central Bian area. You know, when I heard that this spiritual holy place, the Nirvana Zen Temple, was located on Dijing West Road, the fat man naturally came there in person.

"Teacher, except for Lingzhou, the other twenty-two cities on the Imperial Capital West Road have been brought under the control of the empire, with a total population of more than six million. Among them, the young and strong labor force is the largest, which can be put into the upcoming spring plowing. I believe that as long as everything goes well, this autumn After that, the regional garrison will no longer need to transport food from the empire and can completely achieve self-sufficiency."

Bertrand Bonnie stood behind the fat man, her pretty face flashing with excitement that could not be concealed. The empire took over the Imperial Capital West Road, and the happiest person was naturally her, the first person in charge of the military on the eastern front of the empire. Originally, the empire was just Controlling a wilderness area, only three to four hundred meters wide. Originally, Bertrand Bonnie had some complaints about this, but who knew that the situation would change so quickly that it was completely unprepared.

Because the Long family's northward advance broke the pattern, the empire then swallowed thousands of miles of the northwest in one fell swoop and took control of Yanzhou, the strategic chokepoint. The acquisition of these important military areas doubled the empire's territory on the eastern front, but the most important thing Yes, it is still the Dijing West Road in front of us, because this is not the desolate northwest, comparable to Yanzhou, which is almost entirely mountainous. This is a real fertile land, and it is also a business road. The throat corridor, as long as it is managed properly, is more than enough to supply at least one wilderness legion. As long as the empire has the Imperial Capital West Road in hand, it no longer needs to be controlled by others. The empire itself can extend the trade route to the core hinterland of Central Asia! For the people who have been For female knights who want to prove themselves, compared to other large legions in the empire, the only one with such control over areas and power is the Wilderness Legion.

"Teacher, is the Yanmen chariot really effective?" Bonnie seemed to have thought of something, her eyebrows raised.

"I don't know either, but since the Yanmen chariot is the first-class infantry weapon of the Yanzhou Army in China, it is not bad at all. Bai Wufeng proposed to show the combat power of this weapon in Lanzhi City. If it is effective, You can consider Yue Shan's proposal to equip the Yanmen chariots as infantry chariots in the imperial armies. This will definitely greatly enhance the offensive and defensive capabilities of the imperial infantry."

The fat man turned around, took a cloak from the guard behind him, put it on, and walked towards the bell tower. In front of him was a long corridor paved with white stones. Under the setting sun, the glazed tile roof was illuminated with colorful ripples, and the big trees beside the passages inside and outside the temple They all cast their shadows on the road, adding to the mysterious and unpredictable atmosphere of the temple.

"Even so, if Bai Wufeng hadn't defended Lanzhi City..."

"I have mobilized the Dongting Army to go south. In fact, it doesn't matter whether Bai Wufeng defends Lanzhi City or not." The fat man waved his hand, tilted his head and asked, "How is the situation in Lingzhou?

"We're still talking, I just don't know what to say."

A trace of depression flashed across Lante Bonnie's face, she hesitated, and pouted and said, "Actually, the so-called Central Asian rebels in the city are bandits who were so scared that they hid in the mountains and did not dare to come out when they were people on the grassland. The total number is only three Four thousand people, according to the combat strength of our army, only one charge Why bother to negotiate with them when they can win it by attacking? Moreover, these people are so confused about the situation that they actually claim that the Imperial Capital West Road belongs to the Zhongbia people and demand that the Empire withdraw from the Imperial Capital West Road. If not for the teacher’s refusal? , I have long..." Bertrand Bonnie looked angrily

"What's the matter? Do you think the troubles caused by Sirius City last time were not enough?" The fat man glanced at her, and Bonnie stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. "I am indeed a thief, but I don't have a guilty conscience, let alone a teacher. Professor, in matters like negotiation, the final battle is to see who has the bigger fist. Didn’t the teacher also tacitly agree to the attack on the Long family?

"Nonsense!"

The fat man's eyes flashed with lightning. He was really afraid that Bertrand Bonnie would capture Lingzhou in a hurry. After thinking for a while, he frowned and said, "The so-called rebels in Lingzhou can be left there. The so-called negotiations , just for the Central Bians to see. As long as the empire does not take action against Lingzhou, the entire Central Bians on Dijing West Road will not be too opposed to the empire’s takeover, and for the Central Bians who fled to Lingzhou, the empire will also Give it a go! "

"why is that?"

Bertrand Bonnie's pretty face was stunned, such a benevolent method, is it still an empire? If in the Obaro region, that area dared to confront the empire like this, a large army would immediately invade the border and a bloodbath would begin. The cruelty with which the empire treated the rebels was enough to stop a child from crying in the Obaro region. How come it turned into a tiger when it arrived in Central Asia? A grown cat? If she hadn't been so familiar with the fat man in front of her, Bertrand and Bonnie would have doubted whether someone had replaced His Majesty the Emperor. This is Zhongbia, and His Majesty the Emperor's features of black hair and eyes are simply spot-on. There are a lot of them, but it’s not like Oparo. Before the Eastern trade route was opened, it was a rarity.

"If you want to give them hope, you must first make them despair! Lingzhou is so big, and it is a group of rebels who do not engage in production. Many people have starved to death after the winter. With the influx of a large number of people, it can still support How long? Wouldn’t it be better to let all the Central Asians on Dijing West Road see what these so-called rebels look like before they are really in danger of extinction?”

The fat man was talking, but his steps paused. His eyes fell on the end of the corridor in front. An old monk in a tattered monk's robe was sweeping the floor. There were more than a dozen imperial guards surrounding him. When he came just now, but Those who haven’t seen this old monk know that a big shot from the empire is coming today, and all the monks in the Nirvana Temple have automatically disappeared.

The fat man grinned, waved his hands to the nervous guards, asking them to get out of the way, and said in Central Bian dialect, "Just say what you want to say? Playing with mystery like this is not the etiquette of hospitality."

The old monk's eyes flashed for a moment, and a look of surprise finally appeared on his calm face. He didn't expect that the important minister of the empire in front of him would be a young Central Asian man, and there was also a beautiful foreign woman accompanying him. His expression changed. He hesitated for a moment and asked in a solemn voice, "Are you from the Empire? Or from China?"

"Of course they are from the Empire!" the fat man said with certainty.

"Are you the biggest here?" the old monk said uncertainly.

"So be it!" The fat man shrugged his shoulders. How could a sweeping monk be such a simple person when he was able to stand alone and look so natural even when the murderous imperial guards were looking around him! But from the old monk's body, the fat man could not feel any malice. Since this is a Buddhist holy land, it is hard to say how many highly respected monks would be lurking. Although the empire is not afraid of offending people, there is no need to attack a monk who poses no threat.

"Since you are the oldest, then your orders are also the most effective, right?" The old monk's eyes were dry and sharp, "If I ask you to do something, it should be okay, right?"

"It's hard to say. At least you have to know what it is. What if you want me to chop off your own head? Should I chop it off too?" There was a smile on the corner of the fat man's mouth. It could be seen that the old monk in front of him might be I have been isolated from the world for so long that I don’t even have some conversation strategies. For such people, Fatty actually feels sympathy in his heart.

"I don't need to kill people, but I'm asking you to save people. I hope you can order Lu Ziqiu to be released." The old monk hesitated, "Lu Ziqiu?" The fat man was stunned for a moment, who is this person? After all, you are also the emperor of the empire, and you have made it so obvious, just to let someone go? Do you know? You are passing the biggest opportunity in your life.

"Teacher, Lu Ziqiu is the leader of the Central Asian rebels in Lingzhou," Bonnie reminded kindly from the side.

"Isn't the leader of the Lingzhou Rebel Army named Hu Hua? Why did he become Lu Ziqiu again?" The fat man's head was in a mess. He remembered that the leader of the Lingzhou Rebel Army was named Hu Hua in the report, so why did Lu Ziqiu pop up to see him again? After asking Bonnie out of curiosity, she found out that the leader of the Central Asian rebels in Lingzhou was indeed Lu Ziqiu.

But this Lu Zhiqiu was captured alive by the grassland people half a year ago, and is still imprisoned in the death row of the grassland people. Now that the empire has taken over, naturally he has been in the empire's prison for a long time, and that Hu Hua turned out to be only the second in command! Really... Fatty couldn't help but want to laugh. He was just about to ask the Lingzhou Rebels to trick people, but he didn't expect that there was a more exciting bargaining chip in his hands. If Lu Ziqiu was put back, Hu Hua might also I'm not willing to give it up. At first, it was the grassland people who were holding the pressure. Being the boss was a dangerous job. Now it's been replaced by the empire, and they have adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards Lingzhou. When the good life comes, who is willing to give it up? ah

"It's not impossible to let Lu Ziqiu go, but it doesn't make sense to let him go for nothing!"

The fat man touched his nose. Anyone who knew him well knew that he was full of bad ideas. At this moment, "Ding! Ding! Ding!" Three crisp chimes sounded, starting from evening classes. came from the main hall, and the surrounding voices suddenly stopped. One by one, monks came out of the main hall behind the Copper Palace with their palms clasped together. The leader was a monk with an intimidating figure and a gray robe.

"Monk, do you want to die?"

Bertrand Bonnie's white and delicate hands had quickly pulled out the imperial sword wrapped in red silk from her waist. The tip of the sword was pointed directly at the old monk. The sharp edge was only about one centimeter away from the old monk's neck. The cold air The skin had even been cut open and blood seeped out. The old monk did not move. Instead, he closed his eyes and pretended to let the meat be slaughtered.

The nearby imperial guards collectively drew their sharp swords, and aimed their unstrung imperial crossbows at these Zen monks with unknown intentions. As long as the opponent came closer than 20 meters, there would be a massacre. Only these monks were seen, neatly. There were more than ten rows on the ground in the open space between the bell towers. Although there were many people, not a single sound was heard.

"What do you mean?" The fat man waved his hand to stop the guards from taking action.

"Please don't misunderstand me, sir. I, Nirvana Chanyuan, never take part in disputes, and naturally I can't be unfavorable to you." A tall and handsome monk walked leisurely out of the main hall and stood at the top of the white stone steps leading up to the hall. "We just want to ask your Excellency to let Senior Brother Lu Ziqiu go. Although we don't know about the Empire, we have eyes and can see clearly. Since the Empire entered the Imperial Capital West Road, it has not caused a bloody storm like the grassland people. It's just that This is better than There are so many good things about the grassland people. As long as the empire agrees to release senior brother Lu Ziqiu, our Nirvana Zen Academy can use the lives of all the people in the academy as guarantee. Senior Brother Lu Ziqiu will definitely not go against the empire again." "Okay, we can release him, but Nirvana. Zenyuan also needs to do something for me"

The fat man sighed in embarrassment. It was obvious that this person was the director of the Nirvana Chanyuan, but he didn't expect to be so young and handsome. He couldn't be more than forty years old if he looked horizontally or vertically. He has a slender figure and a straight nose, which makes him look very individual. The curve of the upper lip and the slightly upturned lower lip accentuate a certain kind of indescribable composure, with an unearthly aura of aura. The expression is neither weak nor domineering, but doctrinal. It was comfortable and natural to look at, but what made the fat man feel the most pressure was the other person's eyes, which were so profound and unfathomable that they could make anyone unpredictable and dare not underestimate them.

"My lord, just say so." After hearing the empire's promise to release the man, the monk couldn't help but asked anxiously.

"Actually, this matter is not difficult for Ji Mie Chan Yuan." The corners of the fat man's mouth turned up slightly, and he paused deliberately. "I just hope that Ji Mie Chan Yuan can make a momentum for the empire and those dead Central Asians." It’s just a grand salvation ritual!”