Pawn Crossing the River

The negotiations in the first three days were still very formal. Even if it was just a show, it had to be realistic. The two sides engaged in fierce exchanges on issues such as punishing war criminals and handing over power, which are extremely difficult to reach agreement on.

Tianmen insists that the royal family must be pardoned and the royal status and corresponding powers must be retained. Only if Daomen agrees to this can the discussion continue.

Taoism will never accept this. The root cause of the Fenglinzhou chaos this time does not lie in Tianmen, nor in those rogues, but in the royal family. If you want Fenglinzhou to have long-term peace and stability, you must eliminate the influence of the royal family and make them step down from the altar and change from gods to humans. If this cannot be resolved, even if Fenglinzhou surrenders this time, the rebellion will continue in the future.

It is better to treat the symptoms than to treat the root cause. To treat the disease, we need to find the focus.

During the break of the peace talks on the fourth day, Zhang Qihan summoned Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu alone.

Zhang Qihan motioned for the two of them to sit down, set the ban personally, and then said: "There are still two days of negotiation, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to reach a specific result in these two days."

Qi Xuansu said: "It was expected, it was just a gesture."

Zhang Qihan said: "That's not what I want to say, what I want to say is another thing. This is the first time for you to come to Fenglinzhou, but Li Cixi and I have been in Fenglinzhou for many years. He, as Fenglinzhou The second deputy head of the Taoist Palace has a lot of social activities on weekdays, and he has a wide circle of friends, not only with people from Toyotomi Prime Minister's Palace, but also with the royal family, Tianmen, and Buddhism. When it comes to Fenglinzhou Buddhism, Do you know that Honganji Temple is as good as its people?"

Zhang Yuelu replied: "I know, Honganji Temple is the headquarters of the Pure Land Shinshu Honin Temple sect in Fenglin Prefecture. In Xianru's generation, he was given the official position of 'Quan Sengzheng'. Although Xianru was a Buddhist monk, he was also positioned as a Buddhist monk. One of the great names. After Xianru, Hongan Temple has been passed down to the thirteenth generation of Dharma Master Pinru, who is Xianru's grandson and still holds the position of Quansenzheng. Honganji Temple Pinru, who is the powerful monk, refused to go to Xiujing to meet the master of the army for various reasons. "

Zhang Qihan said: "According to the information we have, Honganji Pinyu has secretly defected to the imperial family and has become the backbone of the Zunbang Sect."

Zhang Yuelu asked: "I have never quite understood why Honganji Pinru supports the Zunbang Sect? He should know the strength of the Taoist sect, and he should understand that there is no way out if he opposes the Taoist sect."

Qi Xuansu answered on his behalf: "There is nothing I don't understand, because gods and Buddhas are in harmony."

Zhang Yuelu was startled. Of course she knew what "the combination of gods and Buddhas" meant. This was the reason for her doubts: "During the period of the combination of gods and Buddhas, Buddhism was the dominant force, and Tianmen was reduced to a vassal. Even the main god of Tianmen became Buddha. In the incarnation of Fenglinzhou, it was not until Confucianism was introduced into Fenglinzhou that Tianmen gradually got rid of the control of Buddhism. From this point on, Buddhism and Tianmen should be hostile to each other. Even if you don’t stand on our side by adhering to the concept that the enemy of your enemy is also your friend, you should still adhere to neutrality. How can you help Tianmen? "

Because Zhang Yuelu is serious about work, hardworking and talented, there are not many opportunities to show off in front of Zhang Yuelu. Qi Xuansu finally waited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so naturally he couldn't let it go easily.

Qi Xuansu smiled slightly and said: "Behind Tianmen are the three main gods. The three main gods are not the first-generation gods of Fenglinzhou, but the third-generation gods. Before they became gods, the three main gods were called 'Sanguizi' ', are the three youngest children of the second generation of gods. They were ordered to rule the world, and thus gained the power of incense and vows to become gods. But even so, they are only the subordinate gods of the second generation of gods, far from being the three main gods. ”

Zhang Yuelu is such a smart person. With a little reminder from Qi Xuansu and the large number of files she read, she immediately connected: "It was Buddhism that helped the three main gods defeat the second-generation gods of Fenglinzhou and sealed them under Furong Mountain. , which are the so-called evil gods, so the three main gods are willing to become the vassals of Buddhism."

Qi Xuansu nodded and said: "That's right. The deep connection between Tianmen and Fenglinzhou Buddhism is by no means as simple as it seems. From the period when gods and Buddhas came together to when Tianmen became the state religion, the difference was only in who was dominant. In the past, Buddhism was the dominant one. , now Tianmen takes the lead, they are always one, so Fenglinzhou Buddhism will definitely stand on Tianmen’s side.”

Zhang Yuelu asked curiously: "How do you know these secrets?"

Qi Xuansu said truthfully: "Ask Suzuka Gozen directly. She has lived in Fenglinzhou for hundreds of years and knows everything."

Zhang Yuelu felt frustrated for the first time. She read through mountains and seas of files, but the result was not as good as Qi Xuansu's few words. However, when she was investigating this matter, Suzuka Gozen had not yet submitted to the Domen, so she could not say that she had chosen the wrong direction.

Zhang Qihan is an easy-going person. He did not feel unhappy because the two young people were discussing something in front of him. Instead, he waited until the two young people had finished discussing and then said calmly: "That's exactly what I said. Honganji Pinru also came to Jincheng. Yesterday, he contacted Li Cixi and expressed his intention to 'come back anyway'. Li Cixi agreed to meet with him privately today. "

"Anyway" here means "setting things right", which can be understood as surrendering and returning to the right path.

Zhang Qihan paused slightly: "I'm very worried. I always feel that this is a conspiracy of the Zunbang faction, and there is even the possibility of trapping and killing Li Cixi. I can't leave for the time being, so I want you to go and pick up Li Cixi."

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu looked at each other, and then Qi Xuansu said: "I dare to ask the great master, is it just a response?"

Zhang Qihan asked: "What else do you want?"

Qi Xuansu lowered his voice unconsciously: "If Honganjijipin really has evil intentions, then can we just..."

Qi Xuansu made a cutting gesture with his knife.

Zhang Qihan was not angry, but pointed at Qi Xuansu and said with a smile: "No wonder people say that you, Qi Xuansu, have the aura of the world. When I saw you today, it turned out to be true. However, our Taoist sect originated from the world, so this is not a bad thing."

Qi Xuansu asked tentatively: "Did Master Da Zhen agree?"

Zhang Qihan said: "The most important thing is to protect yourself. There is no need to take risks. However, if there is a suitable opportunity, without endangering yourself, I agree with you to clean up some stubborn people."

"Yes." Qi Xuansu said solemnly.

Zhang Qihan said: "They agreed to meet on the beach in the port area. Li Cixi will leave our unique mark along the way. It is not difficult to find."

Jincheng is a port city, and the other half is completely close to the sea. One-third of the area belongs to the port area. A large number of ships come in and out every day. This is why the reinforcements from the Anti-Daoist faction were able to land through Jincheng.

For some reasons, Daomen did not send the navy to blockade Jincheng. It was not until the Jiashen Lingguan headquarters began to besiege Jincheng that the Donghai Navy blocked the port of Jincheng. However, as the peace talks began, in order to show the world Daomen's sincerity captured the hearts of the righteous. Daomen not only ordered the frontal battlefield to stop attacking, but also asked the Donghai Navy to release the blockade.

After that, Zhang Qihan stood up and left to prepare for the next negotiation.

On the other side, Li Tiangang, who was wearing ordinary Taoist robes, had arrived at the port area that Zhang Qihan mentioned.

Here, you can smell the salty sea water.

People come and go, rubbing shoulders, and even during the war, you can still see the bustling scene.

When attacking Jincheng, Daomen maintained a considerable degree of restraint and only launched a few tentative attacks. If it is a full-scale attack, there will be thousands of heavy artillery on the front, and the Donghai Navy fleet on the back. You must know that the caliber of naval guns is almost higher than that of land heavy artillery. Needless to say, its power can reach more than a hundred miles. It can cover the lower half of Jincheng.

Because the carrying capacity must be considered on land, in addition to the weight and volume limitations of ground artillery, ground load-bearing is also a big problem. Mountains, slopes, swamps, and tidal flats cannot bear too much weight. The caliber of the artillery is proportional to the length of the barrel. The larger the caliber, the larger the volume, and the greater the weight, the greater the mobility will be affected. The ground army has very high requirements for mobility. If it breaks through defense lines and fortifications, its large size and weight will seriously slow down its marching speed.

On the other hand, at sea, none of the above problems are a problem. There is no need to consider load-bearing or mobility issues, so large-caliber naval guns have become the absolute mainstream.

What's more, Daomen also has a huge flying boat force, which occupies absolute air superiority. When necessary, the "phoenix eyes" dropped from the sky can turn the entire city into a sea of ​​fire.

The Zunbang faction understood this and Jincheng could not be defended no matter what, so they proposed peace talks.

Li Tiangang chose to meet Honganji Pinru this time on the beach in the dock area because of this point. Although this place is located within the city of Jincheng, there is the Donghai Navy fleet at sea. If anything happens, he can escape to the sea.

Of course, in accordance with internal disciplines, he also reported to his superior Zhang Qihan and sought Zhang Qihan's opinions instead of acting on his own initiative.

Soon, Li Tiangang arrived at the place where the two agreed to meet.

This place is remote and there are no docked ships, so there are no other people waiting. There is only a monk in black, with his back to Li Tiangang, looking at the sea.

Li Tiangang stopped not far away and said straight to the point: "Master Pinru invited me out, do you represent yourself? Or do you represent others?"

The monk in black turned around, first recited the Buddha's name, and then said: "What do you mean by representing yourself? What do you mean by representing others?"

Li Tiangang said: "Back then, the Taoist sect defeated the Confucian sect, reformed the land system, and attacked the gentry. In this process, there were only individual gentry who betrayed the gentry class, not all gentry who gave up the interests of the gentry class. Today, it is the same. Truth be told, I never think that Fenglinzhou Buddhism will stand on the side of Taoism, but I believe that some monks will distinguish right from wrong and choose the right direction from their own standpoint. "

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