My life skills in Daming Liver

Xiong Kuang's fifth regiment made rapid progress in Jiangxi.

The topography of Jiangxi is the same as that of Hunan, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing a river on one side.

In fact, after the New Southeast Army took control of Poyang Lake, it was only a matter of time before they captured Jiangxi.

Daming Prefecture and County along the way are basically waiting for the wind to surrender. Occasionally, they encounter one or two who are stubbornly resisting. As long as they gather their troops to attack the city, they can quickly capture it.

But today, Xiong Kuang stopped his army in front of Ren County, Raozhou Prefecture, Jiangxi Province.

Ren County is just a lower county under Raozhou Prefecture, and it is not considered a dangerous place.

Poyang, the prefecture of Raozhou Prefecture, and the important town of Jingdezhen have already fallen into the hands of the Southeast New Army.

The Guangxin Prefecture, Fuzhou Prefecture, and Nanchang Prefecture surrounding Raozhou Prefecture were basically captured by the Southeast New Army.

The small magistrate of Ren County knew that he could not resist, so he sent an envoy to ask Xiong Kuang to surrender.

But the main reason why Xiong Kuang stopped in front of Ren County and refused to go forward was not the small Ren County, but a mountain under the jurisdiction of Ren County.

Longhu Mountain.

Longhu Mountain is one of the seventy-two blessed places of Taoism. It is the "ancestral court" of the Taoist Celestial Master Sect. After Zhang Daoling practiced Taoism and refined elixirs in Longhu Mountain, starting from Zhang Sheng, the fourth generation of Celestial Masters in the late Han Dynasty, all generations of Celestial Masters lived here. here.

The Zhang family of Longhu Mountain, together with the Kong family of Qufu, has been canonized by successive dynasties, and is considered the oldest family in the Central Plains.

The heyday of Longhu Mountain was during the Yuan Dynasty.

The support of the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty for the Celestial Master Tao was almost passed down from generation to generation, and basically every emperor had a benefice for the Celestial Master lineage.

During the Yuan Dynasty, Zhengtao Taoism had a prominent status and was recognized and worshiped by the imperial power, further consolidating its leadership position in Taoism.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang also enshrined Longhu Mountain. Zhu Yuanzhang also gave money to rebuild the Celestial Master's mansion and wrote eulogies for the Celestial Masters of all generations.

The Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain in the past dynasties have all attained the second rank of official rank, and the emperors of the Ming Dynasty often granted Longhu Mountain Taoist properties. For example, many Taoist temples in the capital are the properties of Longhu Mountain.

So far, the Zhang family has been passed down for forty-nine generations. The current Heavenly Master is named Zhang Yongxu, with the courtesy name Yuncheng and Sanyang.

In the twenty-eighth year of Jiajing, he was granted the title of Zhengyi Sijiao, Shouxuanyangsu, Zunfan Chongdao, the great real person, who was in charge of Taoist affairs in the world.

When Jiajing was in power, he summoned Zhang Yongxu to Beijing many times, held numerous rituals to protect the country and the people in Chaotian Palace, and gave him python clothes, jade belts and other items.

Xiong Kuang stopped in Ren County, naturally because of the religious edict of the Governor's Office.

Longhu Mountain is the ancestral court of Zhengyiyi, so there is no problem with its legitimacy.

The master of Longhu Mountain is in charge of Taoist affairs in the world, so the disciples of Longhu Mountain naturally have complete procedures and all have Taoist qualifications.

The matter of clearing the Tao property is not difficult to handle. For a family like Longhushan, although the income from the farm is rich, there is no harm in giving up for a while.

Relying on the income from Taoist temples and donations from believers, we can survive no matter what.

For example, Longhushan supported Emperor Jianwen back then and immediately donated his family's Taoist property to protect himself after Zhu Di was in trouble.

In the end, although Zhu Di temporarily changed the Zhang family's title of real person, it was quickly restored.

To be able to pass it down to forty-nine generations, one has long known the principle of being able to bend and stretch.

If we didn't understand this truth, the Zhang family would have disappeared long ago amid so many dynasty changes in the Central Plains.

However, there was one religious edict issued by the Governor's Office that the Zhang family of Longhu Mountain could not accept.

Change the view of descendants to the view of jungle.

The so-called descendants temple is a Taoist temple in which the position of temple master is passed down between father, son, master and disciple.

Jungle Temple is different. These are basically famous grand temples in history. The positions in the temple such as abbot, supervisor, acquaintance, hall master, sutra master, high official, etc. are elected by the resident Taoists, and general deacons are also elected by the Taoists. After the recommendation is made by public discussion, it needs to be confirmed by the monks and Taoists.

To put it simply, the concept of descendants is a family property, while the concept of jungle is a public property.

But Longhu Mountain is the largest descendant temple.

The Heavenly Masters of Longhu Mountain have always been born from the Zhang family, which is one of the few thousand-year-old families in this land.

It is easy to lead troops into Ren County, but how to deal with the Zhang family's problem in Longhu Mountain is difficult.

This is also the reason why Xiong Kuang refused to enter Ren County after arriving there.

Xiong Kuang was stationed outside Ren County, so he immediately sent people to Nanjing to ask how to deal with the issue of Longhu Mountain.

Now Xiong Kuang has been stationed outside Renxian County for ten days and has not yet waited for orders from Nanjing.

At this time, the atmosphere on Longhu Mountain was also very tense. The Zhang family gathered together to discuss how to respond to the order issued by the Metropolitan Governor.

Zhang Yongxu sat on the headmaster's chair. His health had always been poor and he had been living in seclusion in recent years. Even when Jiajing summoned him several times, he said he was ill.

Looking at the clansmen and disciples arguing endlessly below, Master Zhang looked very sick.

However, no one dares to underestimate Zhang Tianshi, who looks like he will die of illness at any time. He has a high prestige in the Tianshi Mansion, is proficient in the classics of Zhengdao, has inherited the position of Tianshi for twenty years, and has superb skills.

This Zhang Tianshi was also very hesitant.

Governor Su in the southeast is actually not new in his attitude towards Buddhism and Taoism. In the Tianshi Mansion, he is not the only ruler with a tough attitude towards religion. As long as he lowers his head, Governor Su will not embarrass him, a contemporary of his. Of the Heavenly Master.

But he couldn't accept it if the Zhang family could not inherit the position of Heavenly Master.

There are still members of the Zhang family in the capital. If we can't agree on terms, Longhushan Zhengshuo will continue to be passed down in the north.

Didn’t the Kong family also divide the northern and southern Kongs in the Southern Song Dynasty?

Two horses galloped outside Xiong Kuang's military camp, and the people sent by Nanjing to deal with the Longhu Mountain issue finally arrived.

Xiong Kuang hurriedly went to greet him, but saw a familiar figure. He blurted out:

"Stationmaster! Why are you here!"

It turned out that it was Xiong Wu sent by Nanjing.

Xiong Kuang was born in Nanping Nursing Home. Back then, he and Xiong Wu organized a newsboy organization. Xiong Wu was also his teacher and father.

When he was at the Nanjing Intelligence Station, Xiong Wu was the station commander, and Xiong Kuang made great contributions to Nanjing Yi Zhong and transferred from the intelligence department to the army.

Later, Xiong Wu was sent to various places by Su Ze, and the master and apprentice never met again.

Unexpectedly, this time when he asked for help from Nanjing, Su Ze actually sent Xiong Wu.

Behind Xiong Wu was a twenty-year-old ordained monk, and Xiong Kuang quickly welcomed them into the military camp.

"This young monk's name is Zibai Zhenke, and his lay name is Daguan. Just call him Daguan. He is a monk and Taoist official appointed by the Metropolitan Governor's Office."

Although Daguan was only in his twenties, he was personally appointed by the Governor. Xiong Kuang did not dare to neglect him and saluted him: "Master Daguan."

Daguan simply returned the gift and said:

"The young monk is just an ordinary monk. He dare not call himself a master. The Grand Governor has already set the rules. There must be a period of inspection and apprenticeship before taking office. The young monk only joins the Monk and Taoist Department and is just a trainee assistant to Chief Xiong."

Xiong Kuang still didn't dare to underestimate this young monk. Countless facts had proved that everyone who was favored by the governor was extraordinary. The governor's ability to recognize people was known to everyone in the southeast.

Although Daguan is young, he has handsome features and lively eyes, and behaves like a virtuous monk. To be named by the Grand Governor, he is definitely not an ordinary person.

What made Xiong Kuang even more surprised was that his master, Xiong Wu, was appointed as the head of the Monk and Taoist Department by Governor Su?

"What is the problem in Longhu Mountain? I was leading people to deal with the remaining Luo Jiao gang in Jiangxi a while ago, and I rushed here after receiving the order from the Grand Governor."

Only then did Xiong Kuang remember that his master seemed to be a member of the Luo Jiao Yudang. He was subdued by the Governor before he became successful.

In this way, it seems quite reasonable that Xiong Wu is in charge of the Monk and Taoist Department.

Xiong Kuang told the story of his several contacts with Longhu Mountain, and then talked about the situation of Longhu Mountain.

"Other things are easy to handle. However, changing Longhu Mountain to Jungle View and canceling the hereditary leader status of the Zhang family has caused great resistance on Longhu Mountain. Because we couldn't reach an agreement on this matter, my fifth regiment has never gone up the mountain. .”

Xiong Wu sneered and said: "The Grand Governor has issued an edict, and all sects and sects have resolutely implemented it. Will the Zhang family in Longhu Mountain have to resist stubbornly?"

"You too, does this family know how to use thunder or talismans? Why don't you attack the mountain?"

Xiong Kuang smiled dryly and said: "Master, you are joking. The Zhang family really knows how to use thunder magic talismans, and they will not stay here on Longhu Mountain. It's just that the Tianshi Mansion has a good reputation and is very influential in the local area. If you attack me rashly, I'm afraid I'll be hurt." The governor is in trouble."

Xiong Wu said: "Criticism? The Governor issued an edict and the Zhang family in Longhu Mountain did not obey the edict. What is the criticism?"

"Don't look at Longhu Mountain's reputation. The more it is like this, the softer it is."

"A while ago, I just defeated a Luo Jiao branch. That guy gathered thousands of people in the mountain and claimed to be the reincarnation of Luo Zu. I took more than a hundred people up the mountain and arrested him. At the beginning, he cursed with Luo Jiao magic. I didn’t wet my pants when I was beheaded.”

Daguan, who had been listening quietly, said: "Master Chief, it is better to let the poor monk go to Longhu Mountain. If Longhu Mountain can obediently obey the orders of the Grand Governor, it can be regarded as setting an example for Taoism in the world."

Xiong Kuang looked at Daguan's bald head and couldn't help but think, you, a monk, went to Longhu Mountain to persuade?

Daguan put his hands together and said: "The poor monk has also read some Zhengdao classics."

Xiong Kuang thought for a while and said to Daguan:

"Then Master Lao Daguan will come up the mountain."

Xiong Wu said to Daguan: "Go up and try. If it doesn't work, you can save your life. My position as chief minister will be given to you. I don't want to continue to do the job of monk and Taoist minister!"

The next day, Daguan started climbing from the foot of Longhu Mountain with a bamboo pole. He was soon discovered by the disciples guarding the mountain and was escorted to the Tianshi Mansion.

After revealing his identity, Daguan first read out the edict from the Southeast Governor's Mansion, and then began to discuss the meaning of the scriptures with everyone in the Tianshi Mansion.

I didn't expect that Daguan, a twenty-year-old Zen disciple, would understand the meaning of Zhengyi Sutra so well.

He is very familiar with not only the "Tao Te Ching" and "Laozi Xiang'er Commentary", but also many classics of Zhengyi.

The disciples of Longhu Mountain fell down one after another. After Daguan debated the scriptures, they said to the contemporary Celestial Master Zhang Yongxu:

"When the poor monk was in the Nanjing Monk and Taoist Temple, Governor Su once said something to the poor monk."

Zhang Tianshi raised his cloudy eyes and looked at Daguan, who said:

"This matter is of great importance. Please ask Tianshi Zhang to find a private place to discuss it."

Zhang Yongxu quickly brought Daguan to a quiet room. He changed his seriously ill look and asked:

"I don't know what Master Daguan has to do."

Daguan also admired Zhang Tianshi's acting skills in pretending to be sick.

Daguan said calmly: "Debating scriptures is just a formality. No matter how good you are at debating scriptures, you can't change other people's thoughts."

Zhang Tianshi took another high look at the young monk.

Today is no longer the era of the Han and Tang Dynasties, when eminent monks and Taoist masters could make people sincerely admire them after a brief debate on the scriptures.

The scriptures and meanings of various schools have developed to this day and are already very complete.

Within a sect, a point of view can be divided into several schools without explanation.

Whether it is Buddhism or Taoism, the development of the scriptures and meanings has actually reached a bottleneck, and nothing new can be debated at all.

Daguan was able to succeed in debating scriptures because he was quick in thinking and combined with some sophistry skills.

The loopholes in it are not small, but because it was a live debate, the Longhushan disciples were unable to react.

Daguan won the debate, but he was not complacent because of it. Master Zhang lamented that the Southeast was indeed full of talented people.

Daguan said: "But the Grand Governor asked me to bring you a message."

"What?"

"I have scriptures in the southeast."

"What?"

This sentence was meaningless, and Zhang Tianshi looked at Daguan in confusion.

Daguan said calmly: "There is an earlier version of the Tao Te Ching in the southeast of my country. It is an earlier version than the Tao Te Ching annotated by the first generation Zhang Tianshi. The early Han version of the scripture is buried underground."

"What!"

This time Zhang Tianshi completely lost his composure! He no longer looked as sick as before, but jumped up and grabbed Daguan.

Daguan closed his eyes and recited two sentences according to Su Ze's instructions.

Zhang Tianshi sat down on the ground and murmured: "How is it possible!"

Don’t blame Zhang Tianshi for losing his composure.

The core of Zhengyi religion is what Zhang Daoling, the first heavenly master, believed, "Tao is the foundation of all things in the world."

Its main idea is to personify "Tao" as "Tai Shang Laojun", emphasize that Taoism is the supreme and sacred true religion, and no one can offend it, personify and deify "Tao", and make "Tao" with a theological color. Become the supreme god who rules the world.

Use the theological "Tao theory" system of the trinity of "Tao", "One" and "Laozi" to perfect the original Taoist thought.

This also makes Tianshi Dao have stronger organizational power than other sects.

Zhang Daoling wrote "Laozi Xiang'er Commentary" to comment on the "Tao Te Ching", which determined the theoretical framework of the early Tianshi Dao.

The basis of all this is the Tao Te Ching.

However, Zhang Daoling's "Tao Te Ching" was compiled during the Han Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty experienced wars at the end of the Qin Dynasty, and many classics were lost.

For example, Confucian classics were divided into the ancient text school and the modern text school in the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Daoling’s theological framework, Laozi’s status is very high!

In other words, Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" can be regarded as the foundation of Zhengdao.

Now that Su Ze claims to have the true scripture in his hand, this is tantamount to overturning all the theoretical frameworks of Zhengdao and completely denying Zhang Daoling's "Laozi Xiang'er Commentary"

If there is really a Tao Te Ching buried underground that is different from the current version, then the foundation of Zhengyiyi will be destroyed!

Daguan said: "The scripture is still underground."

Zhang Tianshi took a breath and said: "I am willing to submit to Southeast and obey the orders of the Grand Governor."