Li Po was still very interested in Tianzhu, which was synonymous with Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty.
In fact, in Li Po's view, Buddhism in India has many similarities with the Hinduism that later became popular there, especially the names such as Brahmin and Kshatriya, which clearly have a Buddhist flavor.
Especially the huge system of gods in Hinduism, many of which are derived from Buddhist mythology. It feels like the three schools of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism in the Central Plains adopted each other, and each has its own fusion result.
Today's Tianzhu Kingdom does not seem to have so many explanations. Anyway, as long as Tianzhu is mentioned in the Tang Dynasty, the first thing people think of is the Buddha sitting there.
Therefore, the monks in the Central Plains are very yearning for Tianzhu, and they are always clamoring to go to Tianzhu to obtain scriptures and so on. However, I have not heard of any monks who can go to Tianzhu. It seems that they are all talkative kings.
On the contrary, monks from Tianzhu have repeatedly traveled thousands of miles to the Central Plains to spread their teachings, but they do not know where they came from with such great enthusiasm. This is something that most people in the Central Plains find difficult to understand.
At this moment, Li Po thought of Xuanzang who was still reading scriptures in the Guanwen Hall in Chang'an.
To be honest, although Master Xuanzang later had a reputation as the leader, most of it actually depended on a Journey to the West. Without this famous book, I am afraid that few people would care about the story of Xuanzang's journey to the west.
When looking at its origins, Journey to the West is undoubtedly a very successful propaganda victory for Buddhism against the local Taoism in the Central Plains. It elevated Buddha above the Three Purities of Taoism and gave people the feeling that Buddhism is stronger than Taoism.
If you read the book, as long as the Buddha and Bodhisattva show up, there is nothing that cannot be solved. Of course, this is also a book with Buddhist believers as the protagonist, but it is only connected with the mythology of the Central Plains.
The social environment at that time was also dominated by Buddhism, and various images were in line with people's expectations, and Fengshen Yanyi was the serious Taoist reading.
It is a pity that the story of Conferring Gods happened in the Shang Dynasty, which was too long ago, so it should have become a stepping stone for others, and Xuanzang stepped on it.
…………
Li Po patiently talked some more to Subimuluo. He was not interested in other things. He mainly asked where the so-called Bulu Mountain Pass was and what was going on in the country of Bulu.
Then I briefly sketched it in my mind. The so-called Bulu Pass was actually a trade route taken by the Xiangxiong and Tianzhu people.
Surrounded by mountains, the terrain is very high. You should first enter the mountainous area at the southern end of the Kunlun Mountains, then turn south and pass through the Himalayas. You will probably reach what was later Nepal, and now the Northern Tianzhu area, which is where Buddhism is.
Place of origin.
Thinking about the topography there, Li Po believed that the so-called Bulu Pass did not meet the conditions for large-scale military operations, but the people from various tribes in Shannan were exceptions.
They are accustomed to living in plateau areas, and have had experience fighting Tianzhu, so they can launch attacks on Tianzhu and pose a threat.
There is also the Bolu Kingdom sandwiched in the middle. This small plateau country is very interesting. It is actually located in the gap between the Himalayas and the Kunlun Mountains. It is a standard mountain country.
According to Subimuluo, she was actually the one who asked about Mi Xia. Although Bolu was a small country, it had its own uniqueness in doing business.
Not only can they trade with the Shannan Three Kingdoms in the east, they can also communicate with Tianzhu. If they go northwest and bypass the mountains, they can go to the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains and interact with some Qiang tribes, Tiele tribes, and even Turks.
There are contacts with countries in the Western Regions.
This is very amazing. Even they themselves may not know where these people come from and what ethnic group they belong to, but they can still open up trade routes that extend in all directions under such difficult conditions. Do you think it is strange?
One of Li Potou's thoughts was that the geographical location of this small country is very important. It is simply the node of the South Asian subcontinent and Central Asia, a bit like the Khyber Pass.
But for Datang today, it is a bit early to pay attention to it. As for whether it will be occupied by others in the future, it will threaten the Hexi region, Li Po doesn't know.
In fact, this was another marching route that threatened the Western Regions after the rise of Tubo in another time and space. This route could not directly attack the Tang Dynasty itself, but it could threaten the four towns of Anxi.
This is the reason why Bolu Kingdom later split into Big and Small Bolu, and Little Bolu kept asking for help from the Tang Dynasty.
However, the situation on the plateau has changed greatly now. Tubo no longer exists and is replaced by the Three Kingdoms of Shannan, but their eyes are still the first to focus on the Bolü Kingdom.
What does this mean for Datang? Well, it doesn't make any sense. Although Datang's borders have been extending, it is far less than the territory of the four towns of Anxi.
And with the current strength of the Shannan Three Kingdoms, attacking Tianzhu is a bit whimsical, not to mention taking advantage of Congling to go to the Western Regions.
…………
In the end, Li Po did not give any clear commitment to Subimuluo. Subimuluo tried his best to get it, and wanted to borrow a group of soldiers from the Tang Dynasty to arm the Subimuluo people.
They were all rejected by Li Po without hesitation.
This is very clear. To the Tang Dynasty, the tribes on the plateau were like raising a group of wolf cubs in an enclave. If you really raised them, they would probably be able to grin at their master from time to time.
If you're not careful, they can tear off a piece of your flesh and devour it.
Subimala withdrew with great regret. He felt that His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was very stingy. With so many good things, why couldn't he give some to Subi?
Are they afraid that the Supi people will not admit their mistakes after changing their queen? Then can God Asura be accommodating and change the rules of inheritance of the queen?
While she was thinking about it, Mi Xia had already entered the side hall.
He was more honest and did not have so many demands. He just wanted to confirm again that Datang wanted to ensure that the powerful Supi people would not come to make things difficult for Xiang Xiong.
This is also the issue that the leader of the Black Yak Tribe is most concerned about when he finally enters the palace.
It can be seen that there is a problem with the positioning of the Subi people themselves. Both the Xiangxiong people and the leaders of the Black Yak Tribe think that they are unruly savages.
This is determined by the gods that the Subi people believe in and their own characteristics inherited from the nomadic people. No ethnic group that mainly focuses on farming will like them.
Three groups of people entered the palace one after another and felt the majesty of His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty up close.
Li Po would not see them again after that. They might have to come to bid farewell to His Majesty the Emperor before leaving, and Li Po did not intend to give them another chance to meet.
In the future, apart from the change of the leaders of the Three Kingdoms, the rest will be the matter of Honglu Temple. As long as these three vassal states on the plateau are not unified, they are not worth the Tang Dynasty's attention.
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This chapter has been completed!