Titsigu came to wait outside the palace gate early, and the dew wet his purple monk's robe.
But he didn't care at all. As long as Khotan was dragged into the arena of this religious war, he could endure all humiliation, even his life.
The futon was also soaked with morning dew, and it was a little uncomfortable. Tithesigu wanted to move, but his strong willpower helped him suppress his body's desire.
Although his career as a monk for more than thirty years cannot be regarded as the Qingdeng Ancient Buddha, it is by no means a leisurely experience.
A cold wind blowing from the west caused goosebumps to appear on his skin under his thin monk robe, and Titsigu could not help but speed up in chanting Buddhist sutras in a low voice.
More than twenty years ago, he was just a young monk, but he could never forget that day when the same cold wind blew.
Twenty years ago, hundreds of elite cavalrymen belonging to Arslen Khan took advantage of the last chance before Balashagon was surrounded by all sides and ran to Shule to protect the Khan's wife and children.
As soon as the Great Khan's wife and children left, Ye Hu and Burke in the city opened the city gate, and everyone knelt on the ground in humiliation to welcome the Persians into the city, even the monks like them were no exception.
Everyone paid a huge price for resisting the Persians. Countless master Ye Hu, who was originally aloof, was pulled out and had his head chopped off, while ordinary people and monks paid a lot of money to buy their lives.
A large number of howling warriors robbed the temple of gold, silver and Tang Dynasty copper coins. Even the gold powder smeared on the Buddha statues was scraped off, which was worth nothing at all.
Countless brothers were beaten and even killed until the Persian governor ordered a halt.
After that, every year the temples in Balasagon had to pay a large head tax that was only paid by pagans to the Governor's Palace, otherwise the Governor's Palace would not guarantee the safety of all the monks.
Titsigu never wanted to experience that hellish scene again, and he knew that if the Persians attacked Balasagun again this time, everyone would only face more cruel revenge.
"Master, apart from chanting the meaning of my Buddhist scriptures, does he know much about battle formations?"
A slow voice sounded in his ears, and Titsigu, who was immersed in memories, was startled.
I don't know when, a young man wearing a green robe, full of heaven, thick eyebrows and big eyes had stood beside him.
The young man was holding several huge white flour steamed cakes in his hands and was munching happily. His bright eyes were constantly looking at him, with a hint of teasing in his curiosity.
"This benefactor, this poor monk has not eaten for a long time and is very hungry. Can you make a steamed cake to relieve the hunger in your belly?"
Titsigu recognized who this was.
He didn't react just now. It was because the people around him were too young. It was really difficult for him to connect him with the Duke of Fengtian of the Great Jin Kingdom who was wearing a purple robe yesterday, with a goldfish bag hanging on his waist, and commanding thousands of soldiers.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that my Duke Zhang did not wear a fake beard today. In ancient times, beards were regarded as beautiful. Zhang Zhao didn’t know why, but after time travel, his beard grew everywhere, even on certain parts of his body, but he never grew a beard.
So when he is not on the battlefield, he is used to putting a fake beard on his chin and cheeks. Needless to say, once the beard is put on, he instantly becomes a lot more mature.
"Is this considered alms?" Zhang Zhao handed Titsigu a steamed cake and said with some pun.
Titsigu took the steamed cake and slowly took a small bite, with a look of nostalgia in his eyes.
"The poor monk's surname is Yao Geluo. Everyone says this is a great surname, but as long as I can remember, I have never felt that this surname has brought me any greatness. It is either regarded as a rare commodity to live in, or it is deeply feared by others.
.
One year, my grandfather committed something, which was originally a matter of paying a few sheep and a cow. In the end, Alslenghan Basil found various excuses and severely punished him, and the family dispersed.
In the critical moment, my mother carried me to the Burana Buddhist Temple, and I just escaped death.
Since then, I have never seen my mother again. I have been growing up in the temple, from a novice monk to a monk to a mage, abbot, etc.
The temple is my home, my master is my father, and my fellow apprentices are my brothers. In the heart of the poor monk, the temple has always been a sacred and peaceful place, and everyone who comes is respectful.
But Lord, can you imagine? A monk who has lived in peace for twenty years suddenly discovered that a group of extremely vicious people had broken into the temple one day. They stole gold and silver and destroyed the temple.
I saw with my own eyes that the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva that I chanted in front of every day had its golden paint and color scratched off, and it stood before my eyes like a chicken or duck that had shed its feathers."
As he spoke, Titsigu suddenly put down the steamed cake in his hand, clasped his hands together, and muttered "sin, sin, sin" several times.
"It seems that this matter has deeply stimulated the master! From now on, have you made up your mind to resist the Persian rule in Balasagun?" Zhang Zhao asked lightly.
Titsigu nodded first, then shook his head.
"The poor monk doesn't want to resist anyone, but the poor monk doesn't want to miss a few Buddhist scriptures and needs someone to intervene. He doesn't want to have vicious people rushing into the poor monk's temple to loot and destroy it!"
This is easy to explain. Zhang Zhao nodded. Titsigu was not only expressing his views on religion, but also telling Zhang Zhao that he could ignore the governance of Balasagon, as long as he did not interfere.
Just go to the development of Buddhism.
"But even so, there is no need for the master to march hundreds of miles to fight with the Tianfang cultists of Talas, right? If we can securely defend the city, there may be something we can do."
Titsigu finally turned red and took a long breath.
"This is why the poor monk asked the Great Sage and Emperor for help. I think this is also the reason why the Great Sage and Emperor sent the prince here."
Zhang Zhao was silent for a while, as if thinking about something, and then he shook his head.
"Master, do you know how big the Samanid Kingdom of Persia is? There are tens of millions of people in it, and there are no less than 100,000 soldiers. Our Khotan Kingdom has only 700,000 people in the whole country.
In addition, Balashagon is separated from Shule by numerous snow-capped mountains and glaciers, so even with full support, we cannot resist them!"
"The poor monk heard that Duke Zhang was at the gate of Polu Prefecture and defeated Bugra Khan Saktu's 20,000 elite cavalry with 2,000 infantry. Everyone said that Duke Zhang was a young hero and had the style of Duke Zhuang of the Xing Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty.
Four years ago, Saktu defeated more than ten cities including Balasagun, Kulan, Talas, and Baishui with only more than ten thousand soldiers. Tens of thousands of elites from the Persian Samanid Kingdom fled at the sight of the wind.
Are the Dukes worse than the defeated generals under their command? Could it be that the Great Sage, the Emperor, and the Dukes would not bear the thought of the more than 100,000 followers of our Buddha in Balashagon suffering another disaster?"
Titsigu had some doubts and his voice couldn't help but become a little louder. He had already made it clear that he would give up the secular things of Balasagon and hand over the political power to Zhang Zhao. Why did Zhang Zhao still push back and forth?
Is this Balasagon so unattractive?
Zhang Zhao swallowed the last piece of steamed cake with a normal expression, and waited for Titsigu to calm down before speaking slowly.
"Master really doesn't understand military matters. Saktu was able to fight from Balashagon to Baishuihu City four years ago.
It was because this was his ancestral land, and his soldiers followed him to regain the old capital and rescue his compatriots.
Such righteous soldiers who are trying to punish the people and attack crimes naturally have high morale and will do no harm!
In addition, at that time, the forces in various cities, including the master, had been suffering from the Persians for a long time, and they all tried their best to help, even the Tianfang believers in Talos and other cities had their hearts set on Saktu.
There are people inside to provide support, there are people to spy on military fortresses, and there are people to transport food and fodder. This is not Saktu fighting the Persians. This is the entire Western Karakhan people fighting with Saktu against the Persians.
On the other hand, today, Balasagun and Talas are killing each other's people, and they are only a hundred miles away from Balasagun, just like enemy territory.
Besides, there are only a few thousand people under a certain command, so how can tens of thousands of soldiers be used? Even if I have tens of thousands of soldiers, can Balashagon, after half a year of continuous campaign, supply the military supplies for an army of tens of thousands?"
Zhang Zhao's words were reasonable and well-founded, and they immediately silenced Titsigu. No matter where he came from, it must be said that what Zhang Zhao said was reasonable.
After a while, a look of despair appeared on Titsigu's face. He closed his eyes and chanted a few lines of Buddhist scriptures before looking at Zhang Zhao.
"According to what the Duke said, it will be extremely difficult to hold Balashagon? Will these hundreds of thousands of creatures have no choice but to endure the enslavement of foreign races?
Forget it! These mountains and waters have nourished the poor monk. When the Persians come, the poor monk will return this body to these mountains, mountains and rivers!"
Damn, I was too scared. Zhang Zhao’s forehead jumped twice. But don’t really scare this monk too much. He still has to rely on his efforts.
After a few quick thoughts in his mind, Zhang Zhao let out a long sigh and looked moved.
"The master looks down on life and death and only cares for the common people in this world. It is really admirable. I originally wanted to persuade the master to evacuate to Shule with me, but it seems that the master will definitely not agree!"
As he spoke, the expression on Zhang Zhao's face changed twice, revealing a look that was hesitant to speak. After struggling for a while, he slapped his thigh violently.
"Forget it! The master is so noble, wouldn't it look too despicable if a certain Zhang Erlang only knew how to escape!
It doesn’t matter if the Persian Samanid Kingdom is strong. As long as you listen to my words, there is nothing to fear. I will accompany you to save the common people here!"
Titsigu was about to despair, because Zhang Zhao's analysis was very reasonable. With the size of the Khotan Kingdom and his previous wrong operations, he could not withstand the attack of the Persian Samani Kingdom. Now you will hear
Zhang Zhao said again that he could fight, and he was overjoyed.
"Jun Gong is indeed a hero!" He quickly praised Zhang Zhao and then asked.
"The Duke said that I want the poor monk to listen to your words. I don't know if I have any clever ideas. Please tell me."
Zhang Zhao pulled Titsigu to squat down, took out two stones and placed them on both ends. Zhang Zhao pointed to the smaller one and said.
"This stone is the Talas!" Then he pointed to the larger one and said, "This is the Balasagon."
After saying this, Zhang Zhao drew a line on the ground with his finger to connect the two cities.
"Master, please see, the two places are about 800 miles apart. There are many mountains and valleys in between, making transportation inconvenient. If the Persian army comes from Talas, it will be difficult to transport food.
He must have the intention to collect food along the way. If the master can persuade the people who are three to four hundred miles away from Balasagon to evacuate to the east of Balasagon, those who can be taken away will be taken away, and those who cannot be taken away will be taken away.
Burning it down will cut off the food source of the Persian army on the way. This is a strategy to strengthen the wall and clear the country.
Then when the Persian army arrived at the city of Balasagun, they would definitely be short of food, so they would definitely attack the city in an attempt to break Balasagun and obtain military rations.
If the situation is urgent and you don't fight for a long time, you will definitely not have time to make large-scale siege equipment, and the difficulty of siege will naturally double.
At this time, the master led all the residents to resist desperately, while I led people into and out of the mountains and forests to the west to cut off the Persian army's food routes, harassing them day and night, and killing small groups of people.
If Balashagon can hold out for a month, its military morale will inevitably be unstable. If it cannot be attacked for a long time, the only option is to withdraw its troops.
When the time comes, I will use all my elite troops to pursue them one after another, and I will definitely make sure that not a single tenth of the Persian army is left alive!
By then, let alone defending Balashagon, it will be easy to counterattack Talas and Baishuihu City."
Titsigu looked at Zhang Zhao with a complicated expression, not as overjoyed as he imagined.
"The Duke said that he would stand firm and clear the country, and that he would fight to the death to resist. You can see how much the people of Balashagon had to pay for these two words!"
After saying that, he sighed, "Forget it! Forget it! If you want to fight off the jackal, there is no reason why you won't get hurt. Don't worry, Lord, Titsigu will try his best to arrange it."
However, if this effect is to be achieved, the cooperation of the Nestorian monks of the Qin Dynasty must be achieved.
But recently they have been preparing to retreat, and the poor monk can't persuade them. Maybe only the county prince can come forward and talk to the two Nestorian sages about the friendship of the same clan, which may be able to impress them!"
"Master can't persuade me, so what's the point of me, a person from far away..., wait! Master, what are you talking about? I have the same clan friendship with these two Nestorian sages?"
Zhang Zhao was suddenly shocked. Yesterday, he felt that Xuan Qing, the majestic and dignified Nestorian figure, looked very much like a Han Chinese.
Could it be?
"Don't you know, Duke?" Titsigu looked at Zhang Zhao in surprise.
"The poor monk heard that the prince is a Tang child from Dunhuang. Among the three great Nestorian sages in Balasagon, Wei Yi and Prudence are both Tang children from Shule!"
This chapter has been completed!