Chapter 255 It seems like an old friend is coming (7500 words, two in one, today
In 935, on the first day of October, after almost five months of trekking through mountains and rivers, Zhang Zhao finally saw the royal city of Khotan again.
After leaving here in early 932 to go north to attack Shule, it took Zhang Zhao three years and eight months to return here again.
Thinking about it, it was really hard work. In three years and eight months, he kept spinning in circles to beat Shule, Suiye, Ningyuan, Bukhara, Huwen City, and Tianzhu. In the future, 996 cattle and horses,
That’s it!
By the Yulong River, the large river surrounding the Khotan City has entered the dry season, and the riverbed has been exposed in many places. If this were the case in the past, the riverbed would have been full of people.
Because the famous Hotan jade was first mined in the river, the mountain snow washed the raw jade ore down from the mountains, so people only had to pick it up in the river.
But today, no one has the intention to pick up jade. Everyone was informed more than ten days ago that King Zhang, the deputy king of the Kingdom of Jin, will return to Khotan City today.
This news, like the warm wind in winter, blew throughout Anjun Prefecture where the Royal City of Khotan was located.
More than 50,000 people, ranging from the great sage and emperor to princes and nobles, to peddlers and passing merchants, flocked from all directions to the Yulong River where King Zhang entered the city.
There was no room to stand on both sides of the road, so many people stood directly on the cold shallow river bed to wait. It was October in the cold winter, and it still took a lot of perseverance to stand directly in the river.
It’s coming! It’s coming! I don’t know where the cheers came from. The crowd stood on tiptoe and stretched their necks to look into the distance.
Not long after, the smoke and dust covered the sun in the distance, and the sound of neat footsteps could be faintly heard.
Immediately afterwards, a Khotan banner with a human body and rat head and a rat king was on the left, a red background of the sun, moon and stars and three chen flags was on the right, and a vermilion banner with black characters in the middle appeared in everyone's eyes.
Suddenly, cheers erupted like thunder. Li Shengtian shook off the obstruction of the servants around him, took Queen Cao Yuanxin's hand, and the two looked at each other and smiled.
Li Shengtian lifted the skirt of the crown robe with his left hand, and Cao Yuanxin also held the skirt of the queen's robe with his right hand. The two men let go and trotted forward.
As soon as they moved, whether they were pot-bellied nobles, sturdy officers and soldiers, or ordinary farmers, merchants, weavers, men and women, old and young, they all cheered with louder voices.
"Erlang! Erlang, you are finally back!" After not seeing each other for more than two years, Li Shengtian has become more prosperous. He was originally fat, but in the past few years, he has become more and more prosperous, and his figure has become more and more uncontrollable.
"Uncle!" Zhang Zhao shouted loudly. He reined in his horse from a distance, turned over and dismounted neatly, and ran towards Li Shengtian with open arms.
There was no kneeling down and no show of "I and the general took off my shirt". The two of them hugged each other tightly like a pair of uncles and nephews who had not seen each other for many years.
"Erlang is losing weight more and more. It's quite hard to fight, but my uncle, on the other hand, is fat and has gained dozens of kilograms!" After the hug, Li Shengtian felt a little embarrassed.
Zhang Zhao, who had been a fair-faced young man when he came to Khotan, had transformed into a middle-aged man with firm eyes, dark complexion and a weathered face in front of him.
On the contrary, the emperor of his country has become fat-bellied. Most of the empires that his nephew has conquered belong to him.
"Uncle, do you ever remember what you said to your nephew outside Polu State? You said that our uncle and nephew are one. You only have me as your nephew, and I only have you as your uncle alive. We share weal and woe, and we must share weal and woe."
Don’t you believe it?”
Zhang Zhao was still not used to two men holding hands, so he put his arm around Li Shengtian's shoulders. The two of them looked like two tourists doing costume shopping by the Yulong River.
"Erlang actually still remembers it!" Li Shengtian twitched his nose twice and sighed with some emotion.
"You are a part of the big world here. No matter what you want to do, my uncle will support you!"
"Emperor, let Erlang enter the city, so many people are watching!" Cao Yuanxin's cheek twitched. Of course he knew what Li Shengtian meant, that is, the Khotan Jin Kingdom would fully support Zhang Zhao in returning to Dunhuang to seize power!
"Niang Niang, your style is far better than before!" Zhang Zhao then bowed to Cao Yuanxin with a teasing smile on his face.
Cao Yuanxin rolled his eyes at him, stretched out an onion-white finger and pointed at him.
"It's always a shame, but it's good that you're back. Your Majesty, your Majesty, has been lying in bed for more than two months. There will be someone from Dunhuang who wants to see you later. Let's go into the city first!"
This return to the city was much more grand than the last time he came to Khotan with the envoys of the Guiyi Army.
The road was paved with loess, it was already October, and flower petals were flying all over the sky as if they were free. The huge crowds lined up in two rows, and the road back to the city was packed.
Moreover, this was not organized by Khotan officials, but came spontaneously.
The reason why everyone is so excited can be seen from the population of King Khotan City. This city originally had a population of eighty or ninety thousand people, but now there are at most fifty or sixty thousand people.
Where did everyone else go? They went to Shule and Ningyuan to live a good life.
According to the current policy of the Jin Kingdom in Khotan, those who are willing to go to Ningyuan to farm will be given 30 acres for men, 20 acres for strong women, and 10 acres for the elderly and weak.
This also refers to the mature land that has been developed. If it is half cultivated land and half cultivated by oneself, the number of acres will be doubled, and taxes will be exempted for three years.
As for those who stayed in the country, due to the large-scale military deployment in Khotan in recent years, they could sell a lot of money for the food they grew, the cloth they woven, and even the help they made for the army in making various gadgets and all kinds of military rations.
At the same time, trophies from outside were constantly brought back, ensuring the supply of various materials.
Just by defeating Bugla Khan, hundreds of thousands of sheep were seized. The mutton in Khotan is now so cheap that it is almost the same price as vegetables, and the dining table is more abundant than before.
The Khotan Jin Kingdom, which only had a population of 60 to 700 thousand, could be said to benefit everyone after Zhang Zhao conquered such a large territory.
This is the reason why they sincerely support Zhang Zhao and warmly welcome him back.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please eat a pinpo fruit! This is specially reserved for me!"
"Your Majesty, please have a bowl of wine made by me! There is plenty of icing sugar."
"Your Majesty, my cheese grilled lamb chops are a must-have in the royal city. You must try it!"
The city gate had not even been passed through. Zhang Zhao had no idea how many fruits and fruits he had eaten and how many bowls of wine he had drunk, except for his head full of flower petals.
Now a fat guy stopped him again. This cheese grilled lamb chop weighed at least two or three pounds. It was golden in color, fragrant, and was still hot.
"Your Majesty, I'm grilling it on the roadside. It's just warm!" The fat guy looked at Zhang Zhao and was a little knotted when he spoke excitedly.
"That's right! Your Majesty, Hu Sanlang spent a lot of money to rent the shop in front of this door just for roasting lamb chops!" Someone jokingly shouted from the side.
"Okay! I'll eat your mutton chop!" Zhang Zhao laughed loudly, took it and took a big bite.
"The fat and lean meat are mixed, the lean meat is crispy, the fat meat is fragrant but not greasy, the cheese is fragrant, the pepper and salt are flavorful, the roast is good, but his advertising is even better!"
Although the people around him didn't quite understand the meaning of the advertisement, they immediately understood what Zhang Zhao meant and burst into laughter.
Hu Sanlang had a shy face and didn't care at all. Anyway, the king said it was delicious, so he put up the sign.
"Sanlang, my son! Why are you so lean? You must have suffered a lot, right?"
"Goro, you are finally back. You went there years ago! Woohoo!"
"Ma Sanlang, have you earned enough money to marry me?"
Masanlang, who was riding on the horse, suppressed his blush. He wanted to say something but didn't dare to say it. Zhang Zhao turned around and looked at the little fire chief who belonged to the palace guard.
"When people ask you? Answer them!"
"Why it's not enough! I earn enough money to marry you and your sister!"
Damn it! Zhang Zhao was almost knocked out of his body. Ma Sanlang looked so honest and honest. He has a lot of sex work and appetite!
Zhang Zhao looked back at the team behind him. He had been gone for several years! The beauties in his family were waiting anxiously, his parents had grown grey, and some of them were separated from their loved ones. Now that they are back home, they feel like returning home.
, definitely not an exaggeration.
"Remove your armor here! Invite the heroic spirits!" Zhang Zhao decided not to go to Wufeng Tower, so he disbanded the team here and let the soldiers who were home in the royal city go home to rest! But before that, the heroic spirits who died in the battle had to be let go.
Gone home.
It is said that they are heroic spirits. According to the customs of the Han people at this time, I am afraid that only heroic spirits are left. Because it is so far away, it is definitely not possible to bring back the body, only the ashes.
Fortunately, there are not many, because hundreds of people who died in Suiye, hundreds of people who died in Juzhantiwai, and more than 300 people from the Khyber Pass have been transported back to Khotan early.
, was sacrificed on the Tianzhu battlefield.
In fact, there were not many real sacrifices, because Ah San's combat effectiveness was too low, and there was still an army of servants available.
Of the more than 100 people who sacrificed their lives, only about 20 died in battle, and most of them died of illness. After all, they had traveled thousands of kilometers at once, so there shouldn’t be too many people who were acclimatized.
A group of eminent Buddhist monks announced the name of Buddhism, and those who died in battle came directly to the front, holding urns of ashes.
Zhang Zhao took a step back, feeling a little heavy in his heart, and there was no need to steal Li Shengtian's limelight at this time.
The soft sobs made everyone feel heavy, but they didn't scream.
Because the news of the death in battle has been notified long ago, and the pension has been paid long ago, now it is just a matter of returning the urns of the heroes' ashes.
Seeing Li Shengtian meeting the families of the fallen in front, and even making an exception to provide an additional ten thousand dollars in compensation to each of the fallen, Zhang Zhao felt particularly homesick.
Although Khotan is good, it is not his hometown. His hometown, the place where he made great achievements, is still far away!
"Erlang! Come and see, who is this?" Cao Yuanxin was keenly aware of Zhang Zhao's slight disappointment, and was even more satisfied that Zhang Zhao would not steal Li Shengtian's limelight. She pulled Zhang Zhao's sleeve and pulled him towards him.
Bring a little bit behind.
In the corner, a little beauty wearing a simple beige coat and skirt with a bright yellow flower on her forehead was looking at Zhang Zhao obediently.
Her eyes were shining and the corners of her mouth were curled into a smile, like a good wife waiting for her husband to come home.
"Second Lady!" Zhang Zhao shouted out loud. This pretty little beauty turned out to be Cao Yannai, Lady Cao whom she hadn't seen for more than four years.
Mrs. Cao Sanniang looked at Zhang Zhao. Zhang Erlangjun, who was like a newborn calf in Qixiaohu Village, has now become a real man.
His skin color is not that white anymore, but his body is much stronger. He seems to have grown a lot taller. His facial lines are also tougher than before, and he looks like a mature man with sharp edges.
"Erlang, it's been a long time..., ah!" Mrs. Cao Sanniang was still thinking about how to strike up a conversation with Zhang Zhao, but Zhang Zhao hugged her.
The third lady in her arms was shy and uneasy. Although the relationship between the two of them could be said to be very close back then, four years had passed.
Although she was also seven years older than Zhang Zhao at that time, she was still in her twenties.
But now, although she is as gorgeous as ever, she is already in her thirties, and in this era, she is enough to call herself an old woman.
Zhang Erlang is now powerful in Anxi, Hezhong and Tianzhu. What kind of role does he want?
It was Cao Yanmian, the former queen of Karakhan who was included in the Cao family genealogy. She was not inferior to him in terms of status and appearance, and she was much younger. Who knows if Zhang Erlang would still miss her?
As a result, she was still hesitating, but Zhang Zhao hugged him directly in front of the public.
Even though Ms. Cao Sanniang was quite fierce, she was so shocked that she was completely stiff and speechless.
"Don't move!" Zhang Zhao muttered softly, hugging the short soft man in front of him tightly in his arms.
Smelling the faint orchid fragrance in Cao Sanniang's hair, Zhang Zhao felt greatly comforted, as if he had really returned home. He had not felt this way for a long time.
When the stiff Cao Sanniang heard this, she also felt Zhang Zhao's emotions, and her body slowly softened.
She hugged Zhang Zhao with her backhand, and for some reason, tears burst out of her eyes and flowed all over her face.
Suddenly, two figures flashed through her mind, and the face of Sosaburang, whose appearance she could not remember clearly, suddenly became clear.
The scene of her late husband Murong Changdao holding her hand and asking her to live well and raise Nobunaga's son seemed to be right in front of her eyes.
"Sanniang! Marry me when you return to Dunhuang!" Zhang Zhao said angrily.
After traveling through time, he always had an unreal feeling. He always felt that all this was a bit like playing a game.
But today, after meeting Cao Sanniang after more than four years of separation, the feeling of familiarity and peace of mind, the feeling of belonging to the human world, immediately filled his soul.
"Yes!" Cao Sanniang, with tears in her eyes, nodded like a kitten. She was very happy because Zhang Zhao used the word "marry", which meant that she entered the Zhang family as Teng's concubine.
Although the system of concubines has become less common since the Later Han Dynasty, it is not non-existent.
Moreover, Zhang Zhao’s first wife was her sister Cao Yanxi, so as Teng’s concubine, she was completely justified.
However, Mrs. Cao Sanniang suddenly smiled.
"If Erlang wants to marry a slave, I'm afraid there are still hurdles that must be overcome!"
"What kind of obstacles? Can they still stump me, Zhang Erlang?"
Zhang Zhao asked enthusiastically, did Sanniangzi mean his father-in-law Murong Guiying or his father Cao Yuanshen? That doesn't matter!
Mrs. Cao Sanniang chuckled, and a few cunning little fat spots appeared on her baby-fat face.
"My son, Nobunaga, is now twenty-eight years old. Do you think he would be happy to have someone who is only eight years older than him?"
Ugh! Zhang Zhao was stunned. To be honest, let alone Murong Nobunaga, he himself was not ready yet to be a father to a sixteen-year-old rebellious adolescent boy!
"Pfft!" Cao Yuanxin, who asked a group of guards to cover the two of them from behind, couldn't help laughing.
.....
In the early morning, Zhang Zhao woke up with his nose twisted. Before he could get angry, a fleshy little thing stepped on his nose.
Huh? Why does it look like a little foot?
King Zhang opened his eyes angrily. Who dares to be so bold as to step on the nose of King Zhang?
And it was quite arrogant. Not only did the little foot step on his nose, but the owner of the little foot seemed to feel that it was a little uneven and started spitting and spitting to express his dissatisfaction.
"You boy, we have just met, you are going to give me a showdown, right?" Zhang Zhao grinned, stretched out his hand and patted the owner of the little feet gently on the butt.
At this time, a person hurried in from outside the door, holding another fat and white baby in his arms.
She glanced at Zhang Zhao with some fear, put down the little doll in her hand, and went to hold the head of the bed. She also wanted to continue to pick up the other fat baby who was stepping on Zhang Zhao's head with her little feet.
But as soon as she reached out to hold the little baby on the bedside, Zhang Zhao, who was freed from the control of his little feet, took her into his arms, then picked up the collar and gently explored it with his big hand.
Ayiguli hissed softly, and immediately leaned against Zhang Zhao's chest with a charming look, then her face turned red and she lowered her head.
"Khan! The child is watching!"
"Where's Guo Waner? Come in quickly and take these two little guys out. You have to learn more!"
"My lord, you know how to bully me! Humph! I will have two babies at a time, no! Three!"
The Guo family's little wild cat, who had never been pregnant, walked in angrily and carried the two fat babies out one by one.
The older one is a boy, the second son born to Zhang Zhao by Ayiguli. Just now he was the one who used his little feet to stomp on my face, King Zhang.
The younger one is a girl, the eldest daughter of Cao family, Cao Yanmian, who was born to Zhang Zhao. Like her mother, she is gentle, quiet and a little timid.
The two babies were both conceived when Zhang Zhao left, and it took several months before they saw their father.
Zhang Zhao didn't feel much about them, after all, he wasn't even familiar with them, and he didn't have any sense of blood connection.
It's just that he didn't feel annoyed at all when the two little dolls screamed, and even their little feet stepped on his face. Zhang Zhao didn't feel any discomfort at all, but felt very comfortable in his heart.
Alas! King Zhang became the father of three children before he was even ready to be a father.
And these two things are pretty good. Queen Zhongyun Li Ruoliu also has an eldest son who is more than three years old. He has never seen him at all. This father is really incompetent.
As soon as Zhang Zhao thought about it, the movements of his hands slowed down.
Ayiguli looked at Zhang Dahan strangely, gritted her teeth, straightened her waist, pushed Zhang Zhao off her body, and then pounced on her like a wolf.
Last night, Cao Yanmian was in bed, and the little wild cat Guo Waner also ran over in the middle of the night. She had to take care of two little babies, so she didn't go to bed. Seeing that the king was going back to Dunhuang again, she had to hurry up.
At three o'clock in the morning, King Zhang touched his waist and sucked in the air-conditioning as he walked out of the deputy king's palace that Li Shengtian specially built for him. In order to return to Dunhuang as soon as possible, Zhang Zhao had to hurry up every moment.
.....
In the Samaroo Temple, Zhang Zhao, wearing a loose robe, slowly walked in from the main entrance.
Before he walked in from the main entrance, the monks of Samaroya Temple also arranged for cranes, auspicious elephants and other animals to be the guides, and slowly led him to Samarasu Temple.
The main entrance of Samaro Temple, which had been closed all year round, was also opened for the first time at this time.
This door is usually closed. Pilgrims and believers will not go through this door at all. There is a special term called the empty door of escape into the empty door, which refers to the main entrance of the temple. It is used to refer to the monks who became monks to serve the Buddha.
In other words, at this time, only monks will enter through this door on specific occasions.
The word "Dharma Protector Jialan" is not a casual word for Buddhism.
Legend has it that Buddhism has eighteen garlands such as Sanskrit and Thunder, but these are all legendary gods and Buddhas. In China's thousands of years of history, there was only one person who truly embodied the Buddhist protector garam, and that was Guan Yunchang Guan Erye.
The reason why Guan Erye became the Dharma protector Jialan was thanks to the wise master, the ancestor of the Tiantai Sect of Buddhism.
This person is not an ordinary person. Not to mention the position of the Tiantai Sect in Buddhism in later generations, we only know its high status from the respect given to the wise master by later generations.
Later generations honored this wise master with the common surname Chen as Sakyamuni of the East, and called him the reincarnation of Sakyamuni Buddha on the land of China.
Such a status is definitely not comparable to that of Master Sanghalama Tripitaka. This is why the old monk Sanghalama asked Zhang Zhao to come to Samarovar Temple again when the time is right.
Because before that, the promise made by Sangharama to Zhang Zhao was more of a lie.
Ugh! It may not be accurate to say that it is cheating. It should be called pie-in-the-sky.
Because according to Sangharama's calculations, the city of Shule was so strong that even the kings of Khotan for several generations could do nothing.
Although Zhang Zhao had the divine fire thunder, it would be difficult for those who have not seen the power of gunpowder to imagine how powerful this thing is.
Sangharama felt that no matter how powerful it was, it could only blow a hole in the Khotan city wall.
And if they can only blow a hole, Li Shengtian will still need to lead the Khotan army to resolve the final battle.
In this way, although Zhang Zhao has made great contributions, and can even be said to have made the first contribution, it is only a credit after all.
In the end, I can send another monk army, some weapons, equipment, cloth, money and food, etc., and then I can send them away.
But he never expected that Zhang Zhao would be so fierce. Not only did he blow up the Shule city wall, but he also took Shule city almost with just a few thousand of his men.
In the entire Battle of Shule, the greatest role of the Khotan army was actually to capture Fort Esquesa and Fort Yusuf, which were at horns with each other outside the city.
It would be even more exaggerated later in the battle at Xia Atush. Zhang Zhao personally led more than 3,000 men, and directly outside the city of Xia Atush, he alone defeated the 20,000 cavalry led by Bugra Khan Saktu.
This is a real iron cavalry, not the kind of herdsman who makes up for the numbers, but the iron cavalry that the Kara Khanate relies on for its survival.
In particular, the loss of Saktuna's three hundred gulam guard armored cavalry directly destroyed the future of the Kara Khanate.
Faced with such an unparalleled achievement, Sangharama was unprepared, and he was immediately cornered. However, Sangharama was not prepared to refuse the payment, because he had no way of doing so.
Zhang Zhao's defeat of the Kara Khanate this time not only helped Khotan break an almost unsolvable situation. You must know that before Sangharama became a monk, he was a close branch of the Yuchi family of the Khotan royal family.
Zhang Zhao not only created a glorious future for the Khotan royal family, but also saved Buddhism, which was almost exterminated in Shule and even in the Kara Khanate.
With such a great contribution and such a great kindness, do you dare to break your promise?
Therefore, as one of the leaders of Anxi Buddhism, after learning that Zhang Zhao would be coming back soon, Master Sanghalama Tripitaka sent out a "hero post" and spent his own money to hire people everywhere.
It’s not that he doesn’t have enough reputation to ‘enlighten’ him as the Buddhist protector Jialan, then let everyone recognize him.
The solemn and solemn chanting of Buddhist scriptures comes from Khotan Yuechang Tianshan Temple, Shule Dayun Temple, Qiuci Subash Temple, Xisi Buddhist Temple, Gaochang Daguanyin Temple, Yanqi Kaiyuan Temple, Yizhou Kaiyuan Temple, Shazhou
More than twenty famous Buddhist temples in Anxi, including Guanyin Temple and Lingyuan Temple, all sent eminent monks here to certify Zhang Zhao as the Buddhist protector Jialan.
But! Their information is really out of date. How can a mere Dharma Protector Jialan satisfy the appetite of our Yinlun Dharma King?
Zhang Zhao deliberately kept silent because he wanted to force these eminent monks from famous Anxi monasteries to endorse his identity as Yinlun Dharma King again on such an occasion.
So, just when Master Sangharama was about to certify Zhang Zhao as the Buddhist protector Jialan, there was suddenly a loud sound of drum music outside the door.
A group of Anxi Buddhist monks looked at Master Sangharama in confusion. Master Sangalama asked people to open the closed temple door in confusion. What he saw in front of him was completely stunned.
Dozens of large and small life-size statues of Buddhas such as Sakyamuni Buddha and Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva were carried in amid the chants of more than 300 eminent Indian monks.
An eminent Tianzhu monk walked in with dozens of Tianzhu coolies carrying a mountain of scriptures.
When they heard that Tang Sanzang had hand-written "The Treatise of Yogi", all the eminent monks were a little numb, but they could still hold on.
However, when the "Maharaja Sutra" and "Vajra Crown Sutra" handwritten by King Pasenadi, Sakyamuni Buddha's best friend and disciple, appeared, Sangharama only felt that the world was spinning.
Of course, in the end, I saw Zhang Zhao going out, taking off his robes, and putting on the full robes of the King of Wheels and the King of Silver Wheels, the gold seal, the gold coupon, and the silver wheel.
When he went to Nalanda Temple, Chaojie Temple, and Flying Temple to certify scriptures, he was completely confused, and he almost lost any ability to think.
"Master! Are you saying that this is the Buddhist Yinlun Dharma King who saved Tianzhu Buddhism, rebuilt the Buddhist kingdom on earth, was recognized by the entire Tianzhu Buddhism, and attained enlightenment at the Lingjiu Peak of the Buddha's Lingjiu Mountain?"
Master Sangha Rama, this is really a knife in the butt - it opened his eyes. He tremblingly asked Master Baoyunzi of Nalanda Temple in front of him in Sanskrit.
"Exactly, Dharma King is the savior of the Buddhist kingdom on earth. Without Dharma King, Buddhism will definitely be destroyed by pagans!"
Master Bao Yunzi’s answer was also very skillful. He didn’t lie! Without a dynasty, Buddhism would definitely be destroyed sooner or later, just not right away.
"Master Sangharama! This statue was made according to the size of the Buddha himself and was supervised by King Ashoka of the Golden Wheel.
This scripture has also been treasured by Nalanda Temple for thousands of years. A certain Buddhist Yinlun Dharma King intends to circulate and display this priceless holy object in various Buddhist temples so that each temple can admire the light of the Buddha. What do you think?"
This is not asking what do you think? It is simply asking, do you want it? Of course if you want it, you must acknowledge Zhang Zhao’s status as Yinlun Dharma King.
"I... I have met the Dharma King!" He thought he was the home court today, but he was suddenly confused by the Dragon Crossing the River, and then he actually wanted something belonging to the Dragon Crossing the River.
And he didn't want it, but some people were willing to want it. This extremely distorted psychological feeling was probably the conflicting mood of Master Sangharama at this time.
