Chapter 758: It must be in the name of our country, Zhao
"Do you, the Mauryan Dynasty, have a special liking for buildings like towers?" Yuan Hua asked curiously, looking at the tall tower standing in the center of Huashi City.
Since entering the Maurya Dynasty, he has seen such high towers frequently. Almost every city has them. The high tower in front of him is nearly a hundred meters high. Even the majestic palace is no more than this.
"This is a pagoda, a place where the Buddha lived. His Majesty also lived in it most of the time." Ashande explained.
"The Maurya Dynasty is different from our Zhao Kingdom. King Ashoka, the monarch of the Maurya Dynasty, believed in Buddhism. He built pagodas all over the country and expanded them many times. In the past few years, he also expanded the pagodas of the past Buddha." Zhao Mu whispered to him.
Yuan Hua said.
He used to be very dismissive of Ashoka's behavior. In the Central Plains, there would not be any monarch who was so obsessed with religion, let alone a monarch who would let religion affect his power, let alone a generation of heroes.
Perhaps Ashoka was just lucky enough to unify the entire cultural circle, and he was actually just trying to gain fame.
Until one day, Zhao Mu suddenly thought of the Kunlun God of the Xiongnu.
He had not witnessed the Battle of Hetao with his own eyes, but he had heard from many people that even scum like the Xiongnu could create the Kunlun God. The population and strength of the Maurya Dynasty were many times that of the Xiongnu.
Believers are also more devout...
Thinking of this, Zhao Mu shuddered a little.
You must know that the Mauryan Dynasty not only had Buddhism as its religion, but also had deep-rooted Brahmanism and the very popular Jainism. It is said that Ashoka’s father Bintou Sara and grandfather Chandragupta believed in Jainism in their later years.
There is no doubt that the strength of the Maurya Dynasty is definitely not as simple as it appears on the surface.
Similarly, the internal struggle within the Mauryan Dynasty was bound to be extremely fierce, and even Ashoka could only suppress it but could not resolve it.
When the guard saw Ashande, he quickly came over to salute and whispered a few words to Ashande.
"Brother Wang is studying Buddhism and cannot be interrupted. Let's go to the palace first." Ashande said with a smile.
"For the sake of Buddhism, do you even care about national affairs?" Yuan Hua said solemnly, this is not a wise king, he is more like a faint king. Even the King of Qi cannot do such a thing.
"Although Brother Wang likes to study Buddhism, he still takes time to deal with government affairs every day and will not delay state affairs. It's just a coincidence that we came here. Brother Wang has just finished bathing and changing clothes." Ashande said, leading Yuan Hua and Zhao Mu into the palace.
.
Yuan Hua and Zhao Mu did not comment too much on this. The cultural customs were different, and talking too much would only cause unnecessary conflicts. As for how Ashoka governed the country, that was someone else's business, and they did not need to comment too much.
The palace of the Maurya Dynasty is very gorgeous, no less than that of the Zhao Kingdom. The strong soldiers stand straight and guard the palace with bright eyes. The presence or absence of aura connects them into a whole. As long as there is
When one person is attacked, everyone will react immediately.
"The strength of this legion is definitely no less than that of Zhao Feiqi, but if we encounter it on the battlefield, Zhao Feiqi of our Zhao Kingdom will be better. After all, Zhao Feiqi is a cavalry." Yuan Hua made a judgment in his heart, he didn't want to
What you know is that the Peacock Corps are also cavalry, they just guard the palace, so they don't have horses.
"The executive officer is responsible for the transaction, not me. But there is no rush in this matter. Let's have a good rest first and play in the city for a few days before we talk about the transaction. Don't worry, our business in Fahrenheit City can't be compared.
You are Handan, but you will not be inferior in other aspects." Ashande said with a smile.
At the same time, in Tammoli Di City, Bai Ling reached a deal with the Roma family, exchanging silk and porcelain for a hundred shipwrights and a hundred blacksmiths, and also exchanged several people from another family who were good at raising elephants.
Breeder.
Bai Ling also invited several monks to the Kingdom of Zhao.
In addition, some animals and plants that were not available in Zhao or were difficult to see were purchased.
In short, as long as Zhao State does not have it, he will buy some back. As for whether it is useful, we will talk about it later.
Even if it's useless, you won't lose much.
In fact, buying shipwrights, blacksmiths, etc. is not the most important. These and the Maurya Dynasty officials can also buy them. Of course, the price paid will be relatively large, and the quantity will not be large.
What Bai Ling wants to do is to bundle interests and tightly bind the interests of these families to Zhao State through silk, porcelain, paper, tea and other unique commodities of Zhao State.
These goods can only be provided by the State of Zhao, and they are very profitable. As long as any family embraces the thigh of the State of Zhao, it is not a dream to become as rich as the enemy.
"Mr. Bai, when will your caravan come over next time?" After the banquet, the head of the Roma family asked.
"If everything goes well this time, we will soon arrange for the next batch of fleets to come over after we return to China," Bai Ling said.
"When the time comes, Mr. Bai must seek cooperation with us first, and our Roma family will give him the highest transaction price." The head of the Roma family said extremely attentively.
"Easy to say, easy to say." Bai Ling said with a smile.
The next day, Yuan Hua and Zhao Mu finally met Ashoka.
Contrary to what he imagined, King Asoka, although he was the king of a country, had no airs about him. He sat casually on the futon and talked with the two of them.
Ashoka knew a lot, whether it was state governance, business, military, cultivation, religion, etc. He was very proficient in it, and his insights were very unique, which could inspire people and cause them to think deeply.
During the conversation, Ashoka always had a kind smile on his face and was very approachable. He looked at Yuan Hua or Zhao Mu and nodded from time to time, which made people convinced.
If he hadn't known that the man in front of him was the king of the Mauryan Dynasty, Yuan Hua would have thought he was a erudite and talented scholar.
It was not until evening that Yuan Hua and Zhao Mu reluctantly left the palace.
"Ashoka is the most knowledgeable person I have ever met besides Brother Wang. When talking to him, you can hardly feel the passage of time. Half a day passes quickly, and you always gain a lot. Although Brother Wang is also very knowledgeable,
He is profound... but too unreasonable, and even I can't understand some of them. In comparison, it is more comfortable to talk to Ashoka. However... Ashoka's praise of Buddhism in his words makes me a little unhappy."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Zhao Mu has never believed in religion. He always feels that these people are stupid. They don’t try hard when they encounter difficulties and rely on themselves to solve problems, but they rely on Buddha to help them solve them.
As early as thousands of years ago, the people of the Central Plains only believed in themselves and did not believe in illusory things.
Although the Mohists used ghosts and gods to warn the world and make people feel awe, they never regarded ghosts and gods as beliefs and let people worship them.
Confucianism respects ghosts and gods and keeps them at a distance.
Ximen Bao Zhiye even sank a lot of wizards, goddesses and other things directly into the river to break the feudal superstition.
Zhao Mu, who grew up in this environment, could not understand Ashoka's actions at all.
And as far as he knew, not only Ashoka, but also Ashoka's father and Ashoka's grandfather all believed in religion in their later years, but they believed in Jainism.
Essentially, there is no difference.
There is a reason for using other religions to weaken Brahmanism, but Ashoka's belief in Buddhism is by no means false, and is even extremely pious. It is said that Ashoka's grandfather even died on a hunger strike because of the teachings of Jainism.
"With different soils, the fruits grown will naturally be different. But I still think our Central Plains is better." Yuan Hua said with a smile.
"That's natural. Our various schools of thought in Zhuxia are not comparable to their religions." Zhao Mu's face was full of pride.
The two stayed in Fahrenheit City for more than a month before setting sail back.
On the last day of the eighth year of the reign of King Zhao, the caravan returned to the State of Zhao, bringing a large amount of food, cotton, jade, and spices that the State of Zhao needed. More importantly, it opened a safe and stable road between the State of Zhao and the Mauryan Dynasty.
of business.
Soon, Zhao State organized a caravan again, but this time Yuan Hua and Zhao Mu did not need to go there in person.
The imperial court saw the benefits of maritime trade, and the policy began to favor fishing boats. Zhao Kuo once again allocated one billion in materials and money to build ships and develop technology, and built ports in Liaodong, West Liaoning and other places.
Zhao State also sold the eliminated ships to Zhao people at a reduced price for them to do business or fish. Zhao State's business cannot only rely on the court. If it wants to be truly prosperous, it must also allow private business to develop.
Spring has arrived, and the people of the Central Plains have survived the harsh winter, but they have not received the spring rain.
The soil on the ground has been dried into tiny grains of sand. As long as there is a little wind blowing, the sky is filled with dust. The fields are desolate without any green.
Only the riverbed is still slightly moist, and stubborn weeds emerge from the cracks in the riverbed soil. Before they can grow up, they are dug away by hungry people to satisfy their hunger.
The official governments of South Korea and Wei continued to issue disaster relief orders, but the two countries fought for two full years the year before and the year before last. There was another drought last year, and there was not much surplus food in the national treasury, which soon became unsustainable.
But this was not the worst news. Soon, worse news came.
In February, the State of Chu took advantage of the famine in Korea and Wei and sent troops to attack Nanjun, intending to recapture the remaining cities of Nanjun, as well as Nanyang, Shangyong, Shangyu and other places in one fell swoop.
In the palace, An Ning's belly bulged slightly, and Zhao Kuo gently put his ear against An Ning's belly.
"He seemed to be kicking you just now." Zhao Kuo said with a smile.
"Nonsense, I'm obviously kicking you. The little guy must have felt that you were looking at him, so he became unhappy." An Ning hugged Zhao Kuo's head, with a peaceful smile on her face.
"Hahaha, you dare to kick me. When he comes out, I will beat him up." Zhao Kuo laughed.
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister would like to see you." At this time, Liu Ping's voice came from the distance.
"I'll go take a look first." Zhao Kuo patted An Ning on the back.
"State affairs are important." An Ning leaned over and said.
"What's the matter?" Zhao Kuo came outside, and Wei Wuji was already waiting in the palace.
"Your Majesty, the envoys from Wei and South Korea are outside seeking to see you." Wei Wuji said.
"Come together?" Zhao Kuo raised his eyebrows.
"...Yes." Wei Wuji nodded.
"I'll go take a look." Zhao Kuo walked outside.
Soon, Zhao Kuo met the envoys from South Korea and Wei.
"The foreign minister pays homage to King Zhao." When the envoys from Wei and South Korea saw Zhao Kuo, they hurriedly bowed and saluted.
"Two envoys, please rise." Zhao Kuoxu helped him, "I wonder why the two envoys came to our country, Zhao?"
"Informing the King of Zhao, foreign ministers have come to ask for help. Since last year, drought has occurred in various parts of the Central Plains and has continued until this year. The drought has not improved, but has become more severe. In order to provide relief to the victims, the food in the treasury of Wei State has already been exhausted.
"Jing, even the king began to live frugally. However, Chu State ignored the righteousness and took advantage of the drought in our two countries, Wei and Han, to raise troops to attack our two countries. As the leader of the Three Jin Alliance, your Majesty must make the decision for our two countries." The envoy from Wei State said.
He leaned over and bowed, and said with runny nose and tears.
"It is not convenient for me to take care of this matter, but I heard that the drought in Chu State, Huaibei and other places is no worse than that of Wei State, but Chu State ignored the disaster, allowed its people to flee and even starve to death, and took the opportunity to attack Wei State. It is really unkind.
"Yi. I will send an envoy to blame the King of Chu and order him to withdraw his troops." Zhao Kuo said.
Zhao State has successively annexed a large amount of land from Yan State and Qin State in recent years, and is in urgent need of recuperation and internal stability. At this time, a war in the Central Plains is not a good thing for Zhao State.
Zhao Kuo's goal has never been the Central Plains. The Central Plains is just the starting point. To achieve his grand goal, he needs a population, a large number of people.
If by the time he unifies the Central Plains, the population in various places will be reduced by half, leaving only 10 to 20 million people, and it will take decades of recuperation before he can barely match the Mauryan Dynasty, then it will be a slap in the face.
He has always been trying to reduce wars, reduce casualties in wars, and preserve the vitality of the Central Plains. For example, in the war against Yan State, even though Zhao State's strength had already crushed Yan State, Zhao State still planned for several years.
In the end, the Yan Kingdom was destroyed with almost no casualties.
The only exception is the State of Qin. The State of Zhao originally did not want to fight with the State of Qin, but the State of Qin could not hold back and took the initiative to attack. If the State of Zhao did not defeat the State of Qin, it would inevitably affect its future layout and development.
According to Zhao Kuo's plan, apart from the war against the surrounding Hu people and the Rong and Di, there was only one internal war left, and that was the war of unification.
By then, the strength of Zhao State will definitely be superior to other countries. Even if the five countries unite, they will not be Zhao State's opponent.
Unfortunately, things did not develop as Zhao Kuo expected this time, and Chu State launched a war.
"I hope the King of Chu can understand the current situation and take the initiative to withdraw his troops." Zhao Kuo thought in his mind that if he was forced to send troops to support him, he would not be able to withdraw without the Chu State paying a price.
"Thank you, King Zhao. Thank you, King Zhao." The envoys from Wei and South Korea said gratefully.
They thought that this mission would be very difficult, so the two of them teamed up, hoping to gain more say. They didn't expect that King Zhao was so easy to talk to.
"We, the Three Jin Dynasties, are in the same spirit, I am also the leader of the alliance, the Wei people and the Koreans are also my subjects, the Chu State harms my people, how can I remain indifferent." Zhao Kuo said righteously.
"The foreign minister has another request." The Wei envoy leaned over and said.
"Say." Zhao Kuo said.
"Ask the State of Zhao to lend us food to the State of Wei for disaster relief." The envoy of the State of Wei knelt on the ground.
"Ask Zhao Guo to lend me food to provide disaster relief to South Korea." Upon seeing this, the South Korean envoy also knelt on the ground.
"Disaster relief is possible, but borrowing food is not necessary. I can directly send food to Wei and South Korea, but I have one request: disaster relief must be in the name of our country, Zhao." Zhao Kuo said in a deep voice.