Integrating monks into the political system is something Myanmar has to do.
Buddhism is the glue and common belief of all ethnic groups in Myanmar, so the monks have a special status.
Ordinary people may not trust the Burmese court composed of Han people, but they will definitely listen to the monks.
In addition to the political environment, it is also related to the shortcomings of the Burmese court's governance.
In the huge Myanmar, only a few provinces and plains near the Irrawaddy River were controlled by the central court. The remaining mountainous areas in the southwest and northwest were basically governed by aristocratic autonomy.
And even in the Irrawaddy Plain, with more than two million Burmese people and hundreds of counties, where can we get so many scholars among the counties?
Originally, there were not enough scholars in the central court.
In order to consolidate the rule, the use of warriors can only be a temporary choice, so absorbing monks into the dynasty is to use them to control the Burmese people.
According to rough estimates, there were nearly a thousand temples in Myanmar at this time, and the number of ordained monks alone exceeded 20,000.
What an exaggerated number this is?
There are only 500,000 to 600,000 young and strong men, and nearly one-thirtieth of them are monks.
Including their family members, nearly half of the Burmese people feel a sense of belonging to the temple.
In this way, after Sun Zhenghao got close to Theravada Buddhism, he immediately announced that he would make Buddhism the state religion of Myanmar, and would conduct large-scale revision of Buddhist scriptures and popularize them.
Now almost all of Myanmar is in a state of excitement.
To the west of Myanmar is the Kingdom of Bangladesh, and with the continuous guidance of Arab merchants, there are already many peaceful believers in the southwest region.
Six major sects of Buddhism came to Xinjing to meet the crown prince, and thousands of monks gathered. It was a prosperous event.
Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Di Meng commented: "Burmese Buddhism is divided into its own affairs. This is both an opportunity and a drawback for the court."
"Please give me a try!" Sun Zhenghao said seriously.
"We can follow the example of the Eastern Church of the Ming Dynasty, set up a Buddhist society, take control of various temples, and then resume the bhikkhu examination!"
The so-called monk examination is just a popular monk examination in Myanmar that is very similar to the imperial examination.
It is a grand event for the country to select talents in religion, politics, education and management.
The examination location was set at the pavilion built by King Burmese for alms. The examination content included grammar, Buddhist scriptures, and Tibetan scriptures.
Only monks who have passed the examination are real bhikkhus or bhikkhunis and can be ordained.
This is a huge event.
Among them, the outstanding ones will be included in the center and become the king's close ministers, thus participating in state affairs.
However, after the establishment of Sun Burma, it was immediately replaced by the imperial examination system, making it a talent channel for Burma. The bhikkhu examination existed in name only, and was just a ceremony for the monks to officially become a monk.
"A monk entering the court?" Sun Zhenghao shook his head hastily: "It's inappropriate, it's inappropriate."
"Di Xia, isn't the Buddhist Society their place?"
Di Meng chuckled and said: "Do we still want Jinshi to manage those monks and temples?"
"Teaching monks by monks is the kingly way."
The huge group of monks was both a help and a threat to the court.
So the best way is to make their already divided factions more chaotic, but there must be order in the chaos.
In this way, the Buddhist Society comes in handy.
The struggle is limited to a certain scope.
"good idea!"
As soon as the two initiatives of the Buddhist Association and the Bhikkhu Trial came out, it was like throwing bait into the water, causing the monks to compete more and more.
The prince sat firmly on Diaoyutai.
Such a series of moves immediately increased the prince's prestige.
Originally, the crown prince only had high prestige among the Han people, but now he is also highly recognized among monks and natives.
There are even rumors among the people that the prince is the reincarnation of the Buddha.
A wave of confidence arose in the hearts of many people: Maybe Sun's Burma can really last?
…
If Myanmar is undergoing foundation-laying work at this time, then for the Kingdom of Ceylon, this is a great stride forward.
Since the destruction of the Kingdom of Jaffna, the Kingdom of Ceylon has established its rule over the northern part of the island of Ceylon and established solid foreign trade relations with Portugal and the Netherlands.
Jidu Port Terminal, after more than a year of repairs, has been able to berth twenty cargo ships at the same time. In the entire Indian Ocean region, it is second only to Goa in Portugal and Colombo in the Netherlands.
Although there are only about a dozen ships coming and going every day, and most of them are stopping to replenish supplies, merchants have always adhered to the principle of not running out of ships, so they will still buy some things.
Such as Ceylon's ivory, gems, pearls, rice, and wine.
Drinking is not allowed in Hinduism, the Peace Sect, and even Buddhism. As a result, Ceylon is a place where alcohol is sold openly.
Fruit wine, rice wine, and rice wine are sold one after another, bringing in an income of tens of thousands of silver coins every year.
At this time, a ship arrived at the port with a flag that puzzled the workers, but in order to make money, they still swarmed aboard.
On the deck, a big man with a round face walked out with narrowed eyes. When he saw dozens of people squeezing up, he couldn't help but sigh:
"Is this an overseas vassal state?"
As a Han Chinese, Guo Heng went around Batavia and sold out all the goods.
While drinking in the tavern, I heard that there was another country called Ceylon overseas. It was said to be a country founded by the descendants of Emperor Jianwen overseas. He always wore Han robes and spoke in Chinese.
This also made him interested.
First, although it is just to find out the truth, after all, except for vassal states, there are no countries established by the Han people overseas.
Secondly, Emperor Jianwen was a taboo in the Ming Dynasty. Even in the Shaowu New Dynasty, few dared to overturn the verdict.
If it is true, if you report it to the court, you might even be rewarded!
Thirdly, as an emerging country, there is naturally huge trade. If you really find something good, you can make a fortune.
Batavia is closer to Ceylon than expected.
He first passed through Malacca and then came to Myanmar.
Myanmar's Xinjing is prosperous and rich in products. There are only a few jade, gems, linen, etc., but the largest amount is rice.
But he didn’t accept it!
Then westward, across Bengal, to the east coast of India, and then southward to Ceylon.
As the wind was smooth and the waves were not big, it went smoothly.
However, this pier disappointed him.
Not to mention compared with Batavia, even Myanmar is much stronger than it.
Just as he was thinking, an official wearing a thin Chinese shirt stepped onto the deck. When he saw Guo Heng, his mouth almost burst into tears, and his eyes were watery:
"Are you from the Ming Dynasty?"
"Exactly!" Guo Heng was stunned: "You speak Mandarin smoothly!"
"Hahaha, this is natural!"
Chu Ke smiled and cried: "I was born in the Ming Dynasty, but I was robbed when I went to sea. I went through all kinds of hardships to get to Ceylon and survive!"
Guo Heng asked hurriedly: "Brother, where are you from?"
"Quanzhou, Fujian."
"Unfortunately, I am from Guangzhou."
Guo Heng sighed, and then said carelessly: "I wonder if you have any specialties in Ceylon that you can resell to me?"
"Ivory, pearls, furs, wine, and spices, that's all." Chu Ke was honest:
"If you go to Daming, I suggest you buy ivory, rhinoceros horns, etc., and of course, peacock feathers are also suitable!"
"There are also some expensive woods, such as sandalwood. Do you want honey? I have a lot of these in Ceylon..."
These words surprised Guo Heng.
He originally thought that this trip would be fruitless, but he never thought that he would actually gain something.
"Do you want grain, jade, and linen?"
"Yes!" Chu Ke's eyes lit up: "As long as the price is right, you can get as much linen as you want. There is such a shortage of cloth here that we can't even make official uniforms."
When he said this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly, and he had no taboo about any family scandal that should not be made public.
At this time, Ceylon fully imitated the Ming Dynasty, or rather imitated the Ming Dynasty.
The goods exported by the Ming Dynasty were porcelain, lacquerware, silk, and tea, and they tried their best to imitate them.
The porcelain was barely burnt, but exporting to India was no problem. Tea had just been planted, but silk had no veins.
Because this thing does not just require mulberry trees, but also silkworms, and they are native silkworms that have been continuously cultivated in China for thousands of years.
Different types of mulberry trees and silkworm species will naturally be very different.
Therefore, official robes in Ceylon are also made of breathable linen, forget about silk.
The two got off the boat, walked around the pier, and then came to the Yamen.
"Ceylon has four capitals, Jidu Prefecture is the capital, and I am the magistrate of Yueya Bay, Jidu City!"
Chu Ke smiled bitterly and said: "After knowing that you are Han, I came to meet you in person. You are the first Han merchant in Ceylon."
"Silk?" Guo Heng said casually: "I can buy you some, but silkworm breeding is troublesome. If you come by sea, you will die 90% of the time."
"When we get to Ceylon, we may not be able to survive. This is for Canniang..."
"You, you'd better give up on this idea as soon as possible!"
For some reason, when facing the officials of this vassal state, he naturally had a feeling of superiority, so much so that even the magistrates of the district did not take him seriously.
Maybe this is the vanity given by the heaven!
"What about tea leaves?" Chu Ke said solemnly: "Since silk is not good, then tea seeds can be good?"
"It's nothing!" Guo Heng said seriously: "Tea is very strange. The tea grown in different places tastes different."
"It's just that the people who drink tea are Japan, North Korea, and Ceylon. If they grow tea, who will they sell it to?"
"You don't have to worry about this, we still have a way out."
In this way, the two started chatting about the payment of goods.
It turns out that in Ceylon, due to insufficient national supplies, a large number of specialty products were in the hands of the court, and merchants basically did their business with the court.
In particular, the monopoly of timber, pearls, ivory, gemstones, and wine is a big source of money, so naturally they are reluctant to let private individuals get their hands on it.
They all have to be subsidized for state use.
Ceylon ate the linen and some grain, and then exported some ivory, feathers, gems, etc., earning a net profit of two thousand yuan.
At this moment, smiles appeared on their faces and could not be dissipated.
At this time, Guo Heng also had time to wander around Jidu City.
Although it is a bit narrow and dilapidated, Mingfeng has been well maintained, giving it a natural sense of intimacy.
In the evening, Chu Ke came directly over and said anxiously: "His Royal Highness wants to meet you!"
King of Ceylon?
Guo Heng's heart was shocked, and then he nodded wildly: "I'm going to take a bath..."
At night, he finally saw the King of Ceylon.
A relatively narrow palace, with an area of only twenty or thirty acres, three or five palaces, and no more than a hundred servants, does not look like a king, but looks like a big landowner.
But he didn't dare to go beyond the rules at all.
Because the man in front of me is wearing the dragon robe of the Ming Dynasty, and no one but the king can wear it.
The silk embroidery on it is not available to the public at all. It can only be obtained by the textile bureaus in Hangzhou and Suzhou who embroidered it themselves.
Take North Korea as an example. Even after hundreds of years of imitation, it is still not as outstanding as the Ming Dynasty and can only accept rewards.
"Guo Heng, a common man, comes to meet His Highness!"
"Pingsheng!" The King of Ceylon was very gentle. He said with a smile: "You are the first Han merchant to arrive in Ceylon since the founding of the country."
"What's the matter, how is the Ming Dynasty today?"
Hearing this, Guo Heng was stunned. He was so kind. Didn't he say he was a descendant of Jianwen?
"Your Highness, the Ming Dynasty is now becoming more and more powerful. To the north, the army marched out of the fortress, destroyed the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and completely recovered the Qing Dynasty.
Beihai is where Su Wu used to herd sheep..."
"In the northwest, in Anxi Province, the imperial court asked the King of Liao to establish a vassal state in Bukhara and took away a lot of people..."
He talked at length for a full two-quarters of an hour, and the King of Ceylon in front of him listened with great interest.
This couldn't help but make Guo Heng ashamed.
Because there is nothing left in his belly, it is impossible to say that some parents are short-lived, right?
"The Qing family left Guangzhou, went to Luzon, Batavia, Myanmar, and then to Ceylon!"
Zhu Ci's eyes were full of gentleness: "I'm afraid it's been a hard journey!"
"Don't work hard, support your family, that's what you should do." Guo Hengpei said with a smile: "When I arrived in Ceylon, I made a lot of business, and I have to take care of it..."
Zhu Ci smiled slightly, paused for a moment, and then slowly said: "I wonder how your Majesty is doing now?"
"Your Majesty is physically strong. He has as many concubines as he wants in his harem, including Mongolian Tatars, Western barbarian women, and now there are Koreans and Japanese who are not afraid of meat and vegetables."
"There are more than thirty princes, and everyone is discussing how there are so many vassal kings in the world..."
"This world is so vast, there must be a place for it." Zhu Ci said from the bottom of his heart.
Soon, he revealed his true purpose: "I must have tea trees, but what I want most now are silkworms and mulberry trees."
"Your Highness, aren't you making things difficult for me?"
Guo Hengze smiled bitterly.
"You and I are mutually beneficial." Zhu Ci said softly: "If you bring a mulberry tree, I will give you one tael of gold, and a silkworm will also be one tael of gold!"
"If it exceeds a hundred, I will grant you a title, which will be hereditary and will not be replaced!"
"Even the duke and prince have hope!"
"As long as you can do it!"
Hearing this, Guo Heng breathed heavily.
Although it is a foreign vassal state, it cannot resist this title!
In Ming Dynasty, even if he struggled for three lifetimes, he might not be able to win.
"Craftsman, woman, as long as you can get many Han people to come over, I won't be stingy with rewards, even books!"