Chapter 14: 'The Story of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty'
When he saw the name Qu Wentai, Chen Zhi thought that this matter was actually very clear.
Qu Wentai was a king during the Tang Dynasty who ruled a small country called Gaochang.
Gaochang State is a Buddhist country established by the Uighurs in the Western Regions. It is located in Harahezhuo, southeast of Gaochang District, Turpan City, Xinjiang. Although this small country is remote, it is a battleground for military strategists in ancient times and is also the center of the entire Silk Road.
transportation hub.
It is located along the North Road at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains and is a hub for east-west traffic.
According to historical records, silk fabrics from the Tang Dynasty could be sold at very high prices in the West at that time, and many people made a fortune. Therefore, there were many merchants traveling along the Silk Road.
At that time, all merchants had to pay a lot of taxes to this small country in the Western Regions. Therefore, the King of Gaochang at that time was very wealthy, but at the same time, he became the reason for the prying eyes of both Turks and Tang Dynasty people.
It was in this country that Xuanzang received a huge amount of funding, and then successfully passed the checkpoints in various countries, large and small, and then embarked on a new journey, finally reaching India.
It can be said that it was precisely because of Qu Wentai's support that Xuanzang's dream of traveling to the West was finally realized. Without the support of this little king of the Western Regions, there would have been no subsequent Buddhist events.
When things got to this point, Chen Zhi was in no hurry to tell Danxuan.
Just like Danxuan once said, what he wants now is the real facts, not some unwarranted guesses and inferences.
After that, Chen Zhi asked Pang Wei to go shopping and get a more authentic Chronicle of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty.
Although this book is now everywhere on the market, it has gone through so many dynasty changes and has had many versions. Some versions were inevitably revised and repaired due to political reasons at the time, and the past cannot be seen anymore.
The face.
The book that Fat Wei went to find was a unique copy of the Tang Dynasty seal passed down from the Song Dynasty. It was said to have been dug out from the grave of a foreign prince. It was the original rubbing copy, all in common regular script.
Written, its content should be the most widely circulated "Datang Western Regions" at that time.
The identification of ancient characters was no longer a problem for Chen Zhi at this time. Chen Zhi flipped through the book and was immediately shocked by the rich content inside.
Although he had often heard people praising the legend of this book before, this was the first time he had read it so carefully.
And now, Chen Zhi has to sincerely praise it. This is truly a masterpiece and a record of all things.
"Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" consists of 12 volumes and was written by Xuanzang under the orders of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. According to legend, it was narrated by Xuanzang and written by Bian Ji.
The book comprehensively narrates what Xuanzang saw and heard during his journey to the west from the first year of Zhenguan to the nineteenth year of Zhenguan. It records the general situation of 110 28 city-states, regions, and countries that Xuanzang experienced personally and heard rumors about, including territory, climate,
Mountains and rivers, customs, customs, language, religion, Buddhist temples and a large number of historical legends, myths and stories, etc.
Even the industrial, agricultural, and economic development of each region are recorded in detail.
Its breadth of content and breadth of fields are admirable. It can be said to be the earliest encyclopedia of the Western Regions.
It can be seen from these words that Xuanzang was indeed a monk who devoted himself to Buddhism. His pursuit of Buddhism even made him obsessed.
In history, the real Xuanzang was not the Tang monk who could only ride a white horse in the TV series. When he went to the Western world to learn Buddhist scriptures, there was no grand farewell ceremony by the court at that time.
Xuanzang's common surname was Chen, his given name was Yong, and he was a native of Fengshi County, Luozhou.
Xuanzang was born in a Confucian family and ranked third. Because it was the transition between the Sui and Tang Dynasties and wars were frequent, he entered the Pure Land Temple in Luoyang and became a monk at the age of thirteen.
Later, Xuanzang moved to Chengdu, Sichuan and other places to study. At this time, he had emerged and was known as a thousand-mile horse in the Buddhist world.
During Xuanzang's study of Buddhist scriptures, he had extensive exposure to various schools of thought and was deeply aware that there were many questions. Many scriptures were incomplete and inconsistent, and he suspected that the original translation of the scriptures was incorrect.
Therefore, he vowed to go to Tianzhu, the birthplace of Buddhism, to search for different versions and authentic Buddhist scriptures for reference.
In the first year of Zhenguan, that is, 627 AD, the 26-year-old Xuanzang was determined to travel westward. He first submitted an exit application to the Tang government, but was not approved.
The imperial court at that time did not support his journey to the west, but this did not stop him from determined to seek Buddhist scriptures. After a period of preparation, he decided to travel secretly.
In August of the second year of Zhenguan, a large-scale famine broke out. Xuanzang fled Chang'an among the refugees and began his journey westward.
But soon, the imperial court issued a wanted order for Xuanzang on the charge of smuggling out of the country, and ordered the counties along the way to arrest him and not allow him to travel westward.
More than a month later, Xuanzang still arrived in Liangzhou secretly. He avoided Yumen Pass, crossed the river secretly, and then set foot on the endless desert leading to the Western Regions.
For a monk without a customs clearance certificate, one can imagine the difficulties and dangers ahead in the vast desert...
From Xuanzang's later description, we can see the difficulty of his walking at that time.
The wind and sand were all over the place, there was not a trace of human beings in the desert wasteland, and the scorching sun was in the sky, making people sweat like rain. But at this time, he was carrying a water bag for his livelihood, but he accidentally lost it.
Xuanzang was helpless at this time. He had spent five days and five nights in the desert without water or rice. Now in the darkness of the desert, he saw the lights of demons and ghosts lighting up the desert, and then he fell into a coma.
However, when he woke up, he found that he had miraculously emerged from the desert, and then entered the Gaochang Kingdom.
Later, with the help of the whole country from the king of Gaochang Kingdom, Xuanzang finally succeeded in his journey to the west, which also confirmed the unshakable status of Buddhism in the Central Plains.
But this record aroused Chen Zhi's suspicion.
Everyone knows that the human body has limits.
After five days and five nights without water or rice, the person's physiological system is basically destroyed, and it is impossible for him to walk out of the desert in a coma unless he receives help from someone.
The subsequent description of the Xichang Kingdom further proves that Qu Wentai has a close relationship with Xuanzang...