The moats and trenches were filled with many new corpses, and the ladders erected kept falling.
The rain of arrows on the top of the city became sparse, but it continued. Soldiers in armor kept appearing on the top of the city. One layer was knocked down by arrows and stone bullets, and another layer surged up, mixing the logs and stones.
The juices of feces and urine kept pouring out.
The rebels who finally climbed up the city wall were surrounded by armored soldiers. Their swords and guns were very unfamiliar, and their fighting was unorganized. They just relied on their bravery to bite them tightly, and their limbs were chopped and smashed.
Don't let go of your head.
The rebels who climbed onto the city wall fell into the muddy water, and they became fewer and fewer. The muddy water was boundless and far-reaching.
The speed of the rebels charging under the city wall was getting slower and slower, and it took a lot of energy for them to climb over the dead bodies and wounded.
Morale has been exhausted, and the pale-faced deputy general looked at this scene. These are his generals, and they cannot all be lost here... We must lose them all together.
The lieutenant closed his eyes and murmured a few times, then opened his eyes again: "Retreat."
The trumpet sounded, and the rebels outside Jiangling Mansion retreated. This time, there were more corpses and injured people left behind. Not because they were afraid of the rain of arrows that would be shot from the city wall, they had no intention of taking them away.
The sound of the fighting dissipated, and the setting sun covered the city, making the bloody scene even more tragic.
The rebel soldiers retreated, and another victory in defending the city was achieved, but there was no joy of victory.
The streets were littered with dead bodies of injured people, and the sounds of crying and moaning could be heard everywhere. The surviving people looked sad but kept walking. Some were treating the wounded, some were collecting the dead bodies, and some were carrying buckets of rice and incense oil.
of meat.
Regardless of whether they were rich or poor, everyone in the city took out all the rice, grain and meat from their homes. Not only did they take out rice, they also took out people and houses.
People kept coming, old and young. They took off the armor from the dead and put it on, picked up the scattered weapons, held them in their hands, and lined up under the city gate.
There was a crashing sound in the city. It was the houses being pushed, and the bricks, stones and wood being sorted and put in frames and carts pushed to the city wall and piled up.
Dozens of large pots with boiling water were burning on the street, and old people and children carried various buckets to put the dirt aside.
Everyone did not rest, preparing for the next defense of the city.
There are also monks among these people.
The monks from Dajue Temple in the city all came out, but after listening to Master Mu's chanting, Huiming from Dajue Temple said that Master Youmu alone could defeat ten thousand monks, and they did not sit behind him and chant together.
Other things, demolishing houses, boiling water, collecting feces and urine...
In fact, it is okay if they sit behind Monk Mu and chant sutras, Monk Mu will not drive them away.
In the peaceful and prosperous times, the magistrate knew very well how these monks lived like gods. They enjoyed countless offerings of incense and were even more pampered than the ladies in the household. They never touched the spring water with their fingers.
It seems that Monk Mu's sermons also convinced these monks, and they followed the Buddha's call to join this hell on earth and do these hard and dirty things.
The magistrate looked under the city gate, where bloodstains were all over the mess in the setting sun. Monk Mu was sitting on the ground. The monk's robe on his body was the same as his face. It seemed that it had been stained with dust, but it was no longer dirty.
There is a deep and distant sound of chanting in my ears, falling into the world with the afterglow of the setting sun.
This scripture talks about the suffering of all sentient beings in the world. Suffering at this moment, there is no end to the suffering, but the steps will not stop and the practice will not stop until the lotus blossoms bloom under your feet. The white lotus will lift you out of the suffering.
Thinking about that beautiful scene, thinking that since everyone is destined to live such a hard life, everything now seems not so painful.
After the magistrate and his generals listened, they felt exhausted physically and mentally, and had enough strength to deal with the next rebel attack on the city.
"Master Mu, please have something to eat." The prefect walked over and whispered, looking at the earthen jar placed next to Master Mu, which contained only clear water.
Monk Mu shook his head and said no.
Ever since the rebels besieged the city, Monk Mu had been sitting under the city gate. In addition to treating and comforting the wounded and dead, he was chanting sutras, either standing or sitting upright. The sound of chanting never stopped day and night, echoing in everyone's ears.
He doesn't eat rice and only drinks water. How could he do this if he wasn't a real god?
The prefects and generals were filled with admiration and gratitude. In times of chaos and collapse, the people had no expectations and abandoned their faith. But if there was a truly convincing master, the people would trust him so much that they would sacrifice their lives to believe.
The prefect believes that with Monk Mu here, even if there is only one person left in Jiangling Mansion, he will defend the city calmly and resolutely.
When facing life and death, calmness is more rare than courage.
The prefect does not want to be able to defend the city indefinitely, but three months is enough. Even if reinforcements from Southeast Huainan cannot be waited for three months, the rebels will still be driven away.
"Master Mu." The magistrate saluted sincerely, "Thank you for your hard work."
The generals also followed suit and saluted, turning the people in the city into brave soldiers. This was something they could not imagine and could not do. The wooden monk did it by chanting sutras. Is this the legendary saying of spreading beans and forming an army?
Monk Mu nodded to them in return, then raised his head to look at the sky. The afterglow of the sunset had dispersed, and night was covering the earth.
"There will be strong winds tonight," he said.
The prefect was surprised and asked quickly: "Is it beneficial to us or to others?"
Monk Mu said: "It will benefit us."
The prefect breathed a sigh of relief, and the generals also looked happy.
"Go and get ready."
"Then if there is an attack on the city tonight, we can use fire."
"Quick, let everyone prepare more wood and kerosene."
Everyone discussed and started getting busy immediately, and did not forget to bow to Monk Mu again when they left. At midnight, some rebels wanted to take advantage of their fatigue to attack at night. Just when the fighting started, the originally calm summer night suddenly turned violent.
Immediately countless rockets flew out of the city walls of Jiangling Mansion, and the catapults no longer threw stone bullets, but wood wrapped in oilcloth.
The kerosene that had been spread in the trenches in advance rose up, and a fierce fire broke out outside the moat of Jiangling Mansion, swallowing up the rushing rebels. The rebels retreated one after another, and the strong wind whipped up the fire and licked their hair under the armor.
Their clothes, skin and flesh turned them into fireballs and rockets, spreading to all directions...
Tonight's battle was fought without any effort. The prefect generals standing on the city wall laughed heartily. Looking back at the city, the people preparing for war under the city gate took turns to line up, demolish houses, boil water... In the night
The street is brightly lit, and the figure of the wooden monk sitting alone is somewhat quiet among them.
A low chanting sound came from the wind. This time it was not a story, but a song. It was about spring flowers, summer rain, distant hometown and beautiful girls.
In this bloody late night with fireworks after the war, it is particularly intoxicating.
Magistrate Hu sighed: "Master Mu knows astronomy and geography, and can tell the wind and rain, and now he has started singing. We can have a good sleep tonight."
The wind blew all night and I had a good sleep. But after dawn, the wind stopped and the sky became gloomy.
The magistrate stood under the city gate and looked up at the sky: "It looks like it's going to rain." He then told the people around him, "Hurry up and hold an umbrella for the master."
The followers around him immediately wanted to obey, but Monk Mu stopped them.
"No need." He said, standing up and holding a wooden stick in his hand, looking up at the sky.
The prefect looked at the young monk and seemed to see his face clearly for the first time. His face had sharp edges and corners, and when he raised his head, he could see his beautiful jawline...
"Master." The magistrate shook off the cluttered thoughts, "How is the weather?"
The wooden monk raised his wooden staff, and at the same time, a bright light flashed in the dark sky, and with a bang, the sky seemed to be split.
The ground shook and people on the street screamed.
What a big thunder!
The prefect's heart beat rapidly, his ears were buzzing, and his soul was shaken unsteadily.
"Master, what does this thunder mean?" He couldn't help but ask.
Monk Mu withdrew his gaze and looked around. People all around him also rushed over and gathered around him, waiting for his verdict.
"It's a big disaster," he said, "Jiangling Mansion can no longer defend it."
My day! The seven souls and six souls of the magistrate came out of the body. Master, are you a god or a demon?
What is most needed before a life-or-death battle is to strengthen confidence and avoid panic. Jiangling Mansion can successfully defend the city for more than ten days because of this.
The prefect always believed that this was what Monk Mu wanted to do.
Monk Mu told the people that the world is suffering, but as long as they persevere, they will surely achieve bliss. He comforted and encouraged the people to sacrifice their lives and devote themselves to the battle to defend the city, because as long as they do this, they will eventually escape from pain and win.
But what's going on now? How can he tell the murderer in public? This will scare everyone. The copper and iron walls built with words can be broken with one blow.
Even if it's really serious, you can't say it in public.
People around him were stunned and seemed to have no reaction.
The prefect looked at Monk Mu, who was covered with a layer of dust again. Perhaps, the master had another secret? For example...
"Master Mu," the prefect asked in a trembling voice, "Can this evil be solved? What should we do?"
He asked if it could be solved, and the master would say that as long as everyone works together without complaining or regretting, lotus flowers will bloom in the Shura Land, suffering will be transcended, worries will disappear, and all living beings will be liberated.
Then everyone will continue to move forward step by step holding the misery in hand, without fear of life or death, and without fear of danger.
Expressing suffering can sometimes arouse everyone's ambition.
Monk Mu looked at the magistrate and shook his head without any hesitation: "It's incomprehensible. All we can do now is open the city gate and surrender. I'll go see the rebels. Maybe I can persuade them to do less killing..."
The magistrate was dumbfounded, his ears were buzzing, and he could no longer hear the immortal words and Zen sounds. In an instant, the lotus flowers under his feet were shattered and he returned to the human world.
"He is a spy!" shouted the prefect, pointing at Monk Mu, "Catch him!"
The generals who came to their senses rushed forward, and at the same time, the people on the street also came to their senses and screamed.
Some people fainted, some fell to their knees, some ran away, and some cried.
The queues waiting for the battle broke up, boiling pots were knocked over, boiling water mixed with the dirt of wooden barrels flowed across the street, and the stench filled the sky.
The city under the cover of dark clouds was filled with howling ghosts and howling like hell.
"Don't be afraid! This is fake! This is the evil monk's words to deceive the public!"
"It's just thunder! Look, the dark clouds have dispersed."
The magistrate and his generals rushed around the city to proclaim comfort, but it was so feeble. People who were regarded as gods and Buddhas one moment ago turned into monsters and devils in the blink of an eye. Who can accept it? Especially at this time.
"Master Mu has clearly blessed us with the sound of Buddha, so why is he a demon?"
"That's because he is trying to win over people's hearts!"
"He tricked us into defending the city."
"That's an illusion. He's gaining our trust, and that's just for today!"
"Is it true that the city of Jiangling cannot be defended?"
"Don't listen to monsters and monsters! It's just because he saw that our Jiangling Mansion is invincible that he confuses the public with his monster words!"
Desperate and confused questions, helpless forced explanations, Jiangling Prefecture officials tried their best to stabilize the people, but after all, things were different...
"Are there any rebels coming to attack the city again?"
The prefect and the general dragged their tired bodies up the city wall, asked in hoarse voices, and looked outside the city.
There seemed to be dark shadows moving between the dark sky and earth, but there seemed to be no shadows.
"Sir, this time is different." The deputy general of the guard said tremblingly.
There was no difference, they were all rebels, more or less the same, the prefect looked blank.
"The sentry said, yes, Chengqing is here." The deputy general said in a dry voice.
...
...
The long ax was swung, and three heads fell to the ground.
Chengqing raised his foot and stepped on the blood, then looked back at the densely packed soldiers and horses behind him. The soldiers and horses looked frightened.
"Trash." Chengqing scolded, "If you can't even take down the small Jiangling Mansion, what use does the Governor want from you!"
The soldiers and horses bowed their heads. Chengqing pointed to the three lieutenants who stood up and asked them to pick up the flag of the beheaded lieutenant.
"Their soldiers and horses belong to you, and their wealth and women also belong to you." Cheng Qing said.
The three newly promoted lieutenants couldn't hide their joy and thanked them loudly.
Chengqing pointed to the city far ahead and said to the soldiers: "The gold, silver, treasure and women in that city are all yours."
The soldiers and horses roared in unison, and even the horses underneath them were restless.
"But you have to remember." Chengqing pointed to the three corpses on the ground and said coldly, "Everything you have now will become someone else's."
The lieutenants and soldiers were silent.
Chengqing's long ax made a harsh sound as it dragged on the ground.
"In this world and world now, for us, there are only two pursuits in life, enjoyment or death, and only two things to do, kill or be killed."
He stopped and looked at the soldiers.
"Let me tell you, what kind of life do you want to live and what kind of things do you want to do?"
The soldiers and horses raised their weapons and roared to the sky.
"kill!"
"kill!"
A smile appeared on Chengqing's pale face. He pointed his long ax at Jiangling Mansion: "I don't want to see Jiangling Mansion with any living people."
The lieutenants and horses roared together and mounted their horses. The eager horses slammed their hooves onto the ground, causing vibrations and rumbles that spread across the ground like thunder.
...
...
Compared to the chaos in the city, the prison cell of the government office was the cleanest place. The prefect dragged his tired body in and looked at the wooden monk sitting in the cell.
"Are you Chengqing's internal agent?" the prefect asked.
Monk Mu raised his head: "Of course I am not."
The light in the cell was dim, but the prefect didn't feel that he couldn't see Monk Mu's face clearly. It was no different from outside. Even though he was frightened by Monk Mu's words just now, when he answered, the prefect still felt that what he said was the truth.
"Master, since you are not Chengqing's internal agent or a rebel spy, why do you do this?" The prefect sat down and asked helplessly and anxiously, "You want to destroy Jiangling Mansion and kill everyone.
Master, you have obviously been working hard to save us."
Monk Mu said: "I have always been trying to save people."
The magistrate half stood up and took Monk Mu's arm: "Master, then follow me now and tell everyone that we can definitely defend the city as long as we work together, just like we did before."
Monk Mu sat motionless: "Doing this now will not save anyone, it will only kill everyone. This city cannot be defended."
The prefect was furious: "If you can't keep it, won't you keep it? If you can't do something, won't you do it? If you can't live, you have to wait for death? Is this what the Buddha taught you?"
Monk Mu looked at him with a calm expression: "What the Buddha taught me is to transcend life, death and suffering, cut off all worries, and obtain ultimate liberation. Try your best to live while you can. If you cannot transcend life and death, then accept it calmly. That's it.
Only then can you gain eternal life.”
The magistrate threw up his sleeves and said angrily: "Fuck your mother's eternal life, I just want everyone to live now."
Monk Mu was not angry and said: "If you want everyone to survive, you must open the city gate and surrender as I said."
He looked at the prefect with his wise eyes.
"Sir, you know very well whether this city can be defended now."
The prefect smiled miserably: "It's Chengqing who is coming. Chengqing will definitely massacre the city. If we surrender, we will die. If we don't surrender, we will die. Since we are all dead, why don't we fight to the death?"
"Because it is meaningless." Monk Mu said, "In the chaotic times, fierce generals like Chengqing, after accompanying Ankang Mountain in the rebellion, unleashed the most animalistic side of human nature and turned into vicious dogs of hell.
, they have no humanity
, has no etiquette, justice and shame, and puts all his energy into biting, and ravaging and devouring other people's flesh and blood, which also provides him with a steady stream of energy. Now is the time when they are at their strongest, and your resistance is useless in front of them.
"
The prefect looked a little confused: "Then we can only watch them commit crimes and there is nothing we can do?"
"The weather has not yet arrived." Monk Mu said, "Just like wild grass growing wildly, spring is born and summer is prosperous, but autumn and winter cannot escape. Just as there are good years, there will be disasters. Just like one year is followed by another, the sun rises.
The sun sets, the stars change, the seasons change, everything is determined.”
Everything is destined, so those rebels should not die now, but they can only die? This is God's will and destiny. The prefect was a little tired and weak: "I can only die."
Monk Mu withdrew his arm from his hand and picked up the wooden staff: "So now stop resisting and open the city gate. Let me go and talk to them. Maybe I can convince them..."
The prefect's eyes were filled with hope: "Can you convince them to put down their butcher's knives and become Buddhas immediately?"
Monk Mu shook his head and extinguished hope: "Of course not."
The magistrate sat back slumped: "Then what are you going to talk about?"
"I can't persuade them to put down their butcher's knives, but maybe I can make them kill less people and save some people, a dozen or a few people." Monk Mu stood up, "Even if it's just one person, it's still a life saved."