Chapter 243: The Dragon Crossing the River Meets the Han of Shezhou

If the name is not correct, the words will not go well, and if the words are not good, then things will not happen.

It would be extremely difficult for Cao Jie and his group of newcomers to cause trouble in Shezhou.

The joint defense and mutual protection of local forces is no joke.

No matter which state or county, local tyrants are xenophobic.

But since we have a strategic partnership with Baoguang Temple, we have a reason to do things.

Although Buddhism suffered a setback in Jiangnan and could not even protect the temples in various places, a rotten boat still has three pounds of nails. Buddhism was able to spread its teachings not only by talking, but also by having monk soldiers who could fight and kill.

A monk in peacetime and a soldier in wartime!
Since ancient times, Buddhists have not paid taxes, performed military service, or performed corvee labor. Large temples can occupy a mountain, and there are many fertile fields at the foot of the mountain, all of which become the temple's assets.

He is not as rich as a country, but he is definitely rich as hell.

The poor are good at literature, but the rich are good at martial arts. This is an old saying, and it is also a truth.

There are monk soldiers in the Shaolin Temple in Songshan, the Manjusri Temple in Wutai Mountain, the Pudu Temple in Jiangnan, the Jingying Temple in Chang'an, and the Tiantai Temple in Jiuhua.

Moreover, the surrounding people were also willing to support the monk soldiers, because compared with the incense money donated to the temple, the heavy taxes levied by the court would cause their families to be ruined.

Cao Jie and Elder Yuan Chen chatted for a day and reached a preliminary consensus.

They will operate in Shezhou under the name of Qingzhou Baozhu Temple.

Why did Baozhu Temple come to Shezhou? It was to exchange Buddhist teachings with Baoguang Temple.

Baozhu and Baoguang sound like brother temples.

It's normal to walk around when you see the beautiful scenery of Shezhou!
If you see heretics bullying monks, it is normal to teach them a lesson!

The Shenxiao Sect has the imperial court as its backer, so you can't afford to offend them. But the Manichaeans are just a bunch of peasants, so how can you bully them?
Elder Yuan Chen was also at a loss.

He supported Deng Yuanjue and allowed him to indulge in wine and meat and break his vows, but he could only rely on his military force to protect the temple. To expand the territory by relying on "Baoguang Tathagata" alone would be courting death.

Now a group of dragons have come from across the river. If we are still restrained, we might as well pack up our luggage and go back to Jiuhua Mountain to be a turtle.

As Manichaeism becomes more powerful, there will be no room for Buddhism.

This is no ordinary war, this is a war of faith.

Elder Yuan Chen is ready to have a serious fight with Manichaeism. At worst, he can just go back to Mount Jiuhua!
As for Cao Jie, he hooked up with the Buddhist sect in Jiangnan and planted a flag next to Fang La. This was to plan for the future and to intercept those heroes from Fang La.

"Brother Yuanjue, are there any delicious wines and delicacies in Shezhou?" As for the wine and meat lover, Cao Jie naturally started with his hobbies.

Deng Yuanjue licked his lips and counted on his fingers, saying, "You've asked the right person. Stinky mandarin fish, hairy tofu, steamed chicken and smoked duck, stewed turtle with ham, steamed stone chicken... and a jar of Jia wine... Wow, I'm as happy as a god."

"Fake wine?"

“It’s home-brewed rice wine.”

"Oh!" Cao Jie nodded and said, "Let's go. I won't go home until I'm drunk today."

Cao Jie was generous in his actions.

After three rounds of drinking, Cao Jie sighed slightly when he saw the two fat monks competing in drinking.

"Why are you sighing, brother?" Liu Tang asked.

"Shezhou is a beautiful place. It's great to meet Brother Yuanjue. But I heard from the elders that the vegetable-eating demon has occupied most of Shezhou and gathered many heroes from Shezhou. I don't know how many of them I can meet."

"Brother, you should make friends with good people. Why not ask brother Yuanjue?" "Hiccup!"

Deng Yuanjue said in a muffled voice: "I also met a few heroes before, but I haven't been in touch with them recently."

"How many?"

"There is Pang Wanchun, nicknamed Little Yang Youji, who can shoot arrows without missing a target. There is a blacksmith in the mountains, Du Wei, who can make weapons and can use six flying knives. There is Wang Yin, who was born as a stonemason in the mountains and is used to using a steel spear. This spear is elusive and unstoppable. That's fine, but he is quite knowledgeable in literature and is proficient in strategy..."

"Since they are good guys, why don't we keep in touch? How about this! I will be the host, and I will invite them to come and have a drink, and also introduce them to me."

"I don't know if he is still at home... Alas!" Deng Yuanjue sighed, "This Shezhou is a poor and remote place. If I don't go out, I can't survive. It's only because the elders want me to stay, otherwise I would have left too."

The Records of Huizhou Prefecture states: Huizhou is surrounded by mountains and valleys, and the land is barren and poor, with very little production. Most people cannot even support one tenth of their income in a year. Most of the common people are skilled in art, or they go to other counties to make a living, often earning 19.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Jiangnan had not yet been fully developed, and there was no opportunity to go out and become a small trader.

Asking Deng Yuanjue to come forward, Cao Jie is ready to meet these heroes of Shezhou.

It would be best if you can win them over, but even if you can't do that for the time being, you should at least make yourself familiar to them.

Two days later, Deng Yuanjue brought good news and bad news.

The good news is that these heroes of Shezhou have been contacted, but the bad news is that Manichaeism is also trying to win them over.

Pang Wanchun, a hero like "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong, shot and killed seven people including Shi Jin, Shi Xiu, Chen Da, Yang Chun, Li Zhong, Xue Yong and Ou Peng at Yuling Pass.

In the original novel, Du Wei saw Fang Jie fighting Qin Ming, so he jumped out from behind his horse, drew his flying knife, and aimed it at Qin Ming's face. When Qin Ming tried to dodge the flying knife, he was knocked off his horse by Fang Jie's halberd and died.

Wang Yin was even more amazing, he was both civil and military, and was appointed as the Shangshu. When Lu Junyi led his troops to attack Shezhou, he devised a plan to kill Shan Tinggui, the Holy Water General, and Wei Dingguo, the Divine Fire General.

Cao Jie held a grand banquet in Shezhou City and invited the three men to attend.

Before they even sat down, the three men, who were walking with the swift steps of dragons and tigers, became solemn.

Deng Yuanjue said immediately: "You three brothers may not know that this is a hero from Shandong, Xiao Mengde Cao Jie. Those are his brothers..."

Wang Yin was mature and prudent, and had many concerns. He frowned and said, "Brother Yuanjue, I came here because you said you wanted to treat us to a drink."

After saying that, he bowed to Cao Jie again and said, "It's not that I don't recognize the heroes of Shandong, but the Manichaeism in Shezhou is very powerful, and we have already promised Lu Shinang to serve him. If he finds out, it will cause trouble for the heroes."

"Why is Lu Shinang so unkind? I'm just inviting you guys to have a drink."

Lu Shinang, one of the leaders of Manichaeism, was generous and often gave money to others, and was called "Lu Xinling".

The book records that he was also a wealthy man in Shezhou, well-versed in military books, and good at using a 10-foot snake spear. His 12 commanders came from different places, each named after a star in the art of divination, and were collectively known as the "Twelve Gods of Jiangnan". Together with Lu Shinang, they guarded the river bank. He had 50,000 southern soldiers and more than 3,000 warships.

Deng Yuanjue picked up the wine jar and said, "Brothers, we haven't been together for a long time. I, Deng Yuanjue, will host this meal. Master Lu can't say much. Brother Cao Jie is my guest of Baoguang Temple, and the three brothers are also my brothers. Let's drink, drink..."

At this time, a group of heroes came outside Shezhou City.

The first one is a poem:
He wore a scarlet scarf on his head and a brocade battle robe on his body.

He wore golden armor inside and a colorful velvet belt outside.

The horse shook the copper bell and rang, and his body was filled with murderous aura.

He is invincible in the world and a hero in the battle.

It’s none other than Lu Shinang and the “Twelve Gods of Jiangnan” under his command!
(End of this chapter)