Chapter 327 The Eight Kings of Tibet
"So, our plan to disguise ourselves as lamas and sneak into the Potala Palace has failed?" Tang Cong said worriedly with a face full of complaints, "If we can't sneak in, do we have to sneak in secretly?
"Impossible!" Boren shook his head firmly. "The Potala Palace is located on a hill, with no shelter on all sides. It is heavily guarded all year round, with bright lights on day and night. There is only one gate for entering and exiting. It is impossible for you to sneak in without being noticed."

"I can't sneak in, and I can't sneak in, so what should I do?" Tang Cong pouted, "Do I have to charge in with great fanfare?"

"The Tibetan tribes are constantly at odds and fighting. If it were easy to break into the Potala Palace, other tribes would have led their men to attack and kill. Why wait until today?" Boren asked in return, "There are many guards in the palace. I would like to ask if you two have the ability to fight a thousand alone?"

"This..." Tang Cong's face turned pale and he muttered, "I'm just talking, how can I really confront you head-on?"

From beginning to end, Liu Xunyi said nothing, but just stared at Boren who was talking meaningfully, with a secretive gleam in his eyes.

Boren seemed to be uncomfortable being stared at by Liu Xunyi. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Brother Liu, why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?"

"Have."

As soon as these words came out, Boren's eyes changed slightly, and at the same time he reached out to touch his cheek, rubbing it subconsciously for a few times, but he didn't notice anything unusual. Boren looked at Liu Xunyi with confusion, his expression was very dazed.

"Master, you are..."

"I can clearly see the word 'cunning' on your face," Liu Xunyi said with a half-smile.

"Oh? Why do you say that, Brother Liu?" Boren's expression was a little stiff, but he still forced a smile and pretended to be calm.

Liu Xunyi laughed and explained, "Actually, my dear brother has already thought of a solution in his mind, but he deliberately kept it a secret and sincerely teased us, right?"

Hearing this, Boren and Tang Cong were both stunned. The three of them looked at each other in silence. Seeing Tang Cong's strange expression of wanting to say something but not saying it, Boren suddenly burst into laughter.

"Yes, yes, yes." Boren hurriedly bowed and said, "Brother Liu is absolutely right. I am pretending to be profound and I am proud of my own shortcomings. Please forgive me, please forgive me!"

"Brother, you are innocent. It is us who are ignorant of the depth of the world, and we are even more ignorant of the depth of the waters of Luoshui City. We are self-righteous and rash in making plans. We are sorry for our mistakes." Liu Xunyi said modestly, and then he straightened his tone and said, "I wonder what your opinion is? I hope you can enlighten me."

"I dare not teach you, but I have been here for many years and have learned some information. I am willing to share it with you two for discussion." Boren waved his hand and said, "May I ask you two, have you inquired about the situation in Tubo before coming here?"

"The princes rose up and the heroes divided their kingdoms." Liu Xunyi pondered for a moment, "I heard that... Tubo is in chaos."

"That's right." Boren nodded and said, "Since the fall of the Tubo Dynasty, each tribe has declared itself a king. After hundreds of years of fighting, the current situation in Tubo is that although the 'Living Buddha' is still supreme in name, in reality he is just a figurehead and has completely become a puppet of the Eight Kings to deceive the people. The real power has long been in the hands of the Eight Kings."

"Eighth King?"

"That's right!" Boren seemed to be trying to recall the information he had received before, and slowly said, "The eight kings are 'Wenpu Guanjin, Kongzang Legai', which means the eight great Bodhisattvas in Buddhism. In fact, they are the eight most powerful leaders of the tribes and alliances in the current Tubo. Because politics and religion are integrated here, the leaders of the tribes and alliances are not only the masters of the political power, but also the masters of religion in the tribes and alliances. They are entrenched in various parts of Tubo, and each controls a piece of land, city, and population. Although they claim to be the reincarnation of 'Bodhisattva', their actions are very different from those of real Bodhisattvas. They are deceitful and scheming, all of which are power struggles."

Tang Cong hesitated and said, "Eight kings? Eight great bodhisattvas? Then... who is in charge of Luoshui City?"

"One of the eight kings is the Tibetan king, Tsodan." Boren replied, "At present, he is the most powerful among the eight kings. Tsodan was originally a general under the Tibetan royal family. Thirty years ago, he started a rebellion, entered Luoshui City, killed the royal descendants living in the Potala Palace, and proclaimed himself king. Tsodan is ambitious and wants to emulate Songtsen Gampo to unify the tribes and rebuild the dynasty. Unfortunately, other tribes and alliances disdain Tsodan, who was born a commoner, and secretly united to compete with him to prevent him from annexing one by one."

"Cuodan..." Liu Xunyi muttered to himself, "This person must be quite resourceful, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to occupy the magpie's nest for decades."

"Chodan is extremely cruel and ruthless." Boren replied fearfully, "You should have seen something on the way here. Although many people in Luoshui City are facing the fate of freezing to death or starving to death, no one is causing trouble, let alone rebelling. Do you know why? It is because Chodan has set an iron rule. Luoshui City values ​​the law more than mercy. Anyone who violates it will be punished cruelly, which is unbearable for ordinary people."

Tang Cong asked curiously, "What kind of torture?"

"Skinning and pulling out tendons, digging out hearts and lungs, dismembering people with five horses, throwing them into oil pots... In short, it is extremely cruel and makes people shudder." Boren said, "It is precisely because of Tsodan's reign of terror that Luoshui City can be so 'stable'. It is said that 'in troubled times, severe punishments should be used', but Tsodan's methods are not harsh, but cruel."

Liu Xunyi sighed: "If he wasn't strict, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to reach his current position."

"That makes sense." Boren replied without denying it, "Although Tsoten is cruel to outsiders, he is very generous to his own men. People can enjoy a good life and wealth by following him, so they are naturally willing to work for him. Tsoten has a large number of loyal fans who are willing to die for him, which is one of the main reasons why he can be ranked among the Eight Kings and prosper for a long time."

Tang Cong coughed twice and asked anxiously, "Could this ferocious Tibetan king be living in the Potala Palace?"

Boren smiled bitterly and nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Tang Cong's face turned pale and hesitantly said, "If we are caught by him, won't we die miserably?" "If Cuodan is captured alive, I'm afraid we will neither be able to live nor die." Boren continued.

"What should we do?" Tang Cong looked at Liu Xunyi anxiously, as if he was still frightened. "Master, we are in big trouble this time."

Liu Xunyi shook his head slightly towards Tang Cong to show his comfort, then turned to look at Boren and said hesitantly: "Brother, you just talked about so many things about Tubo, I wonder what does it have to do with our trip?"

"Although the eight kings have been fighting endlessly, they are all loyal believers of Tantric Buddhism." Boren explained calmly, "Tibet is different from other places. Here, politics and religion are integrated. No matter how powerful or what your status is, you must be in awe of the Buddha and respect him infinitely. Otherwise, you will become the target of public criticism. Not only will you be excluded by the orthodox Tibetans, but you will also be regarded as an alien or even a demon by the Tibetan people."

"Since ancient times, those who win the hearts of the people will win the world. Although Cuodan is fierce, he will never dare to risk the disapproval of the world."

"That's right." Boren said seriously, "Therefore, on the first day of the first lunar month every year, the eight kings will gather at the Potala Palace to hold a pilgrimage ceremony. There is an unwritten rule among the Tibetan tribes, that is, on the annual calendar, Buddha's birthday, prayer festivals and other festivals, no one is allowed to provoke disputes at will, otherwise it will be regarded as disrespectful to the Buddha. Therefore, on the first day of the first lunar month every year, the leaders of all tribes will step into the territory of Tsodhan without scruples, and no matter how big the hatred between them is, they will temporarily put it aside on that day. They will eat and live together in the Potala Palace for three days and three nights, worship Buddha together, and maintain harmony."

"Why do you want to come to Cuodan's territory?" Tang Cong asked in confusion.

"Since Songtsen Gampo built the palace, the Potala Palace has been the center of Tubo and a sacred place of Tantric Buddhism. In the hearts of Tibetans, the status and influence of the Potala Palace will never change because of any war, and even the collapse of the dynasty cannot shake it in the slightest." Boren explained, "This is a deep-rooted firm belief that has lasted for hundreds of years. It is hard to explain, but we have to obey it."

Liu Xunyi frowned slightly, half believing and half doubting, "Could it be that the Eighth Prince can really let go of his grudges and live in harmony?"

"It's just that the words don't ring true to the heart." Boren said with a wry smile, "This is a rule established hundreds of years ago, and no one can do anything about it."

"After all this talk, it still has nothing to do with us." Tang Cong curled his lips and said, "We are not Tibetan people, so what does the Eighth King have to do with us?"

Boren asked back, "What are you doing here?"

"Stealing the Buddha's lotus seeds."

"That's it." Boren said with a smile, "The Buddha Lotus Seed is a treasure of the Tantric Buddhism, hidden deep in the Potala Palace all year round. It is said that the Buddha Lotus Seed is hidden in an unbreakable secret room. If you want to open that secret room, you must use eight special keys. And these eight keys... are all in the hands of the eight kings."

"Hiss!" Liu Xunyi and Tang Cong were horrified and their eyes were filled with horror.

"In that case, even if we can sneak into the Potala Palace, we will definitely not be able to find the Buddha Lotus Seed?" Tang Cong was filled with despair and disheartened.

"No." Boren shook his head and said, "According to custom, on the day of pilgrimage every year, the eight Tibetan kings will open the secret room together and take out the Buddha lotus seeds. They regard them as tokens left by the Buddha in the world and kowtow to them and worship them." Having said this, Boren changed the subject and said jokingly, "Now, do you two know the relationship between the eight kings and your trip?"

"This..." Liu Xunyi felt that this matter was becoming increasingly difficult, and for a moment he did not know how to answer.

"So what? Can we still snatch the Buddha Lotus Seeds right under the noses of the Eight Kings of Tubo? Now, we can't even enter the palace, how can we steal the treasure?" Tang Cong said self-deprecatingly, "After all, it's still a false alarm."

"It's extremely difficult to sneak in secretly," Boren said mysteriously, "but if we walk in openly, there's still a glimmer of hope."

As soon as these words came out, Liu Xunyi's eyes lit up immediately, and he asked, "What do you mean, brother?"

"On the first day of the first lunar month, the Potala Palace will hold a pilgrimage ceremony. According to what I have learned, the pilgrimage ceremony is roughly divided into three parts." Boren said mysteriously, "The first is to burn incense and pray for blessings. The second is to study Buddhism and understand the secrets. The third is the Northern Gada League. Among them, the Northern Gada League is the most interesting. It is the only opportunity for the Eight Kings to have a head-on confrontation in the Potala Palace."

"What is the 'Northern Gada League'?" Liu Xunyi and Tang Cong looked confused, as if they were listening to a foreign language.

"Beiga means martial arts, tumbling and wrestling." Boren explained, "It is roughly similar to the arena competitions in the Central Plains, but the rules are stricter and the moves are more simple. Participants must not be over 30 years old and cannot use weapons. Through physical competition, the most courageous Beiga warriors are selected and given Hada by the Living Buddha himself. In the past years, the eight kings of the Beiga League would send young warriors from their own tribes to fight. Although the Beiga competition has nothing to do with the disputes between tribes, it can earn enough face among the Tibetan tribes. Especially Codan, who was born as a military general and attached great importance to the Beiga League. But in recent years, most of the warriors sent by Codan have mediocre qualifications and have been defeated by other tribes for several consecutive years, which makes Codan very annoyed."

Liu Xunyi seemed to have heard a clue from Boren's words, and murmured thoughtfully: "You mean..."

"Brother Liu must be quite skilled to be entrusted with such an important task by Master Ding San." Boren said with a meaningful smile, "If you can be selected by Cuodan and become a warrior to join the Northern Gada League, you will be able to enter the Potala Palace on the first day of the first lunar month without any effort. As for the 'Buddha Lotus Seed', the most precious treasure of the Tantric Buddhism, it will be within easy reach and within easy reach."

……

(End of this chapter)