Han Hai Tang Ergui

Chapter 257 Seem to be an old friend (7500 words, two in one, one update today)
In 935, on the first day of October, Zhang Zhao finally saw the King City of Khotan again after nearly five months of trekking.

After leaving here in early 932 and going north to attack Shule, it took three years and eight months for Zhang Zhaocai to return here again.

Thinking about it, it was really hard work. In three years and eight months, he beat Shule, Suiye, Ningyuan, Bukhara, Huwencheng, and Tianzhu all over without stopping. The 996 cattle and horses of later generations, That's it!
Along the Yulong River, the big river surrounding Khotan's royal city has entered a dry season, and the riverbed is exposed in many places. If it was in the past, the riverbed must be full of people.

Because the famous Hetian jade was mined in the river at the beginning, and the snowy water in the mountains washed the jade ore down from the mountains, so people only need to pick it up in the river.

But today, no one has the heart to pick up jade. Everyone was notified more than ten days ago that King Zhang, the deputy king of the Great Jin Kingdom, will return to Khotan King City today.

This news, like the warm wind in winter, blew throughout the entire Anjun Prefecture where the King City of Khotan was located.

From the great sage emperor and princes and nobles, to the traffickers and passing merchants, more than 50,000 people poured from all directions to the Yulong River where King Zhang entered the city.

There was no room to stand on both sides of the road, so many people stood on the cold shallow river bed and waited. It was October in the cold winter, and it took a lot of perseverance to stand directly in the river.

coming!coming!Cheers came from nowhere, and the crowd stood on tiptoes, stretched their necks and tried to look into the distance.

Not long after, the sun was obscured by smoke and dust in the distance, and the sound of orderly footsteps could be faintly heard.

Immediately afterwards, a Khotan flag with a human body and a mouse head and a mouse king was on the left, a red background with the sun, moon and stars and three stars on the right, and a vermilion and black lettering big banner in the middle, which appeared in everyone's eyes.

Immediately, cheers exploded like thunder, Li Shengtian shook off the obstruction of the servants around him, took the hand of Queen Cao Yuanxin, and the two looked at each other and smiled.

Li Shengtian lifted the corner of the crown dress with his left hand, Cao Yuanxin also held the hem of the queen's robe with his right hand, and the two male and female let go of their steps and trotted forward.

As soon as they moved, no matter if they were paunchy nobles, strong officers and soldiers, or ordinary farmers, merchants, weavers, men and women, old and young, they all cheered louder.

"Erlang! Erlang, you're finally back!" After seeing each other for more than two years, Li Shengtian looked a little richer. He was already fat, but in the past few years, his figure became more and more uncontrollable.

"Uncle!" Zhang Zhao also shouted, he reined in the horse from a distance, turned off the horse neatly, and ran towards Li Shengtian with open arms.

There was no kneeling, and there was no show of "I and the general undressing the battle robes". The two hugged each other tightly like a pair of uncles and nephews who hadn't seen each other for many years.

"Erlang is getting thinner and thinner. It's quite hard to come to fight, but uncle and I have gained tens of catties!" After the hug, Li Shengtian felt a little embarrassed.

The white-faced little freshman Zhang Zhao was when he was in Khotan became a middle-aged man with firm eyes, a dark complexion, and a weathered face.

On the contrary, the emperor of his country has become a potbellied man. Most of the country that his nephew conquered belonged to him.

"Uncle, do you remember what you said to your nephew outside Polu State back then, you said that our uncle and nephew are one, you only have me as a nephew, and I only have you as an uncle alive, we share weal and woe, we must Do you not believe it?"

Zhang Zhao was still not used to two men holding hands, but held Li Shengtian's shoulders. The two looked like two tourists who were enjoying Cosplay in ancient costumes by the Yulong River.

"Erlang still remembers it!" Li Shengtian twitched his nose twice, and let out a sigh of emotion.

"You have a part in the great world here. No matter what you want to do, uncle will support you!"

"Son of Heaven, let Erlang enter the city, so many people are watching!" Cao Yuanxin's cheeks twitched. Of course he knew what Li Shengtian meant. That was the Kingdom of Khotan and would fully support Zhang Zhao to return to Dunhuang to seize power!
"Ms. Jin, your demeanor is far better than before!" Zhang Zhao then saluted Cao Yuanxin with a teasing smile on his face.

Cao Yuanxin rolled his eyes at him, stretched out a pale finger and nodded at him.

"It's always not a good look, but fortunately you're back. Your Majesty Linggong has been lying on the bed for more than two months. Someone from Dunhuang wants to see you in a while. Let's go to the city first!"

This return to the city was much more grand than the last time he came to Khotan with the envoys of the Guiyi Army.

The loess paved road, already in October, flowers and petals are flying all over the sky as if they don’t want money. The turbulent crowd of people lined up in two lines, crowding the road back to the city.

Moreover, this was not organized by Khotan officials, but spontaneously.

The reason why everyone is so excited can only be seen from the population of Yutian King City. This city originally had 90,000 people, but now there are at most 60,000 people.

Where did the rest go?They went to Shule and Ningyuan to live a good life.

According to the current policy of the Khotan Kingdom of Jin, if there are Dingkou who are willing to go to Ningyuan to cultivate, men will be given [-] mu, strong women will be given [-] mu, and the old and weak will also be given [-] mu.

This also refers to the cultivated land that has been developed. If half of the cultivated land is cultivated and half of it is cultivated by oneself, the number of acres will be doubled, and the tax will be exempted for three years.

Those who stayed in the country, because of the large-scale use of troops in Khotan these years, could sell a lot of money for the food they grew and the cloth they wove, and even helped the army make various small utensils and military rations.

At the same time, the trophies outside were also brought back continuously, ensuring the supply of various materials.

Just by fighting off Bugla Khan, hundreds of thousands of sheep were seized. The mutton in Khotan is now as cheap as the price of vegetables, and the table is more than twice as abundant as before.

This Khotan Jin Kingdom with a population of only 700,000 in the [-]s, after Zhang Zhao laid down such a large territory, it can be said that everyone has benefited, and everyone has a bright future.

This was the reason why they supported Zhang Zhao sincerely and warmly welcomed him back.

"Your Majesty, please eat a pinpo fruit! This is specially reserved for the little old man!"

"My lord, drink a bowl of old wine! There's plenty of icing."

"My lord, the baked lamb chops with cheese are the best in Wangcheng, you must try them!"

The city gate hadn't even passed through, Zhang Zhao didn't know how many melons and fruits he ate, and how many bowls of fine wine he drank, except for his head full of flower petals.

Now a big fat guy stopped him again. This grilled lamb chop with cheese weighed at least two or three catties. It was golden in color and fragrant, and it was still hot.

"My lord, I baked it on the side of the road, and it's just hot!" The big fat guy looked at Zhang Zhao, and his words got a little tangled up in excitement.

"That's right! Your Majesty, Hu Sanlang paid a lot of money to rent the shop in front of this door, just for grilling lamb chops!" Someone shouted jokingly from the side.

"Okay! I'll eat your lamb chop!" Zhang Zhao laughed loudly, took it and took a big bite.

"Fat and thin, the lean meat is crispy, the fat meat is fragrant but not greasy, the cheese is fragrant, and the pepper and salt are delicious. The roast is good, but his advertisement is even better!"

Although the people around didn't quite understand the meaning of the advertisement, they all understood Zhang Zhao's meaning in seconds, and immediately burst out laughing.

Hu Sanlang had a shy face, he didn't care at all, anyway, the king said that it was delicious, so the signboard went out.

"Sanlang, my son! Why are you so thin? You must have suffered a lot, right?"

"Goro, you're finally back, yeah you went years ago! Woooooo!"

"Ma Sanlang, have you earned the money to marry my wife?"

Ma Sanlang, who was riding on the horse, blushed, wanted to say something but dared not, Zhang Zhao turned around and looked at the little fire chief who belonged to the Palace Guard Army.

"What do people ask you? Answer!"

"It's not enough! The money I earn is enough to marry you and your sister!"

Hold!Zhang Zhao was almost stunned, Ma Sanlang looked honest, his work and appetite were really big!

Zhang Zhao looked back at the team behind him, he had been gone for several years!The confidante at home waited anxiously, the parents waited for their hair to grow white, and some who were separated from their relatives, now they are back home, it is absolutely no exaggeration to say that they are returning home.

"Let's take off the armor here! Heroic spirits please!" Zhang Zhao decided not to go to Wufenglou, so he disbanded the team here, and let the soldiers at home in Wangcheng go home and rest!But before that, the heroic spirits who died in battle must be sent home.

Speaking of heroic spirits, according to the customs of the Han people at this time, I am afraid that there are really only heroic spirits left, because they are so far away, they must not bring back the body, only the ashes.

Fortunately, there are not many, because the hundreds of people who died in Suiye, the hundreds who died outside the battle, and the more than [-] people who died at the Khyber Pass have already been transported back to Khotan in the early days. , was sacrificed on the Tianzhu battlefield.

In fact, there were not many real sacrifices, because Ah San's combat effectiveness was too low, and there were still servants available.

Of the more than a hundred people who died, only a dozen or so died in battle, and most of them died of illness. After all, they ran thousands of kilometers at once, so don't be too many people who are not acclimatized.

A group of eminent Buddhist monks proclaimed the name of the Buddha, and those who died in battle came to the front with urns in their hands.

Zhang Zhao took a step back, feeling a little heavy in his heart, and there was no need to steal Li Shengtian's limelight at this time.

Weeping in a low voice made everyone's heart heavy, but it didn't scream.

Because the news of the death in battle has been notified long ago, and the pension has been in place long ago, and now it is just returning the ashes of the heroic spirit.

Watching Li Shengtian meet the families of the dead in the front, and also made an exception to provide each dead with an extra pension of ten guan kuai, Zhang Zhao felt a little homesick.

Although Khotan is good, it is not his hometown. His hometown, the place where he made great achievements, is still far away!

"Erlang! Come and see, who is this?" Cao Yuanxin was keenly aware of Zhang Zhao's disappointment, and was even more satisfied that Zhang Zhao would not steal Li Shengtian's limelight. She pulled Zhang Zhao's sleeve and pulled him towards him. A little behind.

In the corner, a little beauty wearing a simple beige skirt and a bright yellow flower on her forehead was looking at Zhang Zhao obediently.

Her eyes were shining brightly, and the corners of her mouth curled into a smile, like a good wife waiting for her husband to come home.

"Third lady!" Zhang Zhao shouted out loud. This delicate little beauty is the third lady Cao Yannai whom I haven't seen for more than four years.

Mrs. Cao San looked at Zhang Zhao, that Mr. Zhang Erlang who was like a newborn calf in Qixia Huzhai has now become a real man.

His complexion is not so fair, his body is much stronger, he seems to have grown a lot taller, his facial lines are also tougher than before, and he looks like a mature man with sharp edges and corners.

"Erlang, it's been a long time!" Mrs. Cao San was still thinking about how to strike up a conversation with Zhang Zhao, but Zhang Zhao hugged her immediately.

The third lady in her arms was shy and anxious. Although the relationship between the two could be said to be very close back then, four years have passed.

At that time, although she was also seven years older than Zhang Zhao, she was still in her twenties.

But now, although she is as beautiful as before, she is already in her thirties, and in this era, she is enough to call herself an old woman.

Zhang Erlang is now powerful in Anxi, Hezhong and Tianzhu, what kind of role does he want?
It is the former Queen Karahan Cao Yanmian who was included in the Cao family tree. She is not inferior to her in terms of status or appearance, and she is much younger. Who knows if Zhang Erlang will still miss her?
In the end, she was still hesitating, but Zhang Zhao hugged him directly in front of the public.

Even though Mrs. Cao San was quite aggressive, she was still froze and speechless.

"Don't move!" Zhang Zhao muttered softly, and hugged the short soft man in front of him tightly.

Smelling the faint scent of orchids in Mrs. Cao San's hair, Zhang Zhao's mind was greatly relieved, as if he had really returned home. He hadn't felt this way for a long time.

The stiff third lady Cao heard Zhang Zhao's emotions, and her body softened slowly.

She hugged Zhang Zhao with her backhand, and for some reason, tears gushed out of her eyes, streaming all over her face.

Suddenly, two figures flashed through her mind, and Suo Sanlang, who could not remember his face clearly, suddenly became clear.

The scene of her deceased husband Murong Changdao holding her hand, asking her to live a good life and raising her son, seemed to be right in front of her eyes.

"Third lady! When you return to Dunhuang, marry me!" Zhang Zhaoweng said in a low voice.

Coming here through time travel, he has always felt unreal, and he always feels that all this is a bit like playing a game.

But today, after meeting Mrs. Cao San who had been separated for more than four years, the feeling of familiarity and peace of mind, the feeling of belonging to the world, immediately filled his soul.

"Yeah!" Mistress Cao San, with tears in her eyes, nodded like a kitten. She was very happy in her heart, because Zhang Zhao used the word "marry", which meant that she entered the Zhang family as Teng's concubine.

Although the concubine system was rare after the Later Han Dynasty, it is not without it.

Moreover, Zhang Zhao's main wife is her younger sister Cao Yanxi. As Teng's concubine, she is completely justified.

However, Mrs. Cao San smiled suddenly.

"Erlang wants to marry a slave, I'm afraid there is still a hurdle to overcome, and he must overcome it!"

"What kind of hurdle? Can you still stump me, Zhang Erlang?"

Zhang Zhao asked vigorously, did San Niangzi refer to his father-in-law, Murong Guiying, or his father, Cao Yuanshen?That's not a problem!
Mrs. Cao San giggled, and a few cunning little fats flashed on some babies' fat faces.

"My dear Nobunaga, it's already twenty-eight years old now, do you think he would be happy to have a Yeye who is only eight years older than him?"

Uh!Zhang Zhao was stunned, let's be honest, let alone Murong Xinchang, he himself is not ready yet, he is ready to be a father to a 16 years old adolescent rebellious boy!

"Puff!" Cao Yuanxin, who had a group of guards covering the two of them, couldn't help laughing.

. . . . .

In the early morning, Zhang Zhao woke up with his nose twisted. Before he could get angry, a fleshy little thing stepped on his nose directly.

Um?Why does it look like a small foot?

King Zhang opened his eyes angrily. Who dares to step on the nose of my King Zhang, Khan, and Dharma King who are so bold?

And it was quite arrogant, not only did the little foot step on his nose, but the owner of the little foot seemed to feel a little uneven, and spit babbling, expressing his dissatisfaction.

"You boy, we just met, so you're going to show me off, right?" Zhang Zhao grinned, and stretched out his hand to pat the little foot owner's little butt.

At this time, a person hurried in from the door, holding another white and fat little doll in his arms.

She glanced at Zhang Zhao with some fear, put down the little doll in her hand, and was about to hug another fat doll whose little feet were stepping on Zhang Zhao's head, while supporting the head of the bed.

But when she just reached out to support the little doll on the bed, Zhang Zhao, who was out of the control of the little feet, took her into his arms, and then raised his neckline to touch her with his big hands.

Ayigul hissed lightly, and immediately leaned against Zhang Zhao's chest with winking eyes, and then her face turned red and she lowered her head.

"Khan! The child is watching!"

"Where's Guo Wan'er? Come in quickly and take these two little guys out, you have to learn more!"

"My lord, you know how to bully me! Hmph! I will give birth to two children at a time, no! Three!"

The little wild cat of the Guo family, who had never been pregnant, walked in angrily, and carried the two fat dolls out one by one.

The older one is a boy, Ayigul is the second son born to Zhang Zhao, and he was the one who stomped on my Dawang Zhang's face just now with his little feet.

The younger one is a girl, the eldest daughter of Cao Yanmian, Zhang Zhaosheng. Like her mother, she is quiet and timid.

The two dolls were both conceived by Zhang Zhao when he left, and it has been several months since he saw his father.

Zhang Zhao didn't have much feeling for them, after all, he wasn't even familiar with them, and he didn't have any sense of blood connection.

It's just that he didn't feel annoyed by the chattering of the two little babies, and Zhang Zhao didn't feel any discomfort when the little feet stepped on his face, instead he felt very comfortable.

well!Zhang Dawang is not even ready to be a father, he has already become the father of three children.

Moreover, these two are not bad. Queen Zhongyun Li Ruoliu has an eldest son who is over three years old. He has never seen him before. This father is really incompetent.

At three poles in the sun, King Zhang touched his waist, breathed in the air-conditioning, and walked out of the vice king's palace specially built for him by Li Shengtian. In order to return to Dunhuang as soon as possible, Zhang Zhao must hurry up all the time.

. . . . .

In Sumoruo Temple, Zhang Zhao, wearing a loose black robe, walked in slowly through the main entrance.

Before he walked in through the main entrance, the monks of the Samoruo Temple also arranged for animals such as cranes and auspicious elephants to lead him slowly to the Samoruo Temple.

And the main gate of Sumoruo Temple, which has been closed all year round, was also opened at this time for an unprecedented time.

This door is generally closed, and pilgrims and believers will not walk through this door at all. There is a special term called the empty door of escaping into the empty door, which refers to the main door of the temple, and is used to refer to serving the Buddha as a monk.

That is to say, at this time, only monks will enter through this door on specific occasions.

The term "Guardian Jialan" is not a casual word for Buddhists.

Legend has it that there are eighteen Buddhist scriptures such as Sanskrit and Leiyin, but these are all legendary gods and Buddhas. In the thousands of years of Chinese history, there is only one person who has truly embodied the guardian of Buddhism, and that is Guan Yunchang and Guan Erye.

And Guan Erye was able to become Dharma Protector Jialan, thanks to Master Zhizhe, the ancestor of Tiantai Sect of Buddhism.

This is not an ordinary person, not to mention the status of Tiantai Sect in Buddhism in later generations, but only from the respect of Master Zhizhe in later generations, you can know its high status.

Later generations honored this wise master with the common surname Chen as Sakyamuni of the Eastern Land, and called him the reincarnation of Sakyamuni Buddha in the land of China.

Such an identity is certainly not comparable to that of Master Sinhalama Tripitaka. This is also the reason why the old monk Sinhalama asked Zhang Zhao to come to Samoruo Temple when the time is right.

Because before that, Sinhala Rama's promise to Zhang Zhao was more of a deceit.

Uh!It may not be accurate to say that you are fooling, it should be called painting big cakes.

Because according to the calculations of Sinhala Rama, the city of Shule is so strong that the kings of Khotan have nothing to do.

Although Zhang Zhao has Shenhuo Lei, it is difficult for those who have not seen the power of gunpowder to imagine how powerful this thing is.

Sinhalamo felt that no matter how powerful it was, it could only blow a hole in the city wall of Khotan.

And if only one hole can be blown, the final battle still needs to be solved by Li Shengtian leading the Khotan army.

In this way, although Zhang Zhao has made a lot of credit, it can even be said that he has made the first credit, but it is only a credit after all.

In the end, I will send another monk soldier, some weapons, equipment, cloth, money and food, and I will be able to send them away.

It's just that he never expected that Zhang Zhao would be so fierce that he not only blew up the walls of Shule City, but also captured Shule City with almost only a few thousand people under his command.

In the entire Battle of Shule, the biggest role of the Khotan army was actually to capture the Fort Esksa and Fort Yusuf, which were mutually horned outside the city.

It would be even more exaggerated when it came to the next battle of Xia Artush. Zhang Zhao personally led more than [-] people, directly outside the city of Xia Artush, and overthrew the [-] cavalry led by Buglahan Saktu alone.

This is a real cavalry, not the kind of herdsmen who make up the numbers, but the cavalry that the Kara Khanate relies on for survival.

In particular, the loss of Saktuna's three hundred Gulam guards and armored cavalry directly wiped out the future of the Kara Khanate.

Faced with such a feat, Sinhala was unprepared and cornered him in an instant, but Sinhala was not prepared to renege on his debt, because there was no way to renege on it.

Zhang Zhao's defeat of the Kara Khanate this time not only helped the Khotan Kingdom break through an almost incomprehensible situation, but it must be known that before Sinhalamo became a monk, he was a close branch of the Yuchi family of the Khotan royal family.

Zhang Zhao not only created a bright future for the Khotan royal family, but also saved Buddhism, which was almost wiped out in Shule and even in Kara Khanate.

Such a great contribution, such a great kindness, do you dare to break your promise?

Therefore, as one of the leaders of Anxi Buddhism, Sanzang Sanzang, after learning that Zhang Zhao will return soon, he sent out "hero posts" and hired people everywhere at his own expense.

It's not that he doesn't have enough prestige, and he can't "attract" him to think that he is a Dharma protector of Buddhism, so let everyone admit it.

Among the solemn and solemn chanting of Buddhist scriptures, they come from Yuechang Tianshan Temple in Khotan, Dayun Temple in Shule, Subashi Temple in Qiuci, Buddhist Temple in Xisi, Grand Guanyin Temple in Gaochang, Kaiyuan Temple in Yanqi, Kaiyuan Temple in Yizhou, Shazhou Avalokitesvara Temple, Lingyuan Temple and more than [-] famous Buddhist temples in Anxi have sent eminent monks here to certify Zhang Zhao as the guardian of Buddhism.

But well!Their information is really outdated. How can a mere guardian Jialan satisfy the appetite of our Yinlun Dharma King?
Zhang Zhao kept quiet on purpose, just to force the eminent monks of these famous Anxi temples to endorse his status as Yinlun Dharma King on such occasions.

So, just as Master Sinhala was about to start certifying Zhang Zhao as the Dharma Protector Jialan, there was a loud drumming outside the door.

A group of eminent Buddhist monks in Anxi looked at Master Sinhala in doubt. Master Sinhala asked someone to open the closed temple gate in doubt. He was completely stunned by what he saw.

Dozens of large and small statues of Shakyamuni Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were carried in amid the chanting of more than [-] eminent monks from India.

An eminent monk from India came in with dozens of coolies carrying mountains of scriptures.

When they heard that Tang Sanzang copied the "Yogi's Land Treatise", all the eminent monks were a little numb, but they could still hold on.

However, when King Pasenadi, the best friend and disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha, hand-copied the "Dainida Sutra" and "Diamond Sutra" appeared, Sinhala Rama only felt a whirlwind.

Of course, Zhang Zhao finally saw Zhang Zhao go out and take off his black clothes, and put on the full robes of the King of the Wheel of Wheels and the King of the Silver Wheel, the gold seal, the gold certificate, and the silver wheel.

As well as the certification scriptures of Nalanda Temple, Chaojie Temple, and Feifei Temple, he was completely confused, and he almost lost any ability to think.

"Master! You mean, this is the Yinlun Dharma King of Buddhism who saved Tianzhu Buddhism and then built a Buddhist kingdom on the ground, recognized by the entire Tianzhu Buddhism, and who is still enlightened at Lingjiu Peak of Buddha Lingjiu Mountain?"

Master Sinhala, this is really a knife pulling the ass - eyes wide open, he tremblingly asked Master Baoyunzi of Nalanda Temple in front of him in Sanskrit.

"Exactly, the Dharma King is the savior of the Buddhist kingdom on earth. Without the Dharma King, Buddhism will definitely be destroyed by heretics!"

Master Bao Yunzi's answer was also very skillful, he didn't lie!Without Zhang Zhao, Buddhism would surely be destroyed sooner or later according to that posture, but not immediately.

"Master Sinhala Rama! This figure is made according to the size of the Buddha himself, supervised by King Ashoka, King of the Golden Wheel.

This scripture is also treasured by the Nalanda Temple for thousands of years. As a Buddhist Yinlun Dharma King, he intends to circulate and display this priceless holy object in various Buddhist temples, so that all temples can admire the light of the Buddha. What do you think? "

How is this asking what do you think?It's just asking, do you want it?If you want to stay, of course you have to admit Zhang Zhao's status as Yinlun Dharma King.

"Poor monk, I have met the King of Dharma!" I thought I was at home today, but suddenly I was confused by the cross-river dragon, and then he actually wanted cross-river dragon's things.

And he doesn't want it, some people want it. This extremely distorted psychological feeling is probably the ambivalence of Master Sinhalama at this time.

(End of this chapter)