Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 462 The Past of Lama Wang

Seeing her say this, Lama Wang also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Our metropolis is the most benign place in the West. There is an endless stream of people coming from the south and the north, and the customs are also different, so it is inevitable that there will be some conflicts. Although our church has been trying its best to improve, it is definitely not as good as the Central Plains government. It’s a very mature system. I still hope you can understand it.”

"I've said it, it's okay." Tang Sai'er waved his hand: "Besides, whether the system is perfect or not, it has nothing to do with me. Can the etiquette of the Central Plains government still entertain me? I still hope that their etiquette is not so complete. Well - they saluted, and we all paid for it."

"Uh..." Lama Wang thought for a while and realized that this was true, so he had to smile awkwardly.

"I also have something I want to ask." Tang Sai'er took the initiative to speak this time: "Master Wang, are you also from the Central Plains? How did you get here."

"Strictly speaking, my father is from the Central Plains, but I am not. I was born in Hezhong, which is still within the borders of the Tang Dynasty. Unfortunately, I have never returned to my hometown in Guanzhong." There was a bit of regret in Wang Da Lama's tone: "Originally, I When I went to Timur's court as an envoy, I planned to go home for a visit, but I had too many things to do and I haven't been able to make the trip so far."

"Hey, none of our ancestors have ever migrated." The little girl Tang Sai'er comforted him: "My mother-in-law and mother-in-law were also nagging at the time, but they just didn't want to leave home and flee. But what you gentlemen call settling down and relocating, in my opinion, , it’s just that I can’t bear to part with the land I’ve been working on for many years and the familiar villagers.”

"The reclamation and deep cultivation of land are very troublesome, and cannot even be done by one generation. The trust of neighbors and fellow villagers is the greatest reliance on security, and it is also necessary if you want to live a good life. Because many industries cannot be operated by one person. , things like water conservancy and equipment can only be done well if we cooperate."

"If you run away from home, these advantages will be gone. If you go to a foreign land alone, you are almost seeking death. Even if the whole village goes together, it is easy to conflict with the natives, so everyone will try to avoid it. But on the other hand, to be new If you can live in a better place, what’s the point of moving?”

"That's true. I'm actually not a farmer or a worker, I'm just a wandering monk." Lama Wang nodded and agreed with her statement: "In this case, it seems that I am being sentimental."

"The gentlemen from my hometown also lament this and that every day. Maybe you cultural people are like this." Tang Saier seemed to be used to it: "However, the river is not close to here, and the territory of Tianfang Sect is along the way. . How did you get here? Are you here with the merchants like us? In that case, the exchanges between various places in the world seem to be much more frequent than I originally thought."

"During the pre-Qin Dynasty, people from our area were traveling to and from Tianzhu. During the Han Dynasty, the Tianzhu people established a string of small countries in Nanyang. There were already many exchanges between various places, but only China was independent from the world - or in other words, not All the places independent of it were conquered by our ancestors." Lama Wang told her: "So, the biggest obstacle is that it is very troublesome to go to Nanyang. After arriving in Nanyang, no matter where you go, it will be much easier."

"But my experience is different. It's a long story..." He thought for a while and said, "Do you know there was a lamasery in Persia?"

"I don't know. I just passed by there and didn't know much about it." Tang Saier shook his head: "That lamasery is gone now, right? Then it's even less clear."

"Yes, it's gone." Lama Wang said: "When the Ir Khanate was established, the founding king Hulagu believed deeply in Buddhism and specially invited masters from the east to build temples."

"At that time, although some of the kings of the Western Dao kings in the Yuan Dynasty were far away from the Tang Dynasty, they still had many fiefs in various places. For example, the Ilkhanate, although the main part was in the Persian area, but in Hezhong, Tibet There are scattered fiefs on Di and Zhangde Road. The fiefdoms of the Golden Horde are in Pingyang, Shanxi, Zhending, Hebei, and Yongzhou, Hunan."

"The population and finances in these territories are still theoretically owned by the clan kings. The relationship between the two parties is similar to that of the vassals and vassals in Europe today. Even if they are not geographically next to each other, the relationship is relatively close. . Hulagu himself had close contacts with the Zhigong sect, which was the most popular in Tibet at that time, and even specially stationed soldiers there to protect the monasteries and lamas."

"But after Kublai Khan seized the throne, the situation changed. He confiscated most of the fiefs located in the Han Dynasty. The remaining ones also lost their administrative independence and only sent officials every year to send taxes to various khanates. The station indicates that the jurisdictional relationship is still there.”

"The Ilkhanate's fiefdom in Tibet was not affected at first. But the local religious environment also changed. The Zhigong sect also had a good relationship with Mengge Khan, but they had conflicts with Kublai Khan. It is said that , the monks of the Zhigong sect even publicly refuted Kublai Khan at a sutra debate meeting, leaving him speechless."

"Under normal circumstances, this is not too troublesome, because in court battles it is always inevitable to take sides and offend others. Among the four Tuo Lei sons, they have good relations with the other three, and they probably have no fear because of this. They feel that anyway Nothing happened to him. Unexpectedly, Mengge Khan died suddenly. After a series of civil wars, Kublai Khan, who was not optimistic about it, seized the throne of Khan." "The Zhigong faction was also hit by this, and Kublai Khan began to support and remained steadfast. The leader of the Sakya sect, Pasiba, who supported him, went to fight for control of Tibet. In the 27th year of the Yuan Dynasty, the Zhigong sect, unwilling to fail, contacted the Ilkhanate and Chagatai Khanate and asked them to send troops to Tibet. Sakya sect The faction also immediately reported to the imperial court, reporting the Zhigong faction for rebellion and asking the Yuan Dynasty to send troops to support them."

"The Khan King Haidu of the Wokuotai faction sent the Mongolian coalition forces from the Western Regions into Tibet. The Yuan army followed the old Tang Dynasty route and entered Tibet from Hexi. The two sides fought in front of Tibet. In the end, the stronger Yuan army defeated the Mongols. Army, burn down Zhigong Temple."

"This incident is called 'Zhigong Linluo', which is the Tibetan word for the Zhigong Monastery Incident. The Zhigong Sect has since fallen into even greater decline. As the largest benefactor of the Zhigong Sect, the Ilkhanate's fiefdoms in Tibet have also suffered. to be revoked. The Yuan Dynasty began to directly station troops and set up post stations in various important locations. It also dispatched officials to rectify the chieftains, collect household registrations in Tibet three times, implement laws, and collect taxes."

"During the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court received Tibetan envoys in the Xuanzheng Hall, so the Yuan Dynasty named the institution that managed Tibet 'Xuanzhengyuan'. This should be the first time that the Central Plains court directly administered this place."

"However, life is not easy for us over there. Most of the monasteries and monks in Persia were invited by Hulagu from Tibet. The Ilkhanate lost its enclave there, and the sect was also hit hard, resulting in Everyone also became a rootless tree. Later, among the top leaders of the Ilkhanate, the Tianfang Sect became more and more powerful. By the time of Ghazan Khan, he finally announced the abolition of the previous religious tolerance policy, and only the Tianfang Sect was allowed to be believed."

"Nestorianism in Persia suffered severely from this round of events. As soon as the Khan's order was issued, the impatient Tianfang believers destroyed all Nestorian temples, killed monks, and abused believers."

"The situation in Buddhism is better, because the Ilkhanate is still a vassal of the Yuan Dynasty, and the two sides often communicate with each other and dare not go too far. After all, if they follow the Persians' wishes and directly kill all the heretics, I am afraid they will have to Hehan and his envoys were all killed... Therefore, the Ilkhanate only demolished the Buddhist temples and banned future construction, but did not allow the massacre of monks and believers."

"But the local monks are much more flexible than the Nestorian priests. When the news got out, everyone pretended to be Tianfang priests, changed their signs, and continued to go their own way. Within the Tianfang religion, the different factions were also very complicated and unclear. In the end We can only issue an order and promise to send all the monks and lamas who are willing to leave the country as gifts, as long as they stop chanting sutras randomly."

"My master is one of these lamas - but after he left, he went to his hometown in Tibet and came back again." Lama Wang said:

"He kept telling me that this incident was a great shame to the sect and that he would take revenge no matter what. So, after he returned home, he finished handling the matters there and prepared to sneak back to Persia. The master and brothers were all This is incomprehensible, but he still made a great wish in front of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Patriarchs to destroy the heretics in Persia and India and revive Buddhism."

"After that, he secretly taught Buddhist scriptures and educated believers in the name of Tianfang Sect. Compared with other Buddhist sects, Lamaism values ​​the guru more than focusing on the original text of the Buddhist scriptures. So he also made a lot of rewriting of the scriptures. It is convenient for local people to accept and spread.”

"When I was a child, something happened when my family was doing business. My parents abandoned me and ran away overnight. I don't know where I went." Lama Wang recalled: "Someone found me and brought me to the master. He said that he was about to accept a disciple and happened to meet me. This was probably what the Bodhisattva meant. So he adopted me and raised me with other children."

"The Persians like the sect system. Their sects are all masters of various paths, which are the so-called Imams who are passed down from generation to generation. The believers also recognize the Imams more than the founders and scriptures handed down from ancient times - and our Lamaism Almost. Therefore, his sect has adapted well here, and after more than ten years, there are already many people."

"But as the number of people increased, the internal conflicts became much greater. After all, the master's ambition was only his own ambition." Lama Wang shook his head: "Later, when I was a teenager, the master passed away. Several disciples began to compete for each other. With the position of the guru and imam, the sect was in chaos. I had a bad relationship with the second disciple who was the most popular at the time, so I simply left on my own and traveled around."

"Later, I came to Anatolia and asked to see Taoist Master Yin here. He convinced me to join the God-Worship Cult, accepted me into the church, and worked for Rome. You all know what happened after that."

"What a twist." Tang Saier commented: "I thought we were in trouble. It seems that there are miserable people everywhere in the world."

"Yes, this place is no better than the Central Plains. Although the Central Plains also has tyranny and corrupt officials, at least most of the time and most places are peaceful. What about here? Even if I am like this, I seem to be doing okay, but in fact I have been doing it since I was a child. I have suffered a lot." Lama Wang shook his head: "I don't have as big a goal as Master, but I have been working hard to promote the unification of Rome. I hope I can do some good deeds in these years."

(End of this chapter)