A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 944 The abbot in red
Wu Huaiyu secretly told his son that he wanted to treat Luzon as his own private territory, and he also wanted to hide it from the court and the emperor. This was probably disloyal.

This is a family disease.

But Wu Huaiyu felt that he was not seriously ill, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. In fact, even if he really told the court about Lu Song's existence, none of the central ministers would be interested in it.

After all, a place so far away in the deep sea, no matter how big it is, isn't it still an island?
A Zhuya Island is so close to the land of Leizhou in the south of Lingnan. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the present day, the young dynasty has been busy with the island, but in fact, it has not made much progress. The Liuqiu Island that Wu Huaiyu is now taking the lead in developing is even further away from the mainland.
If Wu Huaiyu hadn't taken the initiative and even let the Wu family take the lead in developing the area, the imperial court would not have had any interest in that place.
After all, from Soochow to the Sui Dynasty, large armies had been sent to Liuqiu, but apart from showing off their force, there was no benefit in catching some island barbarians.

If the imperial court really wants to have the remaining power, it actually has many choices. Whether it is to open up central Guizhou or Nanzhong, or Lingnan, or even Annan, which one is not better than overseas?

Now, from the emperor down to the ministers, everyone has a small notebook. The first one to deal with is Tuyuhun, the second is Xue Yantuo, the third is to return to the Western Regions, and the fourth is to fight back to Liaodong. If we really want to All these have been conquered,
It must be to open up in the direction of Annan and teach Lin Yi a lesson or something.

Even if you turn your attention to the north of the Tianshan Mountains, the west of the Congling Mountains, Tochara, and Persia, it is better than focusing on a few islands in the sea.

An island far away from the ocean makes people feel unstable and unreliable after all.

Of course, if Wu Huaiyu showed the gold nuggets, gold sand, gold nuggets, and even the legendary ambergris he harvested in Luzon Jinshan and San Francisco,

It is estimated that it will set off a storm in the Central Plains.
The most likely possibility is that the Tang Dynasty may officially organize a fleet to come to Luzon, whether it is for official trade or to grab a piece, there will definitely be some action. Of course, the nobles and relatives of the emperor and the emperor in Chang'an and Luoyang will definitely follow. of.

Luzon can indeed be called a treasure island. It is rich in gold, copper and other minerals, as well as fertile land in three major plains.

Wu Chengsi looked at the boxes of gold and left with some reluctance.
"Luzon Island is really big, and the four strongholds are too far apart."

Wu Huaiyu did not want to see this result.

Even if you are cruel, you can just exchange a pound of gold sand for a piece of iron armor.

China is a country that is relatively short of gold and silver mines. The annual mining volume of gold and silver in Datang is very small, and even gold and silver mines are mainly in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi and other places that are still relatively remote and backward.

He also had selfish motives and wanted to use Luzon as the last retreat for the Wu family and as a reservation.
Loyalty or not is not that important. It is not about colluding with foreign invasions, recruiting troops overseas and raising flags to rebel in order to fight back to the Central Plains.
I just want to get some land for my own use and run it slowly without affecting anything.

"This is still at the seaside. In the future, we will definitely develop inland along the rivers,"

Wu Huaiyu inspected all four strongholds on Luzon Island. Generally speaking, they all have great prospects. However, there are too few people at this stage, so they can only maintain such a trading stronghold and cultivate a little land next to the stronghold. grain vegetables,
The trade is done very well. It is simply picking up money instead of robbing it. What you pick up is still gold.

For a long time in the future, Luzon will still be positioned by the Wu family as an exporter of handmade goods and a supplier of resources. In the future, they will slowly add some strongholds, first along the sea and at the mouths of major rivers.
Connect these strongholds with sea ships,
Do it slowly, don't rush it, handle the relationship with the indigenous people carefully, and try to develop peacefully. There is no need to attack, kill, loot, and enslave. The cost is actually quite high. It is better to develop peacefully first. After all, just making money from trade can actually last a long time.

These gold sands are refined into red gold, which can be exchanged for a hundred guan in the Central Plains. Three guan at the cost can be sold for a hundred guan. This business is so easy to do.

Silk, porcelain, tea and wine, iron, lacquerware, medicinal pottery, even a roll of mat, an umbrella, or even a handful of salt are all good things here.
Although the tribes in Luzon also have some handicraft industries, they are all very primitive and backward. This is true for their ironware, textiles, shipbuilding, and even farming.

It’s not just armor, bows and knives that are easy to sell. In fact, almost all the commercial goods brought by the Tang Dynasty ships are extremely popular in Luzon.

The stewards at Xinjinshan Fort told Wu Huaiyu that in the Baguio Mountains in the east, because almost every river valley there has gold sand, the local tribes have a lot of gold in their hands, and they can even often pick up gold nuggets. ,
Gold is very common in these mountain tribes. It is used as jewelry and currency, but it is not valuable. The Wu family's ship arrived at New Golden Bay, built New Golden Mountain Fort, and then traded with the tribes here.
The same goods in Xinjinshan can be sold for nearly twice as much as in San Francisco, and they are also traded in gold.

They all thought it was good and wanted whatever goods were on the Tang ship.

Wu Huaiyu remembered that the Philippines has the third largest gold mineral reserves in the world, and its main mining area is on Luzon Island. In the Baguio Mountains to the west of the Luzon Plain, in addition to rich gold minerals, there are also extremely rich copper mineral reserves. There are also iron ore and coal mines.

This means that if Wu Huaiyu also sells weapons and equipment to tribes here in Xinjin Mountain, an archer's iron armor worth three oxen, fifteen pieces of silk, and three thousand yuan in the Central Plains can be priced at thirty pieces here. Cows, or twelve taels of gold sand, are also very popular and easy to sell.

This place is mainly a seller's market. There are not many local products that the Wu family can appreciate except gold. In the future, the Wu family will guide and teach these tribes to grow sugar cane, peanuts, corn, etc., and even cooperate with them to pan for gold and mine copper. , Bo Zhang, etc.,

But because it is located in the sea, far away from the mainland and far away from the shipping routes, it has always been relatively backward.

Every valley near Baguio has placer gold mines. The most abundant placer gold mines are the Agno River in eastern Baguio, followed by the Clay River. In addition to placer gold mines, there are also many rock gold mines and copper gold mines. .

After completing a circle,
Set off to leave,

The output of Datang copper mines is very low.
If it were not for the method of leaching pig iron into copper in gall springs, the imperial court would be in short supply of copper materials for casting copper coins, and the money shortage would only become more serious, further restricting economic development.

Luzon Port and Xinjinshan Port, instead of going around the sea, go directly through the central plain of Luzon and take a straight line, which would be 350 miles away.

This is farther than Chang'an to Tongguan.

When we came to Luzon, we went south from Liuqiu, passed the Luzon Strait to Jinshan Port, and then visited four strongholds along the coast. This route was called the Zhangzhou Liuqiu Luzon route by the Wu family.

When going back, Wu Huaiyu started from Luzon Port, went north along the west coast of Luzon Island, then turned northwest to Dongsha Islands, continued northwest to Wanshan Islands, and then northeast to Xiangdao Port outside Wujia Pearl River, from Return to Guangzhou this time.

The Dongsha Islands are also called Shixing Shitang by fishermen. Among them, Dongsha Island is also called Crescent Island. It is 2,700 acres in size, but only two feet high above sea level. It is 600 miles away from the Pearl River Estuary.
Because it is east of the Wanshan Islands, it is called Dongsha. In the route from Luzon to Guangzhou opened by the Wu family, the Dongsha Islands are a very important coordinate and an important supply or shelter.

When Wu Huaiyu and his fleet arrived in Dongsha,
It's quite lively here, with a camp above it. The Wu family built a small wharf and fishing village here, and arranged for people to fish and collect algae. There are also processing workshops for pickling and drying fish meat and seaweed processing. The fishery resources here are still very rich. abundant. Of course, the main reason why the Wu family operates here is for the Luzon route. In Wu Huaiyu’s plan, this route will be extended southward in the next stage, leading to Borneo, Makassar and other Nanyang Islands rich in spices.

Dongsha Island just seems very important.

Wu Huaiyu also came to Crescent Island for the first time.

He discovered that there were not only wooden camps and workshops here, but also a Taoist temple.
"Baiyun Temple,"

On this small island in the vast blue sea, the people on the island built this Taoist temple, named Baiyun Temple, to worship Xiaoyaozi, the founder of the Longmen sect of Louguan Taoism.

Wu Huaiyu is the second generation leader of the Longmen Sect and the current leader.

The steward of the Wu family on this island actually invited four Longmen Taoist priests from Longmen Monastery in Chang'an to become monks and live here. The four of them also accepted disciples on this island.

He also served as a teacher and doctor on the island. He would also take his disciples and students to the sea to fish, grow vegetables on the island, etc.

The small Baiyun Temple is actually very prosperous on this small island, and the four Taoist priests are also deeply loved by the people on the island.

After a conversation, Wu Huaiyu admired them very much. They could endure the hardship and loneliness. It turned out that the four of them were originally members of Lou Guan Taoism. Later, they went to the capital to practice in Longmen Monastery, and they were accepted by Wu Huaiyu as their acting teacher. Although these four junior brothers are older than him,
The Longmen sect became famous all over the world for its martial arts, and his master Xiaoyaozi, who became an immortal land god, was revered by the imperial court and Louguan Taoism for this reason.
Today's Longmen Sect not only takes the Longmen Temple in Chang'an as its ancestral temple, but also has many Taoist temples built in Luoyang, Guangzhou and other places where Taoists of this sect practice.

The four of them were all official Taoists with certificates issued by the imperial court. Even when they came here, they were registered at Chongxuan Hall, the administrative office of the imperial court.

"I have a proposal. I want the four of you to go to Luzon."

Wu Huaiyu said that he would allocate money to them and let them take their respective disciples to Luzon. The four of them would each go to a port. At that time, the general manager of the Wu family would help them establish a new Longmen Taoist temple.
They spread the Taoism of the Longmen School of Louguan Taoism there and spread the Qi body of Xiaoyaozi. This book collects classic passages from the Taoist canon and other Taoist original songs, with intuitive and graphic drawings and precise and practical annotations. , is a collection of Xiaoyaozi's lifelong travels. They are all his own real experiences of physical and mental realization. They are of great reference and confirmation value for fellow practitioners who truly practice real practice.

Especially for the Taoist priests of the Tang Dynasty.

In fact, it is also of great learning value for people outside the Taoist sect.

If the four junior brothers can run the Longmen Taoist Temple so well on this small island, they will have more potential in Luzon. They can continue to follow the model here and build Taoist temples to practice while also teaching and treating diseases.
At that time, the Taoism of the Louguan Longmen School will be spread to the native tribes, so that they can also follow the Taoism and learn the Taoism. Wu Huaiyu felt that in a place like Luzon, whether it was for the Han people in the Central Plains or the natives on the island,

The Longmen Sect is a sect of Louguan Taoism, and Louguan Taoism is also the most famous sect of Taoism today.
Taoism, gods, ghosts and immortals, Wu Huaiyu feels that this system will be of great help to Luzon's future. He personally prefers Taoism, especially the Buddhist monks in the Central Plains who always read the scriptures and have a very bad influence on secular rule. He still hopes to promote Taoism and promote Confucianism in Luzon. From now on, Taoism and Confucianism will go hand in hand, and the monks will not come.

"In the future, wherever there is a Wu family castle in Luzon, there will be Taoist temples and Confucian temples. The native tribes outside the castle also hope to have our Taoist temples and Confucian temples,"

He wanted to improve the Longmen Sect in Luzon and turn it into a church. He wanted to build a Taoist temple in the city and outside the city and in residential areas. It would be built in the residential areas instead of in the mountains. Organize evangelism, etc., to make Luzon natives believe in Chinese gods,
The Three Pure Taoist Patriarchs, the Four Imperial Gods, the Jade Emperor, the Five Old Emperors, the Duke of the East and the Queen Mother of the West, and the Three Officials and Great Emperors...

There are enough gods in the sky for them to worship, including the God of Wealth, the Kitchen God, the Three Stars of Fortune, Luxury and Longevity, and the God of Earth...
"We, the Dragon Sect, need to be more active and join the world. Let's use Luzon to test our cultivation now..." Wu Huaiyu, the leader, tried hard to persuade several white-bearded juniors.

These four were originally somewhat famous in Louguan Taoism, but after all, it was arranged by Louguan Taoism and the imperial court to accept Master Wu Huaiyu as his disciples, and they also entered the Longmen Sect to practice.
Naturally, we must seriously consider the request of this little senior brother.

Wu Huaiyu's plan to preach in Luzon was still a bit surprising, but after thinking about it for a while, the four decided to give it a try. After all, Wu Huaiyu said it sincerely and was willing to fully support them. This was also a good opportunity to spread the word.

"You can do it with confidence and boldness, I will let them fully support you, and give money to people when they ask for money,"

"We Chinese people have gone to the sea and come to Luzon. We, the Chinese Taoist gods, will naturally come to protect our people abroad."

"We also want the locals in Luzon to believe in our Taoism,"

The four white-bearded junior brothers were all excited when they heard this. Taoist priests are not really indifferent to fame and fortune. Although most of them are not pursuing worldly fame and fortune, they still have pursuit after all.

"I have some precious news to tell you,"

"Actually, our master Xiaoyaozi began to travel around the world when he was young, visiting famous mountains and rivers. Later, he even went overseas. He visited Zhuya, Liuqiu, and Luzon, and later he went to Haidong, which is farther away. Looking for the descendants of the Yin people, I also brought back many crops of the Yin people, such as corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, etc.,"

"Our teacher once practiced in Luzon for eighteen years. Now our four junior brothers can follow in the footsteps of our teacher and practice in Luzon for eighteen years. They will surely be able to realize the great truth!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for your guidance!"

Huaiyu looked at the four white-bearded old Taoists. In the future, they might be the four bishops of my Wu family, Luzon Longmen Tao.

Should I call him the bishop, or the helmsman or the church master?
Taoist priests also have many styles and colors of robes, including white, black, blue, green, crimson, purple, etc. Wu Huaiyu, the head of Louguan Taoist Dragon Sect, had a purple robe given by the emperor.

Famous monks and Taoists who are appreciated by the emperor will have the opportunity to be given purple robes. The monks will have purple gold cassocks, and the Taoists will have purple silk robes. For example, in the Wude Dynasty, Li Yuan gave it to Wang Zhiyuan, the master of Maoshan, and Qihui, the abbot of Louguan, a gold lace crown and a purple robe. Si Xia Pei,
The monk who bestows purple robes is equivalent to the official who bestows purple robes and goldfish.

After returning to Guangzhou, scarlet robes should be ordered for these four junior brothers. By then they will be the four red-robed abbots of Luzon.

(End of this chapter)