Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 206 The Battle of Mount Ceylan in the Ming Dynasty

Yongle five years.

Early March.

Thousands of miles away.

Under the clear blue sky, in a clearing at the foot of Mount Ceylon.

The old mother of King Ariel Kunel led her people to kneel in front of a huge golden Buddha to chant sutras and worship the Buddha.

After the old lady finished worshiping Buddha, she called out: "Sir?"

Upon hearing the sound, Ariel Kunel immediately came up from the side and helped the old lady up.

The old lady pointed to the golden treasure box enshrined in front of the golden Buddha and told Ariel Kunel: "It has been nearly a hundred years since the two Buddha's teeth fell into Mount Ceylon from the west. Over the years, the Buddha's teeth have blessed our family. On behalf of others, you have conquered demons and brought peace and auspiciousness to Mount Ceylon, so you must worship it well."

“The son will remember his mother’s teachings and devoutly worship the Buddha’s Tooth, the national treasure of Ceylon.”

Ariel Kunel supported the old lady and agreed warmly.

The old lady added: "In a few years, it will be the [-]th anniversary of the Buddha's tooth being lowered into our Mount Ceylon. I want to build a Buddhist temple on Mount Ceylon and enshrine the Buddha's tooth in the temple forever."

When she said this, her face showed longing, and she said with emphasis: "You must build this temple to be as grand as the Linggu Temple in the Ming Dynasty, and preferably more grand than the Linggu Temple."

"But mother, my son has never seen the Linggu Temple you mentioned!"

Ariel Kunel said helplessly.

Linggu Temple was originally built as the "Kaishan Jingshe" by Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty to honor Zen Master Baozhi. It is located at the southern foot of Mount Everest in Dulongfu, Zijin Mountain. , built Kaishan Jingshe and Zhigong Pagoda in Dulonggang.

During the Qianfu period of the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed "Baogongyuan", and during the Kaibao period of the Song Dynasty, it was renamed Kaishan Taoist Temple. In the fourth year of the Taiping Xingguo reign of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty inscribed the temple as "Taiping Xingguo Zen Temple".

It was called "Jiangshan Temple" in the Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, chose this place to build his own mausoleum, the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. In the 14th year of Hongwu, the original temple was moved to the current site of Linggu Temple. The Wuliang Hall (also known as the Wuliang Hall) built with bricks and stones housed the Buddha of Amitayus. My true self.

The terrain of the temple is a valley between "mountains on the left and steep ridges on the right". It is very large and covers an area of ​​more than [-] acres. It can be said that the mountains have aura and the valleys have combined water. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, named the temple "Linggu". Zen Temple".

The Linggu Temple that the old lady remembers is the Linggu Zen Temple that was rebuilt after Zhu Yuanzhang ordered it.

"Then you send someone to Daming to have a look, draw a picture and bring it back."

The old lady walked to an open place, sat down leaning on a flat cow stone, and gave instructions.

Ariel Kunel said: "Mother, in fact, our Ceylon Mountain Kingdom and the Ming Dynasty have not had contact with each other for many years."

"Why don't we communicate with each other? Since your father, we, the Ceylon Mountain Kingdom, have been living in harmony with the Ming Dynasty. Your father has also been canonized by Emperor Hongwu!"

The old lady asked in surprise.

When she got older, she ignored state affairs and focused on worshiping Buddha. She did not understand the changes in the maritime situation in recent years.

Ariel Kunel explained patiently: "Back then, the Ming Dynasty only guarded the Central Plains and did not care about overseas affairs. Now it is different. They even sent fleets to visit the Western Ocean."

"So what?" The old lady didn't understand and asked.

Ariel Kunel clasped his hands, stood in front of the old lady, and vowed: "If the Ming Dynasty fleet dares to attack our Ceylon Mountains, my son will make sure that their fleet and jewelry will never come back."

"Son, if you are greedy, Buddha will not tolerate it!"

When the old lady heard the words "jewelry" and "there is no return", her heart jumped in fright, and she quickly put her hands together to persuade.

"Mother, don't worry. Mount Ceylon is blessed by the Buddha. My son has nothing to fear."

Ariel Kunel bowed and responded.

"The Ming Dynasty has never coveted the land of our country. How can you covet the treasures of the Ming Dynasty?"

The old lady said earnestly.

Ariel Kunel quickly answered: "What my mother doesn't know is that the Majapahit Kingdom was destroyed by the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers."

"I heard that the Majapahit Kingdom was burning, killing and looting everywhere. Today they attack this small country and tomorrow they attack that small country. This puts everyone in the sea countries at risk. The Ming Dynasty sends troops to destroy it. Is it afraid that it will be forced to raise its troops?"

The old lady was not stupid. She still knew about the Majapahit Kingdom, so she quickly analyzed the real reason why the Ming Dynasty attacked the Majapahit Kingdom.

Ariel Kunel was speechless for a moment.

Seeing this, the old lady persuaded her again: "Son, don't let your delusions cloud your mind."

"Don't worry, mother, your son will be protected by Buddha." Yalie Kunel smiled.

the other side.

On the sea hundreds of miles away from Mount Ceylon.

Hou Xian reported: "Commander Wang, we will arrive at Mount Ceylon soon."

Wang Jinghong stood on the deck of the second floor and looked at the Ceylon Mountain Road from a distance: "Ceylon Mountain Country (Sri Lanka) is located at the southern end of the Peacock Peninsula, lying on the north side of the Peacock Ocean. It is surrounded by Yunyuan Bay (Bay of Bengal) and Dashihai (Arabia The main communication route between the sea and the sea. Starting from this mountain and going more than a thousand miles to the west, it all belongs to the country's coastline."

He looked at the vividly lit mountains under the clouds and sighed: "The pearl on the sea really has the atmosphere of the Buddha's light shining all over it."

"The kingdom of the king of Mount Ceylon, Ariel Kunel, is the strongest in the surrounding area and has the most warships and troops. Therefore, this person has always been rampant and always regarded himself as the overlord, so he dared to compete with the Ming Dynasty fleet."

Wang Jinghong frowned and said: "The Ming Dynasty treats him well, but he invades my fleet wantonly. I want to see how he can give us justice this time."

In the historical Age of Discovery, the country of Ceylon played an important role as a transit and trade intersection among maritime nations.

Zheng He made seven voyages to the West, and each time he passed through the Ceylon Mountain Kingdom, which shows the importance of its location.

The Ceylon Mountain Kingdom took advantage of this unique geographical advantage to obtain considerable benefits from maritime trade.

They robbed merchants and took money, "everything was painful" and became a hegemon on the sea.

During his first voyage to the West, Zheng He had dealings with the King of Ceylon Mountain.

At that time, the king of Mount Ceylon, Ariel Kunel, asked for goods from Zheng He's fleet just like he did with envoys from other countries. Zheng He was unprepared and had to avoid his advances.

Therefore, before his second voyage to the West, Zhu Gaoxu gave instructions and told Zheng He, Wang Jinghong and others that when dealing with a country like the Ceylon Mountain Kingdom, they must treat countries like Ceylon Mountain State first with courtesy and then with military force, and must be famous for their divisions.

Therefore, Zheng He went to sea for the second time and when he passed by Mount Ceylon, he gave property to the king of Mount Ceylon, Ariel Kunel, in the form of charity.

In addition to rewarding Ariel with gold and silver treasures, silk tea leaves, incense burners and vases, lamps and candles, and other items, Zheng He also personally donated money to local temples.

This move seems like spending money to buy peace, but it has a deep-seated calculation.

The Ming Dynasty treated the Ceylon Mountain Kingdom with respect. If the Ceylon Mountain Kingdom robbed the Ming Dynasty's fleet out of ignorance, it would be a matter of course for the Ming Dynasty to launch an army to fight back.

By then, many people and temple monks in Mount Ceylon who have enjoyed the benefits provided by the Ming Dynasty will probably also side with the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty declared that it did not want an inch of land from other countries, but it was treating countries that were willing to surrender and accept canonization.

Any country that accepts the canonization of the Ming Dynasty is legally a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty and is naturally protected by the Ming Dynasty.

On the contrary, any country that dared to confront the Ming Dynasty would suffer the fate of Majapahit.

After all, it is very important to have a famous teacher, so when Zheng He passed by Mount Ceylon on his second voyage, he showed enough respect for Ariel Kunel.

"The water is five to eight feet deep, with fine sand at the bottom."

A sailor threw an iron lump with a hook attached to a long hemp rope into the sea, and then pulled it back after the iron lump sank to the bottom.

He looked at the length mark marked on the rope and deduced the depth of the seawater. He also deduced from the attachments on the iron lumps that the bottom of the seabed was mainly fine sand.

"The water is five to eight feet deep."

The herald immediately stepped onto the second deck and reported to Wang Jinghong.

Wang Jinghong ordered: "Lower the sails by half and slow down."

The herald turned around and shouted: "Lower half sail, slow down and move forward." Then the sailors on the ship began to take action. After some operations, the entire fleet of ships lowered half sail.

"You need to send more sentry ships to conduct detailed exploration of the sea area within a hundred miles. You also need to inform the entire fleet to be careful of Ariel Kunel's sneak attack."

Wang Jinghong ordered Hou Xian, the deputy envoy accompanying the ship.

During the second cruise of the Ming Dynasty fleet, Zheng He and Wang Jinghong were appointed as envoys. Zheng He was responsible for completing a circumnavigation of the earth, while Wang Jinghong was responsible for sending envoys from various countries back to their countries and completing commercial trade with Western countries. The goods are then shipped back to the country.

"As ordered." Hou Xian bowed.

at the same time.

Mount Ceylon.

In the square of the palace front hall.

Ariel Kunel is sunbathing.

"Father, the Commander-in-Chief of Dasha Port reported that there is a Ming Dynasty treasure fleet coming from the west. It seems to be returning."

Prince Yager bowed and reported.

"Are they coming back from Horumus?"

Ariel Kunel stood up and asked quickly.

Yager replied: "Exactly. Looking at the waterline on the ship, these cargo ships must be fully loaded."

Ariel Kunel asked again: "They won't avoid Mount Ceylon and return to the mainland of Ming Dynasty, right?"

"No, their ship has dropped its sails and slowed down." Yager said, patting his chest.

Ariel Kunel said happily: "Okay, as long as they stop, don't even think about leaving anymore."

He told Yager: "Prepare paper and pen. I want to repair a letter and send someone to deliver it."

"My father wants to show his weakness, and then trick the Ming envoys into landing and raise troops to surround and annihilate them?" Yager asked in a low voice.

Ariel Kunel stroked his beard and smiled: "My son is smart!"

After half an hour.

On the main ship of the Ming Dynasty fleet.

The messenger from the Xilan Mountain Kingdom knelt on one knee, and in fluent Chinese, he respectfully reported to Wang Jinghong in front of him: "To the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, my king was extremely happy to learn that the envoy was visiting. This morning my king made a special trip Rush to the seaside and wait for the envoy to land. The Ceylon subjects have prepared a large number of items and hope to trade with the Ming fleet."

"Please get up."

Wang Jinghong closed the letter in his hand and said to the messenger: "This envoy has come to your country and would like to meet King Ariel Kunel so that the two countries can reestablish the tradition of friendship."

The messenger said respectfully: "My king is willing to reconcile with the Ming Dynasty."

"Okay! Come, take the messenger off the ship." Wang Jinghong ordered.

After half an hour.

In the main cabin of the treasure ship.

Wang Jinghong was sitting in the chief general's position, and officers from Qianhu, Baihu, and General Banner were standing in two rows on the left and right in the cabin.

"Since the founding of the Yongle Kingdom, the king of Mount Ceylon, Ariel Kunel, has rebelled against the policies of his ancestors and repeatedly relied on force to plunder his neighbors and dominate the oceans."

Wang Jinghong said loudly: "Two years ago, Ariel Kunel attacked our Ming Dynasty fleet and killed six of my messengers, officers and soldiers. Today, he went out of his way and invited me ashore. How do you think this matter should be handled?"

Hou Xian responded: "We must be prepared with both hands, so that we will not be afraid of Yalie Kunel turning his hands into clouds and turning his hands into rain."

"Strive for peace, base yourself on self-defense, and be prepared for any danger. If Ariel Kunel does not change his evil intentions and seeks trouble again, what can I do?"

Wang Jinghong remembered what Zhu Gaoxu had said to him before, and suddenly stood up and said: "Tooth for tooth, blood for blood!"

"A tooth for a tooth, blood for blood!"

All the soldiers said in unison.

Wang Jinghong said: "I hope that you will be fearless when you are in danger."

Fleet Vice Admiral Chen Dezu took a step forward, bowed and clasped his fists and said: "Since ancient times, civil servants have been admonished to the death, and military generals have been fighting to the death. Navy officers and soldiers are willing to die to serve the court, to be loyal to His Majesty, and to serve the Ming Dynasty!"

A group of Qianhu, Baihu and other soldiers behind him all clasped their fists and said loudly: "We are willing to die on the battlefield for the Ming Dynasty!"

"it is good!"

Wang Jinghong stepped down from the captain's position, looked at Chen Xuan's nephew Chen Dezu, and the soldiers behind him, and said: "At noon tomorrow, I will personally lead two thousand of my entourage to land ashore to meet with Ariel Kunel. Are you here? It’s time to play it by ear.”

"Yes."

The generals commanded.

The next day.

noon.

Wang Jinghong, wearing armor and leading two thousand naval officers and soldiers in a square formation, landed on the coast of the Ceylon Mountain Kingdom.

After a while, Prince Yager rode a horse and led a group of people to the beach.

Yager reined in his horse, looked at Wang Jinghong and others from a distance, and shouted in Ceylonese: "I want to see your envoy."

Wang Jinghong could understand commonly used Ceylonese, so he responded loudly in Chinese: "I am."

As a prince, Yager, like his father, has been dealing with merchant ships at sea all year round, so he can naturally understand commonly used Chinese.

When he learned that the tall and mighty man in armor in front of him was Wang Jinghong, he immediately jumped off his horse, strode up to Wang Jinghong, knelt on the beach, saluted and said: "Prince Yager of the Kingdom of Ceylon pays homage to the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, the King Commander-in-Chief!"

"Prince please get up."

Wang Jinghong helped Yager up and asked in Chinese: "May I ask where your father is now?"

Yager bowed and replied in somewhat fluent Chinese: "Envoy of the Ming Dynasty, my father learned that your envoy ship had arrived, and he quickly left the palace to greet him. He is now waiting for the envoy at the reception desk."

Wang Jinghong asked: "Where is the welcome desk?"

"A few miles away from here, behind the coconut forest." Yager replied.

Wang Jinghong asked: "Since the king has left the palace, why don't we meet on the shore?"

Yager replied in a neither humble nor condescending manner: "The welcome desk is a place where our country of Ceylon specially receives distinguished guests. Meeting the envoys of the Ming Dynasty on the beach will damage the reputation of our country of Ceylon and disrespect the Ming Dynasty. I hope that our country will Make understanding.”

Wang Jinghong said without hesitation: "Okay, I'll go with you."

"Please mount the envoy."

Yager bowed and made a gesture of invitation.

"Commander Wang, please be careful when you go here."

Hou Xian reminded him loudly.

Chen Dezu said: "I would like to accompany Mr. Wang there."

"Okay." Wang Jinghong agreed.

Then, he looked at Hou Xian and said solemnly: "Keep an eye on the fleet to provide support."

"As ordered."

Hou Xian bowed and accepted the order.

(End of this chapter)