novelAbuy Chapter 70 Monk Wang
Chapter 70 Monk Wang
"My lord, if what you say is true, and Yan'an Prefecture has been captured by the bandits, we should strike immediately and not allow the bandits to grow stronger."
Zuo Qianhu Ba Shangfeng was the first to state his opinion.
"That's not right. If, as the Commander says, Yan'an Prefecture has already fallen, we should act even more cautiously now."
Right Commander Li Huaiguang expressed his opposition, and then offered an explanation.
Even if the captured bandits exaggerated Li's strength, Li's ability to capture Yan'an Prefecture shows that his military strength should not be underestimated.
Moreover, our army set out from Xi'an Prefecture with enough marching rations for only ten days, and now we only have enough for three days.
There is no grain available for replenishment in Yanchang County, so we must collect it ourselves.
If we advance to suppress the bandits now, and the battle drags on, our army may face annihilation if supplies run out.
"That's why I suggested we should fight a quick battle. According to intelligence, Li has only been gone for eight days. Even if they manage to capture the county town and Yan'an Prefecture in these eight days, they must have suffered heavy casualties and won't have time to rest and replenish their supplies."
Taking advantage of their unstable foothold, our army launched a decisive attack, catching them off guard and defeating them before their strength could grow.
Despite hearing Li Huaiguang's words, Ba Shangfeng continued to refute them.
Listening to the argument between the two, Wang Lian frowned.
Zuo Qianhu Ba Shangfeng, like him, came from a hereditary military family, and his family background was even more illustrious. He inherited the rank of commander, and his current position under Zuo Qianhu was merely a stepping stone for his career advancement; he would be promoted sooner or later.
Li Huaiguang, the Right Commander, was a veteran who had fought his way up from the frontier. He was experienced, more cautious, and unwilling to take risks easily.
In reality, Wang Lian was more inclined to agree with Li Huaiguang's opinion, but he was determined to quell the bandits on this expedition.
After thinking about it, he made a compromise decision.
"What you both say makes sense."
However, in military campaigns, one must first seek to be invincible before seeking victory.
Our army will proceed as I just suggested, first using the pretext of the county magistrate to requisition grain from the countryside, while simultaneously sending scouts northward to gather accurate intelligence on the bandits. Once the supplies are replenished, we will launch a swift attack and decisively defeat the enemy.
Although Wang Lian, as the superior, had already made a decision, Ba Shangfeng clearly did not want to give up.
"General, in this year's harvest, the easily harvestable grain has already been requisitioned. The grain that couldn't be harvested is either hidden by unruly people, or there's simply no grain in the fields. What should we do?"
"I have learned that Li the bandit plundered many wealthy households in the surrounding area and distributed the grain to the people. You should lead your troops to seize this grain back."
"Ah, this?" Ba Shangfeng was clearly surprised by Wang Lian's specific arrangements and was speechless for a moment.
Li Huaiguang, standing to the side, wore an expression that already knew what was going on, and said to Ba Shangfeng in a mocking tone...
"We are government troops, and it is only right for us to punish the bandits. Those common people are ungrateful and dare to accept the grain distributed by the bandits. It is only right for us to take back the grain now."
"But what if someone refuses to hand over the grain?" Ba Shangfeng still wanted to struggle a bit more.
Wang Lian had intended to offer him some kind words of comfort, but upon hearing this, he asked in return:
"Then is the knife you're holding made of wood?"
After these words were spoken, no one dared to respond.
After everyone left, Wang Lian sat alone in his chair, wearily rubbing his temples.
Honestly, although he was grateful to Hu Tingyan for promoting him from a garrison commander to a military commander, thus crossing a significant watershed in the military ranks of the Ming Dynasty, he was initially unwilling to lead the expedition to suppress the bandits.
The root cause lies in the current situation.
The new emperor ascended the throne, and the world was shaken.
The powerful eunuch, known as the "Nine Thousand Years Old," has been executed, and the purge of the eunuch faction in the capital is in full swing.
Although his benefactor Hu Tingyan was not a direct descendant of Wei Zhongxian like the "Five Tigers" and "Five Leopards," he had privately presented eulogies and auspicious omens.
With his patron about to fall, if he were to be too proactive at this moment, he might be seen as irrefutable evidence of being a member of the "Hu Party" by the new governor who takes office, thus only causing trouble.
Therefore, he originally wanted to delay and stall for time, and wait and see.
But Lu Pan, Hu Tingyan's advisor, enlightened him with a remark before he set out with his troops.
Lu Pan put it bluntly: If you dislike someone but still keep them in service, it's because that person is useful. The same applies to the emperor; he dislikes certain eunuch factions, but cannot eliminate them all, simply because these people are indeed getting things done.
If a general wants to remain in office, to retain his position and power after the change of dynasty, or even to advance further, he must fulfill the duty of the Ming army—that is, to suppress bandits and pacify the people.
Therefore, the first thing he did after entering the city was to find local wealthy families and have them jointly submit a petition to the court to boast about his and Hu Tingyan's achievements.
However, the Ming army has always valued merits on the frontier, while merits in suppressing bandits in the interior were considered the lowest level. The few hundred heads of bandits taken yesterday could hardly be considered a great achievement.
Thinking of this, he summoned Zhao Huan and gave him instructions:
"Take a cavalry unit and clear out the surrounding area. Didn't they say some bandits have fled? Take your men there and make sure they are wiped out completely, and bring back plenty of heads, understand?"
He emphasized the word "head" when he said it.
Zhao Huan, who had been looking down, suddenly raised his head upon hearing this, clearly understanding its meaning.
Wang Lian added, "Try to handle this cleanly and don't leave any future problems. If you do a good job, I'll guarantee your future as a commander."
Zhao Huan replied, "Yes, sir, I understand."
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There is a temple on Guling Mountain, east of Yanchang County and bordering Shanxi Province.
Despite the severe drought, the monks in the temple still had rosy complexions.
This was not because local wealthy families or residents were particularly devout Buddhists and still made generous offerings during years of famine, but because there was a monk named Wang in the temple.
Monk Wang's Buddhist name was Shajing, but he didn't like this name. People who came to burn incense knew that his family name was Wang, so they called him Monk Wang.
When Wang Heshang was born, he had a black birthmark on his right temple. The fortune teller who came to the village said that this was his horn, but it had not yet sprouted.
Wang the monk's father smiled and didn't take it seriously. But later, his family suffered a misfortune, and he was sent to the temple to become a novice monk.
He ate the same food as the other monks in the temple, but he was exceptionally tall and strong, with broad shoulders and a large build, just like the Weituotian in the portrait at the temple entrance.
Lay Buddhists who came to the temple to burn incense were all taken aback when they saw him. They then lamented that it was a pity he was a monk, saying that with his physique, if he went to the border town to join the army, he would be called a general sooner or later.
But Monk Wang didn't care and continued chanting his Buddhist scriptures. He just happened to have nothing to do on ordinary days, and when he saw something he didn't like down the mountain, he would stand up for what was right.
Until the severe drought struck, Yanchang County suffered a disaster, and the people could hardly survive, so no one went up the mountain to offer incense anymore.
However, the temple owns some farmland, which was cultivated by the monks around the mountain. They can barely make ends meet with these.
However, the tax collectors in Yanchang County were driven to desperation by Master Yu's practice of only providing food instead of collecting taxes, so they frantically searched for resources in Yanchang, leaving them with nothing to squeeze out.
The wealthy households couldn't collect grain taxes, and the poor households truly had no grain. Unbeknownst to them, the authorities set their sights on this temple and came to collect taxes.
At that time, Monk Wang wanted to slap these officials out of the country, but his master stopped him, and in the end he had no choice but to pay the tax.
However, the drought worsened, and the hillside fields dried up completely. By the following year, the temple only had enough food to make thin porridge.
But when the tax collectors came to collect taxes again, Monk Wang no longer tolerated them. He took out the iron rod used for discipline in the temple and placed it across the mountain gate.
Seeing that he was a burly man, holding an iron bar, squatting in front of the door with a fierce and menacing look, none of the tax collectors dared to approach him.
After a stalemate lasting half a day, the tax collectors had no choice but to slink away. Thus, the saying "He is the Purple Gold Beam who drives the sea" began to circulate in the local villages.
But with such a year, no grain in the fields means no grain.
After that, Monk Wang and his fellow disciples went to the gates of wealthy households with iron rods to chant sutras.
When the wealthy families saw him chanting the scriptures with such fierce expressions, they understood the meaning behind it and generously gave him food.
After receiving the grain, Monk Wang kept only half and distributed the other half to the elderly and weak villagers at the foot of the mountain, which made him even more famous.
He had visited all the wealthy households in the area, and then he led people to chant sutras along the official road. If the passing merchants and travelers were generous enough, that would be fine.
If he pretended not to see it, he would block the road with an iron rod. Some people were stunned and drew their knives to rush forward, only to be beaten until they vomited blood, and then they would accept it.
On this day, he was wielding an iron rod in the open space in front of the temple.
The 80-pound iron rod in his hands was like a wooden stick, wielded with graceful and agile movements.
The fellow apprentices and several farm men who were watching cheered in unison.
The old monk in the temple was so engrossed in chanting scriptures that he pretended not to hear.
Just then, someone came to report that "Entering the Clouds Dragon" had arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Wang the monk had heard of this name. It was said that this person was a Taoist priest who was skilled in the magic of turning beans into soldiers. He had rebelled this spring and led several hundred people to kill wealthy families in the Yanhe area.
The county government has tried to capture him several times but failed. However, we have always heard that he only operates in the Yanhe area. How did he end up here?
"What's he doing here?" Monk Wang wiped the sweat from his brow and asked the villager who had come to deliver the news.
The villager said, "I don't know. I rushed here as soon as he entered the village, but he brought about a hundred people with him, many of whom looked injured."
Upon hearing that Ru Yunlong had led the wounded down the mountain, Monk Wang guessed that they had probably been besieged by government troops.
Just a few days ago I heard that they were on a roll and had even captured the county town. How come the government troops have counterattacked so quickly?
Monk Wang was very clear about the limits of his actions.
Although he led people to wealthy households to "chant sutras" and beg for food, and even blocked roads, he was, after all, cloaked in the guise of Buddhist alms-begging, so the government usually wouldn't investigate him too deeply in those days.
Unlike Yunlong, Ke Ruyunlong was a genuine rebel who made a name for himself.
Thinking of this, he felt somewhat uneasy about Ru Yunlong's arrival, and then led his men towards the village at the foot of the mountain. Halfway there, he remembered something and instructed one of his junior brothers to go back to the temple to fetch a medicine box.
When Monk Wang arrived at the village at the foot of the mountain, just as the villagers had said, he saw about a hundred strong men, but they looked disheveled and unkempt.
More than a dozen people were injured, and those with more serious injuries only received hasty bandaging. Two others were pale and on the verge of fainting.
When Monk Wang arrived, the village was quiet.
The people from Ruyunlong and the villagers stood on opposite sides, looking at each other, but no one took any extreme actions.
Both sides were carrying weapons, but the villagers had things like rakes and hoes, and their weapons were just a few waist knives and spears, while Wang Pingyue's side had almost everyone carrying a weapon.
Wang the monk knew at a glance that if a fight broke out, the villagers would definitely suffer.
His appearance broke the stalemate, and many villagers called out "Brother Wang" and "Master" came forward to greet him.
When Wang Pingyue saw the new monk, who was tall and strong and wielding an iron rod, he immediately guessed that this was probably the legendary "Purple Gold Beam" Monk Wang.
Yanchang County is not a large area, and people with a little fame quickly become well-known. The story of Monk Wang chanting sutras and begging for alms along the official road of Yanchang for the past two years has even been heard in Shanxi.
Wang Pingyue straightened his clothes, waved to his men to stop, and then walked alone to Monk Wang, bowing to him.
Monk Wang was a generous man. Seeing that the other man had come forward alone to show his sincerity, he returned the greeting and asked:
"So you are Ru Yunlong?"
"What 'Soaring Dragon in the Clouds'? It's just a compliment from my friends in the martial arts world. I am Wang Pingyue, a simple Taoist priest in a blue robe, just leading the villagers to make a living."
When he heard him say "to find a way to survive," Monk Wang felt a deep sense of sympathy.
Although his actions did not conform to the temple's rules, in the end he was just trying to find a way for everyone to survive.
With this thought in mind, he called over his junior brother, who was carrying a medical kit, to help treat the wounds of Wang Pingyue's group.
With this start, the previously tense atmosphere between the two sides immediately eased.
"What brings you to our village, Master Wang?" Monk Wang asked while helping to treat the wounded.
Wang Pingyue didn't hide anything and said frankly, "I was just chased by government troops and fled here in a panic. A few days ago, we captured Yanchang County, and the government army sent a large force to besiege us. Although we have been moving fast these days, they have been relentlessly pursuing us. Master, rest assured, I will only rest here for a short while and then leave. I will not implicate the villagers."
Seeing that Wang Pingyue was so conscientious, Monk Wang said no more, only asked the villagers to help fetch water and gave them some grain.
After receiving treatment, drinking water, and washing themselves briefly, Wang Pingyue led her team away from the village.
After watching Wang Pingyue and his entourage depart, the villagers finally breathed a sigh of relief. The village head stepped forward and said, "Thanks to Master Wang's mediation today, these people were able to settle down. I must treat you to a simple meal."
He then pulled Monk Wang towards his home.
Actually, the village headman's meal was ordinary; even his family couldn't afford anything fancy in this year's harvest.
But he took out a bottle of Fenjiu liquor that he claimed had been buried for fifteen years, which delighted Monk Wang.
He was fond of drinking, but the temple had strict rules. After he led his fellow disciples down the mountain to "beg for alms," his master dared not discipline him much. However, he remembered the temple's kindness in raising him and always strictly abided by the rules while in the temple.
Seeing such fine wine, it's hard not to drink a few more glasses.
Just as their faces were flushed from drinking, they suddenly heard someone in the village shout in alarm: "The government troops are killing people!"
He exchanged bewildered glances with the village head and two or three villagers who were drinking with him, then grabbed an iron rod and rushed out the door.
Sure enough, they saw government troops committing atrocities in the village, and these government troops looked extraordinary.
This group of soldiers was completely different from the county tax collectors that Monk Wang had encountered before.
Those tax collectors usually only knew how to bully others, but when it came to actual work, they were all cowardly and weak-kneed, while this group of soldiers were all fully armored and ruthless.
When Monk Wang rushed out, the soldiers were breaking down villagers' doors in groups of three or five, killing anyone they saw, sparing neither the elderly, the weak, nor women and children.
When he saw this, his eyes were filled with anguish.