Therefore, she might as well develop her technology in secret and let Northern Wei and Liu Song continue their conflict. When both sides are exhausted, she can take them down in one fell swoop!
After all, both Northern Wei and Liu Song aimed for unification and would only think about eliminating each other first. As for her small Western Liang, as long as Northern Wei found it to be a tough nut to crack, they wouldn't want to deal with her first.
Moreover, Western Liang had just happened to close off the Hexi Corridor, so they wouldn't know anything about the Western Regions. This could be said to be very advantageous for Lia.
"Your subordinate will send men to The various kingdoms of the Western Regions to understand the situation there. I will certainly not disappoint my Lord," Yu Ming replied immediately, his tone revealing a hint of excitement.
"I heard there are many monks here. Is that true?" Lia asked again.
"There are indeed many. Originally, there weren't that many people here, but in the past, many who committed crimes in the imperial court were exiled to this frontier. Over time, the population grew, and many people became monks."
Yu Ming explained.
"If I wanted to disband those monks and have them return to being common people, do you think that's possible?"
"The possibility is not high. Monks have the right to tax exemption. If they are forced to disband, there will certainly be significant resistance. However, if my Lord were to forcibly disband them, it could still be done," Yu Ming said after some thought.
Chapter 41: Dealing with the Monks
When Buddhism first spread to China, there weren't many followers, and the alms received by temples were very limited. Additionally, monks were forbidden from acquiring such wealth, so before the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the economic status of temples and monks was not as good as in later generations; there are even records in historical texts of monks starving to death.
Thus, driven by the need for survival, many monks broke their precepts to engage in production, tilling the land and running handicraft industries. Some monks even managed their affairs so well that their assets doubled.
However, later during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Buddhism was embraced by more Aristocratic Families and even the imperial family. They were granted large amounts of land and estates, which also came with many dependent populations.
These lands and funds, combined with the preferential policies of often being exempt from taxes and corvée labor, caused the economic strength of temples to surge.
In ancient times, there were many reasons for people to enter the monkhood. While faith was certainly an important factor, it was not the only reason. More often, monks were driven by many realistic factors.
Losing parents at a young age meant that even with the help and care of relatives, life remained incredibly difficult.
Therefore, many people sought refuge in relatively stable temples during times of war to pray for protection. They entered the monkhood simply to survive.
Nurturing the orphaned and widowed could raise the temple's social prestige, winning it a reputation and expanding its influence, while also gaining free labor. Those with good potential could be carefully cultivated, benefiting the development of Buddhism itself.
This win-win situation was welcomed by both sides. Consequently, temples took in many orphaned children and even young people. This also led to a large number of peasants choosing to enter Buddhist temples to escape taxes and labor service.
As a result, from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, various regimes—except for some emperors with fanatical Buddhist faith—formulated measures to limit the expansion of the number of monks. They strictly forbade the private ordination of monks and tried every means to curb their numbers.
Of course, now that Lia has implemented land reforms, the number of monks will drop sharply in the future. Just like in modern times, when you can eat and drink your fill, how many people are willing to become monks?
But even so, in Dunhuang today, there are still large tracts of land occupied by these monks who only know how to strike wooden fish and chant sutras. Although these monks are not Aristocratic Families, they are more like them than anyone else.
"Continue gathering information on The various kingdoms of the Western Regions for me here. Now, I'm going to see those monks," Lia said.
In Lia's view, these monks should return to their original state: engaging in production, tilling the land, and running handicraft industries, instead of just chanting sutras and exploiting others.
She was not against monks, nor would she wantonly demolish those temples, but these monks had to follow her rules.
"Yes, my Lord," Yu Ming nodded.
After leaving Yumen Pass, Lia returned to Dunhuang Commandery once again. After carrying out reforms here as she had before, it could be said that she completely took the fields that originally belonged to those monks and Aristocratic Families and distributed them all to Common People.
Although the Aristocratic Families here were dissatisfied, they did not dare say anything in the face of Lia's great army.
However, those monks, accustomed to being respected, came looking for her, wanting an explanation.
A week later, an old monk asked Lia, who was measuring fields: "Benefactor Long, I do not know why you have seized our fertile fields. Do you know what kind of situation your actions will put us in?"
"Have I seized your fertile fields? You old monk really talk in a funny way." Lia glanced at the visiting monk and immediately frowned.
Although this old monk had a white beard, his eyes were bright and piercing, his breathing steady and powerful, and his steps firm. The tin staff he held weighed at least 100 catties; he was definitely a Xiantian expert.
Behind this old monk followed a total of eighteen monks, all with sturdy, yellowish-brown muscles and high, bulging temples. They were all unexpectedly at the level of first-class experts.
Are these the Eighteen Bronze Men of Shaolin? Lia inexplicably thought of this. However, the fact that this old monk brought so many experts over was clearly an attempt to threaten her.
"Among the fields you snatched from the Aristocratic Families, many belong to us," a young monk behind the old monk, who seemed to have a bit of a temper, suddenly said.
"So that's how it is. Since the fields belong to the Masters, I should naturally return them to you," Lia said with a slight smile upon hearing this.
Hearing Lia say this, the expressions of these monks improved significantly.
Lia spoke again: "But let me put the ugly words first. These fields can be returned to you. However, you must be like the local common people; for every mu of land, you must pay taxes. Otherwise, I don't mind carrying out an anti-Buddhist campaign like Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, Tuoba Tao!"
As long as the fields of the Aristocratic Families were returned to Common People, it was actually enough for them to be self-sufficient. If these people felt they had nothing to do and were willing to work as laborers for these monks, she wouldn't say anything.
"Benefactor Long, do you know what you are saying!"
Following Lia's words, the monks' eyes widened like tigers, and their gazes toward Lia were filled with killing intent.
To this killing intent, Lia only gave a cold sneer.
The so-called anti-Buddhist campaigns were precisely because the Shramana had always been exempt from rent, taxes, and corvée labor, which invited trouble.
In order to unify the north and consolidate his position in the Central Plains to reach the state where all people were soldiers, Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei issued an edict in 438: all Shramana under the age of fifty were to return to secular life and serve in the military.
He also followed the advice of Chancellor Cui Hao, converting to the Celestial Master's Way of Kou Qianzhi, rejecting Buddhism, and gradually developing an anti-Buddhist campaign.
Then in 444, he formally suppressed the Shramana. He ordered that from princes down to commoners, all were forbidden to privately support Shramana, and he set a deadline for surrendering any hidden Shramana. If anyone concealed them, their entire family would be executed.
The following year, Gai Wu, a Hu person from Lushui, rose in rebellion at Xingcheng with as many as 100,000 people.
In 447, Emperor Taiwu personally led troops to suppress them. When he arrived at Chang'an, weapons were discovered in a temple. Suspecting that the Shramana were conspiring with Gai Wu, he was greatly enraged and ordered the execution of all the monks in the temple.
Cui Hao further persuaded the Emperor to eradicate Buddhism, so Emperor Taiwu implemented a cruel policy of abolishing Buddhism: executing the Shramana of Chang'an and burning all scriptures and statues throughout the empire.
For a time, the entire country was in a state of terror.
If it hadn't been for the Crown Prince at the time, who was a devout believer in Buddhist teachings and repeatedly petitioned Emperor Taiwu to stop, the edict to abolish Buddhism would have been delayed in its announcement. This allowed some distant Shramana to hear the news and flee to escape, eventually ending up here at the Mogao Caves.
However, the temples and pagodas within the Wei State did not escape the disaster. Six years after the abolition of Buddhism, Emperor Taiwu passed away, and Emperor Wencheng ascended the throne. He issued an edict to revive Buddhism, and it gradually began to recover and develop again.
Chapter 42: Unifying Western Liang
It could be said that this move by the Northern Wei Emperor saved Lia a lot of trouble. If she took over Northern Wei's territory in the future, the infamy of eradicating Buddhism wouldn't be on her head, and those monks wouldn't turn pale at the mention of her.
Now that these Buddhists heard Lia say this, it undoubtedly reopened their wounds; it was only natural for them to be so angry.
But Lia was not afraid of them. She had an army of 5,000 under her command. If these monks dared to act out, she wouldn't be polite.
"Is this really such a difficult matter for you? Under the wide heaven, all is the King's land. Within the sea's boundaries, all are the King's subjects. If you cannot even accept these terms and yet wish to propagate your Buddhist teachings in the Central Plains, you should return to India."
Lia spoke without the slightest hint of politeness.
Of course, these people were not actually from India, but it was an indisputable fact that Buddhism originated there.
Hearing Lia's words, the old monk closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
Ten minutes later, the old monk opened his eyes, sighed, and said, "This poor monk understands. We will pay taxes according to Benefactor Long's laws. However, I hope that Benefactor Long will not make things too difficult for us monks in the future."
To the old monk, paying taxes was actually not much of an issue; even commoners could afford it, and since they currently controlled a large amount of land, it was impossible for them not to be able to pay.
The real difficulty lay in the future, once Lia's policies were implemented and a large number of common people were liberated.
When these common people had their own fields, it would no longer be easy to convince them to leave home and become monks. This was the source of the old monk's inner conflict.
If sentient beings do not suffer, how can the Buddha deliver them?
But if they were to truly clash with the imperial soldiers, they would inevitably be driven out of this last region of Northern Wei, so they had to endure!
They would wait for a ruler who believed in Buddhism to appear; then, they would have a new turning point!
These monks might not be good at much else, but when it came to endurance, truly few could compare to them.
Even if someone were to defecate on their heads, they could endure it; they were truly unparalleled in that regard.
Of course, this was just a metaphor. In any case, once these monks faced a power stronger than themselves, they would be exceptionally patient. But if they faced someone weaker—well, then it would be 'Mighty Heavenly Dragon' and heavy punches!
It could be said that by now, Lia had effectively subdued the Western Liang region west of Dunhuang, bringing nearly half of Western Liang under her control, with only six commanderies remaining.
She didn't know if that fellow Li Lin had gone to take them yet; she hoped he had enough capability.
After all, the number of soldiers stationed in those six commanderies was not large, generally between 1,000 and 2,000 men. If Li Lin was capable enough, 5,000 soldiers would be more than sufficient.
Do not underestimate 5,000 men. In the past, 3,000 soldiers of the State of Yue swallowed the State of Wu, and later, Sun Ce relied on 3,000 soldiers to conquer the entire Jiangdong. It can be said that 5,000 soldiers can actually accomplish many things.
Moreover, he now had hand grenades made from gunpowder. If he still couldn't conquer the six commanderies, Lia would truly have to doubt his abilities.
Lia pulled her thoughts back. For now, she couldn't return to Liang Province immediately because Dunhuang was not yet fully stabilized; she likely needed another week or so.
The longer Lia stayed here, the more stable Dunhuang would become. At the very least, she had to wait until the land distribution was completely finished.
After another week had passed and Lia felt things were mostly ready, she left behind some people to maintain contact and returned with the main army.
It had taken her nearly a month to arrive, and she had spent over ten more days in Dunhuang stabilizing the Aristocratic Families. Counting the return trip, nearly two to three months had passed.
One could only say that this road was not easy to travel. Once she developed cement in the future, it would be much easier.
Lia first returned to Linsong Commandery to check on things. She found that the Aristocratic Families were all very well-behaved and asked the local common people about them.
Common People's response was that the Aristocratic Families had become much more honest, and incidents like people being injured in the streets no longer occurred.
Lia nodded with satisfaction. Although these Aristocratic Families were only behaving because they feared her and didn't dare to be blatant, it also showed that as long as nothing happened to her, these families wouldn't dare to act out.
Then Lia returned to Wuxing Commandery. When the residents learned that Lia had already conquered Linsong and Dunhuang, they welcomed her arrival as if it were the New Year.
After Lia greeted Common People, she asked Hua Mulan about the situation in Wuxing Commandery and Wuan Commandery.
Hua Mulan's answer was very satisfying to Lia. In the commanderies she had reformed, Lia's prestige among Common People had reached its peak.
Whenever Lia was mentioned, Common People would look excited, and some even said Lia was a Goddess reincarnated from heaven, sent by the heavens specifically to save them. It was clear that Lia had completely won the hearts of the people here.
Just as Lia returned to Liang Province with Hua Mulan, she also received word that Li Lin's army had completely conquered the remaining six commanderies of Liang Province half a month ago.
"My Lord, this general has fortunately fulfilled the mission and conquered the six commanderies half a month ago!" Upon Lia's return, Li Lin also recounted his experiences over the past two months.
During the first month, he hadn't made any moves, but instead managed everything Lia had entrusted to him in Liang Province. Once he felt the time was right, he asked Merlin to help manage the affairs of Liang Province on his behalf.
After completing these tasks, he led 5,000 soldiers to first take Jincheng, then conquered the other places one by one, finally taking Beidi.
This process took him less than a month. However, the result was that although these conquered commanderies now belonged to Lia, they had not undergone any reforms; they were simply captured.
Lia didn't have much to say about this result. Leaving matters of reform to a military general like Li Lin might actually backfire. Leaving them untouched for her to handle upon her return was indeed the best choice.
Regarding the matter of reform, Lia thought for a moment and felt she needed to cultivate a few talents for this purpose. She couldn't afford to waste time performing reforms herself every time she conquered a new territory, could she?
There had to be specialized people to do this kind of work.
Thinking of this, Lia asked Hua Mulan, "Mulan, you stayed in Wuxing Commandery the longest. Do you have anyone to recommend? Someone specifically to handle these reforms."
Hua Mulan thought for a moment and said, "People for reforms? During my time in Wuxing Commandery, there were indeed a few people who gave me ideas. Does my Lord want those people to continue helping us?"
Chapter Forty-Three: Mohism
"Yes, I hope you can call those people here and have them form a specialized team—not just one, but multiple teams specifically responsible for this matter," Lia said.
With a team specialized in this, she would be much more at ease in the future, responsible only for fighting the wars.
"Very well, I will return to Wuxing Commandery immediately to invite them."
"I'm sorry to trouble you," Lia said with an apologetic expression.
She had only just brought Mulan back to Liang Province, and now she had to send her back again.
Seeing Lia's apologetic look, Hua Mulan quickly shook her head. There was no reason for a master to say sorry to a subordinate. She hurriedly said, "It's no trouble at all. I really like this task my Lord has announced. I will bring those people here as quickly as possible."
With that, Hua Mulan departed.
After Hua Mulan left, Lia thought for a moment. She could also have those who participated in the earlier Liang Province reforms help out. Since she wanted to build such a team, the more people, the better for now.
The more people there were, the faster it would be implemented.
Otherwise, Common People would begin to wonder why land reform was happening elsewhere but hadn't been implemented for them yet. They might think the legends were all lies.
Once Common People fell into that way of thinking, it would cause doubt and distrust toward her rule.
"Merlin, what is the current situation in Northern Wei?" Lia asked Merlin, who was standing to the side.
"Northern Wei? They're quite angry over there! You wouldn't believe it, they've already mobilized fifty thousand elite troops and set out. I estimate they'll arrive in Liang Province in less than a month," Merlin said with a smile.
"Why are you so happy? Someone who didn't know better would think you were on their side." Seeing Merlin's grinning face, Lia felt a bit annoyed.
Northern Wei's reaction was not outside her expectations. Having an entire province suddenly snatched away—especially a place like Western Liang used specifically for raising horses—it would be too strange if they didn't react.
"Is that so? It just shows that I have confidence in you." Merlin straightened his expression.
"Forget it. Li Lin, how is the progress of the gunpowder research?" Lia asked again.
"The difficult problem you mentioned has been solved, my Lord. We can now use this gunpowder perfectly," Li Lin replied.
"Oh? So fast?" Lia was a little surprised.