Chapter 774 Rare Gourd

After the grand strategy of the Marquis's manor was finalized in the signing room, the system with the Marquis's manor as the core, or rather, with the Marquis's manor as the leader, with Fengxin City as the center, and then spreading to the entire Jindong region, began to operate formally and without any concealment.

At the same time, the temple west of Fengxin City had already been built.

The temple itself was not large, and the construction difficulty was not high. Moreover, Fan Li, the leader of the construction team under the Marquis's manor, personally led the team, so the progress was very fast.

At the same time, with the advancement of the new round of the expedition, more and more standard household families and families who had provided corvée laborers, both inside and outside Fengxin City, began to actively go to the temple to pray for the safety of their families.

The war was bound to be fought;

With the Marquis present, they would surely win;

Human life was worthless, whether in the past, present, or future. The lives of the common people basically swayed between being less than a dog and like weeds. In essence, they were just dog-tail grass.

However, no one wanted to die in battle. After all, they were their relatives. Mental preparation was mental preparation, and high compensation was high compensation, but that didn't stop them from praying for their families.

Initially, only a small group of people went. Then, other standard household families felt that they would be at a loss if they didn't go, as if their men were one step behind others or had one less layer of "protection," so they went immediately.

As a result, the families of the barbarian soldiers who believed in the barbarian gods and the families of the savage soldiers who believed in the stars also went.

"So, the essence of faith is the same. For those in power, it is a means of controlling their subordinates, while for the people at the bottom, they only seek a sense of peace."

The wheelchair stopped on the city wall. Sun Ying looked at the temple and the dark crowd in the distance, raised his wine glass, and sighed.

Standing beside Sun Ying was A Ming.

A Ming was lonely. Of course, his character didn't like crowds.

But his relationship with Sun Ying became very good because of drinking together on the way to the capital.

Only a very small number of people were qualified and had the conditions to taste the world's finest wines. And to separate the people who truly loved and understood wine from this very small group, there were even fewer.

Sun Ying was one of them.

So, he and A Ming were actually drinking buddies.

"Faith is not that simple," A Ming said.

Sun Ying nodded and said, "Yes, it seems illusory, yet it feels so close."

"You can find the blind man to discuss this issue," A Ming said.

"Master Bei naturally understands these things very well."

As a strategist of the Marquis's manor, it was difficult not to admire the blind man.

A Ming smiled and said, "Yes, he can even coax you into converting."

This was truly the blind man's old profession.

"Hahaha, I believe it, but I also feel that the one who can truly make people convert is the Marquis."

A Ming instinctively shook his head;

The lord was pushed to that position by them together.

But after shaking his head, A Ming blinked again and suddenly felt that Sun Ying's words made a lot of sense.

The reason why the demon kings gathered around the lord was to expect the lord to advance. This was an objective factor.

But what was undeniable was that it was precisely because the lord was the lord that the demon kings could still find their comfortable postures when they gathered together.

At least, everyone felt that their current life was not bad.

Sun Ying took a sip of wine and said, "I can feel that after the news of the Second Madam… of the Princess's pregnancy spread from the Marquis's manor, the yamen, the standard households, the common people, and even the entire Fengxin City, were invigorated by this news.

The hope of the masses is faith. The Marquis didn't have any children before, but now he does, and there will be more in the future. The Marquis's manor has a lineage, and everyone feels at ease.

With the Zhenbei Marquis's manor in front, everyone can work hard and risk their lives for at least a hundred years of family wealth."

A Ming didn't have much feeling about these things. Children and descendants were too far away for an existence like him.

"Have you finished handling the logistics?" A Ming asked.

"The first batch of grain and supplies is almost transported to Zhennan Pass, and the second batch is also ready. In theory, this war only needs the first batch, which is enough. The second batch is in case of unforeseen circumstances.

And once the scale of the war expands or gets out of control, it will no longer be something that Ying can prepare and organize. A clever woman can't make bricks without straw. It will depend on Yingdu starting to provide assistance to Jindong, just like Jingnan King's expedition against Chu back then.

So, my job is very simple.

The Marquis's manor didn't start preparing for war just because it was going to fight. It prepared well, so okay, let's fight."

"Hehe," A Ming smiled.

"Actually, Mr. Ming, do you like fighting?"

"I don't like it, but I also like it."

"Oh?"

"I won't say the reasons why I don't like it."

Because every time there was a battle, he had to stand by the lord's side to protect him, but the lord's luck on the battlefield had always been very bad.

After a melee, he would have several more holes in his body.

"The reason why I like it is that only when there is a war can you drink really good wine."

There was no shortage of strong people on the battlefield, and even less of dead strong people.

Their blood was the real delicacy.

"By the way, has the Marquis named this temple?" Sun Ying asked.

"The lord probably forgot about this matter."

"But look, the plaque has been hung up."

"Oh?"

…

The temple was almost completed, but it was not completely finished. Compared with the main structure of the building outside, the real details and time-consuming parts were inside.

Lohans, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas – it was impossible to have one hundred and eight Lohans standing there in a row. The temple was too small to accommodate so many Buddhas.

But a few representative ones had to be placed.

At the same time, the needs of the market had to be taken into account.

The child-giving Guanyin had to be there; the Medicine King Bodhisattva had to be there;

Only with refined business could the incense be prosperous.

Because the inside was not yet decorated, and with the war about to begin, the people could not wait any longer. Therefore, a Buddha statue was first placed outside to open for business.

The Buddha statue had a lotus base under its feet and held a dragon.

The color was still new, and the donkey dung egg eyeballs were bright and piercing, with a majestic and compassionate appearance that captivated people's hearts.

There was an offering table in front with offerings placed on it.

On both sides, two monks were meditating on prayer mats.

The old monk on the west side was crazy, foolish, and silly. His head leaned against the side of the offering table, looking ahead, giving people a sense of great wisdom and understanding of the world.

The little monk on the east side held a lily finger, his body slightly turned, facing the crowd, with a gentle and charming look in his eyes, refusing and welcoming. At first glance, he was still refining his heart in the mortal world, but sooner or later he would be able to transcend and attain great freedom.

The incense burner was not placed on the offering table, because there were too many people who needed it. Therefore, a cauldron was placed in front of the offering table. This cauldron was moved out of the warehouse. When the Situ brothers claimed the throne and established a pseudo-dynasty, they specially ordered people to create nine cauldrons in order to gain legitimacy.

Unfortunately, the nine cauldrons were not completed. The war changed, and the Situ brothers were driven to Fengxin City. The other cauldrons were lost, and only this one was brought back and left there.

This thing was troublesome to move and troublesome to deal with, and it always carried some taboos. So, no matter how the banner of the king changed on the city, this cauldron remained here.

Now it was good to put it out for the people to insert incense.

The people rushed to offer incense. Two rows of prayer mats were in front. After offering incense, they bowed and quickly moved their positions to make way for the next batch.

There were always many barbarians and savages under the command of the Marquis of Pingxi. Unlike the people of the Xia, that is, the people of Yan and Jin, whether they believed or not since childhood, at least they knew how to worship.

However, this was not a difficult thing after all. Before long, the more "barbaric" barbarian women began to squeeze into positions and kowtow to the Buddha.

The savage women, because the savage army's rank in the Pingxi Marquis's manor was not high, had a bit of a "bastard" meaning, so they only dared to line up obediently in the back. If someone cut in line in front, they didn't dare to say a word.

Occasionally, when the family members of a lieutenant or someone working in the yamen came, the people nearby would naturally make way and let them kneel down to worship first.

"The Buddha said that all living beings are equal, but look at the people who worship the Buddha, and they are naturally divided into different classes."

The blind man sighed. Gou Moli stood beside the blind man.

They would also set off tomorrow to accompany the lord to Zhennan Pass. Today, they had a rare moment of leisure.

"People's lives are earned by themselves, and their positions are also earned by themselves. Of course, they can also rely on their parents and ancestors. In short, they are all earned."

What the savage king lamented was the predicament of the savage soldiers' families in front of him. At the same time, the savage king himself had risen from a horse-herding slave on the snowy plains, so he naturally believed in the law of the jungle.

The blind man ignored Gou Moli's conceptual extremes. After all, not everyone could have the opportunity to live again like the lord. Their values were bound to follow their own lives.

Seeing that the blind man didn't speak, Gou Moli smoothed things over for himself and said:

"At least, they are now qualified to stand here."

In the past, savages in Fengxin City were slaves. It would not have been an exaggeration to kill them at will.

Now they were able to stand here and line up because he, Gou Moli, had led a group of young savages to pile up with their deaths and lives during the campaign against Chu.

A smile appeared on the corner of the blind man's mouth. "There's something I've always been curious about."

"Ask away."

"Gou Moli, do you really love the snowy plains?"

Gou Moli opened his mouth and touched his nose.

"I know you don't believe in any stars," the blind man added.

Gou Moli organized his words and said, "Do you and the lord really love the Yan Kingdom?"

"Hehe, yes, yes."

The blind man was obviously very satisfied with Gou Moli's rhetorical question.

From the lord's point of view, he should love the Yan Kingdom, but only a partial part of the Yan Kingdom.

He liked that Jingnan King didn't hesitate to destroy his entire family for the sake of Yan, he liked the forbearance and dedication of the late Emperor Ji Runhao, he liked that the Zhenbei King didn't hesitate to release his military power and hand it over, he liked the spirit and persistence of the Great Yan, who would fight to the death against anyone who disobeyed.

To be precise, he liked the era when the Iron Triangle was there.

Gou Moli's answer was also the same. Once, there was also a group of savages with aspirations by his side, eager to open up new living space for the tribe and return to their homeland.

But after that generation died out, how could they still love? Looking at the short-sighted wastrels on the snowy plains today, even if they wanted to love, they couldn't.

It was a pity that there was no tea to use as wine.

But fortunately, there were oranges.

The blind man took out an orange from his pocket, peeled it, and handed half to Gou Moli.

Gou Moli took the orange, put it in his mouth, and said while chewing, "You say, so many people are worshiping, can the Buddha see them all?"

"I don't know."

"I think he can't see them all, and those who worship the Buddha should understand this principle."

The blind man said, "But what if?"

"Yes, it's for this what if."

Gou Moli put the last bit of orange into his mouth, wiped his hands on his sleeves, and handed his cuffs to the blind man.

The blind man didn't use Gou Moli's sleeves to wipe, but took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands.

Gou Moli retracted his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and said, "I still think the next battle is a bit risky."

"The Chu Kingdom is not the Hailan Tribe, nor is it a small country like the Liang Kingdom or the Wu Kingdom. It's impossible to fight steadily. Only by taking risks can you gain benefits.

Aren't you the same?"

The grand strategy proposed by Liang Cheng was actually very familiar. The battlefield pattern changed, and there were often only a few types. The routines were the same, and it depended on who could play this routine with tricks.

Transplanting flowers and grafting trees,

Pretending to be strong when weak,

And then luring the snake out of its hole for a strong confrontation.

Back then, Jingnan King Tian Wujing used this trick to break through the army under the command of the Savage King with the Yan army's elite field force, which laid the foundation for the destruction of that generation of savages in one fell swoop.

That was why Gou Moli had jumped onto the sand table with excitement after Liang Cheng said his strategy that day.

This was really,

Caught off guard, old wounds were torn open.

"We can obviously wait a little longer, but we have to keep taking risks. Could it be just to enjoy ourselves?"

A puzzled look appeared on the blind man's face,

And said:

"Huh? Isn't living just to enjoy ourselves?"

"………” Gou Moli.

"Hehehe." The blind man gently twisted his neck. "We always have to do something. If there's nothing to do, we have to find something to do."

"Not considering failure?"

"If we always consider failure, we won't be able to do anything. Think more about what would happen if this battle is fought according to plan… As long as we defeat the main force of the Chu army stationed south of the Wei River, the Chu people's Wei River defense line will be declared broken. The power of my Marquis's manor can go south out of the Wei River. At that time, Shanggu County, what a good place, the land is fertile and flat. If we build a few more large canals to divert the water of the Wei River for irrigation, ah, the wonderful feeling of farming will come up all at once."

Gou Moli raised his hands to indicate that he gave up.

The blind man reminded him, "We won't deliberately seek death, and we don't know how to keep our heads down and watch the wind, but if we have a certain degree of certainty, don't be cowardly."

"I know, I know, you told me to get closer to you, and when you open an inn in the future, you can leave me a stable to stay in."

"Hehe, that's right."

At this moment,

A team came over with gongs and drums, sending a set of plaques.

"Did you order it?" Gou Moli asked the blind man.

The blind man shook his head. "No."

"Then is it the lord?"

"The lord only gave one instruction, but not really. In fact, the lord had long forgotten his promise to this pair of monks, but he happened to see them on the road while shopping with the Sword Saint.

The old monk was crazy, holding a pile of gourds and shouting for more children and more blessings."

"Oh, that really scratched the lord's itchy spot."

The madam had just become pregnant, and after being blessed, how could he not feel refreshed?

The blind man shook his head, "I don't think it's a coincidence."

"Oh?"

"These two monks are people with deep blessings. Their fate is really good."

The pair of master and apprentice had the best results and effects in preaching on the snowy plains;

They found the black-armored man, a situation with nine deaths and one life, but the master and apprentice had not died.

In the end,

They used gourds all over the street to remind the Marquis of Pingxi: Have you forgotten your promise?

"Gourd, also known as 'fú lù' (fortune and prosperity), and gourds have many seeds, which is a blessing for fortune, prosperity, and many children, but don't forget, gourd, gourd, is also muddled, muddled.

You say, on the street that day, was the old monk blessing our lord with many children and blessings, or was he reminding our lord that he had done his job and shouldn't pretend to be a gourd, or rather, pretend to be confused about his promise."

"I really didn't see it, it's so deep?" Gou Moli laughed, "Isn't he crazy?"

"When ordinary people are crazy, they are crazy, but when some people are crazy, they have realized something. You can't mess with crazy monks, hehe.

The lord built a temple for them on the edge of Fengxin City, sent them incense, and fulfilling the promise may be secondary. What he mainly thought about was to tie this pair of master and apprentice here."

Plaques were not cheap. Someone had to pay a deposit to start making them.

Since it was not sent by the blind man or the lord, it was probably made by the pair of monks themselves.

The plaque was hung up,

"Gourd Temple!"

Among the people offering incense, many knew about what happened on the street that day, and combined with the news that the Marquis's wife was pregnant that came from the Marquis's manor afterward, they ordered a temple to be built for this pair of master and apprentice.

The Gourd Temple in front of them, after being blessed by their own Marquis of Pingxi, became even more sacred all of a sudden.

There were many gods and Buddhas in the sky, but they were too far away; their own Marquis was close at hand, living in the Marquis's manor in Fengxin City!

They might not believe in gods and Buddhas, but they had to believe in the Marquis.

Cheers suddenly rang out from the crowd.

This story might be engraved on the stele of the Gourd Temple. Hundreds or even thousands of years later, future generations might find the ruins or read this story in books.

However, the round trip to the snowy plains and the black-armored man were destined to be hidden.

The main plaque was hung up,

A couplet was also hung on both sides of the gate of the Gourd Temple. It was not mysterious, did not use hidden meanings, was easy to read, and exuded the uninhibitedness of a monk with a hint of self-deprecation.

The upper line: A muddled person builds a muddled temple;

The lower line: A gourd monk lives in a gourd temple!

After the plaques were hung up,

The crazy monk looked up,

In his eyes,

There was a flash of Buddha light,

The disciple on the side seemed to feel something, looked at his master, then at the plaque, then at his orchid finger, and his smile became more and more charming.

The crazy monk patted the water gourd hanging on his waist with his left hand,

Scratched his head with his right hand,

And said foolishly:

"Rare gourd."