Chapter 260: The Young Turks

With the army at his side, the anti-Buddhist campaign in Hezhong proceeded with unusual smoothness. It proved that in this chaotic age, Buddhism held great influence over the common people—especially those ignorant folk seeking spiritual solace. The mere fact that imperial troops surrounded and controlled the Qiyan and Pujiu temples had already stirred murmurs of dissent among the populace. In response, Liu Chengyou grew even more resolute in his determination to act.

Regarding the disposal of the two temples, Liu Chengyou, under the pretext of hunting down "rebels," intended to follow the principle of "better to kill the wrong than let one escape," executing all the monks of both temples to eliminate any lingering remnants. Fortunately, ministers such as Feng Dao and Fan Zhi strongly dissuaded him, and after careful deliberation, Liu Chengyou decided to accept their wise counsel.

However, though death was spared, punishment could not be avoided. The two temples were to be severely dealt with, as a warning to those who harbored treacherous intentions.

Of the thousand-plus monks in the two temples, the vast majority were dismissed and ordered to return to lay life and register as common citizens, leaving fewer than thirty monks proficient in Buddhist doctrine. The temples' money and grain were seized entirely, and all bronze statues and gold- or silver-adorned ritual implements were confiscated and transported back to the military camp, destined to be shipped to the Eastern Capital to be melted down and minted into coin.

All land contracts held by the temples were declared void, and the land was distributed among the households that had worked it and the monks who had returned to lay life. Having received benefits, public sentiment improved considerably. Only a certain amount of land was left to the two temples based on the number of remaining monks; henceforth, monks would not only chant sutras and pray to Buddha but also till fields and grow vegetables.

Originally, Liu Chengyou had intended to levy heavy taxes on the temples, but considering that after this round of shearing the sheep, there would be little oil to squeeze for a long time to come, he dropped the matter for now. Moreover, the authorities would conduct regular inspections of the temples...

The above measures applied only to Qiyan and Pujiu, two major temples of considerable standing. As for the other monasteries and small shrines throughout Hezhong Prefecture, all were shut down, and all their monks were expelled from the temples. Henceforth, most of the people within Hezhong's borders who wished to worship Buddha and offer incense would have to travel far. Whether one was a truly devout believer would be tested by their willingness to endure the long journey—otherwise, they might as well stay home and work the fields.

This series of measures was, for the Buddhist establishment, truly harsh and ruthless in the extreme. And based on the Hezhong affair, the tone for the coming suppression of Buddhism was essentially set—every disposal had a precedent to follow. A bitter winter aimed at Buddhism was approaching, and judging by the rise and fall of the faith, a great calamity was coming; it was time to prepare for the ordeal.

In the main camp, on a cleared patch of ground, were piled bronze statues of various sizes, ritual implements, bowls and vessels, gold and silver, coins, and the like. The fruits of the anti-Buddhist campaign were displayed most directly before Liu Chengyou.

"Just two temples, and they had accumulated this much wealth." His indifferent sigh sent a chill through those nearby.

Reaching out to touch the smiling face of a Maitreya statue, feeling a faint coolness seep through his fingertips, Liu Chengyou remarked: "Just this one bronze statue alone—who knows how many new coins it could mint?"

"Once transported back to the Eastern Capital, Chancellor Wang will surely be overjoyed." Fan Zhi, standing nearby, added a word of agreement, watching the Son of Heaven who could not take his eyes off the treasures.

"Send word to Yan Jinqing—make these gold, silver, and bronze vessels the first batch of supplies returning to the capital, and ship them back to Kaifeng!" With a wave of his hand, Liu Chengyou said directly.

While the "rectification" of Hezhong's temples was underway, preparations for withdrawing the army had gradually begun. With over a hundred thousand men gathered together, the daily consumption of men and horses was no small figure. Moreover, with autumn harvest at hand and farm work in full swing, labor was in short supply—the conscripted laborers and prefectural troops were already thinking of their fields back home.

First, Liu Chengyou released the thirty-odd thousand laborers conscripted from Hezhong, Jinjiang, Shanhua, and other nearby areas, sending them back to their townships, each given money and grain. At the same time, citing the war, he issued an edict reducing this autumn's taxes for the various prefectures, while those who had died, been wounded, or rendered meritorious service in labor were exempted entirely...

In truth, these few prefectures could provide little tax revenue to the court anyway—whatever they produced was mostly intercepted locally. By being generous with "others'" resources and dispensing small favors, he gained a fine reputation. The virtue of a "sage and enlightened sovereign" was increasingly praised—at least on the surface.

Hezhong Prefecture had a bountiful harvest this year, a good year for crops, but it had suffered the most severe war damage, with the heaviest casualties among its able-bodied young men. Yet even from the well-stocked treasuries under Li Shouzhen's rule, one could see that despite the abundant harvest, the common people's lives were still bitter. Liu Chengyou's edict of benevolence was like a timely rain—at least with some extra effort, this winter might not be so hard to endure.

After the laborers were dealt with, the local prefectural and garrison troops that had accompanied the campaign were also released in batches. Taking time specially, Liu Chengyou received some local officers. Though the loyalty of regional armies was open to question, in the early stages of this rebellion-suppressing campaign, it was largely these troops that had held the line.

In the prefectural hall, the atmosphere was relatively relaxed. A dozen or so military officers gathered in small groups of two or three, conversing in low voices. They were a diverse lot, with varying ranks, but they all shared one common trait: youth.

These men were all officers who had distinguished themselves in the rebellion-suppressing campaign. In truth, for most of the imperial army officers who had accompanied the expedition, it had merely been a round of campaign credentials. The army's victory was more of a collective achievement; for an individual to stand out among tens of thousands of troops was truly no easy feat—unless one entered protagonist mode. These officers, however, were those who had shone somewhat.

Among them, Zhao Kuangyin ranked lowest in seniority, status, and military rank. In fact, even now, he still harbored some confusion—why would the Son of Heaven summon him by name? Up to this point, he was still a nobody. Thinking carefully, killing Li Chongxun counted as a merit, but Zhao Kuangyin himself felt it was no great achievement...

As he pondered, his gaze swept across the ornate hall, quietly observing the officers. Spotting a solitary handsome officer, a smile that felt like a spring breeze spread across his face. He stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting: "I am Zhao Kuangyin. A pleasure to meet this worthy brother."

Zhang Yongde was playing the role of a quiet handsome man, but his mood was not good. The conflict between him and Li Chongjin was growing increasingly severe—both being relatives made it somewhat helpless. Perhaps Guo Wei's constant admonitions had produced the opposite effect; Li Chongjin's jealousy toward Zhang Yongde was growing ever more intense. On this campaign, the two had barely exchanged words, and when they met just now, they had traded sharp remarks.

Zhao Kuangyin approached. Though Zhang Yongde had little interest, seeing the friendly smile on the other's face, and out of good breeding and cultivation, he returned the greeting: "Zhang Yongde!"

Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin immediately showed a look of surprise, speaking in an admiring tone: "So you are Commander Zhang—the one who braved fire to storm the city, followed Chief Commander Liu to breach the prefectural office, rescued the granaries, and received personal commendation from His Majesty?"

Zhao Kuangyin's flattering reaction caught Zhang Yongde somewhat off guard. With a touch of embarrassment, he said modestly: "A trifling merit, hardly worth mentioning."

Saying this, he looked Zhao Kuangyin up and down, then said thoughtfully: "Zhao Kuangyin? The one who captured and killed Li Chongxun—that was you, Brother Zhao, was it not?"

Zhao Kuangyin's expression barely changed, let alone showing any pride. He spoke of it as if it were a trivial matter: "Brother Zhang has heard of my humble name? That is my honor..."

"..."

"Brother Zhang, do you know why the Son of Heaven has summoned us?"

"..."

Just as Zhao Kuangyin and Zhang Yongde were chatting away, rapidly calling each other brothers, the palace eunuch Zhang Dejun's high-pitched announcement rang out: "His Majesty arrives!"

It immediately cut off the two men who had been conversing pleasantly. Everyone quickly arranged themselves in orderly formation, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned solemn.

Liu Chengyou strode in briskly from outside the hall, stepped to his seat, and swept his robes aside as he sat down.

"Your ministers pay respects to Your Majesty!" The assembled officers bowed in unison.

"Rise!" Liu Chengyou's voice was short and forceful.

Sweeping his gaze over the dozen-plus officers in the hall, Liu Chengyou's eyes held a hint of fondness. Ma Quanyi, Yang Ye, Fu Zhaoxin, Gao Huaide, Li Chongju, Zhao Yanjin, Wang Hanlun, Li Chongjin, Zhang Yongde, Zhao Kuangyin...

They were all sons of officials or sons of military men—even Yang Ye, whose family was a powerful local clan in Linzhou. The only true commoner was Ma Quanyi, but he was Liu Chengyou's earliest trusted general and held the highest military rank among those present.

After a moment's deliberation, Liu Chengyou began to speak: "All of you are the young elites of the imperial army, rising stars, the future cornerstone and backbone of the Great Han's military..."