Chapter 378: The Affair at Taihuai

Surrounded by mountains and rivers, nestled in the embrace of Mount Wutai, it is called Taihuai. Mount Wutai is a sacred Buddhist site, and Taihuai Town is the center of Wutai—a small town of no more than a thousand households, set against mountains and waters, with buildings clustered in tight array, supporting dozens of temples. It can be said to gather the very essence of Wutai's Buddhist monasteries.

Of course, concentration has its advantages—it facilitates the court's handling of matters. Once the army surrounds on all sides and the roads are blocked, everything proceeds in due order, with a methodical sweep and rectification.

Facing the court's heavy-handed crackdown and merciless plundering, the Buddhist community across the realm largely maintained a "Buddhist" passivity, with few instances of fierce resistance. But neither were they entirely willing to be carved up like fish on a chopping block, sitting idle awaiting slaughter. At the very least, when calamity loomed, monks everywhere took to flight in droves—yet these people did not know that one of the Emperor's aims was precisely to leave them without temples to shelter in, forcing them to return to lay life.

Before Wang Jingchong marched north to Hedong, Taihuai Town had already been surrounded by government troops. Interestingly, Taihuai belonged to Xinzhou, yet the troops sealing off the mountains and encircling the temples belonged to Daizhou—they were militia trained by Yang Ye, no more than a thousand strong, and they had thoroughly secured the entire area.

"His Majesty truly has a keen eye for talent. General Yang is worthy of his reputation as a rising star in the army—he knows how to train soldiers and how to command troops. Just from the bearing and morale of these men, one can see his capability!" Guided by the officer in charge, Wang Jingchong swept his gaze over the fine quality of the armored soldiers all around, and with a sigh of admiration, he extended goodwill toward the Daizhou troops—or rather, toward Yang Ye behind them.

Yang Ye had not come in person, but had sent his capable subordinate, Daizhou Cavalry Commander Wang Shenqi, to lead the men here.

Wang Shenqi was very young, and looked to be a steady and reliable sort. Hearing Wang Jingchong's praise and admiration, though he could not help feeling some pride inside, his face showed no arrogance. He clasped his hands and replied with a light smile: "General Yang's ability to command troops is something I deeply admire as well. Your Excellency's commendation, I will faithfully relay—I imagine General Yang will be most pleased to hear it."

Wang Jingchong was somewhat surprised by Wang Shenqi's response, and could not help casting him an extra glance. He had not expected this young officer surnamed Wang to be so perceptive, seemingly seeing through his intentions. He mused to himself: the Son of Heaven favors young men and promotes the talented; from what he knew, those who received promotion all possessed exceptional qualities. Even so, a mere frontier camp commander stationed in a remote backwater, a man of no reputation whatsoever, could also possess such remarkable qualities.

Wang Shenqi was twenty-five at the time. He was of pure and cautious character, possessed strategic acumen, bore great physical strength, excelled at horsemanship and archery. His family was from Luoyang, and during the transition from the Later Jin to the Later Han, they had taken refuge in the wilderness. In the first year of Qianyou, when Li Shouzhen occupied Hezhong and colluded with Hua and Tong prefectures in rebellion, the court moved to suppress the revolt. Wang Shenqi enlisted, was assigned to the command of Yang Ye, then Army Commander of Tong'an, and followed him in battle to quell the disorder. After the Hezhong rebellion was pacified, he accumulated merit to become a squad leader, with his name registered in the Palace Army of the imperial forces.

When Yang Ye received orders to garrison Daizhou, Wang Shenqi followed him north. In Daizhou, Yang Ye displayed his sharp edge—rectifying the motley and corrupt, striking at lawbreakers, grooming horses and sharpening weapons, repelling raiders. Beyond Yanmen Pass, he engaged the Liao troops in no fewer than ten small-scale skirmishes, several of which were proactive sorties.

In this span of less than two years, Wang Shenqi also demonstrated his worth—brave in battle, measured in advance and retreat, repeatedly scoring gains against the Liao. He was highly regarded by Yang Ye, who specially recommended him to the Bureau of Military Affairs, petitioning for recognition of his merits. The matter reached the Son of Heaven's ears, and then Wang Shenqi was quite "fortunately" promoted by Liu Chengyou to Daizhou Cavalry Commander, in charge of a battalion of troops—a true leap in rank.

Young in years, swift in promotion—but such was the nature of this era. Warriors rising abruptly was hardly remarkable. There was no dissenting voice, not even much attention from others. After all, the Great Han already had many younger prefectural Militia Commissioners, and young officers in the Palace Army were sprouting up like bamboo shoots after rain.

As his thoughts turned, a smile crept onto Wang Jingchong's face—not the smile of a smiling tiger, but more like that of a smiling wolf.

"How goes the rectification of the temples here? Take me to see!" Gazing into the distance at Mount Wutai, looking far off at the layered temples and forests of pagodas, Wang Jingchong said.

"Taihuai Town has a total of thirty-two temples, large and small, with monks and nuns numbering over a thousand. Per the court's decree, with proclamations issued to every prefecture and town, only four are to be preserved—Xiantong, Shouning, Qixian, and Pu'en—with a monastic population of fifty. I and the prefectural and county officials have already begun gradually clearing and rectifying the remaining temples. With insufficient manpower, the dismissed monks are currently being kept on as laborers..."

Walking a short way along the road, listening to his account, Wang Jingchong said lightly: "Making the monks personally destroy their own temples—a blow to the very heart. Still, one could say it's putting people to good use!"

"Your Excellency, Commander—a major discovery!" As they strolled on inspection, a burly officer strode up swiftly, his steps carrying the wind, his spirits high.

Wang Jingchong grew interested, while Wang Shenqi asked: "What have you found?"

Two peaks flanked either side, a narrow path dropping straight into a river valley, leading to a secluded spot. After a stretch of well-hidden mountain trail, the view suddenly opened up. The destination was a modest-sized workshop, its surroundings densely marked with traces of excavation. The smelting furnaces were gone, but a heavy, lingering heat hung in the air.

Pointing at a group of monks who had been seized, the officer reported: "This gold mine is no small scale. These temples here actually mined ore and smelted gold deep in the mountains. When the court began its crackdown, they boldly sealed off the mountain and blocked the roads, destroying the furnaces to cover their tracks. Had my men not stumbled upon it by accident, these Buddhists might truly have hidden it away. In the cave there remains stored gold exceeding ten thousand in weight, along with countless jade, bronze vessels, and precious Buddhist images..."

Having heard the account, a cold light flashed in Wang Jingchong's eyes, and he said darkly: "Privately hoarding a treasure mountain, accumulating wealth and resources—these monks must harbor seditious intentions!"

Perhaps out of "occupational habit," Wang Jingchong was already considering arresting all the surrounding monks and interrogating them. If anything could be uncovered, there was no harm in it. Moreover, there was always the path of fabricating charges—with such a pretext, there would always be something to say.

Merits could be created! In this regard, Wang Jingchong had always been proactive!

Entering the storehouse, gazing at the piled-up gold and bronze vessels filling it to the brim, Wang Jingchong's spirits soared. On one hand, his eyes reddened at this vast wealth; on the other, another entry would be added to his ledger of merits.

"You've rendered great service!" he said to the officer who had made the discovery.

He immediately dispatched men to inventory and verify, and summoned officers, soldiers, and laborers to begin the transport.

Taihuai Town soon fell into a bustling frenzy. Amid the busy work, Wang Jingchong also secretly ordered men to investigate Wang Shenqi's family background. He had taken a liking to the young man's potential and was entertaining the idea of adopting him as a foster son.

A piece of news arrived, swiftly interrupting certain restless thoughts Wang Jingchong could barely contain.

"In Guo County, rebels have gathered, calling themselves Buddhist Soldiers, resisting the court's tyranny. They attacked the county seat, were repelled by the county troops, and have retreated to hold the mountain forests, establishing a stronghold to defy the court!" A scout of the Wude Office reported in panic.

Hearing this, Wang Jingchong was greatly alarmed, his old brows shooting up. This was stirring up a major incident. Yet beneath his stern, solemn expression flickered a trace of excited twitching: "How many rebels are there?"

"No fewer than a thousand!"

Pacing nervously a few steps, Wang Jingchong immediately ordered: "Send word at once to contact General Yang, have him dispatch troops to suppress the rebellion!"

"Uncle, this appears to be unrest caused by the 'suppression of Buddhism.' If mishandled, and the Son of Heaven grows angry, it could lead to grave punishment!" Wang Jingchong's nephew was flustered, speaking nervously.

Calming down, Wang Jingchong instead wore a relaxed expression, his eyes burning with eagerness: "No! This is our opportunity to render distinguished service! Suppressing Buddhism is ultimately thankless toil—how could it compare to putting down rebellion and quelling disorder in terms of merit!"

Under his nephew's stunned gaze, Wang Jingchong could not help but laugh aloud. After pondering a moment, he said: "A bunch of ignorant commoners, base and worthless—they can't accomplish anything! But right now, finding a way to quell the rebellion is the most important thing. Not only must we destroy them, we must also root out the rebellious Buddhist monks who incited the disorder behind the scenes. In this way, we can properly justify the 'suppression of Buddhism' for His Majesty and the court—and that will surely be great merit in His Majesty's eyes!"

"Uncle, how do you plan to proceed?"

"Immediately draft a memorial with the news and report it to the Eastern Capital! Summon Wang Shenqi for me!"

Having said this, he ordered maps brought forth, studying Guo County's position and considering his course of action. Wang Jingchong was a man of some substance—without much hesitation, he conferred briefly with Wang Shenqi, left a portion of the troops to guard and control Taihuai Town, and led the remaining soldiers north out of the mountain forests, heading for Guo County.

Before they arrived, more bad news came: unrest had also broken out in Wutai County. The rebels were even more numerous, their momentum greater than in Guo County. The county seat was breached, officials were killed, and the property of Wutai's temples stored in the city was seized by the rebels.

Hearing this, Wang Jingchong grew tense, privately blaming himself for not thinking things through. Learning that Yang Ye had already led his army south to quell the Guo County rebellion, he immediately turned back with his men—on one hand gathering the officers and soldiers from the mountain temples, on the other contacting the garrison troops of Xinzhou, arranging to strike the rebels together.