Early the next morning, Fangzheng and Yue Fei boarded an airship and returned to the capital.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Despite his anger, Yue Fei had no choice but to bow to the Emperor. Fangzheng only nodded slightly to the old man … He respected Yue Fei, but Fangzheng did not have a good impression of the Emperor.
"Hahaha, there's no need to be so courteous. Servants, take a seat."
The old Emperor did not show any reaction to Yue Fei and Fangzheng's reactions. Instead, he chuckled and called for them to be seated. After they were seated, the Emperor began to speak.
"I have some understanding of how the two of you fought on the front lines. General Yue Fei was loyal to the country and was a role model for the army. The fact that the Immortal Master wiped out ten thousand Jin soldiers with a flip of his hand was even more inspiring. Thus, I specially invited the two of you back to express my gratitude. "
At this point, the Emperor paused for a moment before he continued.
"General Yue Fei, you must be tired from the long journey. Rest for a few days, and then we will hold a grand celebration to celebrate the victory over the Jin. Hahahaha …"
"Your Majesty."
Yue Fei could no longer hold back. He hurriedly stood up and cupped his hands.
"Speed is of utmost importance in war. The complete annihilation of the Jin is right before our eyes. Give me a few more months and I will be able to wipe out all the Jin soldiers in one fell swoop and restore our Song Empire. It won't be too late to celebrate when that time comes. "
"Mm … General Yue's words make sense …"
Hearing this, the Emperor nodded, but very quickly, he changed the topic.
"However, the Jin Kingdom has also sent an envoy to negotiate with me. They are willing to cede their territory in the capital of Yan Mountain in exchange for peace … What do you think, General Yue?"
"Peace?!"
Hearing this, Yue Fei immediately frowned.
"Your Majesty, this is the territory of Song Empire. It's just that the Jin have occupied it. Even if they don't return it, I can take it back in a month at most. This isn't a condition at all! "
"Amitabha …"
At that moment, a loud voice rang out. Following that, the two of them saw an old monk in a kasaya turn around and walk out from behind the screen. His appearance was solemn and dignified, with a smile on his face … He was practically carved from the same mold as that thieving baldy, Fahai.
"General Yue's bravery is extraordinary, and this old monk is filled with admiration. However, the flames of war have risen again, and it is the common people who will suffer. Wouldn't it be perfect if they could subdue the enemy without fighting? This can also be considered as a blessing to the world, a blessing to the common people.... "
"You are …"
"Hehe."
The old monk smiled at Yue Fei's question.
"I am Bao Zhi, the abbot of the Boundless Compassion Temple. Greetings, General Yue and Master Immortal."
"You were the one who introduced the Jin Kingdom's envoy to the emperor, right?"
At this moment, Fangzheng, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke. At the same time, he tapped his finger on the table a few times, and a faint magical radiance disappeared. Obviously, Abbot Bao Zhi did not notice this. He put his palms together and chanted the name of Buddha again.
"So it is. The Jin people have been frightened by the fact that the two of you have led the Song army all the way to the north. They have sent an envoy to me, and I can't bear to see the common people suffer from the chaos of war again. I can't bear to see the tragedy of families being torn apart, so I've come to beg you to not kill again, for the sake of these tens of thousands of lives …"
Abbot Bao Zhi's words were so sorrowful that even Yue Fei could not help but be moved. However, Fangzheng only smiled coldly.
"Hehe, killing? How interesting. Master, what you said is really interesting. When the Jin army invaded the Great Song, they killed more than a million people. They bullied and humiliated the Han people, took their wives and daughters by force, plundered their property, and forced the Han people to shave their hair and become slaves. Anyone who resisted was killed without exception. Now you're talking to me about killing … Let me ask you, old monk, where were you when the wives and daughters of the Great Song people were taken and humiliated by the Jin people? Where were you when the people of the Great Song Dynasty rebelled to protect their families and had their families exterminated? Where were you when the Great Song people were forced to shave their hair and become slaves?! "
At this point, Fangzheng suddenly slammed the table.
"Have you ever been to the Jin Kingdom and talked to their ruler about mercy? Talked about killing less?! "
"This …"
Hearing Fangzheng's question, Abbot Bao Zhi was slightly embarrassed. However, he hurriedly put his palms together and chanted the name of Buddha again.
"Amitabha. Revenge breeds revenge. Why don't you put down the butcher's knife and repent …"
"You should say this to the Jin soldiers and the people who died of injustice."
Fangzheng suddenly waved his hand and interrupted Bao Zhi's words.
"Putting down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha is the same as you. But I'm sorry, in our culture, a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye. Confucius once said, 'Repay evil with good, how do you repay good? Repay evil with justice, and repay good with good. ' The Jin people invaded the Great Song, killed the Great Song people, and robbed the Great Song land. Now, we are only retaliating reasonably. What's wrong with that? But you … a monk, how dare you come here and spout nonsense. Just as well, I have something to ask you. "
"Go ahead, Immortal Master."
"Very well."
Fangzheng snorted softly. He picked up the cup of tea beside him and took a sip.
Then, he said, "Buddhism is flourishing in the Great Song. You have plenty of land and people, and you even have beautiful wives. However, when the Jin soldiers invaded the Great Song, where were you? Did you join the army to fight against the Jin soldiers? Did you donate food and goods to the Great Song army? "
"Amitabha …"
Hearing Fangzheng's question, Abbot Bao Zhi put his palms together again.
"A monk doesn't care about the mortal world …"
"Then what are you talking about here now?"
"I'm doing this for the sake of the people …"
"That's strange."
However, before Abbot Bao Zhi could finish, Fangzheng sneered and interrupted him again.
"Oh, when the Jin soldiers slaughtered the Han people, you hid and ate vegetarian, prayed to Buddha, and played with women. When we fought back, you came out to serve the people of the world … I'm curious. You eat Great Song, drink Great Song, wear Great Song, and live in Great Song. Which side are you on?"
"Buddha is merciful. I have no selfish motives. I'm just following the will of Buddha …"
"Don't give me these useless things."
Fangzheng could not be bothered to listen to the old monk's nonsense.
"I'll ask you one question. Do you love the Great Song? Or do you love Buddha? "
"This …"
Faced with Fangzheng's tricky question, Abbot Bao Zhi was completely speechless. This was a common tactic used by online trolls in the future. He had never seen such a situation before.
But now …
"Amitabha …"
Abbot Bao Zhi put his palms together again.
"I'm not a monk. Naturally, I follow the teachings of Buddha."
"But aren't you from the Great Song? You must have been raised by your parents. "
"A monk's six senses are pure, and they don't care about worldly affairs …"
"Oh, I see."
Hearing this, Fangzheng nodded.
"In other words, after you became a monk, you're the most powerful Buddha in the world. You don't care about others, not even your ancestors. You've forgotten your ancestors, haven't you? Why didn't your father shoot you to the wall back then?"
"… Amitabha …"
Abbot Bao Zhi did not know what Fangzheng meant, but he could tell that it was not something good. Therefore, he only chanted the name of Buddha and did not say anything else.
"Immortal Master, please don't be angry."
Seeing that the atmosphere had become a little stiff, the old emperor coughed.
"What's in the past is in the past. Moreover … Immortal Master, I'm afraid you don't know that the Great Song's treasury is barren. We really don't have any more money. Immortal Master, I'm very grateful for everything you've done for the Great Song. But … since the Golden Men have sent an envoy to negotiate for peace, I've decided to accept. "
Hearing this, Yue Fei let out a long sigh and said no more. After all, he was only a general. He could not change the emperor's mind. Fangzheng also nodded.
"Alright, since you've said so, I have nothing else to say, Your Majesty."
Hearing this, Abbot Bao Zhi immediately smiled. However, what Fangzheng said next made Bao Zhi's smile freeze.
"Since the Great Song has decided to stop here, we'll fight the war against the Golden Men ourselves."
。
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