"The Westernmost Kingdom that once gave birth to generations of sages like Socrates and Plato was split into two. The Westernmost Kingdom was quickly destroyed and split into a number of smaller countries. Wars were constantly going on between the countries, and Christianity took advantage of this opportunity to expand. Almost all the people of the Westernmost Kingdom are Christians, and even the king is no exception.
"Christianity has its own Pope, and it has established a special Papal State. Countless churches have been built in the various countries, and the people are required to sacrifice everything to God in order to go to heaven after death. Every time a king ascends the throne, he must be baptized by the Pope. If a powerful king disobeys the Pope, the Pope will issue an order, and the other countries will gather an alliance army until the king is defeated."
With every word Meton said, Li Shimin's face darkened. He could not accept that the authority of the gods was above the authority of the emperor.
"And Arabia is an even more special state. Both religion and politics are one, and the religious leader calls him the Caliph. He is both the religious leader and the political leader. All the warriors under his name believe in the religion of Islam, and they are extremely loyal and fanatical. They are not afraid of death, and they are constantly invading Persia. The Minister can guarantee that Persia will not be able to withstand the attacks of these berserkers, and in less than twenty years, Persia will be destroyed. The Pyramid State is also adjacent to Arabia, and it will probably not be able to escape this calamity. Arabia will become the Tang dynasty's most powerful enemy in the Western Regions, and it will be extremely dangerous."
"Religion and politics are one, and believers are soldiers!" Li Shimin took in a deep breath. He was no stranger to this model. Many of the revolts in the dynasties of China had been in the name of religion, and Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turban Army was one of them. The only difference was that Zhang Jiao had been defeated.
Meton took another deep breath and said, "And India, where Buddhism is the most prevalent, is even more worthy of deep consideration."
Li Shimin immediately sat up straight. If it was the Abbasid Caliphate in the far east, they were still a bit far from the Tang dynasty. But India, which also believed in Buddhism and was adjacent to the Tang dynasty, had to be taken seriously.
"When Qin Shihuang unified China, India was also unified. The Peacock Dynasty's territory and population were not inferior to Great Qin's at all. However, after the Peacock Dynasty was destroyed, 800 years had passed, and India was still filled with small countries. Once a powerful external force invaded, India would become a pile of loose sand and would be at the mercy of others."
"There are many small countries!" Li Shimin couldn't help but be stunned. After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, China had experienced generations of dynastic changes. Even if the world was divided, no matter which emperor it was, they all dreamed of unifying the world. But India had not been unified for 800 years. This was simply inconceivable to him.
Could it be that there wasn't an ambitious emperor in India? This was clearly impossible. Buddhism's prohibition of killing, benevolence, and opposition to war probably played an important role in this.
"In other words, three-quarters of the places where civilizations originated have been covered by theocracy. Only China has been spared," Meton said with a bitter smile.
Li Shimin's expression was extremely grave. All this time, the world had believed that China was the center of the world and that the other places were barbarians. However, ever since the rise of the School of Mo, the secret techniques from the far west had constantly changed the lives of the people of the Tang dynasty. Only then did people realize that there were three other ancient countries that were not inferior to China's civilization. There was also the resplendent Roman and Greek civilizations.
However, the news that came from Morton's mouth was more and more bad news. These civilized countries had all been enveloped by divine authority.
It was not until now that Li Shimin truly realized the cruelty of the battle between theocracy and royalty. The reason why the two forces could succeed in eliminating the Buddha was because monks and nuns only accounted for one-tenth of the population of society, while the secular people accounted for the majority. Coupled with the influence of the unification and the culture of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
However, if the two forces did not eliminate the Buddha, Buddhism would have developed smoothly from the Northern Wei to the Tang dynasty. Its scale would have been several times that of the Northern Zhou dynasty. The consequences made Li Shimin shudder.
Li Shimin did not doubt Meton's words. Meton could be said to know the people of the Western Regions the best. In addition to the secret works of Mozi that the School of Mo's ancestors had traveled all over the far west and written, there had been a steady stream of barbarian merchants providing Mozi with countless information in the past two years. It was not difficult to distinguish whether this information was true or false.
Li Shimin's eyes suddenly flashed and said, "I heard that you highly praise the foreign School of Mo. I want to know how the School of Mo in the far east is doing now."
A trace of sadness flashed across Meton's face and said, "The School of Mo advocates the truth and solves unsolved mysteries. This is absolutely not allowed in the far west. If we were in the far east, even if Your Majesty came forward to protect the Minister, the Minister would not be able to escape the fate of being burned at the stake."
"Burned at the stake!" Li Shimin opened his mouth in disbelief.
Meton nodded and said, "When the School of Mo's ancestors traveled the Western Regions, they once met a School of Mo's ancestor named Copernicus. He believed that the earth we live on is not the center of the universe, but the sun is the center of the universe. However, he buried this view in the bottom of his heart. It was not until after his death that he was unwilling to let his theory be lost that he published it."
Li Shimin was stunned and said, "He didn't even dare to publish his theory."
"Our Tang dynasty does not convict by words, but Copernicus did not even dare to publish his theory. Can you imagine the situation of the School of Mo?" Merton said.
"Could it be that he would be burned at the stake just because he said something wrong?" Li Shimin clicked his tongue and said.
Meton nodded and said, "Later, his disciple Bruno firmly believed in the theory that the sun was the center of the universe. He lobbied various countries to spread his views. In the end, he was tied to the stake by the Roman Curia and burned alive."
"They really used the stake!" Li Shimin said in shock.
It was not until now that Li Shimin understood why even he could not protect Meton. Meton had solved the solar eclipse, ascended the hot air balloon into the clouds, and used a telescope to spy on the moon. He was afraid that none of them could escape death.
Li Shimin could not help but say regretfully, "Was it worth it? For a theory that we don't know whether it is true or not? "
"Worth it, of course it was worth it! The most precious thing in the world is truth. The School of Mo exists to solve unsolved mysteries and find the truth of the world, "Meton said firmly.
Li Shimin finally remembered that there was still a little brother Mo Jiazi in front of him. He could not help but look at Meton with a complicated gaze.
"In fact, it's not just the School of Mo. According to the latest news, the previous Pope burned Rome's largest library to the ground. Schools must teach theology. This is no different from burning books and burying Confucianism."
Li Shimin could not help but look sympathetically at Meton. In the Qin dynasty, books were burned and Confucianism was burned, but in the Foreign Lands, books were burned and ink burned!
"In addition, Arabian women must cover their faces with a black veil every day. Only their eyes can be seen, and their faces can only be seen by their husbands."
Li Shimin could not help but be stunned. When he thought about how his harem was becoming bolder and bolder, he did not think much of it. Even in his harem, the most beautiful Zheng Chonghua, he had never thought of covering her face with a veil.
"In India, people are divided into four types, and marriage between different genders is forbidden. Minister, this little brother Mo Jiazi is classified into the fourth type, the lowest craftsman. How can he marry a princess of the second class?" Meton said, aggrieved.
Li Shimin glared hatefully at Meton. He was suddenly very much in favor of the caste system. This way, Meton would not dare to have any thoughts about his precious princess.
"Wait a moment, if the princess is only the second class, then who is the first class?" Li Shimin frowned.
"Of course it's the monks," Meton replied.
Immediately, Li Shimin gave up on the idea of implementing the caste system. How could he tolerate having a greater authority above him?
"This is the information that the School of Mo has on all the civilized countries in the world. Your Majesty, please make your decision." Meton said and did not say anything else.
Immediately, the entire palace fell into a deathly silence. After a long while, Li Shimin sighed and said, "Now that Buddhism is not a threat to the Tang dynasty, we cannot eliminate Buddhism. Let's use your strategy to save Buddhism!
"Your Majesty is wise! This way, we can have the best of both worlds. Both Buddhism and the Tang dynasty will benefit. " Meton heaved a sigh of relief. This way, they could eliminate the threat of Buddhism without resorting to drastic measures.
"Tomorrow, you will represent us to Wangji Temple and represent the court to discuss Buddhism." Li Shimin suddenly changed the topic.
"I!"
Meton could not help but widen his eyes and point at himself in disbelief.
"Why? Didn't you talk about the strategy to save Buddhism in the court? Now is the opportunity. Besides, you have helped Taoism solve its internal problem. Why can't you help Buddhism again?" Li Shimin stared at Merton.
"Yes, Minister of Minister!"
Meton opened his mouth and nodded helplessly. He found that he would not be satisfied if Li Shimin did not cheat him. Although his strategy to save Buddhism was feasible, it definitely violated the interests of Buddhism. This time, he had completely offended Buddhism.
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