I'm sure of the prosperous age of Kangxi and Qianlong!

Chapter 626 Pagoda

Nanjing Dabaoen Temple is the oldest Buddhist temple and the center of Buddhism in China.

The Seven Treasures Ashoka Stupa that shocked the world was unearthed here.

Its predecessor was the Jianchu Temple that existed during the Chiwu period of the Eastern Wu Dynasty. After Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty ascended the throne, he spent 248.5 million taels of silver and recruited 19 military and civilian servants. It took years to rebuild the Dabaoen Temple at the site of the Jianchu Temple.

Now, in the Ming Dynasty, the Great Baoen Temple has not been abandoned and declined. Instead, it was restoratively rebuilt three years ago with joint funding from the national treasury and internal funds.

The construction of the entire temple is extremely exquisite, and it is built entirely in accordance with the standards of the royal palace. It is magnificent and bright day and night.

Moreover, the scale of the temple is also extremely large, with more than 30 pavilions, 148 monasteries, 118 gallery rooms, and 38 sutra rooms, making it the largest temple in the history.

The monks were very excited at first, thinking that the emperor finally paid homage to the Buddha.

Unexpectedly, at the end of last year, the renovation of the Great Baoen Temple was completed, and the emperor directly issued an edict to fully open the Great Baoen Temple into a public temple.

To put it bluntly, it is to follow the example of later generations and directly transform the Great Baoen Temple into a park. Any common people can visit the temple and offer incense. Moreover, the monks in the temple are not allowed to obstruct it, nor are they allowed to collect ticket and incense money for this reason.

Not only that, half of the entire temple's palace buildings were set aside separately and converted into a hall for Honglu Temple to receive envoys from foreign vassals.

In recent years, as China's overseas power and influence have become more and more powerful, more and more foreign vassal states have begun to send envoys to Nanjing. Not to mention that all tributes have become vassals, at least they must not become enemies.

Even the Dutch, whose relations are now lukewarm, would send envoys to Nanjing from time to time to exchange feelings with Ming China and prevent another war from breaking out, but the Dutch did not know it.

The Dutch envoy alone already has dozens of people, and this year's envoy has added many new Southeast Asian countries, as well as hundreds of envoys from Tsarist Russia.

The reception hall of Honglu Temple in Nanjing, originally used to receive envoys from various countries, is obviously not enough. Even when the Guangzhou sub-yamen received them before, they only received a few major envoys, and the rest were all on board, otherwise they wouldn't be able to stay at all.

It just so happens that the Dabaoen Temple covers an area large enough that even when the number of monks was at its peak, it could not accommodate them all.

By now, the monks in the temple had long been ordered to return to secular life, or simply joined the military medical system, and the temple fields had also been confiscated by the court.

With so many vacant temples and meditation rooms, it would be a pity not to use them.

Moreover, this would not disturb the people too much. Da Baoen Temple is outside Nanjing, but not far away. It is suitable for housing envoys from foreign vassals, and there is no need to demolish residential buildings and build vassal halls in the city.

Envoys from various countries who came to Nanjing were registered at Honglu Temple and then directly arranged to the Dabaoen Temple outside the city.

The envoys from various countries were quite surprised by this. They recognized that this place should belong to a temple. As soon as they entered the door, they could see the 78.2-meter-high glazed pagoda.

The entire pagoda is made of colored glaze, and there are 146 ever-burning lamps inside and outside the pagoda. It has been called the "No. pagoda in the world" since it was built. It is enough to be intimidating from a distance.

On the night when the diplomatic envoys from various countries checked into the Pagoda Hall of Baoen Temple, they saw the "No. 1 Pagoda in the World" shining brightly at night. Countless pilgrims and people flocked into the temple to watch the pagoda shine brightly.

British envoy Ed Howe exclaimed: "I am sure that this is definitely the greatest pagoda building in China. Even the pagodas and temples in India are far less magnificent than those in China."

French envoy Frank was already thinking secretly and pondering the main structure of this pagoda. He wanted to bring this great Chinese pagoda back to his king in exchange for his favor and favor.

As for this mission, who cares? Even the company is no longer optimistic about it.

Mo Tianxi stood outside the room, looking at the glazed pagoda that lit up at night. Under the illumination of 146 ever-bright lamps, its illumination was no weaker than the electric lamps of later generations: "This is my country tomorrow. !”

Historically, the period when Mon Tien Tin ruled Ha Tien Town was also the period when Buddhism was most prosperous in Ha Tien Town.

Of course, this guy also does not reject the spread of Catholicism in Ha Tien Town.

The envoys from Southeast Asian countries, without exception, all knelt down and began to worship and chant sutras in front of the glowing glazed pagoda.

Even the monks in the Japanese mission were quite shocked by this. When they returned to their rooms, they began to write in their diaries:

"His Majesty the Emperor of Ming Dynasty was a benevolent and great king who respected Buddha. Under his rule, the people of China could live and work in peace and contentment, and even corrupt officials, landlords, and tyrants did not exist..."

"The Emperor of China raised an army and destroyed the brutal and ferocious Tartars (Japan had long believed that the Qing Dynasty was a barbarian), restored the country of the emperor in the Central Plains, and no longer stole the throne for the clowns of the Tartars..."

"If we, the Japanese Empire, want to strive to be strong, we should also imitate the country of the Son of Heaven in the Central Plains, respect Buddha, benevolent and kind to the people and peasants, and punish those feudal lords who do evil and disrespect the emperor. The shogun should also return power to the emperor..."

Good guy, this nominal envoy in the Japanese mission is actually a hidden royalist monk.

This Japanese monk had never seen Emperor Zhu, but the less he had seen him, the better. Moreover, the living standards of China's common people at this time were better than those of many Japanese samurai landlords.

This is not only because the Japanese shogunate, bureaucrats, daimyo, samurai, and merchants exploited the Japanese peasants at all levels, but also because China has been buying food and people from Japan for a long time.

The Japanese people cannot eat food and a food shortage breaks out. What does that have to do with local daimyo and bureaucrats?

They only know that the price offered by China is good, and they will accept food from anyone who comes. These daimyo lords, who are heavily in debt per capita, can really ignore the interests of the country for the sake of money.

Whether it's smuggling or exporting food regardless of famine, that's all.

The previous outbreak of public anger was due to the famine in many Ming Dynasties and the selling of grain, which led to the outbreak of public anger.

But it is a pity that the Japanese peasant rebellion without organization was impossible to succeed from the beginning, and Ming Dynasty did not know it at the time. When they found out, they had suppressed it.

……

When Bilong arrived in Nanjing, almost all the envoys from various countries had already met him in sequence.

The British envoy Ed Howe came to formally inform China that he could go to take over the colonial area of ​​Bangladesh, and set a time for the two countries to join forces and give priority to driving the French out of India.

By the way, the British East India Company is also preparing to join forces with China to jointly fight against the French and Spanish colonial trade in Yinzhou.

Historically, the British endured for twenty years before choosing to recruit their ally Prussia to compete with France, Austria, and Spain for colonial hegemony. The two sides launched continuous wars in many places in Europe, India, and the Americas, and even Tsarist Russia got involved. .

The war lasted for a total of seven years, and the French were mired in a multi-front war. Tsarist Russia also chose to defect on the battlefield and stab the French in the back, resulting in France almost completely losing its colonies in India, Central America, and Canada.

Prussia, as an ally of Britain, almost collapsed, and Austria was severely damaged. However, Tsarist Russia switched sides at the last moment and gained a lot of benefits.

Now, with China as a powerful ally, the UK intends to make full use of the relationship between the two allies to further consolidate the alliance front between the two countries and seize greater benefits.

Bangladesh’s colonial port cannot be left in vain.

Emperor Zhu had been receiving envoys from foreign vassals for several days in a row, and the number of vassal states from foreign vassals alone had been canonized more than one hand.

The coming of Wan Bang to the DPRK is too exaggerated, but it is already a bit like it.

The Jisi enclave of Ha Tien Town was finally officially attached.

Zhu Yijiong warmly received Min Tianxi, gave him many jewels, and allowed him to live in Nanjing. He also gave him a house in the Marquis Mansion.

Min Tianxi obviously did not understand the sinister nature of people's hearts, and thought that the emperor really valued him, the Min family. He was very moved by the emperor's enthusiasm and rewards, and Dang even said that he would immediately write a letter asking his father, wife and children to come to Nanjing as soon as possible. Ha Tien town was changed to Ha Tien district and incorporated into the jurisdiction of Quang Nam Province.

After all the envoys from various countries had been received, the Tsarist Russian envoys finally arrived in Nanjing.

Along the way, Bilong had been shocked to the point of numbness.

The power of the Han Khitan Empire was simply incredible to him.

That huge city called Yangzhou is no more than Moscow in Tsarist Russia, and perhaps even the core capital of a major European country cannot compare to the huge city of Yangzhou in China.

When he arrived in Nanjing and saw the endless city walls, Bilong couldn't help but exclaimed: "My merciful and almighty Lord! What a majestic city this is. Could it be that the Han Khitans are favored by the gods?" "

It is very interesting that in the concept of Tsarist Russia, China has always been poor and backward. Even when it was defeated in the Battle of Yaksa, it was because Tsarist Russia felt that the benefits of fighting were not worth it.

This stems from the fact that at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the entire north was in a period of recovery. Even the city of Beijing was not very wealthy, so Tsarist Russia at that time felt very contemptuous of the Qing Dynasty.

As for now, he is still looking down upon him. The Yangzhou City before made Bilong feel ashamed, but now the huge city of Nanjing almost makes him think it is a miracle.

The letters of credence that Tsar Anna asked him to submit were torn into pieces and burned on the fire that day.

Because the content of the credential was quite arrogant, the Khitan emperor was ordered to immediately withdraw from the Yakutsk military district, otherwise it would be regarded as a declaration of war against Tsarist Russia.

If war was declared, what would Tsarist Russia do to fight the Han Khitan in the Far East?

Bilong and other Tsarist envoys from Russia were brought into Nanjing. They first went to Honglu Temple to report, and then checked into the vassal hall of Dabaoen Temple.

Before entering the temple, he saw the towering glazed pagoda from the outside. This opened Bilong's eyes again: "How did you build such a tall building?"

The interpreter who led the way at Honglu Temple laughed and said: "You don't know? It's just a pagoda. There are many more here in China."

Well, this interpreter is obviously bragging. There are indeed many pagodas in China, but this one is so tall. Even if it is built again, it will cost a lot of money and material resources.

But Bilong believed it and suddenly became more and more surprised.

Even in Europe, such a tall pagoda building is absolutely impossible to see. This pagoda alone is already the tallest in the world.

It seems that these Han Khitans are indeed not to be underestimated.

Arriving at the vassal hall, Biron and the dozens of Russian envoys accompanying him were all thrown into a courtyard area, surrounded by the accommodation areas for the British, French, Dutch and Spanish envoys.

Obviously, Honglu Temple deliberately arranged for these people to live together.

Bilong did not stay in his room, but went out directly to inquire about the situation. As soon as he went out, he saw the British envoy Ed Howe who was reading "History of the Ming Dynasty".

Ai Dehao looked at the other party's clothes and appearance, and was a little unsure: "Your Excellency... is a German?"

Bilong frowned: "I am now an envoy of the Russian Tsarist State."

Ed Howe immediately sneered: "It makes no difference."

Yes, they are all country bumpkins anyway. The Germans during this period can only be described as poor and backward, even inferior to Tsarist Russia.

At least Tsarist Russia was a unified country, while the HRE (the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation) was directly divided and divided by more than 300 princes and more than 1200 local lords. It was really shattered.

Biron used Latin to communicate with Adhao, so there was no problem of language barrier.

For a long time in Europe, if you wanted to become an intellectual, you had to first learn Latin.

In other words, if you want to learn mathematics, you must first learn English. Otherwise, you cannot even read the book, which is outrageous.

Bilong ignored the irony in Adehao's words and asked, "Which country are you the envoy of?"

Ed Howe is very proud: "I am a diplomatic envoy appointed by the Parliament and King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain."

Bilong heard that the other party was from England, and now he finally understood where the other party's hostility came from.

Since Peter the Great's crazy expansion ten years ago, the British have been worried.

As a result, the British began to deliberately unite European countries, blockade the Baltic Sea, and curb Tsarist Russia's external expansion and trade.

Tsarist Russia was very angry about this and also retaliated on trade, indiscriminately attacking all European trading ships participating in the blockade of the Baltic Sea.

This caused the political relationship between Tsarist Russia and Britain to fall to a freezing point for a time. It was not until the powerful minister Menshikov began to ease, but it has not been a few years yet.

Bilong understood and understood, but considering that he was here to inquire about the situation, and the books that Ai Dehao obviously held in his hand seemed to be Han Khitan books, he couldn't help but asked tentatively: "Your Excellency came to the Han Khitan Kingdom, are you going to fight with the Han people?" Will Khitan establish diplomatic relations?"

Ai Dehao frowned and corrected: "It's not the Han Khitan Kingdom, it's the Ming Dynasty, or it can be said to be China."

The Ming Dynasty is China's official title to the outside world, and since the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan has called himself "Emperor of China" in his credentials to Japan.

Bilong didn't bother to argue: "Okay! Ming Dynasty."

Ed Howe said: "The United Kingdom of Great Britain has formally formed a strategic alliance with the Emperor of Ming Dynasty. The two countries will fight together in the Far East and the world to fight against all barbaric and domineering acts of war. I am here this time to pay homage to The Emperor of China brought the cordial greetings of the King and the Parliament, and brought back the literary classics presented by the Emperor of China in return. What about Your Excellency? Could it be that Your Excellency is on your mission to China to learn about Chinese culture and classics?"

Bilong frowned. The other party was deliberately mocking him as an uneducated country bumpkin.

Bilong said ambiguously: "Our country and the Emperor of China have some minor territorial frictions. I was ordered by His Majesty the Tsar to come here to greet and negotiate with the Emperor of China."

Edhoe was quite surprised: "How many people in Tsarist Russia do you dare to provoke China? Don't you know that China has defeated Spain and the Dutch in succession over the years, and even the Far Eastern colonies of these two countries are gone. How much? China has now formed a strategic alliance with Spain, the Netherlands, and the Kingdom of Great Britain in the Far East. Portugal is even our ally. If Tsarist Russia goes to war with China, it will go to war with the four of us."

Bilong's scalp was numb when he heard that not only did China defeat the Dutch and Spanish, but what Tingyong meant was that the colonies of these two countries had been seized by China, and they actually wanted to form an alliance with China.

How powerful must the Chinese army be?

Tsar Anna's mission required him to find out the situation in the Yakutsk Military District, and even launch a war when necessary to teach China a lesson.

Now, who the hell is teaching whom a lesson?

　In 2008, the world's only "Buddha's Crown Bones", "Induction Relics", "All Saints' Relics" and "Seven Treasures Ashoka Pagoda" were unearthed from the underground palace of Changgan Temple, the predecessor of Dabaoen Temple, which shocked the world and the Buddhist community. Waiting for a large number of world-class cultural relics and sacred objects.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)