Chapter 1493 Is This the Buddha’s Blessing or the Buddha’s Test?
“Dong!…Woo!…Om!!”
The North Sea is so vast that a day and night of sailing is like measuring a hair on the Buddha’s image that stands tall and upright. The penetrating and distant sound of the conch shells occasionally sounded among the Tiantai fleet, directing the Guan ships forward, drawing neat and orderly arcs, as agile as a living thing.
When the sound of the blowing was transmitted into the sturdy cabin of the "Fahua Pill", Master Juehui, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, lowered his eyelids and was unaware. He had entered into a state of meditation in the undulating waves and the most uneasy voyage.
“Om, Anali, Visheti, Bisheti, Visheti, Bisheti…”
Like the instinctive chanting of scriptures, it was shaking and buzzing in the small cabin, as if it came from the master’s forehead. This is exactly the "Great Buddha’s Crown White Umbrella Dharani", which is also the longest mantra in daily practice in Chinese Buddhism, the "Lingyan Mantra". It would take even the most skilled monk half a quarter of an hour to recite the 427 mantras. According to the rules of practice, if one recites a hundred times a day, the day's practice will be over.
"Woo woo!!"
"Tap tap..."
The rapid sound of the conch shell suddenly sounded outside the cabin. Then, the Guan ship, which was moving steadily, began to slow down suddenly until it stopped completely. The official Shiba Zhenwei hurried down from the deck and saw the master reciting the "Lingyan Mantra" which "eliminate evil, subdue demons, protect the Dharma, and increase wisdom". He suddenly stopped and opened his mouth hesitantly.
"Juehui Sengzheng?..."
"?"
Master Juehui stopped reciting the sutra and suddenly opened his compassionate eyes. He looked at the official Shiba, who had a complicated face and a strange look. Just one glance, he could see that the other party was uneasy and had an indescribable excitement.
"Official Sibo! Why are you so emotionally fluctuating, fearful and eager? Since you have entered my sect, you must subdue your mind. No eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind, no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, law. The horror you see does not exist, and the desire you see does not exist..."
"Huh? No! Why did the ship stop? Calculating the distance, we should have just arrived at the estuary where the gold was traded before, right?... According to the damaged merchant ship, the current position of the Shantar fleet should be one day's distance to the east, and it will probably collide with it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow..."
Official Sibo pursed his lips and waited patiently for Master Juehui to finish his "teachings". He bowed respectfully and pointed to the deck above his head until the other party raised questions.
"Sengzheng, you are right! We have arrived at the estuary where the gold was traded before... But, the situation of the Shantar fleet is completely different from what we have seen before, and it is also different from all previous plans!..."
"...!"
Master Juehui stood up suddenly, and without saying a word, he went directly to the deck. The vast Ezo Sea unfolded from the ladder above his head into an endless picture scroll. The dark waves beat against the rugged and deep green bay. The camp that looked like a Tartar stood quietly in the deepest part of the bay, just like last time, like a stain that blasphemed the Buddhist country. The most surprising and unbelievable thing for him was...
"One, two, three, four, five, six! Six large Tartar ships, including the one we traded with, are still docked in the bay like last time?!..."
"No! There are obviously fewer people in the Tartar camp, and there are not so many piled up goods. Damn it! They didn't even take the ship to go by water, and didn't use the fleet to transport goods and gold?! What are they doing with the ship here? Are they not going back and going to spend the winter in Ezo?..."
Seeing the Tartar fleet in the bay camp, Master Juehui's face suddenly changed, and the originally profound Buddhist teachings were instantly broken.
If the Shantars don't get on the ship, what's the point of fighting a naval battle! He made so many arrangements, including personally observing the Shantar navy, deliberately sending ships, calculating the time for pursuit and ambush, and looking for the gold camp... Now it's all in vain!
The Shantar demons really deserve to go to the oil hell, and return the gold that doesn't belong to them, the gold that belongs to the Buddha! Gold, where is the Buddha's gold? Is it still on those ships? Or, in the Shantars' lair, the gold camp that is unknown somewhere?
"Master Sengzheng! Look at those Shantar ships! They towed the ships to the shore and turned them into defensive camps and small forts! They seem to have received the news in advance and have been on guard?..."
"Huh?!"
Hearing this, Master Juehui trembled all over, stared at the Shantar fleet with his compassionate and ferocious eyes, and stared at it. Six large ships were dragged to the shallows on the shore during high tide, and were placed in a horizontal position facing outward, like a wooden wall facing the bay.
On each large ship, a rough and solid anti-arrow wood and an obviously processed shield were erected on the "wall" facing the bay. At the bottom of the wood and shield, there seemed to be black things piled up, which might be mud for fire prevention and fire fighting. After this improvement, the originally low and narrow paddle-sailed longboats were transformed from ancient ships that were weak in water battles to earthen "ship fortresses" for defense on land. After coming to land from the sea, such a Shantar fleet became an existence that could not be sunk or captured...
"Woo! Woo!..."
Seeing the ten warships that suddenly appeared on the shore, the Shantar camp on the seashore suddenly exploded. Two or three hundred Shantar warriors wearing armor and holding bows ran out of the camp quickly. Most of them boarded the "ship ramparts", and a small number extended to the two sides of the coast further forward, looking at the sea vigilantly.
Master Juehui noticed that some wooden rafts for arrow protection were also built on the coast close to the river. The shape was very similar to the arrow protection sheds commonly seen in samurai battles. It was even possible that these strangely familiar ship ramparts and arrow protection sheds were planned and built by the "master builders" sold to the Shanta tribe in this gold transaction. It was possible that the roughly processed arrow protection wood was also cut out in a hurry by the "carpenters who pointed objects" who were sold.
"Damn it! Damn it! Who leaked the news and made the Shanta people so defensive?! Morino Kiyoshi? This traitor of the sect actually dared to leak the information of our sect and destroy the plans of the monks?!... No, it doesn't seem like that. He doesn't seem like someone who would leave such a big handle and leave no way out. That is... the Kakizaki clan? Damn it! These despicable samurai!..."
Master Juehui's face was as dark as water. The laughing face of Morino Kiyoshi floated in his mind, and then it became the forbearing and respectful flattery of the Kakizaki clan. He knew clearly that this time, the "gold grabbing plan" might be completely ruined. The family had been preparing for a long time and the most advantageous naval battle could not be played out. The Shantari fleet stopped here, and there was no way to track it, and they could not find their gold camp. Since there was no gold, what was the point of fighting... Wait! What is that? What is the reflection behind the ship fort? !
"Master Sengzheng! Look behind the ship fort! The center of the Shantari camp, the newly erected golden totem pole!..."
Reading the error-free version! 6=9+Shu_bar first published this novel.
"Ah! That is! !..."
Master Juehui took a deep breath and exhaled deeply, but an unspeakable heat still burned from the bottom of his heart, burning his eyes reflecting the golden light. He finally knew where the excitement and desire of the Shibafang official came from. I saw that behind the Shantari's "simple and strange" ship fort, there was an extra golden totem pole compared to when they came three days ago. No, that's not right, there was originally a big tree there!
But now, at the highest point of the tree, there was a very worn "eagle flag". And under the eagle flag, like a pious offering somewhere, every branch and twig was hung with a golden amulet, which was the golden amulet that the Shantars took out during the transaction! At this moment, in the morning sun, the dazzling golden light flashed from the golden treetops to the golden tree bottom, turning into a golden treasure tree, shocking the hearts of everyone on the boat. The number of those golden amulets was in the hundreds and hundreds of kilograms, which was probably more than all the gold exchanged for this long-distance trade, and more dazzling!
"Master Monk! The fleet does not need to look for the Shantars' gold-hiding camp, nor does it need to look for their gold fleet!... All their gold, hundreds of thousands of kilograms of gold, is probably all here, right here!"
"Buddha bless you! This must be some kind of sacrificial ceremony of theirs, to worship the ancestors and gods, so they took out all the gold!... Look at that military flag, I have an impression of it in the inheritance of the Shiba family, it seems to be the military flag of the Yuan invaders! Yes, it is the eagle flag of the Yuan invaders!..."
Faced with the shocking "Golden Tree" and the "Yuan invaders' gold" right in front of him, even the usually taciturn Shiba official could not help but speak excitedly. If such a large amount of gold could be obtained by the Echizen Shiba family from which he came, then defeating the usurping Asakura family, allowing the young master Shiba Rongdong to revive the family and inherit the official position of Echizen guardian again... It seems not unimaginable!
"Buddha! The Shantar people's gold-hiding camp appeared before my eyes without having to look for it. And the big tree with gold hanging on it is like the seven-treasure tree in the Western Paradise in the Amitabha Sutra, so bright and so solemn!..."
"Namo the Great Wisdom Manjusri! Is this the Buddha's blessing or the Buddha's test? The golden seven-treasure tree is destined to belong to my sect?..."
At this moment, Master Juehui trembled all over, opened his golden eyes, and stood motionless at the bow. Behind him was the foundation of the sect's five hundred monks. In front of him was the camp garrisoned by three hundred Shantar warriors.
As long as they passed the ridiculous obstacles of "vulnerable" and "mere ship fortifications", and defeated the Shantar defenders who were obviously few in number and had no advantages...the hundreds of thousands of kilograms of gold talismans, equivalent to the savings of the entire Tiantai Sect for twenty years, would be within their reach! They were hanging on the golden "Seven Treasures Tree", waiting for him to pick them. And these golden fruits, as long as they made a profit in the tribute trade, could feed the monks for hundreds of years!
It was really the Buddha's grace! In this case, how would he choose this bet on the Buddha's fate of the golden treasure tree?