Chapter 334: The Confused and Shaken Peacock Monk

These students of Daqin International College wear Qin costumes, speak Qin language, eat Qin food, and follow Qin living habits. What is the difference between them and the Qin people?

Thinking of this, Master Moye suddenly realized that perhaps this was exactly what the Qin people wanted to achieve: to let these foreign students gradually adapt to everything in Qin, so that they can become closer to Qin in the future.

The Qin people did not allow them to study here out of kindness, but rather had grand plans. However, it must be said that this was a good method, using civilization to attract the ignorant and using advancement to attract the backward.

The foreign students from Daqin International College also noticed them and cast curious glances at them. Some even started talking about them, probably about their appearance and clothing.

After these students finish their studies and return to their countries and tribes, even if not all of them are close to Qin, many of them will probably have a good impression of Qin. And because they study and live in Qin, they will do things similarly to the Qin people and imitate and learn from Qin’s methods.

Under their leadership and influence, their states and tribes will gradually become like the Qin state, and accept things from Qin from top to bottom. I am afraid this is the real intention of the Qin people, to spread the influence of Qin to other countries and make them accept things from Qin.

In the future world, will everyone speak the Qin language and write Qin characters, be proud to wear Qin clothes, and be proud to have Qin things?

Compared with the Qin State, their Peacock Kingdom is far inferior. They only hope to send news back to the country to alert others and chase the Qin people, otherwise the consequences will be too terrible.

Master Moye suppressed the thoughts in his mind and continued to move forward. Not long after, he saw many Qin people lined up in front of a house in front of him, seemingly selling something.

It’s actually selling stuff!

Because Master Moye saw someone taking something from the house, he looked at it excitedly on the spot. People around him also crowded around that person to watch together, and soon a crowd gathered around.

That thing was rather strange, a piece of cloth with patterns and words on it. No, it wasn’t cloth, it was that strange thing called “paper”!

He had heard Gan Yu say that paper could be used for writing and recording. The paper held by the Qin man had words on it, so it must be paper without a doubt. But what was written on it and what did the Qin man buy it for?
Master Moye looked at Gan Yu, but Gan Yu didn’t know what he was doing. However, he recognized a few words on the plaque of the house, and from left to right, they read “newspaper shop”.

In fact, there were words on the lower right side of the plaque, but because of the distance, Gan Yu could not see it clearly and recognize it. It said “No. 003, South Gate of Xianyang”.

A newspaper shop? The things sold there are called “newspapers”? Is it possible that some news is recorded on them and then sold to other people?

This must be something new that appeared during the time they were away from Xianyang on a diplomatic mission. Xianyang changed very quickly, and after a period of absence, new things appeared that they did not understand.

Seeing Gan Yu’s bewildered expression, the official who was in charge of ushering them into the city said, “This thing is called a ‘newspaper’. It is made of paper and contains some news. From it, you can see some of the court’s decrees, and you can also know what happened in which place. For example, a few days ago, there was a flood in Jiujiang County, and it was recorded on it. The people of Xianyang donated money and materials to Jiujiang because of this.”

“In addition, it also publishes some events that happened in Xianyang City, as well as articles written by various scholars. It also has… a novel written by Master Li Nian.”

The young official smiled and continued, “This newspaper is quite rare in Xianyang City. It cannot be bought with ordinary coins. It can only be purchased with the Great Qin Treasure Notes. There is a price but no stock. People who want to buy it often have to line up here a day in advance. I don’t know how long these people have been queuing!”

After listening to the young official’s words, Gan Yu asked curiously, “Sir, did you write a novel on it?”

The young official smiled and said, “That’s why this newspaper is so popular. A novel is a long, continuous piece of writing, which is to say, it tells a story, but this story is very long.”

“The words used in the novels written by Master Li Nian are straightforward and simple. Even ordinary people can understand them easily. Master Li Nian wrote these novels specifically for the people!”

This is a misunderstanding of Li Nian. There is no such thing as “written specifically for the people”. He felt that the newspaper was just created and could be used to enrich the spiritual and cultural life of the people of the Qin Dynasty in this world, as well as let people learn something from entertainment, so he brought a novel from later generations.

“Therefore, a group of people have emerged in Xianyang City who specialize in reading and telling stories from newspapers to the public, and there are many people listening. Most of these people are now hired by wine shops and restaurants to tell stories there!”

From these words, Gan Yu has understood the role of newspapers. The role that newspapers can play is extremely important and if they can be mastered well, they can bring great benefits to Daqin.

Master Moye and others were also shocked. This newspaper can not only be used to spread news, but also to let people learn. Although there may not be much effect in the short term, with the accumulation of time, the overall quality of the Qin people will far exceed that of other countries.

This newspaper was naturally the idea proposed by Li Nian. As early as when he was making paper, Li Nian had already had related ideas. There was too little entertainment life in this era, and public opinion needed to be controlled and guided.

Publishing a newspaper can be used to control and guide public opinion, enrich people’s entertainment life, and allow people to learn something from it.

He did not want the Qin Dynasty to become a foolish and ignorant country that was only good for the rule of the king. Instead, he hoped that the people of the Qin Dynasty could read and write, have culture and ideas, so that they would not be afraid of the rise of other nations, and would not worry about being surpassed and then bullied.

Moreover, the newspaper can open up a new source of income for Daqin. This rare and novel new thing will attract people to buy it.

Facts have proved that his idea was correct. As soon as the newspaper was published in Xianyang City, it achieved great success and brought in considerable revenue every day.

Looking at the newspaper stand where people were still queuing up, Master Moye had an idea. If he used this newspaper to spread Buddhism, it would probably spread throughout the city quickly. Unfortunately, the person in charge of the newspaper probably would not allow it to be used to spread Buddhism.

Although he has not yet met the King of Qin and Master Li Nian, Master Moye has a feeling that these two may not have much good feelings towards their Buddhism, and it may be extremely difficult to preach in the Qin Dynasty!

After passing the newspaper shop, Master Moye and others continued to move forward. They noticed that some places in Xianyang City were under construction, indicating that the city was still becoming better and more prosperous.

Master Moye and others also noticed that an area of ​​the city was spewing smoke, especially some very tall buildings there, which were spewing out puffs of smoke.

What is going on in that place? Why is it spewing out smoke? Could it be that the king of Qin lives there, and is the smoke containing some magical substance?
Gan Yu said: “That is where Liuying Palace is located, and it is under the jurisdiction of Master Li Nian!”

This was naturally built by the industrial park built by Li Nian. There was no other way, the First Emperor would not let him leave Xianyang, so the factory could only be built in Xianyang temporarily. Once the workers were trained and had accumulated enough technology and no longer needed his constant guidance, the factory could be built elsewhere.

This was also an obstacle to the development of the Qin Dynasty. Since Li Nian would not be allowed to leave Xianyang by the First Emperor, many things had to be done and tested in Xianyang before being transferred to other places. Although they did not know what was in that area and what the buildings there were used for, just looking at it from a distance gave Master Moye and others a feeling they had never had before, shocking and incredible…

There must be important secrets of the Qin State there, but unfortunately they probably won’t be allowed to access such an important place.

Finally they arrived at the resting place arranged by Daqin for them. Gan Yu said with a smile: “Tomorrow someone will come to teach you the etiquette of audience, and then they will enter the palace to meet His Majesty. You all can rest here. Gan will leave for the time being.”

After Gan Yu finished speaking, he took some people away. He wanted to go to the palace to see the First Emperor and report in detail what had happened along the way.

After Gan Yu left, Master Moye and others were arranged to check in and rest, but they did not really rest. Master Moye and more than a dozen high-ranking monks gathered in a room.

Looking at the doors, beds, tables, chairs and other items in the room that were different from those in their Peacock Kingdom, some monks seemed to have just woken up from a dream. They were no longer in the Peacock Kingdom, but in a strange country!

The atmosphere in the room was a bit depressing. Everything they saw in Xianyang City today made them feel confused and shaken: Qin State was more prosperous and powerful than their Maurya State. Did the people here need them to spread the wisdom of Buddha?
I’m afraid that’s not necessary. Many things displayed in this city are obviously more advanced and civilized than theirs. As backward people, are they here to preach to the more civilized people?
Is that possible?

I originally thought that the Qin State was a backward and ignorant party, but I didn’t expect that it was them who were backward and ignorant. It turns out that there are really countries in the world that are more powerful than their Peacock State.

But since they cannot preach to the Qin people, and it is probably impossible to preach, then why do they come here and what is the point of coming here?
Some monks fell into confusion and wavering!

Master Moye looked at the monks in the room and guessed what some of them were thinking, but he knew that such confusion and vacillation would be difficult to eliminate, so he could only set another goal for them.

This was also the main reason why he called these monks here, to reassure everyone, otherwise if people’s hearts were scattered, the team would also be dispersed.

Master Moye said in a deep voice: “My fellow disciples, Qin is more powerful than our country. Our country is indeed inferior to it, but we have come to Qin. For the sake of our Buddha and our country, we must not give up…”

Seeing that all the monks’ attention was drawn to him, Master Moye said, “We must do the following things well: First, spread the Buddha’s wisdom as much as possible!”

“Even if the Qin people will not accept or allow it, we will still try our best. If we can succeed, it will be great.”

Indeed, whether the missionary work can be accomplished is one thing, and whether it is done or not is another. What if the king of Qin is also a figure like Ashoka, who is immediately impressed by the wisdom of the Buddha?

“Second, we need to communicate with the wise men of Qin, that is, the scholars of the various schools of thought, to understand their theories and wisdom, and also to understand Qin and the culture of this land.”

How can you preach well if you don’t even know enough about a place?

It is necessary to have an in-depth understanding and research of this place, know the local people’s cultural habits, and know the local people’s doctrines and thoughts, so as to find a way to make the Qin people accept their Buddhism.

But there is one point that Master Moye did not make clear. There were so many wise men in the Qin State, and they created so many theories and ideas. Perhaps they could learn from their strengths and make the Buddha’s wisdom more complete.

He was worried that if he told this, it would cause opposition from some monks. After all, in the hearts of many monks, the Buddha was supreme and his wisdom was perfect and flawless. Would he need any supplementation or improvement?
This is heresy and a great disrespect to Buddha!

That would not only fail to bring the monks closer together, but would instead divide the team.

Master Moye said sternly: “Third, we must try to learn the advanced technology from the Qin people. Qin is better than our country. If our country cannot catch up, there will be disaster. If they are better than our country, if we can learn it, we should learn it and pass it back to our country.”

The monks nodded. The Qin State was stronger than their Peacock State. If they could not learn the advanced technology of the Qin people and make up for the gap, then when the Qin people became stronger, the Peacock State would be in danger.

A monk sighed and said, “Brother Moye is right, but will the Qin people allow us to learn? Moreover, if we want to learn, it will be very difficult without several years of hard work!”

This is indeed a problem, but there is no other solution. Master Moye replied: “Everything depends on human effort. If you don’t do it, there will be no chance. If you do it, there will be a chance!”

“Fourth, we must do our best to make friends with the King of Qin and Master Li Nian. We must not offend them rashly. Whether we want to preach or study in Qin, we must rely on these two.”

That being said, it is not easy to actually do this. From what they have seen and heard along the way, they can infer that the King of Qin and Master Li Nian are not easy people to get along with, and they are very likely to dislike their Buddhism.

At that time, even if they are not driven out directly, they will never be allowed to preach easily. They will definitely be strictly monitored and various restrictions will be set.

When they thought of this, Master Moye and others couldn’t help feeling heavy and depressed. They knew where the problem lay, but they couldn’t think of a way to solve it.

Because the root of the problem is that the countries they come from are not strong enough. When a backward and weak country wants to preach to a strong and advanced country, it will naturally feel constrained and faced with obstacles everywhere.

At this time, a monk suddenly thought of something and said, “The Qin envoy went to Pataliputra to see the grandson of Ashoka. If we calculate the time, he must have arrived early. If the grandson of Ashoka knows that we are coming to Qin, he will definitely send an envoy to us. How should we respond?”

They were not sent to the Qin State on the orders of Ashoka’s grandson, but came here privately without reporting any matter. They wanted to create an established fact before Ashoka’s grandson found out and open up a new Buddhist pure land in the Qin State. But now they find that this pure land seems very difficult to open up.

Master Moye said: “Don’t worry too much. Even if Ashoka’s grandson knew that we were in Qin, sending people here would not do anything. It would just be a repetition of our past deeds.”

“Repeating our old stories” startled the monks, and then they understood that this was referring to their mental journey towards the Qin State:
At first, they looked down upon it, thinking it was a small barbarian country. Later, they found that the Qin State seemed to be no simple matter and had something special. Then they discovered that the Qin State had more than just something special. It was a country that was more powerful and prosperous than their Peacock State, which made them feel both awe and worry.

In the powerful Qin State, what would happen even if Ashoka’s grandson sent people to chase him?
As long as the Qin people don’t want to touch them, they will be safe. Ashoka’s grandson’s orders will not work in Qin.

(End of this chapter)