Chapter 665: Chapter 301: Reward and Trade_2

He laid out his own conditions.

The entire Qianzhong County, in terms of faith, could be handed over to the White Phoenix Temple, that is, to Buddhism.

This benefit could not be said to be small.

After all, what the White Phoenix Temple originally sought was just like other innate sects, to expand their own power into a county, so that it would fit their status in Jianghu.

However, due to the exceptional situation of Linhai County, those coastal aristocratic families were individually powerful, not inferior to White Phoenix Temple, and they had already become a family through constant marriages of successive generations.

Wedged among them, the White Phoenix Temple, no matter how skilled, could not expand their power at all.

They could only be squeezed into a small corner, struggling to survive under various oppressions.

It was precisely because of this difficult living environment that they were forced to find ways to break through and find a glimmer of hope from other places.

This was also why the White Phoenix Temple agreed to Yue Country’s request, following them on the Northern Expedition to Zhou Country.

The goal was to get half a county’s land as promised by Yue Country, to build their own Buddhist kingdom, so that the power of the White Phoenix Temple could grow and develop.

However, the result was…

After a fierce defeat and a heavy loss in the confrontation with the Nanzhao Army, the Buddhist holy land was thoroughly awakened, realizing.

Not everyone can play the game of world domination.

It was for this reason that, after their sudden awakening, the White Phoenix Temple chose to find Chu State, intending to return to their original path, find a powerful country to rely on, and transform itself from a country back into a Jianghu sect.

For this purpose, Jihui paid a huge price, consuming a large portion of her lifespan, resolutely executing Lu Yuan’s orders, and holding back the Nanzhao Army in Nanchong Prefecture, throwing in her own bargaining chip.

Now, it was time for Lu Yuan to fulfill his promises and repay them.

The faith of the entire Qianzhong County, a desire that the White Phoenix Temple had longed for in the past, was Lu Yuan’s return.

However, even though he gave the faith of the entire Qianzhong County, he didn’t feel like he was at a loss.

First of all, as Lu Yuan said before, even after the immigration, the vast majority of the population in the county were still Yi people and not the civilized people under the king’s rule.

Facing these fierce and quarrelsome barbarians, relying on force alone would be somewhat inadequate.

If there were Buddhist disciples coming to spread their faith, dissolve their resentment, and make these barbarians submissive, it would be a great thing for the local stability of Qianzhong County and the rule of Great Chu in this area.

Moreover, using the widespread faith of Buddhism to replace the distinct local faith of the Chilih tribe and using the Buddha to replace their Chilih Great God would undoubtedly further undermine the culture of these Chilih Yi people, making them assimilate under Chu State even more quickly.

All these were the advantages of religious culture.

In terms of local security, the relocation of the White Phoenix Temple also brought great benefits.

Even with the heavy losses inflicted by the Nanzhao Army, over half of White Phoenix Temple’s disciples had died or been injured.

However, the previous White Phoenix Temple was, after all, an Innate Great Sect. Moreover, by controlling half a county and a whole state, it wielded a vast amount of resources, further strengthening its power.

Such a huge force, even after suffering losses and damages, still had considerable residual strength.

As it stands, there are only over two hundred remaining disciples of the White Phoenix Temple, but those who have survived the many calamities and wars are undoubtedly the elite.

Indeed, that was the case.

Among the survivors, a majority were third-rate martial artists, with over thirty second-rate masters, and as many as seven first-rate masters. In addition, there was Jihui, the Inborn Grandmaster.

Having such power was still far more superior than ordinary first-rate Jianghu sects.

Even without Jihui, the White Phoenix Temple would still be a top-tier sect in Jianghu, comparable to the Five Poisons Sect before the rebellion against Yue.

Such a powerful force, when stationed in Qianzhong County, would undoubtedly strike a heavy blow to the local Yi masters, aiding Chu State in its governance of the region.

After all, the White Phoenix Temple, aspiring to promote Buddhism, was inherently at odds with the Yi people who believed in the Chilih God.

In order to spread its faith, the White Phoenix Temple would have to face those Yi rebels who harbored resentment against Chu State and wanted to covertly disrupt the peace.

In this respect, the interests of Chu State and the White Phoenix Temple coincided and overlapped, allowing for cooperation and joint efforts to maintain local security and crack down on the Yi rebel masters.

Therefore, considering the benefits Chu State gained compared to granting the illusory faith to White Phoenix Temple, it wasn’t really a big deal.

In the Pre-Yue years, there were five Innate Great Sects on the local level. Yet the whole empire of Da Yue remained unshakable, without any Innate Great Sect stirring up trouble.

Now, the power of Chu State might still be inferior to that of Pre-Yue.

However, correspondingly, Chu State had far fewer innate sects within it, with only White Phoenix Temple remaining.

The difference in power between the two was even more pronounced than that between Pre-Yue and Jianghu, with no fear of the White Phoenix Temple stirring up trouble.

Moreover, speaking bluntly.

Given Chu State’s current upward development trend, as long as the common people can survive, who, after being well-fed and idle, would follow a group of monks in rebellion?

If there were indeed large-scale rebellions led by monks, it would undoubtedly indicate a problem with Chu State’s rule, and it would be time for Chu State to meet the same fate as Pre-Yue.

As for this, Lu Yuan was quite indifferent.

Because he didn’t worry about this problem at all.

As an immortal with unlimited lifespan, Lu Yuan has the confidence that as long as he is alive, Chu State would not face the problems of incompetent rulers, corrupt officials, or end-of-dynasty scenarios.