Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 1354: Chapter 1353: If We Don’t Seize the Public Opinion Front, the Enemy Will

In fact, the situation was worse than Abbot Baozhi had imagined.

For a long time, the anti-Jin sentiment among the people has been much stronger than that of the Imperial Court. After all, ordinary people, unlike the court, have very simple wishes, which is to protect their families and loved ones. Previously, when the Jin Army moved south, many of the People of the Song Dynasty lived in constant fear, and many even donated money, food, and materials, or actively joined the army or organized militias to resist the Jin Army.

And now, with Yue Fei and Fang Zheng leading the Song Army northwards, they have gained popular support. Many people hope to see the Jin Dynasty completely eradicated because only then can they be at ease. Otherwise, who knows if the Jin Army might attack them again decades later?

If the Jin Dynasty were to voluntarily send emissaries to seek peace, ordinary people might still understand and even mock that these Jin People were just like that, scared witless into begging for mercy.

But why is a monk from the capital getting involved here?!

With the destruction of the Jin Dynasty imminent, you raise the idea of putting the people first before the Emperor? Spit in your face!!

Fang Zheng had ”broadcasted” the entire debate to every corner of the Song Dynasty, and almost all the People of the Song Dynasty witnessed the divine phenomena and heard the debate between Abbot Baozhi and Fang Zheng. In the minds of ordinary people, they naturally sided with Fang Zheng!

After all, as Fang Zheng said, monks eat well, drink well, and dress well every day, but when it’s time to serve the country, you start talking about monks retreating from secular affairs to achieve Six Senses Purification?

Cowards! Traitors!!

For a time, the entire Song Dynasty erupted in criticism of the Buddhist temples, with Jinji Temple bearing the brunt, directly smashed by the angry populace, and even the Buddha statues inside were destroyed, leaving the entire temple burned down. Facing the populace’s violence, most of the local magistrates and Government Officials just stood by coldly, silent as if they didn’t see anything.

Their reasoning was also quite straightforward: it is difficult to go against public sentiment, and the law does not punish the masses. Besides, your Abbot himself said that monks should avoid worldly affairs, so you shouldn’t care about worldly matters, right? What’s wrong with smashing a few temples, or even chopping a few monks? Isn’t suffering calamities what you have to face?

For a time, even monks became like the Old Mouse everyone wanted to hit. After all, traitors are more hateful than invaders as we spend our efforts on the front lines, yet you live well behind the lines, tugging at our heels?!

Under this pressure, many monks grew their hair and returned to secular life, some out of helplessness, while others were greatly disappointed with Buddhism. Even many Country Gentry and Merchants who originally worshipped and prayed to Buddha also cut off their ties with Buddhism. It can be said, since Buddhism came to the Central Plains, it has never faced such a crisis!

What’s even more frustrating for these monks is that Abbot Baozhi had no way to counter such public condemnation!

If he were a politician, he could easily lie and claim it was the work of demonic outsiders, and everything said is false.

But the fact is, monks do not lie!

This is not the real world, but the Immortal Hero World, where one can truly achieve Immortal Ascension, and these monks are no exception. If they cannot maintain their faith, it means their cultivation is wasted and they become useless people!

Take Fahai, for example, he couldn’t refute Fang Zheng’s mockery over ”putting down the butcher knife to achieve Buddhahood,” leading to a massive decrease in his cultivation after spitting a mouthful of blood and falling into a coma, leaving him bedridden like a living dead.

If Abbot Baozhi dared to deny what he said, it would be akin to discarding the saying ”monks do not lie,” leading to an unstable mind, possibly resulting in an immediate mental collapse.

Thus, becoming what he is now... he doesn’t know what to do.

After this ”broadcast,” the reputation of Abbot Baozhi and Buddhism in the populace plummeted, while Yue Fei and Fang Zheng’s fame rose sharply. Especially Fang Zheng, who already had quite the Reputation among mortals, with stories of him destroying tens of thousands of Jin Army with a wave of his hand being spread by storytellers in every tavern, almost as legendary as Guan Yun Zhang slaying Hua Xiong with a warm wine.

However, compared to these stories, Fang Zheng’s performance in the ”broadcast” was more readily accepted by ordinary people.

Most people originally thought of Fang Zheng as a typical Immortal, lofty and inscrutable, seeming ethereal and profound but corrupt internally—just like Abbot Baozhi.

But after watching the ”broadcast,” people were surprised to find that not only did this ”Immortal Master” appear very young, but he was also humorous and approachable in his speech. Unlike many Government Officials, who spoke incomprehensibly, everyone could understand what Fang Zheng was saying! Not to mention that this Immortal Master, despite his skills, remained a man of sentiments, earning even more respect from ordinary people.

This was also deliberate on Fang Zheng’s part; as a producer, he had often engaged in online battles with trolls and provocateurs in the past. In companies, PR departments are not something everyone can afford; during the early days of a company, there weren’t enough programmers, and who had the leisure to argue with trolls? So, Fang Zheng would roll up his sleeves and engage, battling them from home to abroad, mastering the skill of talking to people in their terms depending on who he encountered.

In Fang Zheng’s view, arguing with these monks wasn’t challenging; all they did was be honest, relying on mental acrobatics to confuse people. This trick completely pales in comparison to the activists of the future, the likes of Kohin’s animal rights feminists and warriors, who genuinely stick to their guns, never backing down no matter what, hitting a wall and not turning back, and play double standards better than anyone. A hundred Abbot Baozhis would still die spitting blood.

Unfortunately, there is no internet in this era; otherwise, with Fang Zheng’s cyberbullying, these Buddhist temples might just disappear from the Central Plains.

Criticizing Buddha Temples was just something Fang Zheng did on a whim, and he knew that Buddhism wouldn’t be content with defeat and would return. Yet, he didn’t care and continued to lead the army northward, aiming to clean up the Jin Army.

However, Abbot Baozhi’s previous words made Fang Zheng cautious, clearly indicating that, as he said, this was a rerun of the Martial King’s campaign against the King. Back then, the Chan Sect assisted the Martial King. Now, the Jin Army might also have otherworldly Immortals to help.

Considering that both Buddhism and Taoism are flourishing in the Jin Dynasty, it’s unknown which side would dare to trouble him, but Fang Zheng wasn’t worried.

If anyone dares to come, so be it. All that’s needed is a Black Qilin’s head, and with an eye patch, he can send them to the heavens!

However, what Fang Zheng didn’t expect was that their response came quicker than he imagined.

Although lacking Song Army support, with the help of his men and Yue Fei, Fang Zheng easily captured Yanjing and then marched north, directly attacking the Jin capital, Huining Prefecture!

However, shortly after setting out, a sudden gust of wind surged, followed by a dazzling Radiance in the sky, akin to the Sun. A massive golden Light Orb burst forth from the clouds, blocking the path of the Zeppelin army. As the Radiance slowly faded, a tall figure emerged.

Clad entirely in gold, he sat regally on a pure white lion, with a parasol in his right hand and a mouse in his left, wearing a precious crown, his appearance awe-inspiring.

With his arrival, it seemed as if the entire world lost its voice, with not a single cloud in sight.

Soon, the man spoke, his voice resonating like a great bell throughout the sky.

”I am the Northern Duke of Many Treasures, can I invite Immortal Master Fang Zheng to come out and meet me?”

Indeed, upon hearing this, Fang Zheng let out a cold snort.

It’s a thousand miles sending Firewood, small token, deep affection...