Chapter 40: The Turning Wheel

This was Lu Shuwu’s "Strategy for Pacifying the West," intended for Gao Yan. Gao Yan, however, was destined never to hear it, for Gao Yin had already presented it to Gao Yang.

For Gao Yin, the priority was to establish a new strategic stronghold at Pingyang and cultivate his own military base. This would not only divide and weaken the entrenched nobility of Jinyang, but could also be publicly justified as a measure to relieve the pressure of the Zhou forces, leaving the nobles with little room to object.

It was currently the ninth year of the Tianbao era, 558 AD. Since Gao Yan would pass away in 561 AD, these were suggestions that could be implemented immediately—proposals for the next two or three years.

Gao Yang summoned an attendant to record the details, appearing to give the matter serious consideration. Gao Yin was delighted; if these proposals were made known, he would no longer be seen merely as a benevolent coward, but as a man of strategy. This would inevitably shift the perceptions of many. While these people might not speak openly, their covert activities would eventually steer the hearts and minds of the Qi people.

Most importantly, he wanted to influence Gao Yang’s perspective. He sought to prove that his plan to capture Dongyong Prefecture was not mere armchair theorizing, but a robust strategy; if given the chance to develop, he might even walk the path of a hegemon that Gao Yang himself had failed to complete.

Gao Yang was indeed impressed, even feeling a flicker of jealousy toward the earnest young man before him. *If I had been like him back then, would Mother not have distanced herself from me? Would I have received the same affection as my brothers? If I had been like this, would my elder brother have pointed at me and mocked, "How can such a man attain wealth, and what destiny could possibly justify it?" Is he truly of my own blood?*

He impulsively reached out and grabbed Gao Yin. The action stunned everyone present, leaving them unsure of what had provoked the Emperor this time. They dared not move, only watching as the ferocious Gao Yang gripped Gao Yin’s hair. Gao Yin felt a sharp pain, but dared not cry out for mercy, staring blankly at Gao Yang. Realizing he had lost his composure, Gao Yang paused, then shifted his grip to a caress, soothing the boy.

"You have done well."

Gao Yin felt no joy in the praise; he had truly felt the heat of Gao Yang’s rage moments ago. Gao Yang dismissed his attendants and looked into Gao Yin’s eyes, his expression grave. "You are not yet twenty, yet you can contemplate affairs of state, and with such feasibility... I am deeply moved."

As he spoke, Gao Yang suddenly burst into tears. "Is it possible that our Gao family can truly conquer the Zhou state?"

Since ascending the throne, Gao Yang had faced constant internal pressure, forced to balance competing interests. As the alpha wolf, he could neither consume the prey alone nor allow the other wolves to grow too strong. Gao Yang’s madness was both a product of his inherent cruelty and a violent, desperate release—a perverse rebellion against the cage of the imperial throne, though such a destructive resistance was bound to exact a heavy price. In his agitation, he had inadvertently spoken his true thoughts, referring to the "Western thieves" as the "Zhou state."

In his heart, Gao Yang already sensed that the Qi state had reached an awkward impasse. It could not climb back to the peak it held during the Wei era, and the Zhou state’s foundations were already set. Even if they launched a total war of annihilation as his father and elder brother had, it would be in vain, serving only to exhaust the vitality of Qi.

*When will this day end? I shall perish along with you.*

The roar of the flood echoed in his ears. Since destruction was inevitable, why not indulge in decadence and madness before the end? After all, it would not just be his son; everyone on the ship of Qi was destined to be buried with him.

Yet, the currents of fate diverged at this moment. In Gao Yin, Gao Yang seemed to see a face that was both intelligent and shrewd. His father, Gao Huan, had once said of him, "This child has more awareness than I." Now, Gao Yang was absolutely certain: the child before him possessed an awareness even greater than his own.

"Let Ande take his place alongside you as well." Gao Yang issued another decree, transferring the cherished Gao Yanzong to Gao Yin’s command.

"...Many thanks, Father." Gao Yin was somewhat puzzled, but having achieved his primary objective, he offered no objection. After a moment, he gathered his courage and asked, "I wonder about the Princes of Shangdang and Yongan..."

"That is not a matter for you to ask!" Gao Yang’s face darkened, his good mood instantly evaporated. Gao Yin hurriedly knelt to beg for forgiveness. Seeing the boy’s aggrieved appearance, Gao Yang was not unmoved. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "The day after tomorrow, go to Heshui Temple and offer homage to the relics of the Buddha on my behalf."

Tiancheng Mountain’s Xiuding Temple was originally the meditation retreat of the monk Zhang Meng of Yecheng. In the seventeenth year of the Taihe era, Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei hunted on the mountain and established Tiancheng Temple. After Gao Yang ascended the throne, he renamed it Heshui Temple because two rivers converged at the mountain.

Twenty years later, the Zhou army would destroy Qi. Emperor Wu of Zhou, Yuwen Yong, would enter Yecheng and enforce a ban on Buddhism across the former Qi territory. Temples and icons in the north would be nearly wiped out, and monks would flee to the south; Heshui Temple would be burned by the Zhou. However, after the death of Emperor Wu, the subsequent reigns of the Xuan and Jing emperors saw Buddhism flourish once more. Because of Emperor Wu’s persecution, the monks were deeply disillusioned with the Zhou. When Yang Jian usurped the throne to establish the Sui, the monks abandoned the old Zhou and bet on the new Sui. The rapid stabilization of the nascent Sui was aided, in no small part, by the political investments of the clergy.

Thus, after usurping the throne, Yang Jian issued a decree to fully support and revive Buddhism. In the third year of the Kaihuang era, he ordered the repair of Heshui Temple, assigned monks to reside there, and renamed it Xiuding Temple.

At this moment, the temple was still called Heshui Temple—the most prestigious royal temple in Great Qi and the base of the Venerable Fashang. Fashang, the supreme leader of Buddhism under the Gao kings from the old Wei to the current Qi, was a disciple of the eminent monk Huiguang and had led the monks of Guandong for decades. Back when Gao Cheng was nominally a minister of Wei, even he had to petition for Fashang to enter Yecheng, appointing him as the Chief of the Zhaoxuan Monks and head of the Dao at Datingguo Temple.

After Gao Yang ascended the throne, he treated Fashang "as if he were the Buddha himself," appointing him as the Grand Overseer of the Zhaoxuan Temple. The Zhaoxuan Temple managed Buddhist affairs, making Fashang the director of the Qi state’s Bureau of Buddhist Affairs. The temple oversaw over two million monks and nuns, and Fashang had held this position for nearly forty years. In a sense, Fashang was the state-sanctioned "Buddhist King," holding fiefs and governing two million people. This tolerance existed because Gao Yang needed Buddhism to cultivate divinity and bolster his own legitimacy.

As early as the Eastern Wei era, monks had manufactured prophecies for Gao Huan, such as "The Buddha image enters the sea" and "The Emperor emerges from the East Sea," to frame the rise and fall of dynasties and promote the sanctity of Gao Huan. This proved hugely successful among the people; having endured constant warfare, the lower classes were receptive to religious comfort, and by accepting Buddhism, they also internalized the legitimacy of the Gao kings.

Therefore, just three months after his ascension, Gao Yang toured Tiancheng Mountain, "paid respects to the master, received the Bodhisattva precepts, and spread his hair upon the ground for the master to walk upon," using Buddhist authority to declare himself the reincarnation of a Chakravartin King.

This practice was highly popular in that era. In the south, Xiao Yan had sacrificed himself to Tongtai Temple four times to brand himself a holy Chakravartin King, comparing himself to Ashoka. Court officials had spent 400 million coins to "ransom" him each time, and Chen Baxian followed the same precedent, becoming a monk at Tongtai Temple.

To this day, the Qi Emperor Gao Yang was officially viewed as a Chakravartin King, a belief shared from the highest levels of the Qi government down to the common people. Last year, Gao Yin’s Chief Clerk, Gao Rui, had inscribed on a stele at Dingguo Temple: "The Great Qi governs the nine provinces, its saints successive and its rules layered. Like the legendary sovereigns, they rise from the East, grasp the North Star, strike the jade drums, and turn the golden wheel."

Even Gao Huan and Gao Cheng were considered incarnations of the Chakravartin. After Gao Huan died singing the *Chile Song*, he was buried in an empty tomb at the Yiping Mausoleum west of Yecheng; Gao Cheng had secretly ordered the excavation of caves beside the Buddhist grottoes of Mount Gu, serving as Gao Huan’s true resting place. When Gao Yang ascended, he excavated the three grottoes of Northern Xiangtang Mountain: the Shakyamuni Cave for Gao Huan, the Sutra-Carving Cave for Gao Cheng, and the Great Buddha Cave for himself, burying his ancestors according to Buddhist Chakravartin rites to achieve the political goal of presenting his family as a lineage of holy Buddhist monarchs.

In Qi, while having good relations with the Buddhists did not guarantee the throne, those who lacked the monks' support were certainly not Chakravartin Kings, and their thrones were precarious. By sending Gao Yin to Heshui Temple, Gao Yang was opening up hidden political resources, allowing his son to be "gilded" with religious legitimacy.

It was a rare opportunity. Gao Yin bowed in gratitude: "I shall strictly obey the imperial command and ensure that our Great Qi’s royal house manifests the dignity of the Heavenly Emperor and the nobility of the Chakravartin King."

Gao Yang could not help but smile; the child clearly understood the mystery of it all.