Chapter 104 - Setting the Tiger on the Wolf

Besides a large collection of digital copies of Daoist scriptures, Zhang Yingchen’s own hard drives and optical discs also contained the most extensive collection of BL erotica manga in the entire Council of Elders, surpassing even the Great Library’s collection.

“I remember Hong Kong also published a manga version of The Golden Lotus, and the art style was quite realistic,” Lu Zhongxing said. “I’ve seen it before. The style is quite different from the Japanese ones; it might be more popular with the locals. It’s just that the plot was so tragic.”

Zhao Yigong ate a fried “ringing bell”: “That’s not the problem. The problem is how do we replicate the digital version of the manga onto stone or woodblocks? We can’t just print them all out, can we? Have the workers look at a screen?”

“Printing them out is not out of the question, and copying from a screen is also possible. After all, the digital versions will all be lost one day. A full paper backup is necessary,” Zhou Dongtian said. “After I go back this time, I’ll see if I can do phototypesetting—that depends on whether the chemical department can deliver. Photolithography is even more convenient than stone printing. Even if I can’t do it, I’ll first print a few copies on stone in Lin’gao and then bring them over to you as a master copy for plate making. You can choose between woodblock or stone printing.”

They ate and talked, and the conversation turned to the issue of how to gain the support of the Hangzhou church. Although Zhao Yigong had successfully established contact with them, he was not yet in a position to freely ask the church to do things for him. Zhao Yigong occasionally visited the church to build relationships with a few of its leading figures, all in order to quickly connect with Xu Guangqi’s family.

However, things were not progressing smoothly. After a few visits, Zhao Yigong felt that the leading figures in the church were far more interested in converting him than in helping him connect with Xu Guangqi. And to avoid getting too deeply involved with the Catholic Church, which might arouse the antipathy of some non-Christian gentry, he could not visit the church frequently.

Zhang Yingchen, however, was confident about this: “I have a way.”

“What’s your way?” Zhao Yigong asked curiously.

“The method is simple,” Zhang Yingchen said with a mysterious smile.

“Do you know about the Hangzhou Religious Case of the eighth year of Chongzhen?” he asked.

“Regarding religious cases, I only know about the Auguste Chapdelaine incident and the Tianjin Massacre—the time when old Zeng got his nose bloodied.”

“There were several religious cases in the late Ming. The most famous was the Nanjing Religious Case—”

“Let’s get to the point.”

“This can be considered the second major setback for the Catholic Church’s missionary work in China,” Zhang Yingchen said with relish, slowly chewing a piece of spring bamboo shoot.

This great debate began with a dispute between Giulio Aleni and the Confucian scholar Huang Zhen in Zhangzhou, Fujian. Huang Zhen then traveled from Fujian to Zhejiang, inviting Confucian scholars and Chan masters to critique the doctrines of the Jesuit society. These critical documents were eventually compiled into the Collection to Break Heresy.

The debate between the two religions in Hangzhou began in the third month of the eighth year of Chongzhen. Huang Zhen visited the Chan master Miyun Yuanwu at Tiantong Temple in Ningbo. Yuanwu then wrote the First Discourse Refuting Heaven, which was posted publicly in Hangzhou by the Chan master Weiyi Purun. The Catholic Church did not respond to this move.

Zhang Tian, a disciple of the late eminent monk Yunqi (Lianchi), then took the First Discourse Refuting Heaven to the Guanxiang Catholic Church in Hangzhou in the eighth month and gave it to the Jesuit missionary Fu Fanji.

However, according to the records of the Second Discourse Refuting Heaven, the Jesuits did not respond to this challenge. So, in the ninth month, Yuanwu wrote the Second Discourse Refuting Heaven and continued to post it publicly in Hangzhou. The church continued to avoid the fight. Only some Confucian converts rejected the debate on the grounds that the monk Yunqi had failed in his debate with Matteo Ricci over the Discourse on Heaven from a Bamboo Window during his lifetime.

Subsequently, the monk Yuanwu wrote the Third Discourse Refuting Heaven, and Zhang Tian, based on the missionary document Posthumous Letters on the Debate of Learning published by the church, verified that the author of the Four Points Refuting the Great Master Lianchi’s ‘Discourse on Heaven from a Bamboo Window’ was not Matteo Ricci. And in the Fujian edition of the Posthumous Letters on the Debate of Learning, there was a preface by “Migezi” (the baptismal name of Censor Yang Tingyun), in which Yang Tingyun fabricated a story about the monk Yunqi repenting to God on his deathbed.

Thus, Zhang Tian wrote the Discourse on Exposing Falsehoods to attack the Catholic Church again.

Throughout this siege, the Catholic Church remained in a defensive position, adopting a policy of not participating in the debate. Although some Confucian converts within the church attempted to counterattack, the leaders of the church consistently adhered to the method of not responding and not debating—this was probably a lesson learned from the Nanjing Religious Case, creating an appearance of “the pure are pure.”

Facts proved that this strategy of the church was effective, because soon, ordinary Confucian scholars who were not Buddhists stood up to accuse the Buddhists: “The virtue of Yunqi in benefiting all living beings is as clear as the sun in the sky. Who can cover it? Those who slander him only slander themselves. How can they tarnish his brilliance? Have you not heard the ancient virtue say: ‘Do not debate any right or wrong’? Why do you chatter on so?”

It was clear that the Catholic Church’s policy of concession, by portraying itself as a victim, saved the small Hangzhou church from further impact and allowed it to safely weather the crisis.

“It’s only the fourth year of Chongzhen now,” Zhao Yigong reminded him. By the eighth year of Chongzhen, the situation might have changed drastically.

“Listen to me,” Zhang Yingchen said, as if selling a mystery. “Most of the Confucian scholars in the late Ming had a ‘habit of escaping into Chan Buddhism’ to avoid social reality. Therefore, the influence of the Chan sect was very strong. The areas of Ningbo, Hangzhou, and Jiaxing were the main areas of activity for the Linji school of Chan. It will be very difficult for our new Daoism to spread. You know, these Buddhists don’t have a good attitude towards Daoism either. If I try to spread my religion now, it probably won’t be any easier than the Catholic missionaries. Do you know how hard it is to snatch customers in a mature market?”

Everyone nodded. The new Daoism had achieved great success in Qiongzhou simply because it had exploited the vacuum of a mature religion in the Li areas. It would not be so easy on the mainland.

In the Zhejiang region, where Buddhist influence was deeply rooted, it was impossible for the new Daoism to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth in one go. But by provoking a debate between Buddhism and the Jesuit missionaries in China in advance, they could first weaken the influence of Catholicism—although they were small, they had a group of enthusiastic and dedicated priests and converts with great potential for growth. Secondly, they could use this religious case to damage the reputation of Buddhism. After all, throughout the case, the Buddhists had shown an aggressive attitude, which would inevitably arouse the antipathy of some neutral parties.

“If I want to get a piece of the pie here, I can only use the strategy of setting the tiger on the wolf to undermine the influence of both religions,” Zhang Yingchen said, raising his wine cup and taking a small sip. “I plan to trigger this dispute in advance and profit from the conflict between the two tigers.”

“I understand your meaning of triggering the religious case in advance and muddying the waters,” Zhao Yigong said, raising a question. “But how does this help in gaining the support of the church?”

“Old Zhao, you are so smart for a lifetime, yet so muddled at this moment,” Zhang Yingchen said with a smile. “The Hangzhou church is currently stable and peaceful. You are just the flower on the brocade. If I stir things up, it’s like sending them a heavy snowstorm. If you bring them a piece of charcoal then, they will be eternally grateful to you!”

Zhao Yigong wouldn’t even need to exert much effort, let alone come forward to debate for the church. He only needed to suggest to the church’s leadership the historical strategy of responding to all changes by remaining unchanged to let the church safely weather the crisis and win their favor.

“Daoist master, you are quite black-bellied,” Mei Lin complimented him, though he was not convinced. Many events require a certain accumulation of conditions to occur. To rashly trigger it in advance was probably just this Daoist master’s wishful thinking. For one thing, in this vast sea of people, where would they find the instigator, Huang Zhen? Historical books only say that he was a Confucian scholar from Zhangzhou, Fujian. There is no information about where he lived or what he did for a living. Furthermore, a person’s thoughts are always developing and changing. This person might not even be thinking of debating with the Catholic Church at this moment.

“I wouldn’t say black-bellied. But if this is done, it will be beneficial for everyone to complete their tasks,” Zhang Yingchen said with a look of pride. “I’m not just talking nonsense. A few days ago, Huang Zhen had already arrived in Hangzhou.”

“How do you know?” Mei Lin was very surprised.

“Yesterday, someone asked me to see a patient in an inn. This person’s name is Huang Zhen, and he is from Zhangzhou, Fujian. Who else could it be?” Zhang Yingchen said. “I’ve told them that I have too many patients and will see him in a few days. I wanted to discuss this with you first.”

“How did he get to Hangzhou?” Zhao Yigong was greatly surprised. “According to the history you mentioned, he should still be in Fujian at this time.”

“The flapping of a butterfly’s wings may have already caused some changes in the trajectory of history,” Zhang Yingchen said. “His sudden appearance in Hangzhou is, as they say, an opportunity that has presented itself. If we can’t make use of it, it would be a disservice to the butterfly.”

The group fell into deep thought. Zhang Yingchen’s plan of setting the tiger on the wolf, provoking conflict to fish in troubled waters, was indeed very creative. Judging from the cause and effect, the chances of success were high, but no one knew if this matter would lead to other consequences. After all, the development of events could not completely follow their wishes.

Zhang Yingchen looked at Zhao Yigong. They were all Elders, and Zhang Yingchen had the authority to “act as he saw fit,” but he was, after all, part of the Hangzhou station. This was not a small matter, and he should not act without the station chief’s approval.

“Great achievements are not bound by trivial matters,” Zhao Yigong nodded. “This is feasible.”

“But in that case, it will be inconvenient for me to come to your place often,” Zhang Yingchen said. “Although I won’t personally appear, if someone investigates carefully, they can still see some clues. If I interact with you too much, the people in the church might become suspicious of you as well.”

Zhao Yigong said, “I understand. We can communicate by letter in the future. If we need to talk in detail, I can just go to Qingyun Temple to make a donation. However, we don’t need to avoid meeting altogether; that would seem too deliberate.”