When did you discover this situation? "After thinking carefully for a while, Wu Feng asked cautiously.
"Sir, it must have been a while. I estimate that this situation should have happened half a year ago. However, since there were a considerable number of immigrants from the Western Continent in our northwest, we did not pay enough attention at the time and thought it was just We only routinely controlled the religious beliefs brought by these immigrants from their hometowns. The daily monitoring work was handed over to the local internal affairs department. It is estimated that they did not pay enough attention. Neither we nor they took any other special measures to prevent it. . It was not until recently that our informants at Northwest University reported that many teachers from the Western Continent were promoting religions from the Western Continent in the university, and major debates broke out due to different doctrines. This attracted our attention. After investigation, it was found that the situation has become more serious. A small number of students in the university have accepted these teachings from the Western Continent and gradually begun to transform into believers. This is especially worrying for my subordinates." Diao Su's face was also full of gloom, and he alone His eyes sparkled.
"The origin and family background of these students—?" Wu Feng asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"Sir, after our investigation, we found that there are about ten people in Northwest University who have become relatively devout believers, and there are about fifty people who are still hesitating and accepting the influence. Almost all of these dozens of people They are all recruited from the society, and there are no local officials whom we have trained in universities. Moreover, we have also analyzed the composition of these people. The vast majority of these dozens of people are children of immigrants from outside the empire, and they are influenced by their families. Most of them, their parents and relatives are almost all religious." Diao Su obviously attached great importance to the penetration of religion into the northwest and spent considerable energy on investigation and analysis.
Wu Feng nodded with satisfaction. He was very satisfied with Diao Su's detailed investigation. The results of the other party's investigation were not much different from what he expected. First, his officials were not involved here. Second, this religion has not yet spread in the northwest. It has spread among the universities. After all, it will take quite some time for the people of the empire to accept this teaching from the Western Continent, and this will require the local rulers to adopt a supportive attitude.
But this has already made Wu Feng feel chilly. You must know that after religion permeates people's minds, fanatical believers can set all their goals in dedicating their lives to the god they believe in. The power of this kind of spiritual explosion is quite a lot. Terrible, if not well controlled, this kind of thing is enough to destroy everything. Wu Feng once studied in the Western Continent, and also traveled and studied in the Western Continent for a long time. During this period, he also witnessed believers openly debating under the altar in the school because of their different understandings of doctrines. There were many onlookers. , even he had gone to observe it a few times out of curiosity, but maybe he was not a devout believer by nature. Wu Feng found that it was difficult for him to identify with these religious teachings, so he did not have much fondness for these religions. .
However, for various purposes, Wufeng also spent a certain amount of time during his studies to learn, understand and figure out the Holy Spirit Religion (called Holy Bishop in the southern part of the Western Continent) which is relatively common in the entire Western Continent and parts of the Central Continent. The religion originated in the central part of the Central Continent about four or five centuries ago. It was initially only spread among the ordinary people among the lower classes in some parts of the Central Continent. Later, it flowed into the Western Continent three centuries ago and began to spread widely in the Western Continent. On the contrary, It lost its market in its original birthplace and gradually shrank. Today, the Holy Spirit Religion has become the undisputed number one religion in the Western Continent, but there are not many people who believe in this religion in its original birthplace.
I recall that when I was a student, those fanatical religious people had arguments and even conflicts over the differences in doctrines between different sects. A family could turn against each other because of different understandings of doctrines. It was no less than some radical religions in the Central Continent. Fengdu shuddered. If the people in his territory believed in those sects with radical doctrines, he really didn't know how to deal with it.
But Wu Feng also knew that it would be even more unwise to blindly suppress the spread and development of these diverse and complex religions. It would be tantamount to using one's own efforts to block the rolling flood, and would only lead to death in the flood. . Smart rulers can take advantage of the situation and channel this power to flow smoothly, which can make their rule more stable; smart rulers can even use and control this power for their own use, driving this power to add to their imperial hegemony. Of course, it depends on how the ruler views peace and what measures and methods are adopted. Wu Feng believes that he will not be a fool, and he is as confident as anyone in using these methods.
Seeing his master's face uncertain and his expression changing in a rare way, Diao Su also knew that he had caught a big fish this time, but it seemed that his master was also a little undecided. Diao Su really didn't understand this. How could things that didn't seem too complicated frustrate him, who was always calm and carefree in the face of major events? However, he also knew that he shouldn't think too much about things that he shouldn't consider and ask about, otherwise he would overthink some things. It may not be a blessing to me.
Time passed by, and I don’t know how many times Wu Feng walked around the study. Maybe he was tired from wandering around, so he slowly sat back in the big chair behind the desk, looking deeply at the sunny sky. outside the window.
"According to your information, there are many people who believe in the Holy Spirit Cult in the entire northwest of our country?" Wu Feng finally asked.
"There should be a considerable number in the four prefectures of Qingyang, Jinzhou, Bonan, and Guide. After all, immigrants from the central and western mainland account for about 30% of the total population in these four prefectures, excluding the Indians, because Most of them believe in their own primitive religion, and immigrants from the Western Continent also account for about 10%, and most of them are religious." Diao Su replied while thinking, "But although they are religious, they are not the same as those at Northwest University now. This situation is somewhat different, because the origins of these immigrants are from various parts of the Western Continent, not from the same area, and they believe in different sects. According to the information we have now, they are still at a certain level in terms of religious beliefs. It is a relatively fragmented and unorganized state that has not yet formed a relatively unified custom. At least for now, we have not found any full-time religious personnel among them, such as missionaries and priests."
"The situation at Northwest University is a little different. A few of the more active so-called faculty members, apart from teaching some knowledge from the Western Continent, spend the rest of their free time on missionary matters. The subordinates and doubters about them Is there any problem with his real identity? So my subordinates have boldly sent people to the Western Continent to find out the details of these teachers and see if there is anything suspicious. However, the Western Continent is far away and it will take at least three to five months to find out. After the news came back, we still have no way of knowing the true situation." Diao Su added immediately.
Wu Feng was deeply pleased to see that his subordinates were so considerate. It seemed that in terms of political acumen and intelligence system leadership ability, Diao Su was no less than him, or even worse. He really hadn't made the wrong choice. He nodded slightly: "Well done, you thought one step ahead of me. The purpose of introducing some teachers from the Western Continent was to let our people learn more about new knowledge from foreign countries. I didn't expect it. It will bring about these by-products, and it seems that this work cannot be slacked off for a moment.”
"Well, sir, although the phenomenon that is happening at Northwest University is just beginning to appear, I am thinking that once their behavior develops among the people, especially those immigrants from the Western Continent, I am afraid that a trend will soon form. It's quite powerful, so you have to be on guard." After being praised by his boss, Diao Su didn't show any arrogance and still put forward his opinions with an indifferent expression.
"Well, that's for sure. Of course we have to take necessary countermeasures." Of course Wu Feng would not reveal his deep inner thoughts in front of his subordinates. He smiled lightly and said: "Since the immigrants from the Western Continent all have a religious tradition, then we will It is impossible to forcibly suppress their religious freedom, but they can be guided correctly. Of course, if there are ulterior motives, that is another matter."
"Then what do you mean, sir?" Diao Su could vaguely hear some of the meaning, but for the moment he couldn't fully understand the full meaning behind his boss's implicit words. His inquiring eyes were fixed on Wu Feng's face. .
"Those outstanding faculty members at Northwest University, we are now tightening surveillance and strictly restricting their activities other than normal academic activities. We will wait until the information from the Western Continent comes back. If they really have ulterior motives, then let them return to the Western Continent. Return to the Western Continent." Let's slowly promote it in their hometowns. If it's just because of your love for religious teachings, then you can collect information about these people, especially their hobbies, personality, temperament, etc., it may be useful to us." At the end, Wu Feng's eyes were deep, but a mysterious smile emerged from the corner of his mouth.
"What about folk religious activities?" Diao Su refused to let go of any question.
"Well, this is a problem. My opinion is to strengthen monitoring to see if there are any people who have outstanding abilities in this area and have high prestige among immigrants. If there are, you might as well contact them more to understand their political attitudes and Regarding our current views, if there is a suitable candidate, please tell me immediately." Wu Feng replied thoughtfully while rubbing his chin.
The master's words were profound, and they had already revealed his views on the follow-up issues. Even Diao Su had to admire his master's far-sighted vision and consideration. He bowed deeply and said, "I understand."
"Then go ahead." Wu Feng nodded slowly, closed his eyes and said nothing.