In fact, the situation was even worse than Abbot Baozhi had imagined.
For a long time, popular anti-Jin sentiment had been far stronger than that of the imperial court. Ordinary people were not like the court; their wishes were actually very simple: protect their families and loved ones. When the Jin Soldiers had marched south before, countless Song Dynasty citizens had lived in constant fear. Many had donated money, grain, and supplies, while some had even voluntarily enlisted or formed groups to resist the Jin Soldiers.
Now that Yue Fei and Fang Zheng were leading the Song army north, they had won considerable popular support as well. Many hoped to see the Jin Dynasty completely destroyed, because only then could they truly rest easy. Otherwise, who knew whether the Jin Soldiers would return to attack them decades later?
If the Jin Dynasty had taken the initiative to seek peace, the common people might have understood to some extent. They might even have mocked the Jin Soldiers for being nothing special, saying they had been scared out of their wits and come begging for mercy.
But what the hell was a monk from the capital doing sticking his nose into this?!
Victory over the Jin Dynasty was clearly within reach, yet he ran before the Emperor talking about putting all living beings first? Fuck off!
Fang Zheng had broadcast the entire debate live to every corner of the Song Dynasty. Nearly every Song citizen had personally witnessed the heavenly phenomenon and heard the debate between Abbot Baozhi and Fang Zheng. Naturally, ordinary people sided with Fang Zheng!
Just as Fang Zheng had said, these monks ate well, drank well, and dressed well every day, yet when it was time to serve their country, they started saying that monks should keep their