Chapter 35: The Luo Sect (Part 1)

“The Luo Sect?”
Luo Yanqiu was pleased to see Liu Yu’s slightly frustrated expression. “Brother, you have such broad knowledge. I am a direct descendant of the Luo Patriarch and embody the highest principles of righteousness.”
So it was the Luo Sect? Liu Yu felt speechless.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know about the Luo Sect—it was simply that it was extremely famous.
To most people, when thinking of underground sects, the White Lotus Sect came to mind first. Yet those familiar with Ming and Qing history would immediately exclude the White Lotus Sect from the list of underground sects from that era. The reason was simple: the White Lotus Sect had declined since the late Ming dynasty and was almost extinct.
In contrast, nearly all the prosperous sects during the Ming and Qing dynasties originated from the Luo Sect. It could even be said to be the progenitor of all new underground sects during those periods—just as Japan’s new sects in the modern era all stemmed from the Nichiren sect.
Many sects considered to be the White Lotus Sect by others were actually branches of the Luo Sect. For example, the famous Xu Hongru, whom people thought was the leader of the White Lotus Sect, was actually a branch of the Wenxiang Sect, which itself was a branch of the Luo Sect.
The founder of the Luo Sect was named Luo Menghong. Legend has it that he achieved enlightenment after experiencing a severe betrayal. He was originally an ordinary officer in the Ming army, sent on a mission to Shaanxi. Before leaving, he entrusted his wife to a friend. Three years later, when he returned home, he found his friend sleeping with his wife. Devastated by this, Luo Menghong realized the truth and went into the mountains to seek spiritual enlightenment, thereby founding the Luo Sect.
Originating there, the Luo Sect combined many doctrines and traditions from Buddhist Zen and Pure Land Buddhism as well as Taoism. Its teachings were simple and adaptable to changing circumstances, which made it popular among the lower classes. Despite persecution by the authorities, it continued to thrive. It wasn’t until the Qianlong era that the direct lineage of the Luo Sect was extinguished due to an imperial ban.
However, the Luo Sect had numerous branches, and its influence endured to this day. Even the “Mother of Non-Existence,” created by them, had become a mythological figure worshipped by ordinary people, exerting great influence.
Liu Yu had many thoughts in mind but hadn’t yet made a decision.
The Luo Sect was undoubtedly one of the most prominent underground sects during the Ming and Qing dynasties. He wasn’t interested in whether Luo Yanqiu was part of its direct lineage; he was merely weighing the pros and cons.
Although many scholars classified the Luo Sect as a cult, academic circles increasingly referred to it as an “underground secret society.” This lineage was passed down from father to son, remaining relatively low-key while focusing on expanding their followers and amassing wealth. There were even cases of one sect having two branches: one branch involved political careers, while the other focused on spreading the teachings. The two branches understood each other and supported one another.
In Vietnam, religion was inextricably linked to political issues. Catholicism could be seen as the fifth column of imperialism. Later, during the Sino-French War, the Yellow Flag Army, the native infantry of Tokyo, the native infantry of Annam, the Red Belt Army, and the colonial police were almost all composed of Catholics.
They not only provided soldiers and supplies for the French but also served as their spies and vanguards. The French army relied heavily on them for intelligence. In fact, several major defeats of the Black Flag Army and the Qing army were due to sudden uprisings instigated by Catholic collaborators.

The Catholicism supported by the French could be considered a highly aggressive religion. The majority of the missionary incidents in modern Chinese history related to France were not without reason. If one did not seize this religious territory for themselves, the French would, causing tremendous losses in the future. Realizing this, Liu Yu nodded slightly and asked Luo Yanqiu again, “What can your religion do for my camp? And what can my camp do for your religion?” Luo Yanqiu knew the situation was critical; with a cold, sharp gaze, he spoke frankly to Liu Yu: “Your camp has brought tens of thousands of taels of silver from Haiyang, enough to cover expenses for several years. But I assume you won’t be confined to just three hundred men and will continue to recruit more troops, so you need to find more sources of income.” “In Shanxi Province, the Black Flag Army and the Vietnamese troops each have their own defense areas and sources of funding. The area allocated to your Xiliu Camp is only a few miles square. If not for the camp’s existing savings, they would likely have to seek additional funds by expanding their operations.” Naturally, Liu Yu couldn’t limit himself to just three hundred elite soldiers. But with limited funds and weapons, it was impossible to support many more troops. “Moreover, with your ambition spanning thousands of miles, Shanxi’s mere hundred miles of land is far too small to accommodate you, a dragon in hiding.” Not only Liu Yu but even the Black Flag Army was restricted by financial constraints and could not recruit more soldiers. The Black Flag Army controlled trade upstream of the Red River, earning fifty thousand taels of silver per year for military pay. This amount was already difficult enough to support two or three thousand soldiers and their families, let alone expand the army. The gold, silver, contraband, and paper money Liu Yu brought from Haiyang were worth at least fifty thousand taels of silver, which seemed substantial. Yet once the army expanded, it would be utterly insufficient. Liu Yu had estimated that maintaining a single soldier required at least sixty taels of silver per year. For an elite force like the late Qing New Army, it would cost nearly a hundred taels per soldier per year. Even for soldiers like those in the Green Standard Army, who were treated like slaves, it would cost twenty-four taels per year—though the Black Flag Army’s standards were similar, leaving many without even shoes. At this rate, even at sixty taels per soldier, the three hundred men in Xiliu Camp would require eighteen thousand taels per year, depleting all the cash he had brought from Haiyang in just two or three years. He had already thought of some ways to generate income but wasn’t entirely confident. Seeing Luo Yanqiu’s determined gaze, he couldn’t help but ask, “What methods?” “Christian villages!” Luo Yanqiu replied with two words. “It depends on your courage.” Christian villages were those that followed Catholicism. They enjoyed protection under the tricolor flag and the cross, were independent of the Vietnamese government, did not have to pay any taxes, were not subject to Vietnamese laws, and even in cases of murder, they had to seek judgment from French consuls.

Whether in China or Vietnam, these missionary villages can be regarded as another kind of concession, where countless scoundrels take refuge to engage in misdeeds, while the villages themselves accumulate vast wealth, some even hiding large amounts of arms. They can be seen as tumors implanted by imperialism in the interior, and the various religious conflicts that occur are due to the public’s inability to tolerate the misbehavior of the missionaries, forcing them to rise up in resistance.
Luo Yanqiu continued, “If we want to spread our religion, we must first undermine the dominance of foreign religions.”
Liu Yuchao asked Luo Yanqiu, “What do we need to do?”