The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

Chapter 5: Let the Tang Dynasty's horses drink from Qinghai?

In the Yinyu Palace, Shangguan Wan'er put down her pen.

She could not be considered an expert in military affairs, but over the years she had drafted edicts for the Empress Dowager, and had become increasingly familiar with court politics.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it has experienced countless wars, and almost all of its major defeats were due to the Tibetan Empire.

For example, twenty years ago at Dafeichuan, twelve years ago at Qinghai Lake, and last year at Yinshijia River, the elite troops of the Tang Dynasty suffered heavy losses and were defeated.

The Dangxiang were lost, the Tuyuhun were lost, and now even the Four Garrisons of Anxi have been lost.

Not to mention, Baekje, which had once occupied and established the Ungjin Protectorate, was also abandoned due to the constraints imposed by Tibet.

At present, Tibet's strength is at its zenith, while the Tang Dynasty is besieged on two fronts and is in a predicament.

Lu Jun, however, said that they could drink from Qinghai Lake.

It could even make the Tibetan king surrender...

Wan'er forced a smile, inexplicably wanting to see the young man and see if he was drunk.

Li Zhaode retorted sharply, "You arrogant brat! Since our two defeats at Dafeichuan, our army has been forced to hold the river source and has even struggled to cross the Chiling Mountains. How can we possibly water our horses in Qinghai?"

Originally, Lu Jun's exceptional knowledge and insight had earned him a good impression, but all of that impression vanished at this moment.

Wu Sansi said sinisterly, "I told you he was talking nonsense! He's utterly arrogant!"

Wu Zetian's face was ashen, her eyes blazing with fury as she raised her arm and pointed directly at Shen Quanqi:

"Keep reading!"

"I'd like to see what kind of scheme he has up his sleeve!"

"How can we get the Tang Dynasty's horses to drink from Qinghai?"

"How can we get the Tibetan king to surrender?"

She appreciates talented people, but dislikes charlatans.

If there were a way to easily defeat Tibet and force the Zanpu to sue for peace, then what would Emperor Gaozong be, and what would he be?

What are the soldiers who have devoted themselves to the Tang Dynasty and shed their blood in Qinghai over the years?

It's not that simple!

Lu Jun is speaking recklessly. If he doesn't give a reason, no matter how well it's written before, he will never be accepted!

She has always been strict with her subordinates, and her temper is unpredictable, turning from admiration to anger in the blink of an eye.

Shen Quanqi stood far below the steps, already feeling the heat of anger burning right in front of him, his back soaked with sweat.

"That's all I remember..."

"The following text concerns matters of the Tibetan state, which I am not very familiar with, and therefore cannot recite it in its entirety..."

"I only remember the general idea: troops were stationed in Heyuan, Jiuqu, and Anxi, forcing the Tibetans to travel thousands of miles..."

"By exploiting the conflict between the Gar clan and the Zanpu (King of the Tang Dynasty), instigating internal strife, the Tang Dynasty can reap the benefits..."

Shen Quanqi's words were half true and half false.

He didn't memorize it all because there were too many words.

But it goes far beyond just those few sentences.

With his childhood training in reciting scriptures, memorizing hundreds of words would not be difficult for him. After all, Lu Jun's writing was concise and fluent, without any obscure or difficult characters.

But the Empress Dowager was furious at this moment, so he pretended to only remember the general idea and threw it out in an attempt to test her reaction.

Wu Zetian was taken aback upon hearing this, muttering to herself, "Incite internal strife and reap the benefits..."

His eyes flickered uncertainly.

This was a direction she had never considered before; it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck her mind, instantly illuminating her thoughts.

The Gar clan mentioned by Shen Quanqi refers to the family of Lun Qinling, the great minister of Tibet.

The clan began to take control of the government from Lu Dongzan. The eldest son, Zanxi Ruo, and the second son, Qinling, successively served as prime ministers, while the third son, Zanpo, and the fifth son, Bolun Zanren, both held military power.

Therefore, having the Zanpu (Tibetan king) and Lunqinling fight is equivalent to having the Tibetan emperor fight the prime minister.

Lu Jun's specific strategy remains unknown, but she instinctively finds it interesting.

She only had a general understanding of military strategy, but she was extremely skilled at intrigue and infighting.

Li Zhaode immediately raised a question:

"Three armies deployed in a suspended formation? That sounds nice!"

"Of the three regions—Heyuan, Jiuqu, and Anxi—only Heyuan is under the control of our Great Tang. How can we launch a simultaneous attack from all three routes?"

"Moreover, these three places are far away from Tibet, let alone from the Tang Dynasty."

"The Tibetans traveled thousands of miles, but didn't the Tang Dynasty also travel long distances?"

"Armchair strategist!"

At this moment, he was even more opposed to this article than Wu Sansi.

Firstly, the Tang Dynasty has suffered from severe internal strife in recent years and simply cannot withstand military campaigns on all fronts. He was afraid that the Empress Dowager would listen to Lu Jun's advice and engage in excessive military campaigns to build up her career.

Secondly, he believed that this strategy was completely unfeasible and was merely a slogan to attract attention.

The source of the Yellow River and the Nine Bends mentioned by Shen Quanqi are two key areas in Longyou.

Heyuan refers to the Hehuang Valley, the location of the Tang Dynasty's Heyuan Army, a strategic stronghold guarding the exit from Qinghai.

The name comes from the former Sui Dynasty's Heyuan Prefecture. When Emperor Yang of Sui conquered Tuyuhun, he established a prefecture in Chishui Town. Later, this place was taken back by Tuyuhun and now belongs to Tibet.

In the land of Jiuqu, there are two similar place names—

Hexi Nine Bends

The Yellow River has nine bends.

The former refers to the area around Heyuan County, located on the west bank of the Yellow River, south of Chiling Mountain, and southeast of Qinghai Lake.

The latter is the section of the Yellow River that winds around the Dajishi Mountains to the northwest and then turns back to the east, which was the dwelling place of the Tangut people.

During the Zhenguan era, the Dangxiang people submitted to the Tang Dynasty, and the Jingbian Jimi Prefecture was established to govern this area.

However, after the Tubo Kingdom destroyed the Tuyuhun Kingdom, it encroached on the Dangxiang tribes from the north and south, and gradually occupied Jiuqu.

If the words "Hexi" are not added, Jiuqu is assumed to refer to this place.

It was also within the sphere of influence of the Tibetan Empire.

Anxi had already fallen, so when Li Zhaode heard about the "three routes of troops suspended in mid-air," he knew it was unreliable.

Wu Sansi was very pleased to see that the Empress Dowager and Li Zhaode were on his side.

Chao Shen Quanqi laughed and said, "Yunqing, let's just kick this arrogant brat out of the capital, so he won't spout nonsense!"

"This... seems to be against the rules, after all, the imperial court seeks talented people and holds examinations to encourage candidates to speak freely..."

Shen Quanqi wanted to protect Lu Jun, but seeing the situation, he became increasingly less confident.

"What are you rushing for?" Wu Zetian suddenly asked.

She snorted at Wu Sansi: "You didn't hear the rest of the story, how do you know he was just spouting nonsense? How do you know he doesn't have any practical solutions?"

He waved to Shen Quanqi: "Go and memorize another section, make sure you remember the entire Longyou part!"

Fearing he might not remember, she turned to him and said, "Wan'er, you go too, and help Shen Qing remember it clearly."

The phrase "incite internal strife and reap the benefits" kept echoing in her mind.

Whether it's reliable or not, listen to it first before you decide.

…………

On the west square of the imperial city, Lu Jun wrote with great pleasure, and most of the scroll of rattan paper was already filled with the fragrance of ink.

The original owner was diligent and hardworking. The Imperial Academy also had calligraphy classes, so he fully inherited the feel for writing and writing. He could write effortlessly, and his small regular script was quite skillful.

The only problem is that there's too much to write, making it unsuitable for answering policy questions.

As a primary source of historical material, he had seen many of the imperial examination essays in the Complete Tang Prose, and their writing styles were quite different from his own.

Generally speaking, they all focus on a specific theme, citing classical texts and refining their writing to strive for a balance of literary merit and reasoning.

In other words, they know how to flatter.

such as……

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, whose virtue surpasses even the finest stone and whose influence transcends the heavens, has nurtured your children with profound benevolence and embodied the boundless love of a mother."

"The celestial rank is already in place, yet we should not rest even when it is still in a state of peace; the imperial throne is now secure, yet we should diminish it further and further."

"We wish to restore simplicity and honesty, to revive the decadent customs of the past, to rectify the people, and to bring prosperity to the world."

"Remove the obscure and promote the virtuous and capable, dismiss the slanderous and wicked, and advance the loyal and upright."

"Therefore, Hongji and Jixiang joined forces to harmonize the yin and yang of the universe; Longwu and Cao were divided to regulate the winds and rains of spring and summer."

This is the work of the top scholar in the second year of the Chuigong imperial examination.

The reply was about four hundred words long, with the first three hundred words being repetitive and full of flowery language, repeatedly praising the Empress Dowager.

Then, the actual answer in eighty characters is just a generic, unoriginal response.

It ended with a string of fifty empty words.

It has absolutely no nutritional value.

Lu Jun could understand that without a broad perspective, it would be difficult to write innovative ideas, and flattery for the sake of official appointment was not shameful.

But all he wanted to write was practical stuff; if he were to also spare some ink for praising and extolling, he simply wouldn't be able to finish.

Based on his assessment of Wu Zetian, although this woman was ruthless, she greatly appreciated talent.

She is tolerant of talented people and willing to promote them as long as they pose no threat to her.

As for whether the examiners who conducted the on-site screening appreciated it...

Lu Jun wasn't quite sure.

After all, each generation has its own preferred writing style, and exams also have their own fixed rules. Even if you write a brilliant piece, you can't guarantee that it will catch the examiner's eye.

Therefore, it is necessary to exaggerate a bit and add some sensational details to gain the opportunity to respond in court.

Readers may not stay in this world forever, but formulas can win people's hearts; this is true in any era.

While writing, he caught a glimpse of a middle-aged official in a dark green uniform with a long beard who kept coming to see him.

According to regulations, students of the Imperial Academy could enter the palace once a quarter to observe the court assembly, which is why the original owner of this body had met many ministers.

It is recognizable that this official is Shen Quanqi, a renowned master who is widely recognized by later generations as pioneering a new style of regulated verse.

Even he came to observe...

This gave Lu Jun even more confidence when she put pen to paper.

Just as he was concentrating, Shangguan Wan'er walked over slowly and stood quietly to his side.

Over the years, she had helped the Empress Dowager review many policy documents, but this one was the most unique.

In the Yinyu Palace, she wanted to see this eccentric scholar with her own eyes several times, and finally got the Empress Dowager's permission, which she was very much looking forward to.

He glanced at Lu Jun and was surprised to see that he was handsome, tall, thin and fair-skinned.

She had assumed that the young man was well-versed in geography and had a deep understanding of border affairs. Even though he was young, he must have traveled extensively with his father and grandfather and had a chivalrous spirit.

To everyone's surprise, he was quite refined and polite.

Wan'er found it inexplicably funny: "I really didn't expect him to be the kind of person who dared to boast to the Empress Dowager."

After observing for a while, seeing that Lu Jun was single-minded and had an indescribable calmness, he was even more surprised.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that he was full of energy when he wrote, with a hint of heroism in his eyes, as if he were observing a battle.

"Perhaps, it's not just boasting..." Wan'er had a strange intuition.

Take two steps closer and begin reading the article.

She has an excellent memory; after glancing at it only twice, she memorized a large section of text.

The more I read, the more I couldn't stop. My clear eyes widened, and even though I had already memorized it, I couldn't help but look at it several more times.

Looking at Lu Jun again, he found it even more unbelievable.

Just how much does this young man know?

He knows so much about Tibet!

Moreover, it can deduce such complex changes!

She couldn't help but feel curious and wanted to read more about this person's family background and life story.

At this moment, Shen Quanqi had already memorized the rest of the text and gestured to her. She could not stay, so she had to turn back.

As they approached the city gate, Shen Quanqi suddenly stopped and asked in a low voice, "Lady, may I request that the Empress Dowager summon the Assistant Minister and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to come and critique the essays?"

After a moment's thought, Shangguan Wan'er immediately understood Shen Quanqi's intention: to protect Lu Jun.

Because Wu Sansi and Li Zhaode had already expressed their dissatisfaction, he wanted to bring in two more experts to mediate their opinions.

The Xia official in charge of the affairs was named Yao Chong, and the assistant director was named Zong Chuke. Both were highly talented individuals, and most people would appreciate them.

The key point is that both of them are young and energetic, so they are unlikely to be too condescending towards younger people.

"Shangshulang, I know what you mean, but there's no need for that!" Wan'er pursed her lips.

Based on her judgment, the Empress Dowager would definitely support Lu Jun after hearing the rest of the text, and there would be no need for anyone else to intervene.

Immediately, a resolute and capable glint appeared in her eyes:

"Don't even mention it to the Empress Dowager!"

"Lu Jun's strategy must be a secret."

"Don't tell anyone unless the Empress Dowager gives her permission."

"Don't tell anyone!"