The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

Chapter 6: The ingenious plan really works!

"Wan'er, why have you been gone for so long!"

Wu Zetian only waited for a quarter of an hour before she complained that Shangguan Wan'er was too slow and began to scold her.

"As ordered by the Empress Dowager, I have memorized the entire Longyou section." Wan'er stood back beside her with a smile.

Shen Quanqi volunteered, "Minister, shall I recite it from memory this time? Please point out any mistakes or omissions."

With her bright eyes and white teeth, and her clear voice, she certainly sounded much better than Shen Quanqi when she spoke.

Wu Sansi and Li Zhaode, each with their own thoughts and concerns about Lu Jun's future, looked over with eager eyes.

Whether it's a brilliant scheme or just empty boasting, we'll find out soon enough.

"The reason why Longyou is a strategic pass and a matter of life and death is that Qinghai is the former territory of the Tuyuhun, where water and grass are suitable for grazing. The Tubo (Tibetan) often stationed heavy troops there, hoping to see through China's defenses and take advantage of it."

"When they marched eastward, their soldiers were sharp and well-armored, their four horses galloping, their banners covering the mountains, and their dust filling the valleys. They moved about without restraint."

"When the royal army engages in battle in the field, it suffers repeated defeats. Therefore, it strengthens its cities and fortifies its passes, focusing solely on defense."

"It is generally believed that the powerful troops of the Tibetans are those like the famous generals Qinling and Zanpo, who are difficult to defeat."

"Some say that its armor is hard to penetrate and that it comes from a fine horse."

"Some say that their commands are uniform and their terrain is strategically advantageous."

"That's simply how it is..."

To defeat the enemy, you must first understand the enemy.

This section discusses the pressure faced by Longyou and the reasons why the Tubo (Tibetan) Empire was difficult to defeat.

Having experienced several major defeats, Wu Zetian's expression turned slightly somber as she listened, but she remained composed and patient.

Wu Sansi scoffed, "It's just old news, who doesn't know that?"

The Tibetan Empire possessed fine horses and strong armor, held the advantage of the high plateau, and had renowned generals in command—a fact known to everyone in the court.

"Minister, please don't be impatient. The answer will be revealed in the next chapter." Shangguan Wan'er smiled slightly.

She was only a nominal concubine and never actually served Emperor Gaozong. Her smile still carried the innocence of a young girl, making her charming and lovely.

The words she read aloud carried an inexplicable fragrance, as if the words themselves were taking flight.

"It is all so, yet not entirely so."

"Your Majesty, I have observed three reasons for the strength of the Western Regions:"

"The Gar clan held the reins of power for generations, supporting a young ruler to command the people. The people, both above and below, were in complete agreement, and none dared to disagree."

"The Gar clan had long occupied Tuyuhun, and pacified the Bailan, Dangxiang, and Tuyuhun tribes, treating them as if they were extensions of their own arms, and using them all for their own purposes."

"The Gar clan was invincible in battle, expanding their territory and achieving remarkable feats, which won them the hearts of their people."

"The art of war says: those who are united in purpose will prevail; those who understand the use of large and small forces will prevail; and those whose generals are capable and whose rulers do not interfere with them will prevail."

"These three factors all contributed to the strength of Tibet."

"Since Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, the Tibetans have learned our laws and regulations, understood our military system, and acquired our methods of papermaking and armor making."

"Thus, we can know ourselves and our enemy, which is another victory for Tibet, while China does not know its enemy."

The passage mentions "shared desires between superiors and inferiors," which is a taboo phrase in the Tang Dynasty, but Wan'er spoke fluently and eloquently, without arousing any suspicion.

Ugh--

Upon hearing this, Wu Zetian let out a long sigh.

A feeling of helplessness and resentment.

Speaking of "unity of purpose between superiors and inferiors," the Tang Dynasty might have been able to achieve it in the past, but it is hard to say now.

As for "knowing how to use the majority and the minority," neither Xue Rengui nor Li Jingxuan could do it. The former failed to restrain his deputy generals, and the latter failed to protect his deputy generals, both of whom suffered great defeats.

As for "knowing oneself and knowing one's enemy," this was a natural disadvantage for the Tang Dynasty against Tibet, and it was difficult to overcome.

Tibet was located on a high plateau, making communication difficult and very mysterious to the Celestial Empire.

For example, after the death of the previous Zanpu, Kiribab, the news of his death was kept secret for three years!

It wasn't until the fourth year of the Yifeng era, a year after Li Jingxuan's army suffered a crushing defeat at Qinghai Lake, that Lun Qinling informed the Tang Dynasty.

Emperor Gaozong wanted to take the opportunity to send troops to avenge his father, but the best opportunity had already passed, and Pei Xingjian strongly dissuaded him.

Therefore, even the Tang emperors had limited knowledge of the various situations within Tibet.

The reasons Lu Jun summarized were indeed from a higher level than the previous points.

Li Zhaode remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:

"Such insight is extremely rare among young people, but... what can he do?"

"Simply listing the reasons without offering a strategy is not enough to live up to the boasts made earlier."

Seeing that Lu Jun held Tibet in high regard and was not someone who blindly encouraged the Empress Dowager to wage war for personal gain, he slightly lowered his guard against the young man.

"Please listen to the next part, Your Excellency." Shangguan Wan'er smiled faintly again.

The Zuo Zhuan says: "If a ruler begins with this, he will surely end with it."

The Book of Changes says: "When the sun is at its zenith, it begins to decline; when the moon is full, it begins to wane."

"I observe that the former prosperity of Tibet may be the beginning of its decline."

"The rise of the Gar clan began with the Grand Minister Gar Tongtsen Yulsung, and their management of Tuyuhun also started with Tongtsen Yulsung."

"After his death, his eldest son Zanxiruo succeeded him as prime minister and lived in Lhasa. At that time, the Zanpu Qilibabu was in power. He took the young king Qinuxi Nong as his hostage, pacified the nobles internally, and supported his brothers externally, thus seizing control of the government."

"The strategic management and military power of the Gar clan's Tuyuhun were entirely entrusted to his second younger brother, Qinling."

"The task of dividing the army was led by the third brother Zanpo and the fifth brother Bolun Zanren, who served as Qinling's right-hand men."

"If this trend does not decline, Gar's prosperity can last for another fifty years."

"But fate is unpredictable..."

This section describes the succession of power by the Gar clan after the death of Gar Tongtsen Gampo, which was the family's golden age.

This topic was of interest to Wu Zetian, and she listened with great interest, even her eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

Wu Sansi and Li Zhaode were stunned and shocked: "How did Lu Jun know all this?"

The power shifts within Tibet were something that even the highest levels of the Tang court would only learn about half a year or even several years later. How could a mere student of the Imperial Academy know about them?

While surprised, they had to admit that Lu Jun was knowledgeable and far more knowledgeable than an ordinary Confucian scholar.

At this moment, Shen Quanqi nodded repeatedly, his eyes revealing extreme admiration.

But I admire Shangguan Wan'er.

Because the names of Tibetans were translated from Chinese, they were not easy to remember, and he had been having great difficulty memorizing them.

Unexpectedly, Shangguan Wan'er could memorize texts after just one reading and read long passages without any hesitation, truly demonstrating her exceptional talent!

It flows so smoothly, as if she herself had written it:

"Five years ago, the Gar clan turned against each other, and Zanxi Ruo was killed by his cousin Mangzhan Dazhabu."

"Upon hearing of the upheaval, Qinling hastily fled to Lhasa and was thus appointed Grand Chancellor."

"His military prowess was unparalleled, but having lived in Luoxie for a long time, he was often busy with other tasks and would entrust Zanpo and Bolun Zanren to take over as generals."

"Zanpo's talent is far inferior to Qinling's, and Bo Lunzanren is much inferior to Zanpo."

"This is one of the reasons for the decline of the Gar clan."

"Moreover, the Gar clan had ruled the country for a long time and had also gained the allegiance of the Tuyuhun. Their power and influence gradually surpassed that of the Zanpu (King of the Tibetan Empire)."

"In the past, when the ruler was young, it was acceptable to disregard this, but now the Zanpu is nineteen years old, and has already passed the age of ruling in his own right."

"Even if the Zanpu (King) trusts in the Khan, those nobles who look down on the Gar clan will surely sow discord within the ranks. I request that the military power be reclaimed."

"His intention was to use the king's mandate to usurp the throne, in order to covet the fiefdoms of the Gar clan of Tuyuhun and Dangxiang."

"Qinling resides in Luoxie, and the nobles are powerless to do anything about it; if we are forced to use troops abroad, we can exploit their weaknesses."

"My plan is simply to create an opportunity for these nobles to exploit..."

Historically, the famous Tibetan general Lunqinling died in a power struggle with the Zanpu (Tibetan king).

The king attempted to take control of the government, but the other nobles, envious of the interests of the Gar clan, quickly reached an agreement and formed an alliance.

They had the opportunity to act because Wu Zhou launched a counterattack, forcing Lun Qinling to fill gaps everywhere and leave Luoxie, leaving behind a power struggle.

Of course, Wu Zhou was unaware of this situation.

Even when Guo Yuanzhen later suggested sowing discord between the Tibetan king and his ministers during negotiations, it was merely a lucky accident.

In fact, the break between the Tsangpo and the Gar clan had already begun two years before the sowing of discord.

The Gar clan was helpless in this regard; once Lunchinling left Lhasa, there was indeed no one in the clan who could take charge.

If Zanxi Ruo hadn't died back then, with him and Lunqinling working together, the prosperity of the Gar clan could have lasted a long time.

It's a pity no.

He died in an internal family struggle.

Lu Jun exposed the internal conflicts within Tibet, both to offer advice and to help the Tang Dynasty make important preparations in advance...

"I see, what a brilliant plan!" Li Zhaode couldn't help but cheer.

He was stroking his beard while listening to the policy document, but somehow his hand froze in mid-air.

He had only recited the beginning of the plan, but he already understood Lu Jun's intention and was overjoyed.

In recent years, the imperial court has been discussing how to deal with the Tibetans, and various approaches have been considered, including selecting generals, strengthening the army, and appeasement.

But within Tibet...

Indeed, no one had thought of using a divide-and-conquer strategy!

At first, Li Zhaode suspected that Lu Jun's knowledge of the Tibetan situation was based on hearsay or pure speculation.

After all, even the imperial court didn't know where he, a mere scholar in his early twenties, got his information from.

But upon closer examination, it's not necessary to go to Tibet in person; a simple analysis of the existing information is enough to draw a conclusion.

Powerful ministers control the government, and young emperors grow old—similar stories have been repeated far too many times in China.

If this is true for the Han people, it must be true for the Tibetans as well.

Lu Jun was probably not making this up.

This ingenious plan might actually work!

If the Gar clan and the Zanpu (Tibetan king) were to engage in internal strife, the Tibetan Empire would inevitably be greatly weakened.

It is not impossible for the Tang Dynasty to take the opportunity to cross the Chiling Mountains and advance the battle line to the Yellow River!

Li Zhaode was unwilling for the Empress Dowager to engage in endless wars, but the best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting. If victory is achieved through strategy, the cost-effectiveness is extremely high and it is worth considering!

He became more and more excited as he thought about it, his beard trembled, and his eyes shone with an unusually bright light.

When he turned around, he saw Wu Sansi staring at him in disbelief.

The Empress Dowager had already stood up!

"Wan'er, do you remember the next part?" Wu Zetian turned her head, her breathing rapid.

Shangguan Wan'er nodded: "I remember."

"Okay! Keep reading!"

Wu Zetian had been bothered by the Tibetans for over twenty years, but now her mind was suddenly clear, and she couldn't wait to hear more.

As soon as he sat down, he immediately ordered the eunuch, "Go to the Hall of State Affairs and summon all the prime ministers! Also, summon Yao Chong and Zong Chuke to listen together."

She not only wanted to hear it herself, but also wanted the core ministers to hear it, and to put it directly into discussion.

Just as the eunuch reached the palace entrance, she suddenly remembered something, and her smile froze on her brow.

He shouted, "Come back!"

No, we can't ask others to discuss it yet.

Lu Jun proposed a clever plan, but if many people know about it, can it still be called a clever plan?

Her gaze sharpened as she stared intently down the steps: "I do not intend to make this policy document public, and none of you are to utter a single word about it, understand?"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" Wu Sansi, Li Zhaode, and Shen Quanqi hurriedly prostrated themselves in agreement.

If a minister is not discreet, he will lose the emperor's favor. Coupled with the Empress Dowager's eyes and tone, they all understood the weight of the matter.

As Shen Quanqi stood up, he glanced at Shangguan Wan'er and secretly admired her.

When it comes to understanding the Empress Dowager, this inner court official certainly has a much deeper understanding than the outer court officials…

Seeing Wu Zetian's signal, Wan'er opened her lips again and continued to explain the specifics of the plan to sow discord:

"The barbarian bandits came out in roughly three parts."

"Or they fled westward for ten thousand miles, then northward through Khotan to enter Anxi, which is now already occupied by them;"

"Or they might station troops in Qinghai, cross the Red Ridge to enter the source of the Yellow River, and plunder the surrounding areas along the Yellow River;"

"They may gather in the land of Jiuqu, assemble the Dangxiang people, and head east out of the Hetao River and south to Songzhou."

"This is also the result of my strategic planning..."