Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 186: Changsun Wuji's Visitor

During the Tang Dynasty, Zhaoling Mausoleum was supported by palace ladies and guarded by officials and soldiers. A fifth-rank mausoleum commander was specially appointed to manage it.

On Taizong's birthday and death anniversary, ministers were arranged to go to Zhaoling to serve Taizong's soul.

Changsun Wuji was a special case. He was ordered by the emperor to keep vigil for Emperor Taizong, so he could serve him every day.

There were hundreds of palace ladies living in the underground palace of the mausoleum. Changsun Wuji had been taken care of by the emperor, and the mausoleum commander was very respectful to him and arranged the largest stone chamber for him in the west of the palace.

The feng shui here is very good, and it is located in the mountains, so it is warm in winter and cool in summer. The only drawback is that there is no sunlight.

Changsun Wuji didn't care and focused all his attention on writing books every day.

That morning, he was concentrating on reading the Han Shu when Ling Ling suddenly came into the room and said to him with a smile, "Mr. Changsun, someone is looking for you."

Changsun Wuji was slightly stunned. At this time, who would come to find him, and who would dare to come to him?

Could it be that stupid son?

Or...is it the emperor?

A surge of excitement suddenly welled up in his heart, but it soon died down.

If it was really the emperor, Ling Ling would not have come to inform him, the emperor would have come in directly.

He was silent for a while, then said, "Please ask him to come in."

Then that person came.

After seeing that the other person was indeed not the emperor, Changsun Wuji sighed inwardly and said calmly, "I didn't expect you to come see me?"

"I didn't expect that I would come to see you." Li Ji sighed, put his hands behind his back, and walked around in the stone chamber.

“There are quite a lot of books.”

Changsun Wuji had little patience for this old enemy and said coldly, "Just tell me what you want to say. I have no friendship with you."

Li Ji slowly turned around and said, "When Lu Dongzan first came to Chang'an, I remember you seemed to have a good relationship with him."

A smile appeared on Changsun Wuji's lips, and he walked to a chair and sat down.

From this sentence, he seemed to understand a lot.

"Your Majesty, are you ready to deal with Tubo?" he asked.

"That's right." Li Ji nodded. He was used to Zhangsun Wuji's quick thinking.

Zhang Sun Wuji asked, "Your Majesty wants you to lead the troops to attack?"

Li Ji laughed and said, "I guessed wrong this time. We haven't taken action yet. We are just fighting a war of information with the Tibetans."

Changsun Wuji said, "No wonder. If you lost to Lu Dongzan in battle, you wouldn't come to me. Only if you lost to him in strategy would you think of me."

Li Ji said calmly, "I admit that I underestimated the Tibetans before, and I also admit that my strategy is not as good as yours."

"Sit down and talk." Seeing that he was very humble, Changsun Wuji stopped making things difficult for him.

Li Ji walked over to an old wooden chair and sat down, saying, "I came to see you because I want to learn more about Lu Dongzan."

Changsun Wuji said, "Before you ask, you should first let me understand the current situation."

Li Ji was silent for a moment, then said, "After defeating Helu last year, Your Majesty summoned several key generals to discuss ways to deal with Tubo. I proposed to Your Majesty that we follow your father's strategy of splitting the Turks and split Tubo."

Zhang Sun Wuji smiled slightly and commented: "The Tibetan king is young, and Lu Dongzan is the regent. It is not wrong to use this to divide them."

Li Ji continued, "We have sent many spies into Lhasa City, intending to spread rumors to sow discord between the Tubo monarch and his ministers."

Changsun Wuji raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute, did you send the spy directly?"

Li Ji said, "I have sent a small delegation as a cover."

Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "That's useless. Lu Dongzan is good at learning from others' strengths and also knows how to make up for his own weaknesses. He sent Tibetan spies to Chang'an before, so he must have been wary of the Tang Dynasty sending spies there."

Li Ji nodded and said, "You are right. He is indeed very well-prepared. He noticed our people as soon as they arrived. He even set a trap to find all our spies..."

He told the story of the fake Queen Subi.

Changsun Wuji twirled his beard and said, "It's a pity that he underestimated you. You saw through the trap, didn't you?"

Li Ji shook his head and said, "To be honest, although I had some suspicions, I didn't find his flaws. It was only when Xue Rengui found the real Queen Subi that he discovered his plan."

Changsun Wuji was stunned and said, "Is it really the Queen of Subi?" Li Ji then told him about Xue Rengui's defeat of the Tiele people.

Zhang Sun Wuji was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty has a sharp eye. When he prioritized Xue Rengui, I was a little skeptical. Now he's truly flourishing. He truly deserves to be the descendant of the late emperor."

Li Ji also sighed a bit and said, "This boy is extremely brave. Seeing Xue Rengui, I feel that I am really old."

The two looked at each other, looking at the white hair on each other's heads, and they both felt a strange sense of closeness.

Li Ji quickly recovered and said in a deep voice, "In any case, now that the original plan has failed, I have come to you."

Changsun Wuji thought for a moment and said, "You are actually too obsessed with the strategies of your predecessors. My father did split the Turks, but it was a strategy of sowing discord based on the internal situation of the Turks."

Li Ji reacted quickly and said, "Are you saying that this method is not suitable for dealing with Tubo?"

"Although there are two factions in Tibet, it is not easy to split them."

Li Ji was silent for a moment and said, "Indeed, the Zamp is too young to compete with Lu Dongzan."

Changsun Wuji stood up and paced slowly in the stone chamber, saying, "Actually, there is an opportunity right now."

Li Ji hurriedly asked, "What?"

Zhang Sun Wuji said: "Queen Subi!"

Li Ji shook his head and said, "No, Your Majesty has met with Queen Subi. According to her, the people of Subi have now returned to Tubo and are of little use."

Changsun Wuji laughed and said, "Queen Subi thinks so, but do the Tibetans think so too? Do they really trust the Subi people?"

Li Ji's eyes lit up, and he squinted his eyes and said, "You are indeed an old fox. Do you want to make Tubo afraid of them by contacting the Suobei nobles?"

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "Lu Dongzan may be difficult to trick, but the Tibetan King is different."

Without him saying much, Li Ji already understood his overall plan.

The Tang Dynasty only needs to keep sending people to find the Suobei nobles and give them money and jewelry. Even if the other party does not agree to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, they will definitely be unable to resist accepting the things.

By then, the Tibetan king and officials would know about this and would certainly become wary of the Subi nobles and take action.

As long as the rift between the two sides grows, the Suobei nobles will feel threatened and have no choice but to turn to the Tang Dynasty for self-protection.

At that time, if Queen Subi comes forward, she can easily subdue them.

Once Subi rebels, a chain reaction will inevitably occur. Firstly, the Tubo Zamp will become even more worried about other tribes. Secondly, other tribes will also have their own thoughts.

In such a chaotic situation, the Tang Dynasty could only unite with other countries to conquer Tubo and eliminate Tubo in one fell swoop.

Li Ji said, "I wonder if Brother Changsun has anything else to remind you of."

Zhang Sun Wuji pondered for a moment and said, "From what I know, Lu Dongzan is a very proactive person who seeks change. Even though we have not succeeded in our attack on him, he will definitely take action."

Li Ji asked, "How do you think he will act?"

Zhang Sun Wuji held up three fingers and said, "If Tubo wants to attack the Tang Dynasty, it can only start from three places. The first is Chang'an. Under the current situation, he will not choose Chang'an again."

Li Ji nodded in agreement.

Now that both sides have made their cards known, no one will send spies to the other's capital.

Changsun Wuji said: "Secondly, Jiannan Road. Jiannan Road is too remote. Even if they make a big fuss, it won't cause much harm to us."

Li Ji asked, "The third one is Anxi, right?"

Changsun Wuji nodded and asked, "What is the current situation in the Anxi Protectorate?"

Li Ji's expression was solemn. He said, "As you know, our dynasty has just eliminated Helu, and His Majesty has appointed Pei Xingjian to garrison Suiye City. It is a time when everything needs to be rebuilt."

The two looked at each other, no words needed.

Lu Dongzan would definitely choose to stir up trouble in Anxi. If chaos were to occur in Anxi, the Tang Dynasty would be in great trouble and would not be able to concentrate on dealing with Tubo.

Li Ji bowed and said, "I will convey Brother Changsun's plan and what you just said to Your Majesty."

Changsun Wuji bowed, turned around and sat back at the desk, continuing to study the Book of Han.

Li Ji stared at him for a while, sighed secretly, and left Zhaoling.

When he returned to Chang'an, it was already late, so Li Ji went back to his mansion first.

(End of this chapter)