Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 190: Regular Army
Subilaya walked slowly along the palace path on the right side of the Liangyi Hall.

She has lived in other people's homes for most of her life and is very good at integrating into various environments.

She had only been in the Tang Dynasty for about ten days, but her walking posture was no different from that of Tang Dynasty women, and her clothing style was exactly the same. It was difficult for outsiders to tell that she was from Subi.

However, it is not so easy to change a person's inner self.

She is still a Subian, and deep down she wants to restore her country.

That day, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty asked her if she wanted to restore her country. She naturally wanted to do so, but she hid it very well and did not want to be discovered by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

She never thought of using her beauty to achieve this goal.

She knew the attraction of power to men. When a man has great power, it is difficult for other things to pique his interest.

Including beauty.

She once tried to seduce Songtsen Gampo, and later also seduced Ludongzan, and even his sons Xiruo and Qinling.

As a result, these men rejected her mercilessly.

Power is like a halo around men. When they have power, everything else seems dull and dim.

Even Bilidu who came later was the same. He was just a chief of the Uighurs, but he gave her away to someone else.

The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty possessed the greatest power in the world. It was impossible for a man like him to be fascinated by a woman, no matter how beautiful she was.

Lan Ya was very clear about this, so she did not dare to offend the supreme king easily for fear of angering him.

Now that she has been in Chang'an for a few days, she has a more intuitive understanding of the prosperity of Chang'an and the power of the Tang Dynasty.

She hoped that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty would help her restore her country. In the future, she was willing to be like the King of Kucha, who would not need an army and would obey the orders of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty in everything.

As long as she can continue to rule the people of Subi and continue to hold the title of Queen of Subi, that will be enough.

But she couldn't show any eagerness or take the initiative to ask, because she had nothing now and had no qualifications. She could only wait for the other party to ask.

So when she learned that the Emperor of Tang summoned her again so soon, she was very happy.

After a while, she arrived at the Liangyi Gate, took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and then continued forward with the guards.

Soon, she was brought to a palace. As she walked along the veranda, she saw a familiar plump figure standing outside the door. She smiled sweetly and said, "Young Master Zhang, I'm honored."

Zhang Duohai smiled and said, "Madam, there's no need to be so polite. Let me introduce you." Pointing to the two people beside him, he said, "This is Wang Dajian, and this is General Wang."

Lan Ya had seen Wang Fusheng with Li Zhi, but this was her first time meeting Wang Jishan. She bowed to both of them, and they both returned the greeting.

Lan Ya was secretly surprised to see the three of them standing at the door waiting, but she didn't ask any questions and just stood quietly beside Zhang Duohai.

Zhang Da Hai explained to her: "Duke Ying is coming too, let's wait for him here."

Lan Ya knew that the Duke of Ying was the number one person in the Tang Dynasty's military and his prestige was even higher than Xue Rengui's. Thinking that she was about to meet this person, she felt a little more excited.

Not long after, a figure slowly walked along the corridor. Lan Ya saw that the Duke of England was an old man. She was secretly disappointed, but her face remained expressionless.

Li Ji also noticed her, the only woman, and smiled, twirling his beard, saying, "This must be Her Majesty the Queen."

Lan Ya hurriedly said, "Subi Lan Ya greets Duke Ying!"

Li Ji smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to be so polite. In fact, I would like to thank you."

Lan Ya asked in surprise: "Thank me?"

Li Ji smiled and nodded, but did not explain further.

Wang Fusheng said softly, "It's windy outside. Since Lord Li is here, let's all go into the hall and talk."

Lan Ya didn't know what kind of palace this was. In her opinion, all Tang Dynasty palaces seemed the same, except that behind the imperial desk on the north side, there was a large map hanging.

Because the emperor had not arrived yet, everyone stood in the hall and talked.

Lan Ya listened with a smile and found that their topics were all related to Tubo.

It seems that she was right. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty summoned her because he had decided to use her identity to deal with Tubo.

She was only worried about one thing now, that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty overestimated her influence as the queen and wanted to use her as the main force to deal with Tubo.

After waiting for a while, a voice of yes was heard from outside.

"Your Majesty has arrived."

Lan Ya turned her head and saw the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty walking in from the side door, accompanied by a general, who was Xue Rengui.

Everyone saluted Li Zhi, who raised his hand and said, "No need to be so polite. Let's sit down and talk."

There were no mats in this hall, but there were six tables on each side.

At Zhang Duohai's signal, Lan Ya sat at the first table on the right, facing Li Ji.

Li Zhi glanced at Lan Ya and said with a smile, "Madam Lan Ya, my ministers and I have come up with a plan to deal with Tubo, so I invited you here to hear your opinion."

Lan Ya lowered her head and said, "Yes."

Li Zhi said: "Mr. Li, you should tell Madam Lan Ya about your plan." Li Ji nodded and told her about Changsun Wuji's plan.

Lan Ya was astonished after hearing this. After careful consideration, she realized that there was a great chance of success. She praised it wholeheartedly, "This is a brilliant idea. May I ask if it was you, Lord Li, who came up with it?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "This plan was proposed by someone who is much smarter than me. From what Madam said, is it worth a try?"

Lan Ya nodded repeatedly and said, "Back then, the Tibetans used gold and silver treasures to win over those shameless traitors. All the loyal ministers who were loyal to me are dead now. Those who defected to Tibet now are all greedy people!"

Li Zhi said, "Madam Lan Ya, you have been staying in Tubo for a long time. Could you please tell me in detail about the military structure within Tubo?"

Lan Ya nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Tubha's system is a combination of military and political power. The country is divided into five Ru, each of which governs a region. The chief officer is the Ruben, who is responsible for both military and political affairs."

"Under Ru is Dongdai, which is similar to the Zhechoufu of the Tang Dynasty, with about a thousand people. The chief officer is Dongben, a hereditary noble."

"Originally, Tubo had only four Rus and forty Dongdai. After conquering our Subi, they expanded Subi to the fifth Ru, increasing the total to sixty-four Dongdai. Later, Songtsen Gampo used the five Rus and sixty-four Dongdai to conquer many countries. Now there are more than one hundred and sixty Dongdai."

After listening to this, Li Zhi felt solemn.

The military structure of Tubo was obviously imitating that of the Tang Dynasty. Ru was the Protectorate-General and Dongdai was the Zhechoufu.

Now that they have established this vertical military structure, it will be very easy to deploy.

Dealing with them is completely different from dealing with the steppe tribes.

Li Zhi said, "So, the Tibetan army's regular strength is about 160,000?"

Lan Ya said: "Yes, but the Tibetan army and people are one. When fighting is needed, a large number of soldiers can be recruited temporarily."

Li Zhi asked, "Since Su Bi is also considered one of the Five Rus, then Ru was originally a Su Bi noble?"

Lan Ya said: "Yes, the tribe that now rules Subi Ru is the second largest tribe in the former Subi Kingdom, Niangbo. Ru was originally the leader of Niangbo, the Niangbo Golden Bird."

Li Ji suddenly asked, "Madam Lan Ya, which families are the most powerful among Subiru now?"

Lan Ya said, "Subi has always been composed of the three most powerful tribal alliances: Sunbo, Niangbo, and Dabo. The queen is the most powerful Sunbo tribe leader."

Li Zhi said: "Are you from the Sunbo tribe?"

Lan Ya sighed, "Yes. It's a pity that the Sunbo are now the weakest of the three tribes. Those loyal people who followed me out of Subi all died at the hands of the Turks. Only a few weak Sunbo are left who are willing to submit to Tubo."

Zhang Duohai listened for a long time and finally understood. He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, we should start with Niangbo first, and then send people to find Dabo and Sunbo in turn."

Wang Jishan shook his head and said, "No, Niangbo is now in control of Subiru. They are the ones who will benefit. If we send someone there, they will definitely be killed by them and presented to the Tubo King!"

Lan Ya said, "General Wang is absolutely right. Niang Boru originally married her daughter to Lu Dongzan's third son, and now she is completely subservient to Tubo."

Zhang Duohai said, "Then choose Dabo. As the second-in-command, they must be dissatisfied with Niangbo and Tubo. We give them money, there is no reason for them to refuse."

Wang Jishan did not object this time.

Lan Ya also nodded and said, "The chief of Dapo is called Dapo Wu. During the Subi Kingdom, Dapo and Niangpo have always been at odds. Later, they had a dispute over Ruben."

Li Zhi looked at Li Ji and said, "Mr. Li, what do you think?"

Li Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I think we should go find Niangbo."

Li Zhi asked, "Why is that?"

Li Ji said, "Lu Dongzan should already know that the Queen is in Chang'an. With his shrewdness, he might have guessed that we would try to win over Su Bi."

Li Zhi's heart trembled, and he said, "Yes, this person predicted our actions last time, and it is very likely that he will guess right this time as well."

Li Ji twirled his beard and said, "He must have thought that we would go to find Sun Bo and Da Bo instead of Niang Bo, but we chose to do the opposite."

Lan Ya smiled and said, "Hearing what you said, I also think it would be better to find Niangbo, but how do we get the gift to Niangbo Bird Princess?"

Everyone fell silent immediately.

If you send gifts directly to Niangbo, she will definitely not accept them. She will kill the envoy and hand him over to the Tubo King, which will make her more friendly.

Wang Jishan said, "Your Majesty, I think we can start with the small tribes affiliated with Niangbo, bribe the chief of a small tribe, and then let her bribe the Niangbo Golden Bird."

Li Zhi looked at Lan Ya and asked, "What do you think, Queen?"

Lan Ya smiled and said, "General Wang's idea is very good. I have no objection. You can choose the Suoqu tribe. They have always been dependent on Niangbo. They live in a remote area and are very poor."

Li Zhi nodded, then looked at Li Ji and asked, "What do you think, Lord Li?"

Li Ji thought carefully for a while and said, "I think it is feasible."

Li Zhi looked at Wang Fusheng and Zhang Duohai again, and they both said in unison, "I have no objection."

Li Zhi did not ask Xue Rengui's opinion, as he did not participate in the operation.

Li Zhi asked him to come here just to make him more familiar with Tubo. In the future, when he and Su Dingfang fight Tubo together, this information will definitely be useful.

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "Well, then, let's follow General Wang's advice and start with the Suoqu tribe!"

(End of this chapter)