Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 197 Your Majesty, why not offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai?
Li Zhi did not participate in the hunting in the Forbidden Garden on the third day of the first lunar month, and let King Li Zhen of Yue preside over it on his behalf.

The Tang Dynasty also had a new group of generals, including Pei Xingjian, Gao Kan, Xiao Siye, Cheng Wuting and Zhou Zhidu.

They are all generals of the younger generation. Li Zhi has been consciously cultivating the next generation of generals for the Tang Dynasty.

The final result was in, the Tang Dynasty won, and Pei Xingjian also shined in this hunting, hunting more than sixty prey.

Many people in the court and harem must have noticed something about Li Zhi's headache, but they didn't dare to say much, so the turmoil quickly subsided.

On the night of the third day of the Lunar New Year, Li Zhi came to the Lizheng Hall.

After taking off his clothes, he lay on the comfortable couch in Lizheng Hall, held Wu Meiniang in his arms, and gently stroked her cheek.

"Mei Niang, you should already know about my headache."

Wu Meiniang looked up at him and said softly, "I've heard from Divine Doctor Sun."

Li Zhi laughed and said, "Then why didn't you come to see me?"

Wu Meiniang said softly, "I know Your Majesty must be troubled, and I dare not disturb you, so I have been waiting for Your Majesty in the palace."

Li Zhi stretched out a finger and wiped her long eyelashes, sighing, "You are always so sensible. In three years, I will leave Chang'an under the pretext of hunting and recuperate. Mei Niang, do you want to go with me?"

Wu Meiniang's eyes flashed with a light, and she said, "I am your queen. Wherever your majesty goes, I will follow."

After a pause, he frowned: "But..."

Li Zhi asked, "What?"

Wu Meiniang said, "After Your Majesty and I leave, I'm afraid the aristocratic factions will revive. Those upright officials may not be reliable and may become the next Changsun Wuji."

Li Zhi saw her frowning and thinking seriously, so he tapped her nose with his finger and said with a smile, "You are more worried than I am."

Wu Meiniang said angrily, "Isn't this concubine thinking about His Majesty? And yet Your Majesty is laughing at me."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Don't worry. I plan to make Hong'er the crown prince and let him govern the country. Then the ministers won't have any extra worries."

A strange light flashed in Wu Meiniang's eyes, and she whispered, "I'm afraid Hong'er is still young and cannot take on the important task of superintendent."

Li Zhi said: "Don't worry, we have the ministers to assist us. Besides, in three years, Hong'er will be almost ten years old, so he is not a child anymore."

Wu Meiniang suddenly twisted her body, leaned on Li Zhi's shoulder, looked at him sideways, and said, "Your Majesty, I have an idea, but I don't know whether I should say it."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Go ahead."

Wu Meiniang said, "I have always felt that things related to gods and Buddhas cannot be believed completely, but they cannot be disbelieved either."

"Mei Niang, what do you want to say?" Li Zhi frowned.

Wu Meiniang said softly, "Jiulang, don't you think it's amazing that I can give birth to three sons? It seems that there is some kind of power protecting me."

Li Zhi remained silent. This was feudal superstition.

Even a rational woman like Wu Meiniang would be influenced by it and associate accidental events with gods.

Wu Meiniang said softly, "Jiulang, you are the Son of Heaven, and you must be blessed by Heaven. Why don't you go to Mount Tai and pray to Heaven and Earth? Perhaps your rheumatism will be cured."

Li Zhi asked, "You want me to offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai?"

Wu Meiniang said hurriedly: "I am just suggesting this. Even if it is useless, it will still show the power of the Tang Dynasty. If it can really cure the headache, wouldn't it be great?"

Li Zhi said in a deep voice: "Mei Niang, Fengshan is a waste of money and labor, but it is not useless."

Wu Meiniang lowered her head and said, "I am just..."

Li Zhi sighed and said, "I know you're concerned about my health, but I can't trust anything about gods or Buddhas. The only person I can trust is Dr. Sun."

Wu Meiniang whispered, "I understand."

The next morning, Li Zhi, Wu Meiniang and Li Hong had dinner in Lizheng Hall.

Li Zhi glanced at Li Hong, who was quietly eating, and suddenly asked, "Hong'er, have you been playing football recently?"

Li Hong quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks, and said with a bow, "Father, I have never missed the Cuju lessons three times a month, and I feel that I have made considerable progress."

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "This child is not only practicing Cuju, but has also started learning archery, and his archery skills are pretty good."

Li Zhi attached great importance to Li Hong's health because of his own health, and immediately said: "After you finish eating, cum for me to see."

After the meal, Li Hong stood two meters away from the tree and shot three arrows in a row with a special small bow, all of which hit the bull's eye hanging on the tree.

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Not bad, keep it up. It's just that I didn't pay attention to exercise when I was young, and my body is too weak, so the headache came on early."

Wu Meiniang was shocked when she heard this and thought to herself, "Jiulang must be worried that Hong'er might have a congenital disease, so he keeps asking him to exercise."

After leaving Lizheng Hall, Li Zhi returned to Ganlu Hall. As soon as he arrived at the back hall, an eunuch came to inform him that Dai Zhide, the Minister of Honglu Temple, wanted to see him.

Li Zhi came to the main hall and ordered someone to summon Dai Zhide into the hall.

After the ceremony, Dai Zhide said, "Your Majesty, Japan has sent another delegation of envoys. They hope to stay in Chang'an and learn the etiquette of the Tang Dynasty, just like they did in the fourth year of Yonghui."

Li Zhi frowned and flipped through his memories of the fourth year of Yonghui. Only then did he realize that the Japanese envoys to the Tang Dynasty had already come to the Tang Dynasty twice.

One was in the fourth year of Zhenguan, and the other was in the fourth year of Yonghui.

"Do you think you can agree to this?" he asked.

Dai Zhide saw Li Zhi's expression and felt that the emperor's attitude had changed. He said cautiously, "Your Majesty, they came once in the fourth year of Yonghui. Among them was a monk named Daozhao, who studied Buddhism under Master Xuanzang for three years and returned to Japan only last year."

Li Zhi said coldly, "That was then, and now is now. I'm asking about now. Do you think this is feasible?"

The emperor's attitude was already very clear. Logically, Dai Zhide should have immediately followed the emperor's wishes and rejected them.

However, the Japanese people's experience of coming to the Tang Dynasty was very bumpy, which made Dai Zhide feel sympathy.

"Your Majesty, those Japanese were attracted by the Tang Dynasty's etiquette and, in order to come to the Tang Dynasty, they drifted to an island. The envoys were killed by the barbarians on the island."

Li Zhi frowned and said, "The envoys are all dead, why are there still envoys coming to Chang'an?"

Dai Zhide quickly explained, "The deputy envoy escaped with a small group of people, trekking through mountains and rivers to Chang'an, which clearly shows his admiration for the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Zhi said: "If that's the case, where did their letters and tribute come from?"

"This..." Dai Zhide was stunned.

Li Zhi said in a deep voice, "Over the past two years, problems have frequently occurred with the diplomatic missions. Mr. Dai, your evaluation last year was above average. Do you think that's appropriate?" Dai Zhide knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "I have been derelict in my duty. Your Majesty, please punish me!"

Li Zhi said, "Let me ask you one more question. Do you think you can agree to Japan's request?"

Dai Zhide raised his head and said, "The people of the island nation are not worthy of being educated. We must not agree to this."

Li Zhi nodded and waved his hand, saying, "Retreat."

Today is the fourth day of the New Year, the last day of the long holiday.

After Li Zhi returned to his bedroom, he sat on the warm couch, thought for a moment, and then ordered, "Fu Sheng, have Xue Rengui, Su Dingfang, Li Ji, and Pei Xingjian come into the palace and discuss matters in the Shenlong Hall."

An hour later, Wang Fusheng came to report that the four of them were already waiting in the Shenlong Temple.

Li Zhi then walked towards the Shenlong Hall, entered through the back door, and went through the side door to enter the main hall.

Li Ji and three others were standing in the hall talking. When they saw Li Zhi come in, they all greeted him.

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "No need to be so polite, just sit down. I invited the four of you here today to discuss the military action against Tubo." He walked to the north dragon table and sat down.

After the four heard this, Su Dingfang was the happiest.

Last year the emperor transferred him to Yingzhou, and he was worried that the emperor did not want him to participate in the war against Tubo and would replace him with Xue Rengui.

Li Zhi said slowly, "Mr. Li, please first discuss the current situation in Tubo with Mr. Su and Mr. Pei."

Li Ji responded and said, "Last year, General Xue brought Subi Lanya to Chang'an, and later, Your Majesty released Lingzan, a Subi native. Now, the three Subi tribes are gradually becoming uneasy, and their relationship with Tubo is also very delicate."

"As long as we continue to stir up trouble this year and take advantage of Queen Subi's position in Chang'an, we will likely cause Subi to split. Once Subi is in chaos, other parts of Tubo may also follow. That will be the perfect opportunity to use military force against Tubo."

After hearing this, Su Dingfang and Pei Xingjian both looked thoughtful.

Li Zhi said slowly, "The opportunity is fleeting, so we must prepare for war in advance. General Su, I will appoint you as the Grand Protector of Anxi. You must train your troops in Anxi and be ready to attack Tubo at any time!"

Su Dingfang said solemnly: "I obey your order!"

Li Zhi suddenly stood up and walked over to the map hanging on the wall. He said to Pei Xingjian, "Mr. Pei, you've been in Anxi for a long time. Do you know what routes are available for attacking Tubo from the Anxi Protectorate?"

Pei Xingjian and others stood up and came to the map.

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, there are three routes into Tubo: one from the west, one from the east, and another in between."

Although Su Dingfang had been in Liaodong the previous year, he was still obsessed with his strategy for attacking Tubo. He pointed to the north of Tuyuhun and asked, "Does the eastern route take us to Wuhai?"

Pei Xingjian said, "It is Wu Hai."

Li Zhi tilted his head slightly and said, "General Su, you can't leave Wuhai."

Su Dingfang was startled: "Why?"

Li Zhi looked up at the map and said, "You see, Wuhai is located in Tuyuhun territory, and Tubo has always been wary of Tuyuhun. If we want to achieve our strategy of a surprise attack on Tubo, we can't go through Tuyuhun!"

Su Dingfang nodded and agreed with Li Zhi's statement.

Li Zhi looked at Pei Xingjian and said, "Pei Qing, please continue."

Pei Xingjian pointed to the westernmost part of Anxi Protectorate and went all the way down.

"Your Majesty, please see. There is a road through the Pamir Pass that passes through the Bolor Kingdom and leads directly to the Tibetan city of Lhasa. This road was the trade route between the Tibetans and the Western Regions and was originally the most suitable for marching."

Dabolü has already surrendered to the Arab Empire. If we ask them to pass through our territory, even if they dare not refuse, there is a great possibility that the secret will be leaked, so it cannot be adopted.

"What about the middle road?" Li Zhi asked.

Pei Xingjian pointed southwest of the Anxi Protectorate and said, "The central route goes through Khotan, passing between the Kunlun Mountains and the Karakoram Mountains. I've heard from merchants that this route south leads to vast expanses of barren land with no water or grass, no tribes, and logistical difficulties."

There was a gleam in Li Zhi's eyes.

The road that Pei Xingjian mentioned should be the route that Galdan Da Celing took to attack Tibet.

Although supply was difficult, the march was very covert because there was a large area of ​​uninhabited area as cover and did not require too many people.

Then let Xue Rengui's main force attack from the east to divert the attack, and let the Six Zhao Kingdom attack from the south. It would be difficult for the Tibetans to notice that there was a Tang army launching a surprise attack from the north.

Li Zhi looked at Su Dingfang and said, "General Su, what do you think of this route?"

Su Dingfang stared at the map carefully. After a long silence, he said, "I am willing to give it a try!"

Li Ji said, "Your Majesty, why not ask Subi Lanya? She fled from Subi to the Western Regions and should be very familiar with the route between Tubo and the Western Regions."

Li Zhi clapped his hands and said, "Mr. Li is indeed very thoughtful. Fu Sheng, go and ask Madam Subi to come over."

While waiting for Su Bi, Li Zhi discussed the details of Su Dingfang's surprise attack with several people.

Li Ji and Pei Xingjian both believed that the army did not need to be too large and that sufficient logistical support should be provided, which coincided with Li Zhi's opinion.

After discussing for a while, the eunuch came to report that Subiranya was waiting outside the hall.

"Send her in."

After a while, Subiranya entered the hall.

After the greetings, Li Zhi ordered Li Ji to briefly explain the situation to her.

Subilaya was very happy when he learned that Li Zhi was planning to attack Tubo.

"Your Majesty, my tribesmen and I took the eastern route, bypassing Jishi Mountain and arriving at Liangzhou, Da Tang. We then headed west past Tingzhou and entered the grasslands."

The Subilanya route is the route from Qinghai to Tibet, and is not far from the Wuhai route of Su Dingfang.

"Mrs. Subi, take a look at this marching route we have planned for attacking Lhasa City. Is it feasible?" Li Zhi said.

Subilanya stared at Khotan for a while, then his gaze slowly moved downwards and finally stopped at Lhasa City.

"This route is difficult to travel, but if we can traverse it, we will surely catch the Tibetans off guard! Your Majesty, Lan Ya is willing to accompany the army and serve as their guide."

Li Zhi said happily: "Okay, as long as you can achieve this achievement and conquer Tubo in the future, I will let you continue to rule the Subi region."

Lan Ya said happily: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)