Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 213 Tang Dynasty Women's Donkey Ball Team

In March of Yangchun, everything recovers.

For nomadic people, what they hate most is winter and what they like most is spring.

The Mongol tribe was a semi-nomadic, semi-hunting people who lived west of the Great Xianbei Mountains.

The Mengwu tribe was a branch of the Shiwei tribe, but because it had grown increasingly powerful recently, it became independent from the Shiwei tribe.

They know very well that the strength of a tribe is determined by the land.

The small piece of land they own now has gradually become saturated. If they want to make their tribe stronger, they can only expand their territory.

However, to the south was the powerful Khitan, to the north was the even more powerful Shiwei, to the east was the savage-like Mohe, and to the west was the former overlord Turkic.

The Menggu tribe saw no hope of expansion at all, because they could not afford to offend any of their neighbors and had already given up their ambitions.

Until a great battle on the Mobei grassland attracted everyone's attention.

The Tiele people, the masters of the Mobei steppe, rebelled against the powerful Tang Dynasty for unknown reasons. They were eliminated by the troops sent by the Heavenly Khan and moved westward.

Today, only a few small tribes of the Tiele tribe remain in the Mobei grassland, which is equivalent to a no-man's land.

The living environment in the Mobei grassland is many times better and larger than the current land of the Menggu tribe.

The leader of the Mongol tribe would naturally not miss such a godsend opportunity. He immediately sent an envoy with a large amount of gifts to the Yanran Protectorate, requesting that the tribe migrate to the northern desert to guard the northern desert for the Tang Dynasty.

For a small tribe like the Mongols, there was no chance to go to Chang'an. In their eyes, the Yanran Protectorate and the Yingzhou Governor's Office represented the Tang Dynasty.

Unfortunately, the Tang people did not agree to his request, which made him extremely frustrated.

Later he heard that not only did the Tang Dynasty reject him, but also rejected powerful tribes such as the Shiwei, Khitan, and Turks. This gave him hope again.

Every few days, he sent a group of envoys, hoping to impress the Tang Dynasty with his sincerity.

That afternoon, the delegation he sent returned, still bringing back bad news.

"Chief, the Tang people won't even see me. They didn't even take the women I brought with me. It's obvious that they won't agree!"

The Mengwu chief gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it! Why don't they agree? The grassland belongs to everyone. Why do they occupy it?"

The envoy said, "They seem to be mining there."

The Mengwu chief snorted, "We are not competing with them for the mines. They can dig them. We just need water and grass."

The envoy said, "Chief, why don't we just migrate there? The Mobei grasslands are so vast, the Tang people may not be able to find us."

The Mengwu chieftain pondered and said, "We should wait a little longer. I recently heard rumors that the Tang Dynasty's Yingzhou governor seems to have been replaced. Goguryeo, Mohe, and Baekje are preparing to attack the Tang Dynasty."

The envoy was shocked and asked, "They dare to attack the Tang Dynasty?"

The Mengwu chief laughed and said, "With Goguryeo leading the charge, what are they afraid of? Besides, I heard that the Tang Dynasty's Yingzhou governor has changed. The original Su Dingfang has left, replaced by an old man. I heard that he was once the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, but was demoted to Yingzhou by the Heavenly Khan."

The envoy was surprised and said, "Isn't that an opportunity?"

The Mongol chief snorted, "The Heavenly Khan is so unfair. He has vacant grasslands but refuses to share them with us. We are all holding back our anger. Just wait and see. As long as Yingzhou is defeated, the Eastern Turks and Shiwei will also take action."

The envoy asked, "Are you saying they will invade Mobei?"

The Mengwu chief laughed and said, "It's very likely that once the Shiwei and Turks leave, we can occupy their land!"

At this moment, a Mongol came running into the tent and said, "Chief, news has come from the south. The Tang army fought with Goguryeo at Hengshan, and Goguryeo was defeated."

The Mengwu chieftain cried out in surprise, "What? Why did the fighting start so soon?"

The tribesman said, "The Tang people took the initiative to attack, entered the territory of Goguryeo, and suddenly attacked the Goguryeo army in Hengshan."

The Mengwu chief said in a deep voice: "What about Mohe and Baekje?"

The tribesman said, "They were originally planning to join forces with Goguryeo at Hengshan, but upon learning of Goguryeo's defeat, they withdrew."

The Mongol chief sighed, "We really can't count on the Goguryeo people to defeat the Tang people."

The envoy asked, "Chief, what should we do now?"

The Mengwu chief glanced at him and said unhappily, "What else can we do? Go to Yanran Protectorate again in a few days and tell the Tang people that we are willing to help them mine and see if they will agree to our migration!"

The envoy said, "I'm afraid we won't be able to meet the Tang people."

The Mengwu chief said angrily, "How can you know if you don't go?"

The envoy suddenly said, "Chief, I have an idea."

"any solution?"

The envoy said, "On my way back, I heard a piece of news that the Tiele tribe on the Mobei grassland has increased significantly recently."

The chief frowned and asked, "Why are there so many suddenly?"

The envoy asked, "Do you think it's possible that another tribe quietly migrated to the northern desert and then pretended to be the Tiele tribe?"

The chief's eyes lit up and he said, "Yes, it's very likely. In the eyes of the Tang people, we are all the same. They definitely won't be able to recognize us!"

"Chief, do you think we should follow suit?"

The chief thought for a moment and said, "Let's send a few small tribes to try going around to Mobei. If it works, we can slowly migrate."

……

Chang'an, Forbidden Garden. All that could be heard was the clatter of horses' hooves, mingled with the braying of donkeys and the sweet laughter of women.

Inside the Feilongyuan polo field, a group of graceful women, holding moon sticks, were riding on donkeys, galloping in and chasing a wooden ball.

Among all the women, a woman in red hunting clothes had the most superb donkey riding skills. She drove the donkey wildly, waving the moon stick in her hand and hitting the goal.

The eunuchs and palace servants who were watching cheered because the woman in red was none other than the Empress of the Tang Dynasty, Wu Meiniang.

News came yesterday that Goguryeo took the opportunity to attack when they saw the change of defense in Yingzhou. Liu Rengui took the initiative to attack and defeated the Goguryeo army in Hengshan.

After the news of this battle was reported back to Chang'an, the court and the country were in an uproar.

If Su Dingfang had won this battle, there would be nothing surprising. But Liu Rengui was just a civil servant who had just entered the battlefield, and he fought such a beautiful battle. How could we not be happy?

The happiest people were the civil servants. They all thought that if Liu Rengui could win the battle, they would definitely be able to win if they went to the border!

As per custom, Li Zhi held a banquet in Chengqing Hall to celebrate the great victory.

Empress Wu originally planned to hold a banquet in Qianqiu Palace to have a small feast with the concubines in the harem.

Concubine Zheng suddenly suggested, why not take advantage of the spring scenery and go to Feilongyuan to play a game of donkey ball to celebrate?

Wu Meiniang has also been practicing horse riding recently, which is exactly what she wants. She also sent someone to invite Subilaya into the palace so that she can also experience the donkey balls of Tang Dynasty women.

Wu Meiniang specially ordered someone to go to the Jiaofangsi to select some Tibetan female slaves who could play polo.

Later, because there were not enough female slaves from Tubo, female slaves from Turks and Tiele were used as a substitute, and Subilaya was allowed to lead them to compete with the women of the Tang Dynasty.

Those Tibetan, Turkic and Tiele women were originally aristocrats and had good riding skills. Subilaya was also proficient in riding.

On the Tang Dynasty side, in addition to Wu Meiniang, Concubine Zheng and Xu Chongrong also had good riding skills, while Liu Chong'er was slightly inferior.

In addition, Wu Meiniang also selected some women who were skilled in riding from among the ladies outside the palace and expanded them into the women's team of the Tang Dynasty.

In this way, the two sides can be said to be evenly matched.

However, women in the Tang Dynasty were more accustomed to riding donkeys. If it was a horseback duel, women from other countries might have a chance to win, but they were not used to riding donkeys.

On the court, there appeared a scene where Empress Wu displayed her divine power.

Subi Lanya drove the donkey forward and said with a smile, "Her Majesty the Queen is an excellent rider. Lanya is ashamed of herself. It is we who lost."

The Tang Dynasty women's team has scored ten goals, six of which were contributed by Wu Meiniang, while women's teams from other countries have only scored three goals.

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "You are just not used to riding a donkey. When you become more proficient in it one day, the outcome will be unpredictable."

After a fierce competition, the women were all sweating. Wu Meiniang took the ladies and Lan Ya to Ziyun Pavilion to take a bath.

After bathing, Wu Meiniang ordered all the ladies to be escorted out of the palace, and then returned to Lizheng Hall.

"Is Your Majesty still in Chengqing Palace?" She walked to the couch and sat down, asking Jiang Shanggong.

Concubine Jiang said, "Yes, His Majesty is in high spirits today and even danced with the ministers."

Wu Meiniang smiled slightly and said, "It seems that Liu Rengui's battle has made His Majesty very happy."

Zhang Duohai hurriedly said, "Your Highness, not only has good news come from Liu Rengui, but the Ministry of Revenue has also received good news. The land system reform has finally been implemented in Guanzhong Road. Under the leadership of the aristocratic families, the people of Guanzhong have responded positively."

Wu Meiniang tilted her head and said, "These Guanzhong nobles have become smarter this time."

Guanzhong is located under the emperor's feet, and land annexation is rare, but that does not mean it does not exist. Especially in places far away from Chang'an, there are still many big families that occupy land.

This land reform not only prevents land annexation, but also is a land redistribution.

The fields acquired by the noble families through annexation were all gray fields and could not be stamped by the government at all.

After the land reform is completed, the land will be remeasured, and those gray fields will be taken back by the state and redistributed to the landless people.

That is why land reform has been met with such strong opposition, because it harms all families that own gray fields.

However, the emperor eventually took advantage of the Xiao family's rebellion to forcibly implement the land system reform.

The Guandong region was the first area to implement land system reform, and the Guanzhong clans were also the first to be affected. All the gray fields in their hands would be nationalized.

Wu Meiniang originally thought that they would resist secretly.

Of course, no matter how they resist, it will be in vain.

However, their cooperation was beyond Wu Meiniang's expectations.

Zhang Duohai laughed and said, "The Xiao family's property in Jiangnan has just been confiscated. They must be terrified. How dare they go against the saint?"

Wu Mei Niang said, "The Guanzhong region is close, so it's easy to implement. I wonder if the following areas will be smooth sailing."

At this moment, a palace maid entered the palace and said, "Your Highness, the Lady of Liucheng County has entered the palace."

Wu Meiniang asked, "Is she the only one?"

The palace maid said, "Young Master Helan is here too."

More than a month ago, Helan Minzhi apologized to King Wu and Princess Gao'an respectively.

When Wu Meiniang learned about this, she was very satisfied. After testing Li Zhi, she found that Li Zhi's impression of Helan Minzhi had improved a little, so she allowed him to enter the palace.

"Serve the meal." Wu Meiniang ordered.

(End of this chapter)