The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

Lu Jun had a nightmare; in her dream, she was taking an exam.

The title is: "Changes in Domestic and Military Policies from the Wu Zhou Dynasty to the Early Kaiyuan Era".

He racked his brains, scratching his head and pulling out so much hair he looked like Saitama, trying his best to recall the historical documents he had read, afraid of missing anything or making any mistakes.

With hundreds of thousands of words of magnificent writing in mind, just as I was about to put pen to paper, I suddenly realized...

Huh, why use a calligraphy brush to write?

Wait, didn't I graduate a long time ago?

I've been working for the government for ten years now!

Yeah, it must be a dream.

My supervisor was too strict back then; the requirements for my master's thesis defense were even higher than those for selecting female celebrities by investors, which left a lasting impression on me.

Lu Junmeng breathed a sigh of relief, then chuckled to herself as she heard her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

After calming down for a moment, I opened my eyes...

I realized that I was actually taking an exam.

"Young master, are you still going to take the test?! The Empress Dowager has already set the questions, and they will be announced soon. You can't sleep anymore!" A middle-aged clerk next to him was rolling his eyes.

Snickers arose from the surroundings, and a dozen or so scholars in blue robes and turbans pointed and whispered in their direction.

"What the heck..." Lu Jun was stunned for a moment, realizing that she seemed to have transmigrated.

In a state between dreaming and waking, she transmigrated into the body of a boy with the same name.

Beneath his knees lay a straw mat and a soft mattress. He slumped over the desk, groggily waking up from the examination hall.

"If you intend to take the exam, sir, be serious. The Empress Dowager will personally administer the palace examination; those who disrespect her will be punished!"

After giving his reminder, the clerk hurriedly left.

Still in the adjustment period, Lu Jun felt dizzy and looked around, trying to figure out where she was.

As dawn broke through, a pale pink hue spread from the right horizon, like a red ribbon, gradually encroaching on the cold blue sky overhead.

He inexplicably recognized that directly in front of him was the south gate of Taichu Palace in Luocheng, and to his right stood a towering hall, the newly built Mingtang.

The octagonal platform, whose height is determined by the principles of divination, and the circular roof, symbolizing the unity of all things, are undoubtedly the best features.

This is the imperial capital.

The time was the second month of the first year of Zaichu.

The year Wu Zetian was about to become empress.

There was no chime in my ears, only mockery:

"Look how pale he is, he must have been so scared he fainted, haha..."

"This year's imperial examination attracted tens of thousands of candidates, an unprecedented number. Knowing he had no hope of passing, it's understandable..."

"A cowardly and weakling! Talent is revealed in the crowd; if I do not pass the imperial examination, I will never return home!"

"I am the undisputed champion of this imperial examination! Behold, my adorned hairpin and horse leaping across the Tianjin Bridge, spear in hand, I'll spend the night at the courtesan's house!"

"Hahaha……"

The mockery gradually turned into boasting, which came one after another.

Lu Jun was quite surprised. In his understanding, although there were no separate examination rooms for candidates at this time, they would still be arranged under the corridor of the Wenchang Terrace for strict supervision.

How did I end up sitting in the Imperial City Square, surrounded by such a chaotic scene, like a vegetable market?

He covered his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment, his mind flowing smoothly, and the memories of the two lifetimes finally merged seamlessly...

The original owner was from Luhun County, Luozhou, and came from a branch of the Lu family of Wu County. He was eighteen years old this year.

His father was once a county magistrate, but he and his mother both died of illness six years ago, and he was raised by an old servant.

Fortunately, an old friend of my father gave me money and rice and recommended me to study at Chengjunjian, which is the Imperial Academy.

Currently, he is a student at the Imperial College.

At the beginning of the year, the Empress Dowager opened up a large number of imperial examinations to recruit talents. More than 10,000 candidates were reported by various prefectures, counties and schools!

The Wenchang Terrace was not large enough to accommodate all the candidates, so during the preliminary examination, they were divided into many square formations and scattered throughout the imperial city.

For some reason, the original owner of this body had not yet graduated, but received a special certificate from the Sungkyunkwan Chancellor, allowing him to take the exam.

These past few days he's been studying day and night, hoping to pass the imperial examination and bring honor to his family, but he's so exhausted that he fainted on the spot...

He seemed to have left nothing behind, but in reality, he left behind a handsome appearance. He looked a little haggard, and indeed looked like he had been frightened into fainting. No wonder he was ridiculed by those around him.

However, their joy didn't last long.

Just as they were whispering among themselves, the examiners from each formation received the exam questions and announced them to the candidates:

"This imperial examination is the 'Talent and Competence in the State Examination,' which only tests policy questions and does not test knowledge of classical texts or poetry."

"In the past, policy essay questions usually consisted of three or five questions, but this year there will only be one question, emphasizing quality over quantity."

"Please listen to the question: In the north, the Turks have rebelled again and raided the borders for years. In the west, the Tibetans have been harassing us. Our imperial army has suffered repeated defeats. For the sake of future generations, what strategy should we adopt to subdue them?"

"The Empress Dowager instructed: The court is eager for talented people. Please think carefully and strive to make your statements meaningful."

what--

After the exam questions were released, a clamor erupted.

"Isn't this topic... a bit too broad?"

"If this is a test of policy essays, shouldn't the court first provide a general direction before testing our specific suggestions?"

"Yes, is the imperial court going to attack or defend? We can't just write it down randomly, can we?"

The candidates looked at each other, then lowered their heads in deep thought, trying to figure out the intention behind the question...

Scholars in the Tang Dynasty were well-versed in both literature and military affairs, and becoming a general or prime minister was everyone's long-cherished wish. Therefore, taking a border affairs exam was not beyond the scope of the curriculum.

During the Yifeng era, Emperor Gaozong, seeing the Tang Dynasty repeatedly defeated by the Tubo Kingdom, sought advice from all over the country for good strategies.

At that time, Wei Yuanzhong, a student at the Imperial Academy, submitted a letter to the court, proposing three specific suggestions—

Select generals based on their abilities and abandon the hereditary system of military families;

Clear rewards and punishments, and restoration of military discipline;

Private individuals are permitted to raise and stockpile horses.

Emperor Gaozong greatly appreciated Wei Yuanzhong and promoted him to the court, keeping him in the Secretariat for service, and following his advice.

Twelve years have passed, and the Tang Dynasty has experienced both victories and defeats in its foreign wars, making the situation even more difficult...

The Tibetan Empire grew increasingly powerful, and the Four Garrisons of Anxi fell completely. Kutlug rebelled and re-established the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, occupying both southern and northern Mongolia. The territory of the Tang Dynasty shrank drastically.

The empire left behind by the Heavenly Khan has lost its former power and is gradually being looked down upon by the surrounding barbarians.

In this context, it was perfectly normal for the scholars to inquire about border affairs, and it was exactly what they expected.

But to everyone's surprise, the question was so simple that it didn't even give the court's strategic direction!

Should we attack or defend?

The scholars began to analyze the Empress Dowager's true intentions...

Anyone with eyes can see that, given the Empress Dowager's recent activities, she must be planning something big.

In order to win the hearts and minds of the people, she urgently needed to establish extraordinary achievements after taking power, such as recovering Anxi and quelling the Turkic rebellion.

Therefore, to succeed in the exam, one's answer strategy must be based on a proactive approach!

But how do we make progress...?

The selection of the commander-in-chief is the first hurdle they can't overcome.

More than seventy years have passed since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. The first generation of famous generals, such as Ying Wei, have long since passed away, and the second generation of famous generals, such as Xue Rengui, Pei Xingjian, and Liu Rengui, have also passed away.

As for the third generation, Cheng Wuting, Wang Fangyi, and Heichi Changzhi... don't even mention them.

The Empress Dowager killed him herself.

After killing them, the court had no more capable generals to use.

Last May and September, the Tang Dynasty launched two campaigns against the Turks, and the Grand Commander of the expedition was none other than... Xue Huaiyi.

Piling workers of the Tang Dynasty.

For the candidates, the selection of generals and the use of talents could not be written as suggestions, lest they be suspected of slander and satire.

Under such circumstances, it is extremely difficult to formulate an offensive strategy that is also outstanding!

A chorus of sighs and lamentations filled the square, and many people pondered for a long time, hesitant to put pen to paper.

Someone gently shook their head: "This year's imperial examination, I'm afraid no one will be able to achieve the highest rank, even a lower one..."

However, the situation was completely different for Lu Jun.

In the decades that followed, the famous ministers and generals of the Tang Dynasty devoted their wisdom and efforts to finding effective ways to deal with the Turks and Tibetans, methods that he was very familiar with.

However, the imperial court's excessive focus on the north and northwest allowed a certain border region to seize the opportunity and grow powerful.

northeast.

This is where the Wu Zhou Dynasty suffered a major setback.

It also brought about the downfall of the Tang Dynasty.

It became a nightmare for the Central Plains dynasties for hundreds of years.

Now that she had transmigrated to the Tang Dynasty examination hall and ended up in a familiar field, Lu Jun decided to do something.

Combining the original owner's writing skills, he quickly wrote an opening paragraph as the general outline of the strategy document.

"I have heard that war is a matter of great importance to the state. One must first assess the overall situation, understand the circumstances, and examine the terrain before a strategy can be determined."

"It has three essentials: first, the imperial court's plans; second, the military system; and third, national policies."

"The so-called strategic planning requires a thorough understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of all matters, knowing that pulling a single hair can move the head, and plucking a single hair can change the body; it is not about being preoccupied with a small area or achieving results overnight."

"Some say: He who does not plan for the long term is not fit to plan for the short term; he who does not plan for the whole is not fit to plan for a part."

"Although the questions asked were limited to the Western Barbarians and Northern Barbarians, without exploring the victories in all directions, the reasons for the imperial plans could not be clarified."

"Please try to explain."

Since we're already here, why should we live an ordinary life?

…………

At this moment, on the towering Mingtang Hall, Wu Zetian looked at the densely packed scholars, her laurel-leaf eyebrows raised high, her face full of anticipation.

She was already sixty-seven years old, but with her exquisite makeup, she looked like a beautiful woman in her early forties.

His pursuit of power makes him seem like he's only thirty.

Although she had been ruling as regent for six years and referred to herself as "I" in her speeches and edicts, she still wanted to go further.

Just three months ago, she issued an edict announcing the adoption of the Zhou calendar, with the winter month as the first month of each year, and the Zhou dynasty as the official calendar.

The direct descendants of the Zhou and Han dynasties were established as the two kings, while the royal families of the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasties were relegated to the status of other states.

She even gave herself a new name.

The character 曌 represents the sun and moon shining in the sky.

This is to announce to the common people that the world is about to change!

This time, she greatly expanded the number of successful candidates, both to win people's hearts and to seek out talent.

What he was about to do would inevitably provoke opposition from loyal ministers of the Tang Dynasty, and he would be saddled with eternal infamy, the kind of pure condemnation that would make him even more hated than Wang Mang and Empress Lü combined.

However, if one can achieve extraordinary feats and make them clearly visible to both the government and the public, the opposition will be much smaller.

Therefore, she needs talented people.

We already have enough cruel officials; we don't need virtuous ones either.

Literary figures are not the first choice either.

A person with a broad vision and a long-term perspective is needed!

As long as someone is talented, she doesn't care about their background as a scholar, and she's not stingy with official positions!

She was very satisfied with the scale of this project and couldn't wait to see the masterpieces. She turned her head and said:

"Shen Qing, you are the chief examiner. Go down and inspect the examination hall for me."

"Wan'er, you go too!"