The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

How large could the Tang Dynasty's territory have been?

In fact, this issue was discussed many times during the reign of Emperor Gojong.

In the first year of the Yonghui era, shortly after Emperor Gaozong ascended the throne, he abolished the four garrisons and restored the tributary state system because Anxi was too far away and required too much manpower and resources.

This led to the rebellion of Ashina Helu, which was eventually suppressed by Su Dingfang, who led an army to conquer the Western Turks.

After that, Emperor Gaozong changed his contraction strategy and tried his best to extend the coverage area and expand the territory.

Just then, the Abbasid Caliphate advanced eastward, and the Tocharians, feeling threatened, sought help from the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Gaozong ordered Wang Mingyuan to go on a mission to surrender.

The Yuezhi Governor-General's Office and the Persian Governor-General's Office were established.

The Tang Dynasty's territory expanded to the west of the Pamir Mountains, reaching an unprecedented extent in Chinese history.

Meanwhile, in the east, the Tang Dynasty and Silla joined forces to conquer Baekje and Goguryeo, and established the Andong Protectorate.

Baekje established the Ungjin Protectorate, defined prefectures and counties, and expanded its territory to the south of the Taedong River on the peninsula.

If Wu Zetian had been asked this question back then, she would have undoubtedly replied emphatically, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the emperor!"

But at this moment, she hesitated.

Because Baekje was soon annexed by Silla, the capital of the Andong Protectorate was moved from Pyongyang back to the north of the Yalu River.

Then came the rebellion of Kutlug, the occupation of southern Mongolia, the loss of northern Mongolia, and the subsequent closure of Anxi...

"I have recently pondered this matter carefully. It seems that since the Han Dynasty, the territory that China has been able to reach has reached its peak, and it is beyond our reach to advance further."

Ultimately, this answer was given.

"That's true." Lu Jun nodded, then asked, "Does the Empress Dowager know the reason behind this?"

As soon as he asked the question, he caught a glimpse of the maid beside him whose expression suddenly changed, staring at him with utter astonishment.

Only then did I realize that it was always the monarch who tested the ministers, never the other way around...

He was originally good at getting along with his superiors and knew how to maintain proper boundaries, but the Empress Dowager spoke gently, which made him forget about this matter for a moment.

When he nervously glanced up the steps, Wu Zetian showed no anger. She lowered her eyes, pondered for a moment, and replied:

"The battle lines are too long, and the imperial army is exhausted. Even if it can hold out for a while, the land is difficult to cultivate, and supplies will eventually run out."

Lu Jun immediately bowed deeply: "Your Majesty is wise and resourceful, and your words are always accurate!"

There's a saying...

The wrath of Heaven is unpredictable.

The woman in front of me is a habitual offender when it comes to killing ministers. She never consults the almanac or chooses auspicious days. I need to be more clear-headed.

Both women and monarchs need emotional value; if the two are combined, then the effort must be doubled and intensified.

Wu Zetian smiled brightly and waved her hand: "Chu Yu, there's no need to worry. Just speak your mind. What I want is your talent and loyalty. Others will flatter you."

The maids stared even more wide-eyed at her lack of anger, a stark contrast to her usual capricious nature.

They exchanged a quick glance, and when they looked at Lu Jun again, their eyes held a newfound respect.

The Empress Dowager loves talent, but so far, Xue Huaiyi is the only person she has been so lenient with.

This newly crowned champion is too skinny; he's clearly not the same type as the burly Master Xue...

Lu Jun also breathed a sigh of relief... Fortunately, my talent and loyalty overshadowed my good looks, and I didn't ask for anything else.

He quickly replied:

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will speak frankly and without reservation."

"The difficulty in expanding China's territory was indeed largely due to the fact that the surrounding barbarian lands were too far from the heartland, making it difficult for the Chinese army to reach them and for the land to be cultivated and defended."

"In short, the limitations imposed by the terrain and the distance of roads are insurmountable with our current capabilities."

"But many newly discovered lands were not difficult to cultivate, and many tribes were once sincerely convinced of their worth, yet they ultimately left China..."

"There are also reasons related to the weaknesses of Confucianism and the situation outside of China."

"If effective strategies are not adopted, the influence of the Chinese imperial rule will end here!"

"The weaknesses of Confucianism?" Wu Zetian was suddenly taken aback.

Confucianism has its weaknesses, and as the ruler of the world for thirty years, she was naturally well aware of them.

But for a Confucian scholar to utter these four words is truly astonishing, and feels almost like a great act of rebellion.

However... judging from Lu Jun's essay and answers in the palace examination, his knowledge was indeed diverse, and he could not be considered a pure Confucian scholar.

Wu Zetian asked, "Chu Yu, haven't you already used Legalist methods to compensate for the weaknesses of Confucianism that you mentioned?"

Since the Western Han Dynasty, the Central Plains dynasties have generally exclusively honored Confucianism, making Confucianism the dominant school of thought and Qin law the framework. This combination of Confucianism on the outside and Legalism on the inside, which not only won the support of scholars but also centralized power in the hands of the monarch, has been effective for more than 800 years and is no secret.

Lu Jun shook her head:

"The Legalist approach can be used to address issues such as prioritizing benevolent governance over punishment, valuing the people over the state, and valuing the common people over the emperor's authority."

"But Confucianism still has two drawbacks that Legalism cannot solve, let alone make the barbarians believe in it."

"It is precisely because of these two major drawbacks that Chinese culture could not truly penetrate the border regions and the surrounding barbarian lands."

"Once the imperial army fails to hold its ground, the border regions will gradually become disaffected and eventually break away from the Celestial Empire..."

Pick up a chopstick and place it on the table.

"Firstly, Confucianism emphasizes self-cultivation and family harmony while being ashamed to talk about profit, which sets too high a moral standard for people and makes it difficult to promote widely."

"Those who speak of self-cultivation and family harmony are called gentlemen, while those who speak of profit are called petty men. However, the Western Regions, Sogdiana, and even the Abbasid Caliphate were all prosperous places for merchants to travel and trade, and their lords and nobles also profited from them. According to Confucianism, aren't they all petty men?"

"The tribes of the grasslands mostly live in harsh and cold places. Once the weather changes, they will find it difficult to survive and will inevitably plunder. They have no time to care about morality."

"Even nobles find it difficult to believe, let alone the common people?"

"Attempts to educate people using Confucianism are bound to fail!"

Confucian classics are not something that ordinary people learn.

They were either Confucian scholar families from the Han Dynasty onwards, who later became top-tier aristocratic families.

They were either nobles who rose to power through military achievements, whose descendants entered officialdom through hereditary privilege, and who studied the classics in order to become officials. The great nobles became the new gentry, while the lesser nobles became commoners.

The interpretation of the classics was based on the "Baihu Tong" and strengthened the monarch's power, thus creating a theoretical tacit understanding between powerful clans and the monarch.

After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong ordered great Confucian scholars such as Kong Yingda to compile the "Correct Meanings of the Five Classics", which was still based on the "Baihu Tong".

Ultimately, Confucian classics were a consensus among monarchs, ministers, and powerful clans, and had nothing to do with ordinary people.

Once this agreement is outside the Central Plains, it immediately loses the consensus accumulated over hundreds of years and requires a realignment of ideas.

The alignment method is also very simple...

Since you do not believe in Buddhism, I have another set of Vajra Palm techniques that I would like to spar with you.

Places that were close by and had sufficient supplies were occupied for a long period and gradually became part of China.

Even if a region is temporarily occupied and its prefectures and counties are established, it will eventually be lost if it is far away.

After listening to this, Wu Zetian pondered for a long time and said, "Promoting the rule of the emperor has never been easy, as I know. Ultimately, the reason is still that it's beyond our reach, isn't it?"

Lu Jun replied:

"The court can rule by force or by ideology, and the difficulty and cost of the latter are vastly different."

"When those who use weapons become dull and their soldiers become exhausted, their people will develop a desire to rebel."

"Those who follow the right ideas naturally identify with the court as members of the same clan or with the same mind, making it difficult for them to harbor rebellious thoughts."

"There are two ways to spread ideas: one is through force, and the other is through natural dissemination among the people, gradually influencing the nobility..."

"For example, Buddhism was first practiced by the common people through mutual offerings, and then the Empress Dowager and her relatives also began to believe in it."

"If we want the barbarians to remain subservient for a long time, their people need to have a consensus with the Celestial Empire in terms of thought, so that it will not be easy for them to cause trouble."

"Confucianism is incapable of fulfilling its responsibilities..."

"That makes sense." Wu Zetian nodded.

She is a devout Buddhist. Eighteen years ago, she donated 20,000 strings of cash (equivalent to money for cosmetics) to have the Vairocana Buddha carved in Longmen Grottoes. Using Buddhism as an example, she understands immediately.

The view of "ruling by thought" is consistent with the function of Confucianism in China, and it is immediately clear.

She already disliked the Confucian classics that restricted the "husband as the head of the household," using them merely as tools and not taking them too seriously.

Even if the scholars of the Northern Gate were ordered to compile classics, it was merely a nominal political act, not a genuine pursuit of scholarship.

Hearing Lu Jun criticize Confucianism as incapable of fulfilling its duties, he felt greatly pleased and said with a smile:

"Chu Yu, what spirit you have! If those Confucian officials heard this, they would definitely argue with you until the end of time."

"Perhaps they will even suggest that I strip you of your birth status and never employ you as an official again."

"But I am not like them. As long as they are loyal to me, they can speak their minds without hesitation!"

To accomplish extraordinary things, one must rely on extraordinary people; she was very confident in her judgment.

After saying that, he remembered something else: "But I still have one question. Baekje and Goguryeo also believe in Confucianism, so they should have reached a consensus. Yet their nobles still do not submit to the Celestial Empire and want to unite with Silla to rebel against the Celestial Empire. How do you explain this?"

Lu Jun picked up the second chopstick:

"This is precisely the second drawback of Confucianism..."

"Confucians pursue orthodoxy and despise the barbarians, with some even saying that all those outside of China are barbarians."

"These words would have been pleasant to hear for the people of the Tang Dynasty, but to the newly annexed tribes, they were nothing short of an insult."

"Although the nobles of Baekje and Goguryeo also studied Confucianism, they were always looked down upon by scholars from the Central Plains and had no common interests with them."

Even if one admires the prosperity of the Celestial Empire in terms of its rituals and music, and its abundance of resources and people, it is difficult to be determined to follow it to the death, and one will eventually leave.

"If the royal army cannot hold its ground, they will surely rebel. This is the principle of being the head of a chicken rather than the tail of a phoenix."

"In short, these two drawbacks are chronic problems of Confucianism and cannot become a consensus between the Celestial Empire and the surrounding barbarians."

"If we want to rule over those beyond our borders, we must resort to other means."

"What methods?" Wu Zetian's eyes gleamed.