The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

rustle--

A gust of wind swept in from outside the hall, causing the hanging map of the second year of the Zongzhang era to shake violently.

Shangguan Wan'er and her maids looked up and compared the two with the dotted lines marked by Lu Jun, the Tocharian and Sogdian regions that had been cut off in the western border of the Tang Dynasty were particularly eye-catching.

"These two places have been covered by soil for thirty years. How dare he openly cut them off from the map of our Great Tang Dynasty?"

"Wasn't he very proactive and ambitious in the policy document? Why is he suddenly becoming conservative and wanting to cede territory?"

"The Empress Dowager has recently become wary of the words 'lost territory.' Is he unaware of this, or does he have some far-reaching strategy?"

"Ah... it's unlikely that the Shiwei, Mohe, Wuman, and Tubo could all be incorporated into Tang territory, isn't it?"

"The first three are alright, but even if Tibet were to seek peace, it would at most be a nephew-uncle state, and it's impossible for it to surrender its territory..."

Wan'er's eyes were clear, but her gaze flickered uncertainly.

After exclaiming a few words, Wu Zetian turned to the western dotted line, her back stiff and her face cold and unmoving.

After Lu Jun finished drawing the boundary, he explained, "Based on the current situation of the world and my strategies, this is the territory of the Tang Dynasty for the next few decades, and it cannot be accomplished overnight."

Wu Zetian raised her hand and pointed:

"Chu Yu, tell me first, why did Tokharistan and Sogdiana want to demarcate outside the borders of our Great Tang?"

"Although this place is currently an exclave, with your strategy, I will soon be able to reclaim the four towns, thus reconnecting us?"

"Did you know that after the first year of the Longshuo era, Tokharistan had already established prefectures and counties, and was incorporated into the Tang Dynasty's territory?"

Among the women in the harem, she was considered very tall, and coupled with her imperial bearing, she exuded an overwhelming aura.

Although the tone was calm, the accusations in those few questions were enough to make the maids tremble.

Lu Jun turned to face the Empress Dowager and replied:

"I am aware of this matter."

"After the Abbasid Caliphate destroyed Persia, Prince Peroz went into exile in Tokharistan and sought help from the Tang Dynasty, but the late emperor refused because of the long distance."

"Afterwards, the Abbasids advanced eastward, and Tokharistan was also plundered by them. Together with Peroz, they became vassals of the Celestial Empire. The late emperor then appointed Wang Mingyuan as the governor of the Tokharistan region to establish prefectures and counties and to receive their territory."

"The aim was to assert sovereignty first and prevent the Abbasid Caliphate from expanding further east to the Pamir Mountains and threatening the Four Garrisons of Anxi."

"In the first year of Longshuo, Wang Mingyuan presented the 'Records of the Western Regions' and established governorates in sixteen kingdoms west of Khotan and east of Persia."

"A total of 80 prefectures, 110 counties, and 126 military prefectures have been established, and it has been 30 years since then."

Historical records state that Emperor Gaozong sent Wang Mingyuan as an envoy to the Western Regions. According to later analysis, Wang Mingyuan should be Wang Xuance.

After all, Wang Xuance had been sent to India three times, passing through the Western Regions and Tokharistan each time, and was very familiar with the area.

It's unlikely that an ordinary county magistrate would be suddenly promoted to do this kind of diplomatic work.

As for why Wang Xuance became a county magistrate, it's probably because he brought back alchemists from India who concocted medicines that killed Emperor Taizong...

However, neither Lu Jun nor the original owner knew the truth at this time, and could only repeat what was recorded.

Wu Zetian's expression softened slightly when she heard him recite it so fluently.

His tone softened slightly: "Since you know this place has been under your control for thirty years, why are you ceding it away again?"

"I am not here to claim territory. If Your Majesty wishes me to expand the territory, I can train 10,000 elite soldiers to traverse thousands of miles."

"But there are still powerful enemies in the world, and the strength of the Tang Dynasty will eventually be exhausted. Even if we win a battle for a time, it will be difficult to maintain our position for long."

"Based on my analysis of the situation and my calculations over the next few hundred years, this place is more suitable as a buffer zone."

There are three reasons...

Lu Jun raised her hand and pointed to the map on the screen, which stretched from the lands of Tokharistan and Sogdiana all the way to the western end of Eurasia.

"This land is a gathering place for great powers, with numerous strong forces standing from east to west, and merchants also traveling between the two regions."

"Among them, the most powerful countries were the Tang Dynasty in the east, the Abbasid Caliphate in the middle, and the Qin Dynasty in the west."

"The Abbasid Caliphate and the Tang Dynasty were established at almost the same time. Its people called themselves the Arab Empire, and its monarch was called the Caliph."

"This country spans thousands of miles, has a population of tens of millions, and boasts hundreds of thousands of fierce soldiers. It destroyed Persia and resisted the Qin Dynasty, making it a truly powerful nation in the world."

"Most of the Tokharistan region, north of Persia, and south of Sogdiana is called Khorasan. The Abbasid Caliphate established a governor-general there, clearly indicating their intention to expand eastward."

"I foresee that within the next ten years or so, the Governor-General of Khorasan will surely seek to expand his territory and invade the north. The nine kingdoms of Tokharistan and Sogdiana will be in a very dangerous position."

"Its location is close to Khorasan but far from Anxi. If the Abbasids gradually encroach upon it, the Tang Dynasty will find it difficult to quell the wars thousands of miles away."

"Moreover, the Arabs' doctrine of the Abbasid Caliphate is easier to spread than Confucianism. In the back-and-forth between attack and defense, the Tang Dynasty did not have the upper hand."

"This is one of the reasons."

Looking ahead at the map, Wu Zetian's brows were deeply furrowed.

After the Abbasid Caliphate destroyed Persia, it sent envoys to Chang'an to promote its country. Later, the Persian prince Peroz took refuge in Luoyang and reported many things. Therefore, she had a general idea of ​​the strength of the Abbasid Caliphate.

But the extent of its strength may have been exaggerated by the Arab messenger, and Peroz was terrified, so this claim is not credible.

Seeing the territory of the Abbasid Caliphate on the map gave me a direct understanding that it was definitely a powerful country that could rival the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty is currently threatened by the Tibetans to the west and the Turks to the north. If it were to be further harassed by the Abbasid Caliphate, it would be truly difficult to cope...

She asked, "And what's the second reason?"

Lu Jun first pointed to Tibet, then back to the Central Asian region where Turkic Khaganate and Sogdiana were located:

"This place is where the Tang Dynasty, the Abbasid Caliphate, and the Tibetan Empire meet, and it is bound to become a battleground for the alliances and rivalries of great powers."

"If it were incorporated into the Tang Dynasty's territory, the Abbasid Caliphate and Tibet would surely form an alliance and head north to jointly attack the Tang Dynasty."

"If it falls into the hands of the Abbasid Caliphate, Tibet will be harassed in the west, and the pressure on the Tang Dynasty in Anxi and Hexi will be greatly reduced."

"If it falls under the control of Tibet, then the Abbasid Caliphate and the Tang Dynasty can launch a pincer attack from the north and south, and Tibet will not be able to hold out for long."

"While the Tang Dynasty is not afraid of powerful enemies, this place is too far from the heartland to be heavily guarded, and its strength is ultimately limited."

"Furthermore, after Anxi is restored, it is necessary to station troops and establish a foothold, and to win over the ten clans. In the short term, it will be difficult to exert full strength to contend with the west."

Therefore, all three kingdoms had their own ambitions and their own reservations, so the chaos of war was bound to continue...

Historically, ten years later, Qutibha, the governor of Khorasan, launched a series of military campaigns, conquering Tokharistan and the Sogdian states of Anguo, Huoxun, Kangguo, and Shiguo, namely Bukhara, Khwarazm, Samarkand, and Tashkent, thus occupying Central Asia.

Fortunately, Qutibhava later died in an internal conflict within the Abbasid Caliphate, and the Sogdian states requested the Tang Dynasty to send troops to retake Transoxiana.

Zhang Xiaosong led his army on a western expedition, and Xingxiwang Khan led ten tribes to assist him. They defeated the combined forces of the Abbasid Caliphate and the Tibetan Empire and recovered their territory.

More than thirty years later, the power structure of the Abbasid Caliphate changed hands, and the Black Abbasid Caliphate rose to power with the help of the strong army in Khorasan, becoming known as the Abbasid Caliphate.

The governor of New Khorasan, Bosilin, was even more powerful. He led his army to defeat the Anxi army at Talas and regained control of the region.

Then, the An Lushan Rebellion broke out.

That was the end of it...

Wu Zetian could not know what would happen in the future, but after listening to Lu Jun's analysis, she nodded repeatedly:

"Chu Yu is right. The late emperor established the governor's office here to seize the initiative, but the Abbasid Caliphate and Tibet will not give up, and a major war is inevitable..."

He sighed. "What's the third reason?"

Lu Jun pointed her finger towards the north and northeast:

"If the Tang Dynasty is only attacked from the west, it can still resist even if it faces attacks from both Tibet and the Abbasid Caliphate."

"With the right strategies, the alliance of the ten tribes, and the assistance of the nine kingdoms of Zhaowu, we can roam freely in the region."

"But the Turks rebelled again, and Qutlugh launched campaigns in the east and west. The Xi and Khitan were no match for him and would surely submit to him."

"The leaders of the Ten Clans, Xingxi Wang Khan and Jiwang Jue Khan, could not control their people, and the Ten Clans were no match for Gutlugh."

"As a result, Anxi, Hexi, Shuofang, Hedong, Hebei, and Andong were all subjected to the Turkic military force."

"If Your Majesty adopts my strategies, the Turks can be subdued, but you will not be able to fully develop the Tokharistan and Sogdiana regions."

"The best solution is to support the Ten Clans tribe and use their strength to counterbalance the Abbasid Caliphate, thus creating a buffer zone between these two regions."

"This place has been a prosperous commercial center since ancient times. The Arabs, seeing that they could not defeat the Celestial Empire and did not want to directly confront the Tang army, might choose to cease hostilities for the sake of commercial interests."

"If the Abbasid Caliphate declines afterward, then things will change again, perhaps hundreds of years from now..."

call--

Shangguan Wan'er let out a soft breath.

The maids couldn't understand what was going on, but she could roughly understand that Lu Jun's three reasons were indeed reasonable.

With the Abbasid Caliphate powerful, the Three Kingdoms vying for power, and the Celestial Empire struggling to cope, it was difficult to hold onto the land thousands of miles away for long.

In this situation, using this place as a buffer zone is already the best possible outcome.

The question is, will the Empress Dowager accept this outcome?

Moreover, Lu Jun once again directly called him "Gudu Lu" instead of "Buzu Lu," which was still a taboo...

Wan'er looked up and saw Wu Zetian pacing back and forth in front of the screen, seemingly processing her emotions.

His gaze sometimes wandered aimlessly, sometimes focused on the screen; his steps slowed down, and his lips moved slightly.

Finally, he stopped and said:

"Chu Yu, your discussion of strategies for the Western Regions is unprecedented in its breadth of vision and boldness of deduction!"

"I have met many famous generals who are quite knowledgeable about the Western Regions, but they only have a superficial understanding of the land west of Tokharistan."

"What you depicted spanned vast distances, and what you described were things I had never heard of before, truly broadening my horizons."

"Compared with what I knew before, and after careful consideration, what you said is indeed reasonable. This place is not easy to defend for long, and we cannot be too concerned about it."

For her, Tocharian and Sogdiana were not in the heartland of China, so even if she could not rule them for long, the losses would not be significant.

If one insists on this approach blindly, it may lead to militarism.

Her gaze immediately shifted to other areas—

To the north and southwest of the Tang Dynasty.

"The Shiwei, Mohe, and Wuman are tolerable, but tell me, how do you plan to subjugate the northern deserts and Tibet?"

"You must understand that the tribes of the northern deserts have been formidable enemies since the Qin and Han dynasties. Even if they are defeated temporarily, they cannot be completely subdued."

"Tibet is situated on the plateau, making it difficult for the imperial court to penetrate its territory. Even with your ingenious plan, which might persuade the Zanpu to sue for peace, how can you expect them to willingly surrender their land?"

"I recall you mentioned in your policy document that if the time is right, you should accept Tibet as a vassal state, right?"

"You say Confucianism has drawbacks and that other methods should be used to govern it; are these the two areas you're referring to?"