The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

The maids tiptoed and quietly took away the lunch.

Facing the direction of the Empress Dowager and Lu Jun, a maid gently waved a silk fan, and a cool breeze drifted by, lightly lifting the sashes of the two women and carrying a faint floral fragrance.

It was already afternoon, and the Empress Dowager, who was over sixty years old, was still in high spirits and showed no signs of fatigue.

The eunuchs and maids, unfamiliar with border affairs, listened intently, holding their breath.

Firstly, what Lu Jun was talking about was very novel.

Secondly, he's reckless.

"The Empress Dowager asked me about the methods to permanently pacify the northern deserts and subdue the Tibetans. Please forgive my boldness, but I would like to first discuss the strategies of Emperor Taizong and the late Emperor."

"Does the Empress Dowager know the successes and failures of the strategies employed by Emperor Taizong and the late Emperor regarding the Western Regions and the Turkic tribes?"

After Lu Jun finished asking the question, the maid who was fanning suddenly stopped in mid-air, thinking to herself, "There's no need to fan anymore; this young man has already made his way to death."

Shangguan Wan'er's face turned pale instantly: "You really dare to ask such a question...?"

Lu Jun always liked to ask the Empress Dowager questions, which was already a major taboo. Now she actually asked about the gains and losses of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong...

For a subject to praise or criticize the late emperor is a great act of disrespect.

She asked the Empress Dowager to evaluate her two husbands, and subtly revealed the scandal of royal sons taking their fathers' wives as concubines.

The last person to dare to do this was Luo Binwang, who said that the Empress Dowager had "lured our lord into a trap," and his proclamation was extremely vivid.

But other people just write articles, and Lu Jun actually went all out with her big move right up to their faces. I don't know where she got the courage.

Wu Zetian was also taken aback upon hearing this. Seeing Lu Jun's serious expression, she thought to herself, "I told him not to worry, and he actually listened. Young people are bold after all..."

A slight smile:

"Emperor Taizong was an emperor who rode on horseback, invincible in his campaigns, wise and martial, and all the barbarian tribes submitted to him."

"Emperor Gaozong inherited his civil and military achievements, as well as his elite troops and generals, and expanded the territory, and his fame spread far and wide to foreign lands."

"However, later, famous generals died out and the military forces gradually weakened, which led to the rise of the Tubo Kingdom. The Ashina clan rebelled again and occupied both the southern and northern deserts."

"I believe that the strategies of the two dynasties are no different; it is just that the elite troops and generals who were established at the time have fallen, and there is no one to succeed them."

He didn't take Lu Jun's recklessness to heart.

As she gets older, she has recently felt that her physical and mental health is not as good as before, and she needs the company of younger people.

Some people can regain their vitality and return to the state of being in their thirties or forties.

Lu Jun exuded a vibrant energy within her—an energy of exceptional talent, extraordinary genius, and unwavering determination.

Spending time with such a young man refreshed her spirit and gave her confidence that she could still achieve great things and leave a lasting mark on history.

Compared to what you gain, a few taboo words from the other party are really nothing.

"Your Majesty is wise. The military forces of the late Emperor's reign were indeed inferior to those of Emperor Taizong's reign, which led to the defeats in Dafeichuan and Qinghai. It was not that the late Emperor did not value Tibet or that his strategies were flawed."

Lu Jun first affirmed this statement, then continued:

"I also have a humble opinion..."

"The late emperor's treatment of the Western Regions and the Turks in the southern Gobi Desert was quite different from Emperor Taizong's strategy."

"Emperor Taizong established the Four Garrisons of Anxi with the intention of long-term management of the Western Regions. This place is the former territory of the Han Dynasty, and it should be firmly defended."

"Once the four towns are secured, especially if we can control Suyab, the ten clans will be in complete control."

"The late emperor took the initiative to withdraw the four garrisons and kept them under the control of vassal states, which allowed Ashina Helu to grow powerful."

"The Southern Turks were originally very loyal to the Tang Dynasty, and Emperor Taizong was also good at governing them and trusted them greatly."

When the Xueyantuo tribe in the northern desert became powerful, Emperor Taizong supported Ashina Simo to return to the Hetao region, bestowed upon him the surname Li, and appointed him as the garrison commander of Shuofang.

"Since this, Simo was extremely grateful to Emperor Taizong and declared that he wished to be a dog of the country for all eternity, barking at the north gate of the emperor."

"In contrast, the late emperor sent surrendered Turkic tribesmen on a westward expedition of ten thousand miles. The surrendered tribesmen could not bear the hardship and therefore rebelled again."

"In my opinion, the prime minister at that time failed to fulfill his duty to offer advice and remonstrance..."

Many people in later generations believe that Emperor Gaozong was greatly underestimated, but in fact he created the most prosperous territory of the Tang Dynasty.

Well, with the team his father left behind, even a husky tied to the dragon bed could probably do it.

The great man commented: "Li Ke was a hero, Li Zhi was a failure; no one knows a son better than his father."

Lu Jun's assessment was already quite restrained. Emperor Gaozong's treatment of the surrendered Turkic households was simply appalling, and it wasn't just because they were conscripted to fight in the Western Regions.

In the first year of the Tiaolu era, Ashidewen Fu and Fengzhi rebelled, and twenty-four prefectures responded, with their followers numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

The following year, Pei Xingjian decisively defeated the rebel army at Heishan, and then used a counter-espionage scheme to cause the rebel Khan Ashina Funian to defect.

By this time, the rebels had already been quelled.

Emperor Gaozong, in order to establish his authority, killed Fu Nian, cutting off the retreat of the surrendered troops and causing the Turks to rebel again, which eventually became uncontrollable.

Lu Jun shifted the blame to Prime Minister Pei Yan, since it was he who advised the execution of Fu Nian, thus saving face for Emperor Gaozong.

This would also make it easier for the Empress Dowager to accept, because Pei Yanzhong was loyal to the Li family and was eventually killed by her.

Wu Zetian remained silent for a long time, then nodded and said, "Pei Yan has misled the country and the emperor; his death is not a pity!"

However, he knew in his heart that the difference between Emperor Taizong's and Emperor Gaozong's handling of the Western Regions and the Turks was indeed obvious.

But she doesn't think it's a human problem:

"Chu Yu, Emperor Taizong was born in a chaotic era and was a military commander. It is unavoidable that subsequent emperors lacked such insight, and it is not necessarily a failure of strategy."

"You are not in that position, so it's hard for you to understand the difficulties involved. I don't blame you, but you were indeed somewhat biased towards the late emperor."

Emperor Taizong's talent was rare and hard to come by; later monarchs could not emulate him and could only govern the country according to their own innate abilities.

Moreover, she participated in many political affairs during Emperor Gaozong's reign, and when people said that Emperor Gaozong had problems, she was implicated as well.

Beneath the phoenix crown, her expression was somewhat unpleasant.

Lu Jun knew she wouldn't feel comfortable about this topic, so she had prepared in advance.

He bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, I beg for forgiveness. I do not wish to discuss the faults of the monarch, but rather to draw conclusions from them, examine the merits of Emperor Taizong's strategies, and serve as a lesson for Your Majesty."

Wu Zetian immediately understood, raised her hand and smiled: "I told you not to hold back, go on."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I believe that the strength of Emperor Taizong's strategy lies in abandoning the obsession with viewing the barbarians through the lens of Confucianism."

"The failure of the late emperor's strategy lay in upholding the Central Plains as the legitimate dynasty and the border regions as barbarians."

"Emperor Taizong regarded the Turks, Tiele, the Ten Tribes, the Khitan, the Xi, the Tuyuhun, and the various kingdoms of the Western Regions as his subjects. As a result, these kingdoms regarded Emperor Taizong as the Heavenly Khan and were content to be his subjects and accept his title."

"The late emperor regarded the Western Regions as vassal states, the Turks as slaves, and Baekje as barbarians, so their nobles must have harbored ulterior motives."

"The so-called barbarians are actually no different from the Han people. They all prioritize self-interest and then talk about feelings and righteousness."

"If the court prioritizes labor and taxation while treating the common people with contempt, they will naturally not obey."

"Therefore, Confucianism and Han culture are only suitable for governing the Central Plains, not for ruling the grasslands, deserts, plateaus, or overseas."

"Taking the Tuoba clan of the Northern Wei Dynasty as an example, when they lived in Pingcheng, both the northern desert and the Central Plains were under their jurisdiction."

"Once Sinicization is implemented in China and the capital is moved to Luoyang, the Six Garrisons will rebel and the Rouran will be restored."

"To completely subdue the northern deserts and Tibet, the prerequisite is naturally to subdue them with a powerful army, and then to incorporate them into a unified system."

It is a consensus among later generations that nomadic grassland areas and agricultural areas in the Central Plains cannot be governed in the same way.

The Northern Wei and the Heavenly Khanate both briefly succeeded in establishing two parallel official systems within the framework of the court: the nomadic grasslands were managed in the manner of the Khan, while the agricultural areas of the Central Plains were managed in the manner of the Emperor and the prefectures and counties.

The first to truly implement this system for an extended period was the Liao Dynasty, established by the Khitans.

Yelü Abaoji immediately proclaimed himself emperor after the Tang emperor abdicated, taking the title of Heavenly Khan, which shows that he highly approved of this approach.

The Liao Dynasty established the Northern Court in the grassland region to govern the Khitan people using tribal systems; and the Southern Court in Youyun to govern the Han people using Han systems.

In fact, he understood Emperor Taizong better than even his own son.

Later dynasties, the Yuan and Ming, learned this trick, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was thus stably incorporated into China.

The Qing Dynasty, established by the descendants of the Mohe people, also incorporated the Khalkha Mongols into its territory in the same way, bringing the northern desert region under its control.

However, Lu Jun could not cite any examples from later generations, and could only take the Northern Wei Dynasty and Emperor Taizong as successful models.

Wu Zetian had a vague idea: "I understand. You mean that once we occupy the lands of the four barbarians, we need to treat them in a different way, as one of our own."

But he still didn't understand: "Isn't this how the Tang Dynasty's tributary governorates and tributary prefectures were operated?"

Lu Jun shook her head:

"The method of incorporating foreign tribes into the governance of the Central Plains is to nominally submit and be granted official positions in the Central Plains."

"In places where the imperial court can establish protectorates and governorates to garrison troops, this method can be used, such as Anxi and southern Mongolia."

"However, the northern deserts and Tibetan areas are located in the Gobi Desert and snowy regions, where it is impossible to cultivate land. Long-term garrisoning would be extremely difficult, so they are not suitable."

Wu Zetian frowned: "What other way is there? We can't exactly call ourselves the Heavenly Khan..."

Lu Jun smiled and said:

"It's not impossible. The Heavenly Khan means intervening in the management of various tribes, so fairness must be upheld."

"During the Longshuo era, Xingxiwang and Jiwangjue Khan had conflicts with each other. The court killed Xingxiwang Khan, and the five tribes of Dulu felt wronged, so they became disloyal and alienated."

"It would be best to establish a special department to manage this, similar to the Court of Judicial Review."

"But this isn't the best solution..."

"The best approach is to establish a shared belief with them, just as the emperor shared a common understanding with the scholars based on Confucianism."

"What faith?" Wu Zetian asked immediately.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes, sparkling brightly.