The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

"What?" A commotion erupted in the Huiyou Hall.

This meeting was of extremely high importance, with all those in the Tang Dynasty who could decide on the strategy for the western frontier present.

I heard something unbelievable right from the start—

"You've overestimated Tibet!"

Lou Shide's eyes widened, and he sat up straight, his chubby body instantly exuding an imposing aura:

"If I remember correctly, your strategy document also stated that Tibet was at its peak, right? How come you're saying we overestimated it?"

Xu Qinming scoffed, "If Tibet weren't strong, how could Dafeichuan and Qinghai have been defeated? How could Anxi have been lost? What utter nonsense!"

Yao Yuanchong frowned: "Lu Shiyi, I've read your policy proposal. You're more knowledgeable about the history and traditions of the dynasty than I am. Perhaps you shouldn't have said such things?"

He had observed the imperial examination and read some of Lu Jun's essays, and he greatly admired the young man's knowledge and strategy.

Moreover, I sensed a certain quality in it...

Embrace the world.

He could roughly sense that Lu Jun was farsighted and wouldn't speak recklessly without reason, so he was much more polite in his words.

Wu Zetian said to Lu Jun, "Chu Yu, explain yourself clearly. Don't keep us in suspense. These are all important officials of the court!"

Because Lu Jun helped her find the meaning of the Great Cloud Sutra, she regarded this young man as one of her own, and her tone was different.

"I didn't say that Tibet wasn't strong; I just said that you overestimated Tibet," Lu Jun said calmly.

Today, as the border affairs were being discussed, a map from the second year of Zhang Zongzhang's reign was already hanging beside the hall. He rose and walked straight to it, pointing to the southwestern neighbor of the Tang Dynasty, and drew a semicircle from east to west with his finger:

"The rise of Tibet was just an accident."

"Given the natural endowments of this land, it shouldn't have produced a powerful nation; it was merely a matter of chance."

"I can conclude that after Tibet, no powerful state will emerge from this region for a thousand years."

"As long as we follow the official's strategy, we can not only suppress Tibet temporarily, but also suppress it for generations to come!"

"You've overestimated Tibet!"

Chirp, chirp—

Early summer came earlier this year, and cicadas began to sing outside the palace.

The sound wasn't loud to begin with, but now that the hall was quiet, it sounded quite jarring.

The rise of Tibet was just an accident... Lu Jun's words always landed on places others didn't expect.

Lou Shide had expected him to analyze the strength and weakness of Tibet, but instead he delved into its origins, asking, "You say this place shouldn't have a powerful state; what makes you say that?"

This is a question that everyone is wondering about.

Although most of them had heard of Lu Jun's performance in the imperial examination and knew of his eloquence, they still couldn't keep up with his unconventional train of thought...

Lu Jun glanced at the lush garden outside the palace: "Lord Lou, don't you think this spring is too hot?"

"Huh? It is very hot... so what?" Lou Shide was taken aback again.

I was dizzy again.

Only Wu Zetian understood Lu Jun's habits. Although she was already somewhat wavering, she guessed that he had some peculiar insights.

"What I'm trying to say is that some patterns are not easily noticed, such as the temperature of the climate..."

"Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there have been many records of the two capitals and the surrounding areas experiencing no snow in winter and abundant rain in summer."

"For decades, a wise ruler has been in power, and rain and snow are matters of vital importance to the people's livelihood. They are not prophecies or attempts to divulge the will of Heaven. Today, as we discuss important military and national affairs, I will speak frankly..."

Lu Jun first folded a suit of armor, then took out a piece of white hemp paper from her bosom, unfolded it, and read aloud:

"In the winter of the twenty-third year of Zhenguan, there was no snow."

"In the winter of the second year of the Yonghui era, there was no snow."

"In the winter of the first year of the Linde era, there was no snow."

"In the winter of the second year of the Zongzhang era, there was no snow."

"In the winter of the second year of Yifeng, there was no snow."

"In the winter of the second year of the Chuigong era, there was no snow."

"In the eleventh year of the Zhenguan era, heavy rains flooded the Luoyang Palace."

"In the first year of the Yonghui era, there was heavy rain in Xinfeng and Weinan."

"In the fifth year of the Yonghui era, a heavy rain flooded the Wannian Palace."

"In the first year of Yongchun, heavy rains in the Eastern Capital flooded the Tianjin Bridge."

"..."

As a Left Remonstrator, he could borrow books from the Imperial Observatory at Lintai and check historical climate records, thus making preparations in advance.

After reading it aloud, he handed the paper to a palace attendant, who then passed it on to the Empress Dowager for her perusal.

Then, he continued to explain:

"Lintai also has historical books from before the Tang Dynasty. After reviewing them, I discovered something interesting..."

"The so-called warm and cold climate follows a pattern; it was warm in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, but turned cold in the later period."

"During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the spring and autumn seasons were warm, while the Warring States period was cold. It was not until the Western Han Dynasty was established that the weather gradually warmed up again."

"Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, snowy days have gradually increased, while rain has decreased, and there are more cold days and fewer warm days."

"Especially during the chaotic period between the North and South, which was the worst in Chinese history, there were significantly more records of heavy snowfall than before."

"Starting from the beginning of the weekend, warm days gradually increased while cold days gradually decreased, reaching a peak in recent years!"

Upon hearing these words, the four prime ministers, the three senior officials of the Ministry of War, and the three important generals of the border garrisons all pricked up their ears and kept their eyes glued to Lu Jun, utterly astonished!

Recording the climate was the responsibility of the Bureau of Astronomy, which involved sensitive celestial phenomena that ministers had never paid attention to.

Unexpectedly, Lu Jun took the initiative to go to Lintai to read historical records and even summarized the patterns...

He is truly learned.

That's really bold!

Wu Zetian, however, did not care at all, thinking: "Rain and snow are related to the harvest of the fields and the disaster relief of the imperial court. They are not things like tree demons, auspicious omens, or prophecies. They are not taboo."

Seeing that the Empress Dowager nodded slightly and was not angry, the senior officials were relieved and knew that they could continue the discussion.

Xu Qinming, anxious, asked first, "Even if there is a pattern, what does it have to do with Tibet?"

"Commander Xu, don't be anxious." Lu Jun smiled slightly.

Reaching out again, he pointed to the map:

Before explaining the relationship, let me first introduce Tibet to you all...

"The land of Tibet is divided into four parts."

"It originated from this place, then gradually expanded westward, and then conquered eastward and northward to reach its current scale."

"The place where they originated is called 'Wei' in Tibetan, meaning 'center,' and the surrounding area is called 'Zang,' collectively known as the 'Wei-Zang Four Regions.'"

"This is the territory under the Zanpu's influence, and 'Weiru' and 'Yoru' are the most deeply rooted directly controlled territories."

"West of Ü-Tsang was the original territory of the Zhangzhung Kingdom. After the fall of Zhangzhung, Songtsen Gampo divided it into the 'Three Garrisons of Ngari'."

"To the north lies the former territory of the Tuyuhun, which the Tibetans called 'Duomai,' a part of the 'Duokang Liugang.'"

"This area is the land of various Qiang tribes, including Bailan and Dangxiang, which the Tibetans call 'Duodui'."

"Generally speaking, it consists of four parts: Ü-Tsang, Ngari, Dome, and Dodui."

"Its subdivided areas are the territories of the major noble powers..."

Later generations combined the four Ü-Tsang regions and the three Ngari regions into Ü-Tsang, which is the main body of Tibet; Dome later became Amdo, which is the main body of Qinghai; and Dodui became Kham, which is the region of western Sichuan, northwestern Yunnan, southeastern Qinghai, and east of Tibet.

Together they are known as the three major snow regions.

If Lu Jun wants to explain the patterns, she needs to first provide some basic information...

But then, Huiyou Hall fell silent again.

The Tang Dynasty knew very little about Tibet, and even less about its internal regions, which were divided according to tradition and evolution.

Hearing this explanation, even Lou Shide felt secretly ashamed: "I've dealt with the Tibetans for many years, and I only know a part of it. How can he know it so well..."

His questioning of Lu Jun stemmed from his confidence in his understanding of Tibet, but this confidence gradually diminished.

The other ministers, seeing that he remained silent, were even less inclined to speak.

Lu Jun pointed to the southeast corner of Lhasa:

"Now we can talk about our relationship..."

"The Central Plains and Tibet are under the same sky. As the Central Plains warms, the Tibetan lands will naturally follow suit."

"It's not that the climate in Tibet was the same as that of the Tang Dynasty in a certain year or on a certain day, but rather that Tibet has been gradually warming up over the past hundred years."

"The reason why the 'Wei' region was able to give rise to the Tubo Kingdom is because it is arable and is one of the few fertile farmlands in the snowy region."

"With stable harvests from farmland, there are naturally more people to support than in pastoral areas. This is true in the Central Plains and also in Tibet."

"But this place is ultimately located in a high snowy region, with harsh weather all year round, and the yield of the land is limited. It only has a significant advantage when the climate warms up, so decades ago..."

At this point, the Empress Dowager exclaimed "Ah!"

He suddenly realized: "It's because of global warming that the satellite region has grown so large and gradually swallowed up its neighbors."

Lu Jun nodded: "Your Majesty is wise, that is indeed the case!"

"As the climate warms, this place will have a great advantage, and can gradually conquer all directions and achieve great things."

"And as long as it can be maintained, the Zanpu family will not collapse and will not be destroyed by the other nobles."

"But according to my summary, there are always changes in temperature every two or three hundred years, and major changes occur almost every thousand years!"

"If the climate cools down, the Zanpu's power will greatly decline, and he will no longer have an absolute advantage over the nobles."

"Such a vast region, as long as there is no absolute strongman, will be fragmented like the northern desert, with each region ruling its own territory."

Therefore, the rise of Tibet was a coincidence!

"Once it declines, it may be difficult for it to rise again for a thousand years!"

Historically, since the fall of Tibet, no powerful figures have emerged in that land, posing little threat to the Central Plains dynasties. Tibet vanished as quickly as it appeared.

After Lu Jun finished speaking, she turned her head and stood tall, looking at Lou Shide with a stern and confident gaze.

Then the conversation moves on to Xu Qinming and Tang Xiujing, and then skips over Xing Wenwei, Wu Youning, Wu Chengsi, Cen Changqian, and Wu Sansi one by one...

A slight smile:

"Therefore, I say that you all overestimate Tibet."

"As a subject of the Great Tang, I must plan the Great Tang's national policy towards Tibet for decades, or even a century, to come."

"He who does not plan for the long term is not fit to plan for the short term. I suggest that Buddhism be introduced to Tibet. I do not expect it to be effective immediately, but I know that several years later will be a very opportune time."

"Because at this time the king was still powerful and had the ability and willingness to promote Buddhism in order to seize power."

"In a few decades, when the climate turns colder, the king will be weaker and will no longer be able to forcefully promote Buddhism."

"At that time, although the threat of Tibet to the Tang Dynasty had diminished, the Tang Dynasty had also lost a good opportunity to annex Tibet."

"Because the two places have different cultures, and the Tang Dynasty could not station troops alone for a long time, it was easier to win them over with ideology."

"This is a plan for future generations!"

quiet--

Logically, a young man discussing border affairs in front of high-ranking officials and veteran generals should have been met with much skepticism and heated debate...

However, prime ministers such as Xing Wenwei and Wu Youning found that, based on their knowledge and learning, they were unable to offer any rebuttals.

Wu Chengsi then recalled the way Lu Jun had defied him during the court hearing that day.

This young man knows so much... There's a reason why the Empress Dowager values ​​him so much; there's no need to take him too seriously.

After all, he supports my Wu family and will be my loyal retainer from now on...

Why bother?

Li Zhaode, Yao Yuanchong, and Zong Chuke were among the most knowledgeable military strategists among civil officials, but their knowledge of climate change and the rise and fall of power within Tibet was truly beyond their capabilities.

Yao Yuanchong secretly admired him: "His knowledge is far broader than any policy document could cover; he's truly remarkable..."

Wu Zetian was very pleased with herself and said to Lou Shide, "Lou Qing, you might as well ask Chu Yu about your doubts from that day."

She had initially worried that Lu Jun was being too arbitrary, but her confidence instantly returned.

Lou Shide pondered for a moment, just about to speak, when Yao Yuanchong suddenly said, "I have a question."

Chao Lou Shide smiled and said, "May I ask first?"

Lou Shide raised his hand: "Please."

Yao Yuanchong turned to Lu Jun:

"Lu Shiyi, I greatly admire your extensive knowledge and far-sighted strategies, however..."

"According to you, the Zanpu (king) will promote Tantric Buddhism, using it to subjugate the nobles and consolidate power, leading to endless wars with the nobles and making it impossible for them to unite against the Tang Dynasty..."

"But with the Zanpu's strength and the blessing of Tantric Buddhism, can't he eliminate the nobles and achieve complete unification?"

"Just like in the Central Plains, establish prefectures and counties, send centrally appointed officials, and bring all four directions under direct control."

"Wouldn't Tibet become even stronger in that case?"

"Your strategy actually helped the enemy?"

Lou Shide laughed heartily: "The question that Master Yao raised is exactly what I wanted to ask. We've got the same idea..."

A few days ago, he used this same rhetorical question to make the Empress Dowager waver.

If we were to actually support a more powerful Tibet, it would be counterproductive and we would be doing all the work for someone else.

Lu Jun smiled slightly at Lou Shide and Yao Yuanchong: "Impossible."