The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

"Why is it impossible?"

The person who asked the question was Zong Chuke, who was seated on the east side below Lu Jun according to his official rank after entering the hall and taking his seat.

He was Wu Zetian's cousin, and his elder brother Zong Qinke was a Fengge Attendant. At the end of last year, he was ordered to create twelve new characters and was trusted by the Empress Dowager. He was already halfway to becoming a prime minister.

Zong Chuke raised a question not to suppress Lu Jun, but out of genuine curiosity:

"I have read Jiang Tong's 'On Relocating the Barbarians'..."

"Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts; the ambitions and attitudes of the Rong and Di tribes are not the same as those of the Hua..."

"The Rong and Di tribes have no shortcuts, no grains, and are not of our kind. When they are strong, they are violent and aggressive; when they are weak, they are submissive and humble..."

"But after the Han people's military might and influence had been present for a long time, the Qiang people were divided into the raw Qiang and the cooked Qiang, and the barbarians were divided into the black barbarians and the white barbarians."

"Tibet made peace with the Tang Dynasty through marriage and sent students to study there, so they naturally understood this principle."

"Why couldn't the Zanpu (Tibetan king) follow the example of the Han Chinese and gradually reform the system, unifying the country through a prefecture-county system?"

The terms "raw Qiang," "cooked Qiang," "black barbarian," and "white barbarian" are general terms used to distinguish the Qiang people and other ethnic groups in Southwest China based on their degree of Sinicization.

This is used to illustrate that as long as education continues, even marginal tribes can accept and implement monarchical policies.

Zong Chuke became an official in the Xia Dynasty in his early thirties. Although he relied on his status as a relative of the emperor, he was still a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and very capable.

These words blocked Lu Jun's path of simply explaining it with the four words "barbarians are ignorant".

Yao Yuanchong followed suit:

"After hearing about Lu Shiyi's Buddhist strategies, I also went to study Kumarajiva's esoteric Buddhist translations."

"As Lu Shiyi said, Tantric rituals are complex and hierarchical, combining the strengths of Confucianism and Legalism, which is indeed helpful for the king to consolidate power. I admire it very much."

"The strength of Confucianism and Legalism lies in maintaining unity. Since the Zanpu (Tibetan king) already practices Tantric Buddhism, shouldn't he also benefit from it?"

He was well-prepared and had a very clear mind, using Lu Jun's own judgment to refute the claims.

Lu Jun did not answer directly, but instead asked, "This humble official would like to ask Lord Yao and Lord Zong, in terms of understanding of the Central Plains, is it more about the Tibetans, or the Xiongnu and Turks?"

Yao Yuanchong and Zong Chuke exchanged a surprised look and replied, "Naturally, it's mostly the Xiongnu and Turks."

After all, both are closer to the Central Plains and have had much longer interactions with each other.

Lu Jun smiled slightly:

"Since the Xiongnu and Turks knew more, they naturally understood the advantages of the prefecture-county system in the Central Plains."

"Why didn't the Xiongnu, Rouran, and Turks adopt the prefecture-county system after unifying the northern deserts?"

"We can't say they lacked Shang Yang's vision, nor did they produce a Qin Shi Huang, can we?"

Yao Yuanchong immediately replied:

"The grasslands are different from the Han lands. Various tribes live and roam freely, and each has its own strength."

"The Great Khan needs them to fight in all directions, so he naturally has to rely on winning them over. He cannot abolish the fiefdoms and establish prefectures and counties."

"The reason why the Western Zhou Dynasty enfeoffed feudal lords was not only to reward merit and relatives, but also to encourage them to conquer the surrounding barbarians and guard the borders. Naturally, they needed to be given benefits."

"Once the surrounding barbarians submit and the borders are stable, the enfeoffment of feudal lords will be of little significance, and the counties can be abolished."

"The grasslands are vast and boundless, with numerous tribes constantly at war with each other, making it unsuitable for establishing prefectures and counties..."

He was well-versed in historical records and knowledgeable about border affairs, so he naturally understood the inherent logic of power dynamics among nomadic peoples on the grasslands.

Ultimately, small tribes establish themselves through strength, not simply by being deposed by a Great Khan.

But he realized that Lu Jun was trying to lure him in, making him answer the question of why Tibet could not establish prefectures and counties, and continued:

"Tibet is a land of cold and frozen soil with limited resources. As Lu Shiyi said, its natural endowments should not have given rise to a powerful state."

"If the prefecture-county system could be implemented, the nation's resources could be pooled to seek fertile land elsewhere. Wouldn't that be a feasible strategy?"

We will still use Lu Jun's conclusion to fight back, using their own arguments against them.

Zong Chuke picked up the conversation:

"Moreover, the grassland climate is harsh, and only the fittest survive. Tribes naturally respect the strong."

"Unlike the people of the Central Plains who knew etiquette and upheld moral teachings, they merely submitted to their rulers and rarely showed the respect that the people of the Central Plains had."

"If Tantric Buddhism is truly helpful to the king, wouldn't it be precisely because of this that it overcomes this problem?"

He continued to pressure Lu Jun to answer the questions directly.

Yao Yuanchong and Zong Chuke were 41 and 32 years old respectively, both young and promising officials in the court. In terms of professional ability, they were even stronger than Li Zhaode.

Wu Zetian sent them here precisely to thoroughly discuss border issues and decide whether to implement them.

Although I trust Lu Jun, matters of national importance cannot be decided by a pen or a mouth alone.

Seeing that Yao and Zong were quick-witted and eloquent, the other senior officials tacitly handed the debate over to them.

Lu Jun shook her head: "What you two said is correct, but it may not have hit the nail on the head."

He walked back to his original seat and sat down, getting closer to the two of them.

"When I was taking the imperial examination, I said that the Sui emperor lacked the skills to govern the country, and at that time I was afraid that you gentlemen might not have been convinced..."

"It's just that the palace examination was for commoners who were not candidates, so the requirements were not high. Therefore, we turned a blind eye and let it pass."

"But my answer is serious. While governing a country certainly relies on benevolent governance, tactics are also extremely important."

"This technique doesn't just refer to power politics."

"It's also about technology!"

"Technology?" Yao Yuanchong and Zong Chuke were stunned.

The Empress Dowager and the high-ranking officials looked at each other in bewilderment; this term was completely unfamiliar to them.

In their understanding, "skill" refers to the craftsmanship of artisans, or the musical skills of musicians, singers, and dancers, while "art" refers to methods, strategies, rules, and regulations. Combining the two is something they have never heard of before.

Lu Jun explained:

"Technology refers to the methods of governing a country and strengthening a military by utilizing the skills of craftsmen."

"Qin Jianchidao, and later generations also built official roads, which were wide roads made of rammed earth, making it faster for people and horses to travel. This is technology."

According to the Tang Dynasty system, a post station was set up every thirty li along the official road. A fast horse could travel six post stations a day, and an even faster horse could travel ten post stations.

"If there is an urgent military report, one can travel 500 li day and night, covering a distance of 3,000 li, and arrive in six days."

"Lou Gong, Xu Gong, and Tang Gong must have rushed to the capital day and night after receiving the urgent report, right?"

"It is precisely because of this technology that the monarch can control the four border regions with ease."

"This technology solves the problem of communication efficiency."

The impact of communication technology on governance is immeasurable; it's just that progress in ancient times was limited.

Lu Jun wasn't a genius in science and engineering; she couldn't create electrically powered communication devices. Otherwise, with just this dragon-slaying skill, she could truly roam the world and conquer all territories...

At that time, communication technology was not sufficient to maintain an excessively large empire, and it also affected the power structure of the nomadic peoples.

He continued to delve deeper:

"The nomadic peoples of the grasslands have difficulty communicating with each other."

"Although they have no shortage of fast horses, they live a nomadic life, following the water and pasture, and each tribe is constantly migrating."

"Once the grass on this hillside is eaten up, it needs to be tended for another season before moving on to a different hillside, and so on, traversing mountains and valleys..."

"Even if the Great Khan wanted to establish prefectures and counties, where would he set them up? How would his decrees be transmitted?"

"Technological limitations are the root cause!"

With more advanced communication technologies in the future, nomadic peoples on the grasslands will also be able to demarcate and manage their territories, and issue unified administrative orders.

But that's a story for later, something people at this time can't even imagine. Lu Jun stopped there.

He addressed Yao Yuanchong and Zong Chuke:

"Master Yao said, 'The Great Khan relies on nobles to fight wars, but don't the rulers of the Central Plains also rely on nobles to fight wars?'"

"For nearly a thousand years, the Qin system has been followed, rewarding military merit with land, granting fiefs, and allowing for hereditary succession—why not?"

"Master Zong said that nomadic peoples of the grasslands are naturally in awe of the strong. Which people doesn't revere the strong?"

"The Huaxia people originally only had the Central Plains. Didn't they first wage war against each other, with the victors being respected, gradually expanding their territory and absorbing and assimilating the surrounding tribes?"

"While Tantric Buddhism is helpful to the Tsangpo (king), it cannot overcome technical weaknesses, thus hindering the implementation of the prefecture-county system!"

"The snowy region is vast, and its people are mostly nomadic, just like the northern deserts, which lack the necessary conditions!"

Having answered their questions, he turned to the Empress Dowager and the remaining high-ranking officials, pressing his advantage:

"Moreover, Bon religion is very difficult to eradicate."

"Because Bon religion advocates polytheism, and nobles are scattered throughout the snowy land, each tribe corresponds to a specific deity, which is the capital upon which the nobles rely to establish themselves."

"They will not allow Bon to disappear, therefore they will do everything in their power to stop the spread of Buddhism and limit the power of the king."

"In my opinion, this struggle will not end until Bon and Tantra combine and each takes the best of both worlds."

"But by then, Tibet had already declined and was no longer powerful!"

Mmm—

A chorus of agreement emerged from the Huiyou Hall, initially sparse and scattered, but gradually spreading out.

The ministers, who had been sitting upright, began to adjust their postures and lean towards Lu Jun at some point.

Listening to him speak is like hearing profound and insightful teachings during one's enlightenment; unexpected new knowledge always emerges, captivating them and drawing them in effortlessly.

Yao Yuanchong's face relaxed: "Lu Shiyi's insight is brilliant. I never thought of this before. I admire him."

Zong Chuke also bowed and said, "Your technical insights are refreshing and I admire them greatly."

Lou Shide, Tang Xiujing, and Xu Qinming exchanged glances, none of them able to offer any rebuttal.

They lived far away on the frontier and held military positions for a long time. They believed more in the battles between soldiers than in writing.

Therefore, although they appreciated the strategy of sowing discord in the document, they still regarded Lu Jun as a mere Confucian scholar.

Listening to his insightful and comprehensive discourse, ranging from weather to technology, I subtly changed my perspective.

Xu Qinming looked at Lu Jun and nodded.

Li Zhaode sighed inwardly: "I knew from the beginning that he was exceptionally talented and had the ambition of a national hero, but unfortunately... it would have been fine if he had supported the Empress Dowager himself, but why did he have to actively create momentum for it? Isn't that an act of flattery?"

Seeing that her ministers could not refute her, Wu Zetian smiled and said, "Then let's get down to business and talk about Anxi?"

"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty," Yao Yuanchong suddenly said.

"Regarding Tibet, I have another question..."

"Since the climate won't change for decades or even a century, and Buddhism will need one or two generations of Tibetan kings to promote it, wouldn't Tibet still be at its zenith during this period?"

"Even if the strategy of sowing discord can suppress the enemy for a time, Tibet will still be a formidable enemy of the Tang Dynasty in the future, and will continue to invade and harass us."

"Under such circumstances, deploying troops on three fronts would drain the strength of our Celestial Empire, and wouldn't it be unbearable in a prolonged conflict?"

"Although Lu Shiyi planned for eternity, he was negligent for a moment, wasn't he?"

Yao Yuanchong, a master strategist with far-sighted vision, discovered a major problem with Lu Jun's strategy—

Decades is a long time. The Tang Dynasty and Tibet dragged each other down, and it was hard to say who would collapse first.

Firstly, besides Tibet, the Tang Dynasty also had the powerful Turks to the north, unlike Tibet which had a relatively singular enemy.

Secondly, there are unspoken subtexts.

While there were conflicts between the Zanpu (Tibetan king) and the nobility, the Celestial Empire also had conflicts between the Wu and Li clans, which would only be more intense than those in Tibet...

Tibet is weakened by internal strife, and the Tang Dynasty is likely to be even weaker, possibly unable to outlast Tibet.

Planning things decades from now would be futile.

A piece of waste paper.

Lu Jun understood his subtext, smiled slightly, and extended her right hand, raising her index and middle fingers: "This humble official has a way."

"Two words..."