The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

Xu Qinming was indeed much more polite, even using the phrase "May I ask?"

But his words still carried a questioning tone; he had been holding this question in for two days and finally blurted it out.

If we really want to strengthen the defense of Hexi, we'll have to do it all. Reinforcing troops, cultivating land, and building cities are all tough tasks. Liangzhou only has a little over 10,000 households, so the pressure is immense.

He thought it was a bad deal.

Lu Mingyuan countered, "Commander Xu asked where the troops came from, but I would like to ask you first, Commander, whether we need to send reinforcements?"

When faced with a problem, the correct approach is to first determine whether or not to do it before discussing how to do it.

Xu Qinming's forehead tightened:

"I have read your strategy document. Your desire to increase troops is simply because the situation in Hexi is more dire than before."

"However, the northern deserts and Anxi have been lost for five years. Since the first year of the Chuigong era, we have been attacked from both sides."

"With me in Liangzhou, Commander Tang in Xizhou, and Lord Lou holding back the main force of the Tubo army in Heyuan, the defense should be fairly solid, right?"

"The Turks' military campaigns were mostly directed towards Shuofang, Hedong, and Hebei, which are closer to the heart of the Central Plains, rather than Hexi."

"Leaving aside Longyou, at least in my view, there's no need to reinforce the troops, build cities, or conscript people to cultivate land in Hexi!"

"Otherwise, the local militia will be insufficient, and the people will also suffer."

Hearing this, Wu Sansi secretly felt smug and glanced at Li Zhaode with a smile.

When he first heard the policy document, he thought Lu Jun was just making a fuss over nothing, and he was even scolded by the Empress Dowager for it. Now, with the support of the generals at the front, he regained his confidence.

Just as Lu Jun was about to answer, a strong voice rang out, and Tang Xiujing spoke:

"Master Xu, I have a slightly different opinion."

"Don't forget, the Four Garrisons of Anxi are still in the hands of the Tibetans, who border the Turks to the north and will surely seek an alliance."

"We're discussing this here, but who knows if the Tibetans and Turks aren't plotting something elsewhere, planning to join forces and advance on Hexi?"

"They each have their own demands among the ten clans. How to define their spheres of influence will take several years to negotiate before we take action."

"Perhaps soon, Hexi will be attacked from both sides."

"If Hexi is lost, then Longyou will be in grave danger!"

Regarding the geopolitical implications of the Hexi Corridor, Gu Zuyu, a geographer and historian of the Qing Dynasty, stated in his "Reading History and Geography":

"To protect Qin and Long, we must secure Hexi; to secure Hexi, we must repel the Western Regions."

As a frontline commander, Tang Xiujing's Xizhou was the eastern gateway to the Western Regions, facing even greater incursions from the Tubo and Turkic tribes, making him more aware of the enemy's tendency to form alliances.

Historically, it was his memorial to the court two years later that convinced Empress Wu Zetian to resolve to recover Anxi.

Upon seeing Lu Jun's proposal, he was overjoyed and pleased, and thus secretly supported Lu Jun.

Yao Yuanchong echoed:

"The key to defense lies in interlocking lines."

"The reason why the Heyuan Army has such a heavy responsibility is that it has penetrated deep into the south of the Qilian Mountains, like a wedge and a blade, blocking the route for the Tubo (Tibetan) to the north."

"Lu Shiyi's suggestion to set up an army at Baitinghai would extend the defense of Liangzhou a thousand miles to the northeast, which is also reasonable."

"I believe it is necessary."

When it came to specific matters, the senior officials joined the discussion, each expressing their opinion.

Li Zhaode and Zong Chuke shared similar views with Tang Xiujing, believing that it was necessary to take precautions.

Xing Wenwei, Wu Youning, and others believed that insufficient troop strength was a real problem, and that it would be difficult to defend the isolated force deep in Baihaiting.

The two groups held their own opinions and argued heatedly.

Wu Zetian waved her sleeve and said, "Ministers, please stop. Everyone, please state your opinion. Those who agree to establish an army, raise your right arm; those who disagree, raise your left arm. I will see your opinions."

As a monarch, it was almost the norm for her ministers to have differing opinions; she had seen it far too often.

Usually, both sides have valid points, and she needs to first determine which opinion prevails.

Everyone raised their hands...

Those who agreed were: Li Zhaode, Yao Yuanchong, Zong Chuke, Tang Xiujing, and Lou Shide.

Those who disagreed include: Xing Wenwei, Wu Youning, Wu Chengsi, Cen Changqian, Wu Sansi, and Xu Qinming.

Five to six, the majority disagreed.

After counting the number of people, Xu Qinming said to Lu Jun, "Lu Shiyi, you are the one who proposed this, so you cannot express your opinion."

Seeing that he had the advantage, he was worried that Lu Jun would raise his hand to tie the game, so he immediately banned him.

There was another unspoken message: the others were all high-ranking officials; the seven of them wore purple robes, and even the lowest-ranking among them were sixth-grade officials. He wasn't qualified...

Lu Jun smiled and said, "As a subordinate official, I naturally have no right to express my opinion. I understand."

"May I express my opinion?" Wu Zetian raised her right arm.

Seeing that Lu Jun was being bullied by the stronger party, she decided to step forward herself to put pressure on the fierce general.

I will protect my beloved minister whom I have promoted, so that everyone can see that Lu Chuyu is someone I can trust!

The Huiyou Hall fell silent immediately.

"Your Majesty, you're cheating like this..." Xu Qinming's lips moved, but he ultimately held back.

"Forgive my bluntness, but we have not yet reached a conclusion, and it is not appropriate for the Empress Dowager to express her opinion!" The Grand Secretary Xing Wenwei raised his head proudly.

Li Zhaode straightened his back and said, "Listening to both sides leads to enlightenment, while believing only one side leads to darkness. I hope Your Majesty will first allow us to weigh the pros and cons before making a decision. Please do not make a hasty decision based on favoritism."

Both men were upright and honest. Although one agreed and the other disagreed, neither allowed the Empress Dowager to take sides.

Wu Zetian frowned slightly, then immediately relaxed: "You're right, as you two ministers agree."

He said to Lu Jun, "Chu Yu, the ministers all hold their own opinions, and there are many who disagree. You should answer the question from the Governor of Liangzhou."

Xing Wenwei and Li Zhaode are right. In matters of national importance, we must respect the opinions of our ministers.

We still need to let Lu Jun prove herself through her abilities.

"Yes."

Lu Jun turned to Xu Qinming: "To explain why we need to increase troop deployment, it's actually very simple; a few words will suffice."

"Just a few words?" Xu Qinming naturally didn't believe him. "What insightful opinions do you have? I'm all ears!"

Since the Empress Dowager is so protective of him, we should be even more polite.

Lu Jun smiled and said, "It's not for me to explain, but for the Commander to say it himself."

"How could I say that myself?" Xu Qinming internally swore at a thousand curses, but he forcibly held them back. "What do you mean?"

There were more than ten jade bowls in front of Lu Jun, which were brought by a maid for making tea. He placed them on a wooden tray, picked them up, walked to Xu Qinming, and took out the bowls one by one:

"The Commander-in-Chief comes from a family of generals and is stationed in Xiong Prefecture. I am but a junior official and am not worthy to discuss military matters with the Commander-in-Chief..."

"But since this is a discussion in the imperial court, I dare to use a teacup to conduct an attack and defense simulation with the commander-in-chief."

"After taking just a few steps, the commander-in-chief will say it himself; there's no need for me to explain."

Please enlighten me!

Before Xu Qinming could agree, they began to set them out in front of him, explaining the meaning of each one as they were placed:

"The commander's left hand represents west, and his right hand represents east. These three bowls, in order, represent Liangzhou, Xizhou, and Anxi..."

"This is the source of the Yellow River, this is the main force of the Tubo (Tibetan) forces of Tuyuhun, this is the land of the Nine Bends..."

"Further northeast, this is Lingzhou, this is southern Mongolia, this is the Turkic northern Mongolian capital..."

"Further beyond, there are the Khitan, Shiwei, and Mohe..."

"The commander-in-chief is skilled in battle; please employ the Tibetans."

"This humble official is terrified and will respond with the might of the Tang Dynasty!"

Wargaming has existed since ancient times.

Before the Xia and Shang dynasties, people often used stones and wooden strips to draw patterns on the ground to play chess, which evolved into the prototype of Chinese chess.

During the strategic decision-making phase, both commanders need to repeatedly make assumptions and practice offense and defense to avoid being too one-sided in their thinking and ignoring the enemy's counterattack methods.

But to conduct a drill in the main hall like this, using a teacup for gesturing, is truly a novel experience.

Xu Qinming, being a commander-in-chief, was naturally not intimidated: "Alright, I'll give it a try!"

The others found it very interesting and gathered around to watch, even Wu Zetian approached with a smile.

Lu Jun took another jade bowl and began his journey from the southeast of Xizhou, heading deeper into the Western Regions: "This humble official will depart from Shazhou and take the Great Desert Road to recover the four towns."

He held another bowl: "The Huluwu tribe of Dulu is loyal to the Celestial Dynasty. We have sent our troops south to support the main army."

Xu Qinming thought to himself, "The Western Regions are far from Tibet's homeland, and the enemy's attack is fierce; it's not advisable to confront them head-on..."

He took a teacup and retreated westward: "These are the Tibetan garrison troops. We'll take the southern route to avoid your advance."

The so-called "Great Desert Road" and "Southern Road" refer to the northern and southern routes along the Taklamakan Desert.

Lu Jun moved the jade bowl, pressing forward as she followed:

"Strike while the iron is hot!"

Xu Qinming continued to retreat, all the way to the vicinity of Khotan, south of the Four Garrisons, when suddenly...

Take another jade bowl, travel north from Tibet through the Khotan road, and join the defeated army: "Lure the enemy deep into our territory, then launch a combined attack on your expeditionary force!"