The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

Xu Qinming completed his ambush and smiled smugly.

Luring the enemy deep into our territory, let's see what you do then!

Lu Jun remained calm and moved the Hu Luwu tribe in the north south, across the vast sea, to join forces with the main force.

"I have 25,000 Han soldiers who have been persuading the vassal states of the Western Regions to rebel along the way. By the time they reach this place, their numbers should exceed 30,000."

"With the reinforcements from Huluwu, our army's morale is high. And since this isn't a plateau, we have no fear of a decisive battle!"

"The Tibetan garrison in Anxi numbers no more than 20,000, and they are homesick; they may not be able to win!"

So it was intentional, he was holding back his desire to fight me... Xu Qinming frowned.

It was only then that they realized Lu Jun was very knowledgeable about the situation in the Western Regions and had done her homework in advance; she was not to be underestimated.

"Alright, the outcome of this battle is uncertain, I'll change my strategy."

He knew the fighting strength of the Tang army and also knew that the Tibetan army's advantages could not be fully utilized in the Western Regions. He did not dwell on the outcome of the decisive battle, but instead deduced a better solution.

After a moment's hesitation, he moved the jade bowl, which represented the Tibetan reinforcements, to the northwest of Tuyuhun.

"My reinforcements will change course to the Tuyuhun route, cutting off your isolated army that has penetrated deep into enemy territory, thus severing your supply lines."

There were three main routes for the Tibetan invasion of the Western Regions—

To the east is the Tuyuhun Road, which leads northwest from Tuyuhun through the Altun Mountains and into Ruoqiang, the ancient kingdom of Loulan.

The middle route is the Khotan Road, which passes through the Karakoram Mountains and the middle zone of the Kunlun Mountains, then exits the Kunlun Secret Pass to the north and enters Khotan.

They crossed Greater and Lesser Bolu to the west, bypassed Tokharistan, headed north to Ferghana, and advanced eastward along the Pamir Mountains to attack Shule.

The eastern route, originating from Shazhou, was under the jurisdiction of the Xizhou Governor and not part of the Four Garrisons of Anxi. Therefore, Lu Jun's document did not mention it, only ordering the Anxi Army to guard the Yutian and Bolu routes.

As a son of a military family, Xu Qinming refused to fight battles he was not confident of winning and continued to try to win through strategy.

Cutting off supply lines is also a common tactic used by military strategists.

Lu Jun smiled slightly, then turned to Tang Xiujing and asked, "Commander Tang, the Shicheng Town along the Tuyuhun Road has beacon towers and scouts, right?"

Tang Xiujing, Lou Shide, and Xu Qinming were all taken aback: "He actually knows about Shicheng Town?"

"That's right, Shicheng Town is beyond the usual scale, with two thousand soldiers and more than fifty beacon towers, stretching for hundreds of miles."

Upon hearing Tang Xiujing's reply, Lu Jun withdrew the main force eastward and moved it to the vicinity of Shicheng.

"Since there are beacon towers and scouts, the Tibetans' every move in the Tuyuhun Road can naturally be detected in advance."

"We have a supply route to the north, so we are not afraid of running out of food. We have already recaptured Khotan and left 5,000 men to guard it..."

"We will ask the Western Zhou army for help again, luring you to attack Stone City and seeking a decisive battle there."

"Furthermore, I will request the Heyuan army to send a feint, pretending to cross the Chiling Mountains, to tie down Zanpo's main force and limit the number of your troops that can leave the Tuyuhun Pass!"

This encounter is a recreation of a real-life scenario.

Historically, it was here that Wang Xiaojie decisively defeated Bo Lunzanren, stabilizing the four towns that had just been recovered.

Therefore, Lu Jun's response was not problematic. If the Tibetans sent troops out of Tuyuhun Road, they would still face a fierce battle, which was not a clever strategy.

Wu Zetian and her ministers watched with great interest as the two men displayed their skills.

Seeing Lu Jun's skillful and logical attacks and defenses, he secretly admired her: "She can actually fight the general to a standstill..."

Even though it's just a game, it's still quite rare.

"Okay, let's do it again! I'm getting serious this time!"

Xu Qinming had been underestimating his enemy, thinking that he could kill Lu Jun by luring him deep into enemy territory and cutting off his supply lines. Now, he was putting all his effort into thinking.

"Just now, my heart was with the Tang Dynasty, and my actions weren't ruthless enough. If I were to discuss the matter of Qinling..."

"They will send troops from Boludao to the five tribes of Nushibi to seek support, besiege Suyab, and threaten your northern frontier!"

"And he personally led his army to recover the land of Jiuqu, threatening the heartland of Longyou in the east, causing your entire court to tremble in fear."

"besides……"

He wanted to say something, but hesitated to speak.

Tang Xiujing shook his head and said, "Master Xu, just speak frankly. Since it's a battlefield, why be so polite?"

He noticed that Xu Qinming's gaze swept across Hexi, and realized that he was still holding back.

Lou Shide simply took matters into his own hands and moved the Turkic jade bowls from southern and northern Mongolia towards the southwest:

"Form an alliance with the Turks and launch a pincer attack on the Tang Dynasty from both the north and south!"

"The troops from the southern desert split into two routes: one advancing westward along the Yellow River, and the other heading south along the Baiting River to harass Liangzhou!"

"In the northern deserts, they also rallied the various Tiele tribes, taking advantage of the opportunity to attack the five Dulu tribes to the west, while another group marched south to Juyan Lake, raiding the Tang Dynasty's Anbei Protectorate, and then further south to plunder Ganzhou and Suzhou!"

"If Hexi falls, even if the Four Garrisons of Anxi are re-established, they will be isolated as enclaves and won't last long!"

Xu Qinming nodded silently; he had also thought of this method.

The reason I don't say it is not because I think it's too harsh.

This deduction actually proves that Hexi is very dangerous and that defenses must be strengthened in advance.

Historically, two years after Wang Xiaojie led his troops to recover Anxi, the Wu Zhou dynasty faced a very dangerous situation.

On the Tibetan side, they immediately dispatched Bolun Zanren to counterattack, leading his troops in a joint attack with the ten tribes against Wang Xiaojie.

Not long after, Lun Qinling personally left the mountain and crossed the Yellow River to the east to recover the Jiuqu region, threatening the Longyou region of the Tang Dynasty.

As fate would have it, Xingxiwang Khan, who ruled over the five tribes of Dulu, was unjustly killed by a cruel official. The Dulu tribe turned against him and attacked Suyab City. They also sent troops deep into Hexi to help Bolun Zanren fight a decisive battle against Wang Xiaojie.

Meanwhile, the Turks and Tibetans joined forces to harass Shazhou, aiming to cut off the support routes of the Four Garrisons of Anxi.

Mo Chuo personally led the attack on Lingzhou.

In recent years, Hexi was in grave danger. Wang Xiaojie fought fires everywhere for three consecutive years, which finally suppressed the enemy's momentum.

Later, the Turks launched a surprise attack on Liangzhou, defeated the Chishui army, and captured Xu Qinming...

His poor defense ultimately led to his downfall.

It was only after that that the Celestial Empire truly began to value the defense of Hexi, successively sending Tang Xiujing and Guo Yuanzhen to take charge of the overall situation and reverse the passive situation.

Seeing that the Tang Dynasty was in danger, everyone was terrified, but Lu Jun did not stop and reached out to draw a line to the northeast.

"Don't forget, the Turks were powerful at this time, and they were able to exert their influence on the Shiwei, Xi, and Khitan tribes to the east."

"Once the Turks send troops, they can incite the Shiwei to rebel and attack the Tang Dynasty from the northeast."

"If that were the case, the Tang Dynasty's borders, stretching for thousands of miles from the northeast to the northwest, would be engulfed in flames of war, and there would be no peace."

"That's the cruelest part!"

History has followed this trajectory.

After the Turks launched their attack, the Shiwei also rebelled, and Wu Zhou faced suppression from several allied forces, with war raging for thousands of miles.

Fortunately, Brother Xiaojie and Li Duozuo were very helpful, running all over the map, and managed to temporarily suppress the Tubo, Tujue, and Shiwei.

But powerful enemies remained. Lun Qinling marched east out of Longyou and defeated Wang Xiaojie. The Khitan in the northeast also refused to be controlled and rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. The biggest powder keg was finally ignited.

Leaving aside the subsequent events, by this time, after the war game simulation, everyone in the hall already understood—

To recapture Anxi, we must have a contingency plan!

What matters is not the outcome of the attack and defense, but the crises that arise during the attack and defense process, and the warning value of those crises.

Xu Qinming finally nodded: "Alright, I have no objection to strengthening the defenses of Hexi and Longyou ahead of schedule."

He really said those words himself!

Several ministers who advocated conservatism, such as Xing Wenwei, Wu Youning, Wu Chengsi, and Cen Changqian, also stopped insisting on their position.

Wu Zetian smiled and said, "Chu Yu's method of discussing military strategy is excellent. From now on, before any military campaign, we should all explain the changes thoroughly, without holding anything back!"

War games can help predict battle outcomes and distinguish between good and bad generals... Lu Chuyu always manages to surprise me!

Upon hearing her words, Li Zhaode, Yao Yuanchong, Tang Xiujing, and Lou Shide immediately replied, "We second that!"

What I was thinking was, "You'd better keep your word..."

In recent years, the Grand Commander-in-Chief has often secretly designated Master Xue, hoping that he would come to the palace and personally play this game.

Although Master Xue is also good at playing two-player games, excelling in both offense and defense, he always plays them behind closed doors.

If you're so capable, do it in front of everyone...

At this moment, Lu Jun returned to her seat, and a maid came to change the tea set. Xu Qinming immediately moved on to the next topic:

"I have no questions about reinforcing the troops, building fortifications, and establishing agricultural settlements... but where will the army come from?"

"Lu Shiyi, are you aware that Liangzhou only has six military prefectures: Mingwei, Hongchi, Fanhe, Wu'an, Lishui, and Guzang?"

"Ganzhou only has three military prefectures: Heli, Ganjun, and Ruoshui."

"Guazhou only has one military prefecture, Dahuang, and Shazhou only has three military prefectures: Longle, Xiaogu, and Xuanquan!"

"My Liangzhou Governor's Office, which governs Liangzhou and Ganzhou, has only nine military prefectures in total, with fewer than ten thousand soldiers, who have to take turns. How can we possibly support several newly established military garrisons?"

"You mean to suggest recruiting soldiers, right?"

"Do you know that Shuofang and Hedong are directly facing the powerful Turkic army, and in recent years they have needed a total force of over 250,000, and have already recruited many soldiers!"

"Moreover, the Hexi, Anxi, and Longyou regions are remote, and the sources of soldiers are limited, making it difficult to recruit such a large number."

"That's unrealistic!"

Although he had gained more respect for Lu Jun, he was always very direct and his questions remained aggressive.