There was no morning court the next day, but Xue Shao still came to the military department office very early. Yao Yuanchong also came early, and the two happened to meet at the gate of the official office.

"Yuanzhi, is there any news of the Turkic envoys?" Xue Shao asked immediately.

"Nope." Yao Yuanchong shook his head, "Recently, the lower officials have been waiting and inquiring every day, but there has been no news of the Turkic envoys coming. ”

"Enter the palace and ask the Queen Mother." Xue Shao didn't say a word, pulled Yao Yuanchong and entered the palace together.

Wu Zetian has always been diligent in government, and he rarely slept in the morning when he got up early at dawn for decades. But today Xue Shao went to the imperial study of Zhenguan Palace but didn't see Wu Zetian, only the harem Yuzheng and Huayang's wife Kudi, she was reading some folds on behalf of Wu Zetian.

Xue Shao asked her, where is the Queen Mother?

Kudi's face was embarrassed, and he motioned to Xue Shao not to ask.

How could Xue Shao not know in his heart, now Liu Huaiyi often stays in the palace on the grounds of supervising Mingtang...... Wait!

"Xue Juma, what's the matter? I wonder if there's a place I can help? Kudi asked.

Xue Shao thought about it, Wu Zetian was now relieved to let the Kudi clan help her read the chapter, presumably she should know something. So he asked her, is there any news that the Turkic envoys are going south?

"Nope." Kudi replied in the affirmative, "Recently, the Queen Mother has also been very concerned about this matter and has been inquiring every day, but there has been no news of the Turkic envoys entering the customs. ”

"I'm in trouble...... Xue Shao muttered with frowning brows.

Kudi was slightly startled, "Why don't I report it?" ”

"Is it convenient?"

“…… I see the opportunity. With that, Kudi left.

Yao Yuanchong's expression became very embarrassed, and he whispered: "Why don't you go down to the official and avoid it first?" ”

Xue Shao thought for a while and said, "No." You'll have to help me in a moment! ”

"Uh, okay......" Yao Yuanchong scratched his head, although Liu Huaiyi's affairs were known to everyone in the government and the opposition, but it seemed quite embarrassing to break it in person!

After about an hour, Xue Shao was waiting for the seven orifices to smoke, and Wu Zetian finally came.

"Chengyu entered the palace so early, what's the matter?" Wu Zetian smiled and was not embarrassed at all.

Xue Shao said bluntly: "Queen Mother, I think the Turks are acting strangely, and it is very likely to launch a war of southern invasion in the near future." ”

Wu Zetian was slightly stunned, "Is the source of the news reliable?" ”

Xue Shao shook his head, "It's just the minister's speculation." ”

Wu Zetian blinked thoughtfully, "What are you based on to speculate?" ”

Yao Yuanchong couldn't help but be stunned on the side, and said in his heart that such a big thing would dare to report it just based on "speculation", and it was also Xue Shao himself, in other words, others would definitely be scolded first, and if it was serious, they would even be questioned!

Xue Shao briefly reported to Wu Zetian about the secret conversation with Li Dayu yesterday, and then said: "Queen Mother, if what Li Dayu said is true, then the Turks have already prepared the strength to defeat the Xi and Khitan by force. But they just saw that Datang came forward to mediate and scattered 150,000 troops, so there must be other schemes behind this move. ”

Wu Zetian pondered for a long time and said: "The 150,000 army is said to retreat, but it is indeed a bit strange to spend money and food on countless empty baskets. But is it too hasty to make a judgment based on Li Dayu's side of the story? ”

"Queen Mother, prevention is better than remedy. War and raiding were of great importance to the Turks, who had not fought with us for a year or two, and the demand for tea, silk, porcelain, and ironware was now quite great in the steppe. Xue Shao said, "Although we have opened up some border farms to trade with the grasslands, this is a drop in the bucket for millions of grassland people." I learned from Li Dayu that one of our tea bricks can now be exchanged for a horse and a load of wool in the black market of the Black Sand Tooth Tent, which is more than three times longer than the previous value. In the face of such a huge profit difference, the same thought will arise in the minds of all Turks - why don't we go to the south and grab a little more? ”

Although Wu Zetian, who was born in a merchant family, did not study "economics", she was very able to understand the meaning of Xue Shao's words. The pursuit of profit and wealth is not the prerogative of businessmen, and the state and the government need wealth as a support. If the tea bricks of the Tang Dynasty can really be sold at such a sky-high price in Heisha City, then one or two Turks will want to gang up to steal the tea bricks, and seven or eight Turks will get together and want to rob the Han merchants who sell tea. After hundreds and tens of thousands of Turks, including Turkic nobles, also had such an idea, wars with invasion and plunder as the main purpose were no longer inevitable!

But on the contrary, the last thing Wu Zetian hopes for now is to restart the war with the Turks. War is like a huge and bottomless vortex, and countless wealth and resources will be swallowed up by it. The resulting release of military power is a major hidden danger that cannot be ignored at the juncture of changing the dynasty - who can guarantee that the general who led the troops to the battle is not Li Tang's die-hard loyalist, and will not attack her at a critical time with ill intentions?

So Wu Zetian was silent for a long time, and just said: "Hasn't this palace rewarded Gu Lulu and Yuanzhen many times to show appeasement?" ”

"Queen Mother, the Turks are originally wolf breeds, not domestic dogs. No matter how good the meat we fed, it was not as refreshing as the bloody creatures they hunted themselves. Xue Shao said, "Besides, the entire grassland has a great thirst for the rich products of the Central Plains. Even if the khans and nobles themselves did not lack these things, they had to consider the needs and desires of their people. Of course, the most important thing is that the Turks have recovered from the defeat of Yunzhou, they are becoming stronger every day, and they are already equipped to start a war to avenge their blood hatred. Hatred is also an important factor that drives the Turks to go to war! ”

Wu Zetian fell silent again. If there is motivation and strength, then the Turks will only lack an opportunity and an excuse to start a war. And opportunities and excuses can never prevent the outbreak of war.

Thinking of his previous many rewards to the Turks, Wu Zetian felt a little sad and angry, and said hatefully: "This palace has never treated the Turks badly, but wolves are wolves, and they will always be beastly and untamable!" ”

"Queen Mother, it is necessary for us to prepare in advance and take precautions." Xue Shao said.

"Where will they fight? With such a long border, how can we prevent it? Wu Zetian spread his hands, both distressed and angry.

Xue Shao's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he clenched his fists and said: "The minister suggested that on the grounds that the Turks did not send envoys to Tang and despised the suzerain, we united the Khitan and Xi tribes to take the initiative to attack. The minister thinks that offense is the best defense. Only in this way can the military deployment of the Turks be disrupted and thus occupy the initiative in the war! ”

As soon as these words came out, Wu Zetian was shocked on the spot, and Yao Yuanchong was also stunned.

——In this situation, I'm afraid that except for Xue Shao, no one would have thought that Datang would take the initiative to attack!

"Nope." Wu Zetian decisively vetoed it, "What we should do now is to avoid war as much as possible." How can they take the initiative to provoke war? ”

Xue Shao took a deep breath, "Queen Mother, there is no way to avoid it. ”

"To make such a speculation and decision based on Li Dayu's words alone...... Wu Zetian frowned hesitantly and said, "Is it really too arbitrary?" ”

At this time, Yao Yuanchong made a look of wanting to speak and stopped. Xue Shao's direct conversation with the Queen Mother, not to mention that he is a soldier of the military department, I am afraid that the prime minister will not interject at will.

"Yuanzhi, what do you say?" Wu Zetian took the initiative to ask.

"Queen Mother, the minister thinks that Xue Shangshu's advice is worth adopting." Yao Yuanchong said: "I think that maybe we don't need to take the initiative to start a war, because the victory of the war is not of great significance to us. But it is very necessary for us to take the initiative in the war, because the pressure on the defense is too great for us. Thousands of miles of national borders, but if any point is broken by the Turks, its losses are immeasurable. Now that the leaders of the Khitan and Xi tribes are in Shendu, it is a good time for us to unite the two major tribes to fight against the Turks. And the fact that the Turks did not send them south to accept mediation also gave us the best excuse for our division to become famous. If we don't take advantage of this opportunity to put pressure on the Turks, we will have to be exhausted when they take the initiative to start a war. Even if we can win the war then, the place of the war is on our territory, and our losses are irreparable. Xue Shangshu has a sentence that is to the point - prevention is better than remedy. The minister was more in favor of the strategy of attacking instead of defending. Keeping the enemy out of the country is the best policy! ”

Wu Zetian pondered for a long time, and seemed to be still quite hesitant, and asked, "Specifically, what kind of military deployment should be made?" ”

Xue Shao said: "The minister suggested that the minister should lead the right guard army of the Luoshui battalion to the northern Xinjiang, and unite the Dingxiang army of Xue Ne's department and the alliance army of the Xi Khitan to ask the Turkic Xingshi for their crimes. ”

"No." Wu Zetian refused without hesitation, "The right guard army guards the Jingshi, how can it leave without permission?" You are the Xia official Shangshu who is in charge of military affairs, and the palace has to ask you for advice day and night, and you can't be allowed to lead the army on an expedition. ”

"Queen Mother, the situation is difficult and the fighter plane is fleeting, so you can't hesitate!" Xue Shao admonished loudly.

"......" Wu Zetian pondered and hesitated, hesitated and pondered, "You guys retreat first, and let the palace think twice." ”

"Please Queen Mother, make a quick decision!" Xue Shao and Yao Yuanchong admonished again and again.

"Two Aiqing, please step down first!"

When he walked out of the Zhenguan Palace, Xue Shao walked quickly without saying a word.

Yao Yuanchong followed behind him worriedly, not daring to speak.

When he crossed the dismount bridge and turned over on the horse, Xue Shao sighed angrily, looking at Yao Yuanchong and wanting to speak, but he couldn't say a word.

Yao Yuanchong saw that his face was pale, so he had to persuade in a low voice: "Shangshu doesn't have to be angry, maybe the matter is not as serious as we think?" ”

"Luck!" Xue Shaozheng had nowhere to vent his anger, so he opened his mouth and scolded, "It's a person like you who specializes in eating defeats!" ”

"No matter how much you scold me, it won't help!" Yao Yuanchong spread his hands and smiled bitterly, "Besides, if you are lucky, it is not Xia Guan himself!" ”

"You're the one who scolds!" Xue Shao snorted coldly angrily, and said in her heart that she was not lucky, she just didn't want to fight, she just didn't want me to lead the troops out!

Grandma has a leg, I really want to drag her to the emperor's dragon chair now, and then hold her down and don't move anymore - all the other problems will be solved by me!

Xue Shao was suddenly able to understand why there were so many powerful ministers in history.

They are certainly ambitious, but ambition is definitely not their only motivation.