complementary food strategy
The red rash on Taiping's body appeared quietly on the morning of the third day, as if it were a pre-arranged signal.
The small, rose-colored dots on her fair skin looked alarming, but the temperature on her forehead miraculously dropped.
(OS: Thank goodness, it really is roseola! History books didn't lie to me!)
Little Taiping opened her big, dark eyes. Although she was still a little listless, she was already waving her little hands to grab her mother's hanging hair.
"The rash has subsided and the fever has gone down; Her Highness is out of danger." Sun Simiao stroked his long beard, a look of relief on his face. "She only needs a light diet and a few days of rest."
Wu Meiniang let out a long sigh of relief, only then did she feel the fatigue of the past few days wash over her.
She kissed her daughter's cool little face, then turned and buried herself in the desk in the side hall.
There, piles of Tibetan intelligence delivered by Di Renjie overnight were stacked up.
(OS: Alright, little ancestor, be quiet now. Time to go meet that old ancestor from Tibet!)
When Li Zhi returned from court, his face showed the weariness and solemnity of days of meetings.
He first visited his daughter and saw that Taiping was happily chewing on a model of a grain transport ship. He felt relieved and then turned to Wu Meiniang: "Border military report: Lu Dongzan is still reinforcing his troops and is very arrogant. The prime ministers are arguing endlessly about whether to fight or make peace."
Wu Meiniang looked up from a pile of files, her eyes bloodshot but shining: "Your Majesty, I have just finished reading all the intelligence and I have an idea."
She unfurled a rough map, on which the spheres of influence of various Tibetan tribes were densely marked.
“Although Gar Tongtsen is the Grand Chancellor and wields immense power, Tibet is not a monolithic entity. Your Majesty, you see,” she said, tracing the names of several tribes with her fingertips, “these tribes have a long-standing grudge against Gar Tongtsen’s family, and these few are quite dissatisfied with Mangsong Mangtsen’s young ascension to the throne.”
(OS: Internal conflicts are always the breakthrough point!)
"Does the Empress mean... to divide and conquer?"
“Not only that,” a sly glint flashed in Wu Meiniang’s eyes, “Do you remember how Taiping refused milk a few days ago? We can use a similar ‘supplementary food strategy’ to deal with Lu Dongzan.”
Li Zhi raised an eyebrow, intrigued: "Oh? Tell me in detail."
“The first move is ‘separation of tastes’,” Wu Zetian laughed. “They want tea, right? Fine, we’ll give it to them. But the finest Mengding stone flower will only be supplied to tribes that openly support the Zanpu or are at odds with Lu Dongzan. Let’s create divisions among them first over ‘who gets to eat better’.”
(OS: Differential treatment sparks internal jealousy!)
“The second tactic is ‘limited supply’.” She pointed to the salt and iron. “These strategic materials should be strictly controlled in terms of output. But we should secretly spread the word that Lu Dongzan deliberately blocked the trade in order to monopolize power, which is why everyone is short of salt and iron. We should shift the focus of the conflict back to them.”
(OS: Shifting blame is the best technique!)
“The third tactic is to ‘cater to their preferences.’” She pointed to several tribal chiefs marked with special symbols. “If one loves fine horses, we’ll give him a good steed from the Central Plains; if another believes in Buddhism, we’ll send him a high-ranking monk to translate scriptures. We’ll defeat them one by one, win over a group of people, and isolate the forces directly under Gar Tongtsen’s control.”
(OS: Targeted gift delivery, directly addressing pain points!)
Li Zhi's eyes lit up with admiration as he clapped his hands and laughed, "Brilliant! The Empress's plan is truly a 'cutting off the fuel supply' strategy! Without losing a single soldier, it throws them into chaos from within. This is far more ingenious than simply waging war!"
(OS: Of course, this is the result of combining modern marketing and psychological warfare!)
“There’s one last trick,” Wu Zetian said in a low voice. “While we do this, we’ll have General Cheng Wuting adopt the most aggressive posture on the border. We’ll feed him the ‘noodles’ and also raise the ‘sticks.’ Let Lu Dongzan be caught between two sides and see how long he can hold out!”
"Very well! We shall follow the Empress's plan!" Li Zhi's spirits lifted, the gloom of the past few days vanished. "I will make the arrangements immediately!"
After the red rash on Princess Taiping's body faded, it was as if her Ren and Du meridians had been opened, and she began to develop a strong interest in walking upright.
(OS: Lying down and looking at the world is too boring, this princess is going to stand up!)
She first clung to the railing of the rocking chair, then shakily lifted her round body, her chubby little legs trembling like leaves in the wind.
After countless failed attempts to fall back to her original spot with a "thud," she finally mastered the skill of moving sideways while holding onto the railing.
(OS: This is called a flanking maneuver!)
Wu Meiniang watched her daughter move sideways in the palace like a little crab and couldn't help but rub her forehead: "Your Majesty, look, the way Taiping walks reminds me of the Hexi Corridor."
Li Zhi, who was reviewing the report on the progress of Tibet's "economic war," looked up and asked with great interest, "What do you mean by that?"
“Your Majesty,” Wu Meiniang said, pulling her daughter back from chewing on the table leg, “Taiping wanted to walk from the bed to the door. Walking straight would be the fastest, but she wasn’t strong enough, so she chose to walk sideways while holding onto the wall. Isn’t this Hexi Corridor also the ‘wall’ that connects our Great Tang to the Western Regions?”
(OS: This metaphor is brilliant!)
Holding her daughter, who kept squirming and trying to get down, she continued, "Now, Tibet is keeping us in check in the southwest, and the remnants of the Western Turks are also restless. Our road to the Western Regions is like Taiping's attempt to travel straight—the resistance is too great. Why don't we learn from Taiping and make this 'wall'—that is, the Hexi Corridor—stronger and easier to 'support'?"
Li Zhi put down his vermilion brush, seemingly lost in thought: "Does the Empress mean to strengthen the development of Hexi?"
“Exactly!” Wu Meiniang’s eyes lit up. “The Taiping Emperor walks with the support of the wall because the wall is stable. If we want caravans and envoys to pass through the Hexi Corridor with peace of mind, we must make this wall as solid as a rock. We should set up more military towns, build water conservancy projects, and encourage agriculture, so that the Hexi Corridor can truly become a solid support for our westward expansion, rather than a soft spot that we need to worry about all the time.”
(OS: Infrastructure development is the cornerstone of economic development!)
"Brilliant!" Li Zhi stood up and paced back and forth. "Using a policy of appeasement towards Tibet now saves a lot of military expenses, which can be invested in Hexi! Let Dou Yancong handle this matter; he is reliable in his work."
(OS: The money saved can be used for infrastructure development; this is a good deal!)
Just then, Taiping seemed dissatisfied with being ignored. She cried out and slid off her mother's lap, took two unsteady steps toward Li Zhi, and then precisely threw herself into her father's arms.
(OS: This princess can walk now! Praise me!)
Li Zhi was both surprised and delighted. He picked up his daughter and lifted her high in the air, exclaiming, "My Taiping can walk now!"
Wu Meiniang was also overjoyed and immediately said with a smile, "Your Majesty, look, hasn't Taiping just found a 'straight road'? Once we have built up the Hexi Corridor, our Great Tang will be able to find such a smooth road to the Western Regions!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
