It was the eighth day of August in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan.
Early morning, mist.
Due to the temporary cancellation of the curfew, pedestrians were coming and going in various lanes in Chang'an City very early, and places such as Pingkangfang were brightly lit all night. Many princes, grandsons, and children of aristocratic families ended their night of carnival surrounded by their servants and slaves, and came from various brothels.
People filed out of the museum, rode horses and carriages, swaggered through the city, and returned to their homes one after another.
The sellers carrying loaders walked through the streets and alleys, shouting one after another, and the carriages carrying night fragrance drove out of the city one by one.
Before dawn, the vast city of Chang'an has come to life like a dormant beast.
At the beginning of Mao hour, all the soldiers guarding the city gates dispersed, the martial law that had been maintained for several days throughout the city was lifted, and the common people and merchants entering and exiting the city at the city gates were already blocked.
Lu Dongzan wore a white lapel robe with long sleeves that covered his hands. There were many beaded patterns on the fabric. He had a leather belt around his waist, slits in his robe, black boots on his feet, and a red silk scarf on his head.
He was wearing a tube-shaped hat, his face was dark and rosy, and he was in good spirits.
At this moment, he was standing in front of the inn door, accompanied by an official from the Ministry of Etiquette.
On the official road in front of the inn gate, many people were walking together in twos and threes, heading towards Kunming Pond in the southwest of Chang'an City.
Lu Dongzan asked curiously, "It's just an opening ceremony, why are these farmers and traders rushing to join in the fun?"
The official of the Ministry of Rites was Gao Zhixing, the host and guest doctor. He was responsible for receiving Lu Dongzan today. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "This is not an ordinary opening ceremony. Zhenguan Academy was built by His Majesty's order. The students who are eligible for admission are from all over the world."
The elites are all heroes of the moment, and those who teach in classics, history, arithmetic, military science, etc. in the academy are among the great scholars of the time. All of them are famous all over the world. His Majesty even personally serves as the academy's chief priest... As you can imagine
, every graduating student in the future can be called a 'disciple of the emperor', and they will rise to the top once they enter the official career. In such a college, every move will naturally attract the attention of countless people. What's more, today, His Majesty and all the ministers in the court are all here.
Come to the ceremony, how can the common people not join in the fun?"
There is another point that Gao Zhixing cannot explain clearly. The Han people have had the custom of watching the excitement since ancient times. Although today is not a New Year's Day, such a grand event is extremely rare, so it is natural to watch it.
Not only the people of the Tang Dynasty were very interested, but since the martial law in Chang'an City had been lifted, the envoys from various countries and merchants from foreign countries who had been trapped in the city for many days were also very interested. In order to maintain order, the Jingzhao Mansion not only dispatched all the government officials to patrol, but also
More than 10,000 troops and horses were mobilized to guard the left and right, with one post at ten steps and one sentry at five steps to guard against all idlers.
The lotus appreciation event in Furong Garden not long ago led to the assassination of Fang Jun, but Yin Jian is not far away...
Lu Dongzan nodded slightly, and there was a trace of envy that could not be concealed in his eyes.
In the entire Tubo, no one could understand the importance of education better than him, and he cared more about the education of the outstanding children of the clan.
Under the rule of Zampu, Tubo suppressed the domestic rebellion, conquered the Shangshung Kingdom, and unified the plateau. It seemed that they had strong troops and horses, but in fact they were strong on the outside and capable on the inside.
The natural environment of Tubo is really too harsh. Not only is the climate cold, but the land is barren with mountains and mountains. There are some fertile fields between the rivers and valleys, but they cannot be fully developed and cultivated due to difficulty in access, resulting in a constant shortage of domestic food production.
The most important thing is the backwardness of technology.
Medical technology, construction technology, smelting technology... there are only a few decent talents. Except for the eminent monks in the temple who know some arithmetic and medical technology, the lack of talents is simply a huge difference compared to the Tang Dynasty.
That's why he sent his envoy to Chang'an this time, trying to take advantage of the Arab invasion to blackmail Datang, hoping to obtain various technologies and talents that Tibet desperately needed.
As a result, God did not follow his wishes, and he had bad luck all the way. He wasted time, and finally arrived in Chang'an and heard the news that the Arabs had been completely defeated...
Although the negotiations have not yet begun, and he has not even met the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty yet, without the restraint and threat of the Arabs, how could the Tang Dynasty allow the lion of Tibet to open its mouth?
If there were no accidents, this mission was a complete failure. Even if I continued to use my eloquent words, I would not be able to get any benefits from the Tang people.
The Tang Dynasty established such an academy under the auspices of the emperor. In the future, it will surely cultivate countless talents of all kinds and fill them in all walks of life. The national power of the Tang Dynasty will naturally increase, and it will become more and more arrogant.
Confident in the world.
How could such a great Tang Dynasty be defeated?
As one goes and the other goes, the Tang Dynasty, which is becoming more and more powerful, has already regarded Tubo as a threat. Even if Tubo is afraid of the Tang Dynasty's national power and does not dare to provoke a war, it cannot allow others to sleep soundly on the side of the bed. How can the Tang Dynasty sit back and watch Tubo defend the plateau?
, watching with eager eyes?
It is conceivable that sooner or later there will be a battle between Tubo and Datang!
However, the huge disparity in national power between the two countries made Lu Dongzan worried. He really couldn't think of any reason why Tubo could win...
Gao Zhixing looked at Lu Dongzan from the side and seemed to be in a trance. He stood there in silence for a long time and could only speak to urge him.
Today there is an order from the Political Affairs Hall that all envoys from various countries who are temporarily staying in Datang will have the opportunity to go to the academy to observe the ceremony. Naturally, Lu Dongzan, who is the Prime Minister of Tubo, is also invited.
Only then did Lu Dongzan come back to his senses, nodded and said, "Let's set off, it's a great event, and I'd like to gain a lot of experience."
Gao Zhixing called over the carriage that had been prepared, but Lu Dongzan refused.
Ludong praised, "It's better to ride a horse. The autumn air is crisp and the wheat waves are fragrant. In this weather, you should go for a ride and enjoy the scenery in Guanzhong. It would be boring to live in a carriage."
Gao Zhixing naturally followed the good example and ordered people to bring in the horses. He politely allowed Lu Dongzan to mount the horse first. Then he and several officials from the Ministry of Rites also mounted the horses. Accompanying Lu Dongzan, they rode slowly along the official road towards the Golden Gate in the west of the city.
, arrived at a place not far from the city gate, then turned south along the road, bypassing most of Kunming Pond, and headed to the academy.
The weather is cool today, and it is not yet the busy farming season. People near Chang'an are traveling with their families, and there is an endless stream of pedestrians on the road.
When we arrived at the foot of the hillside of the academy, we could see the mountain gate standing in the distance. The entire hillside and the open space by the pool were already filled with carriages and horses, rubbing shoulders.
There were officials wearing various official robes, as well as dandies wearing bright clothes and angry horses. They were noisy and courting friends. Common people, businessmen and their families, and Hu merchants in strange clothes were mixed in the crowd in groups.
It doesn't look out of place. From time to time, you can even see luxuriously decorated carriages mixed in with the crowd. Occasionally, the curtains of the carriages are opened, and you can see the beautiful women with heavy makeup inside...
Lu Dongzan sighed quietly.
What a glorious dynasty and prosperous age!
If this were done in Tubo, I would never even dare to think about it!
There were no common people in Tubo. Except for the nobles, they were just slaves. Those arrogant and domineering people who were often accompanied by hundreds of warriors and performed stunts wherever they went, how could there be such a happy and harmonious scene of coexistence?
Although the aristocrats of the Tang Dynasty were no less powerful than the Tubo aristocrats, the Tang people cared more about what at least seemed to be a harmonious atmosphere. Even if they were greedy to extract private wealth and monopolize power to block class circulation, they were still the same.
They care about what ordinary people think of them.
Compared with the Tubo nobles, the Tang nobles were obviously in awe.
Even if the law cannot restrain their behavior, there is a layer of moral restraint in everyone's heart. God is watching what people do. No matter how greedy and sycophantic bullies are, they are afraid. They will collect all the wealth crazily, but
Whenever a natural disaster occurs, they can set up porridge sheds and donate money for disaster relief without hesitation.
Reputation is something that every Tang person yearns for. As long as there is a chance, no Tang person can care less whether his reputation will be criticized by thousands of people and whether it will be infamy for thousands of years.
And this is where the Tang Dynasty was stronger than Tubo.
As long as you have such a sense of reverence, you will not act without scruples, even if you treat ordinary people as slaves, you will still have a little leeway.
This little leeway gives ordinary people, traffickers and lackeys a little room to survive.
What about the Tubo nobles? In their eyes, all slaves and livestock are personal property, and the death of a slave is no different from the death of a cow or sheep.
As long as enough benefits can be obtained, who would care about the lives of cattle and sheep?