A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Looking across the imperial court, it is clear that the influence of people from humble backgrounds is on the rise, thanks to Wu Zetian's support.

But Wu Zetian's ambition was not yet satisfied. She began to take advantage of the great opportunity of her control over government affairs to promote scholars from poor families to official positions, especially those from the Imperial Academy.

Those disciples who had received Wei Ye's instruction were repeatedly promoted by her despite not meeting the usual requirements.

This was both a gesture of goodwill towards the Wei family and an indication that those who could receive Wei Ye's instruction were all exceptional individuals, so there was no need to worry about their abilities.

Wu Zetian's actions did indeed win Wei Ye a lot of favor. Regardless of Wu Zetian's purpose, the sage judges by actions, not intentions. In the end, she promoted a large number of officials from humble backgrounds, expanding the path for children from poor families to rise in society.

Therefore, he turned a blind eye to some of Wu Zetian's overstepping boundaries.

After receiving the Wei family's tacit approval that he could handle government affairs, Wu Zetian was overjoyed.

She began to interfere in government affairs more and more aggressively, and even prepared to intervene in the military.

Wu Zetian loved reading, especially history.

By studying the history of Wu Zetian, it was discovered that empresses throughout history all rose to power by virtue of the emperor's favor.

Their power and glory depended entirely on the emperor's whim.

If the emperor dislikes them, no matter how powerful the forces behind them are, it won't last long.

However, there are a few exceptions among the many historical figures.

For example, Empress Wei Zifu, wife of Emperor Wu of Han. Emperor Wu of Han was naturally a person who loved beautiful women, was fickle and easily bored, and was also extremely domineering.

Even when Empress Wei Zifu grew old and lost her beauty, her position remained as stable as Mount Tai.

What is the basis for this?

He relied on his younger brother Wei Qing, a military genius who was invincible in every battle.

He relied on his nephew Huo Qubing, a military genius who was invincible in every battle.

Even a powerful emperor like Emperor Wu of Han had to rely on the strength of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to counterbalance the Wei family, who held immense power in the military.

Given the talents of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, as well as the military strength at their disposal, Emperor Wu of Han could not possibly depose Empress Wei Zifu for the sake of national stability.

Looking at the world, only military power is true power.

As long as you can control the military, you can seize power even if you don't have it.

Anyone who objects will have the barrel of a gun shoved into their mouth.

Now that things have come to this point, Wu Zetian is finally qualified to try to seize military power.

Wu Zetian's power in the court is at its zenith, so naturally some generals will be willing to pledge their allegiance to her.

Among the generals from humble backgrounds who were suppressed by the Guanlong Group, she selected two as her representatives in the military.

One was Su Dingfang, a land warfare general, and the other was Liu Rengui, a naval warfare general.

What delighted Wu Zetian even more was that an opportunity just happened to be presented to her.

A rebellion broke out in the former territory of Goguryeo, and Li Yuanxiang, the King of Liaodong, launched a rebellion.

By the time the news reached Luoyang, Li Yuanxiang had already occupied the entire peninsula.

Li Zhi was furious. Under his rule, a member of the imperial clan actually rebelled. This made it even more difficult for him, who was already struggling to surpass Li Shimin, to achieve the same level of success as Li Shimin, or even surpass him.

Li Zhi now hated his uncle to the core. "Who can retrieve this traitor's head for me?"

In the imperial court, Li Zhi made no attempt to conceal his murderous intent.

Among the military officers, Su Dingfang and Liu Rengui, who had already received Wu Zetian's hint, stepped forward, cupped their hands, and said, "Your subjects Su Dingfang and Liu Rengui are willing to lead troops to take Liaodong, capture the traitor alive, and present him to Your Majesty."

"The two of you?"

Li Zhi frowned, somewhat distrustful of the two men's abilities.

He did not want to lose to Li Yuanxiang; he wanted to defeat him in one battle and show the world the consequences of rebellion.

Wu Zetian had thoroughly studied Li Zhi. She knew that after Su Dingfang and Liu Rengui stepped forward to volunteer, Li Zhi would definitely doubt their abilities, so she had already instructed them on how to persuade Li Zhi.

"Your Majesty, as the saying goes, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Why should the court's generals have to take action against the mere rebel king Li Yuanxiang? We two are just nobodies, and we are more than capable of capturing him and bringing him before Your Majesty."

"This move will also show the world that our Great Tang Dynasty is full of talented people, and that even two unknown generals can lead troops to destroy a country."

"Not to mention the renowned Duke of Yingguo, Duke of Lu, and Marquis of Jingyuan, among others?"

"The people of the world will be terrified at the mere mention of the might of the Tang army and will not dare to invade our Tang."

"If this fails and damages the prestige of the Tang Dynasty, we are willing to offer our heads in retribution."

Su Dingfang's words were like a worm in Li Zhi's stomach, hitting the nail on the head.

What did Li Zhi most want to do?

That was to prove that he was no less capable than his father, Li Shimin!

He wanted to surpass Li Shimin in both civil administration and military prowess.

During Li Shimin's reign, an unknown Wang Xuance was able to destroy a country single-handedly, and during his time in court, an unknown junior general was able to lead troops to quell rebellions.

We must not let Li Shimin monopolize the limelight.

The only concern now is whether these two can win. If they lose? No matter how well you plan, it won't matter.

His grand plan was aborted, leaving a stain on his imperial career.

He didn't understand military strategy or warfare, but Li Zhi knew who did: Duke Li Ji of Yingguo.

What is the general opinion in Britain?

Duke Li Ji of Yingguo stepped forward. He glanced at the two men and nodded slightly. He knew that both of them came from humble backgrounds but possessed extraordinary talents. If they hadn't been suppressed by the Guanlong Group, they would have already soared to great heights.

Now that he has climbed the social ladder by marrying the Empress, his future is limitless.

"Your Majesty, I believe it is feasible."

"General Su was known for his bravery in battle. He once led a hundred men to pursue an army of ten thousand and returned with a thousand heads."

"When he went on expeditions with the army, he had many brilliant plans and made many outstanding achievements. If his merits had not been embezzled by the Guanlong Group, he would probably have been ennobled and appointed as a general long ago."

"General Liu Rengui is strict in governing his troops and is both literate and skilled in military affairs, making him a suitable assistant to General Su."

"With two generals and the imperial army's elite troops, we will surely defeat the rebels in one fell swoop and deter the world."

Having gained the approval of the veteran general Li Ji, the Duke of Ying, Li Zhi visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Approved. Su Dingfang will be the commander-in-chief, and Liu Rengui the deputy commander, leading 500,000 troops to Liaodong!"

"This battle is one of victory only, defeat is not an option!"

Li Zhi still had some concerns, so to be on the safe side, he directly increased the number of troops to 50.

After all, Liaodong is a harsh and cold place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even Li Shimin and his generals fought for a long time before finally conquering this tough nut to crack.

"I obey your decree!"

Su Dingfang and Liu Rengui were overjoyed. They were both confident in their abilities and believed that as long as they had this opportunity to lead troops, they would be able to deliver a satisfactory performance.

After enduring so much hardship in the imperial court, their time had finally come. At this moment, their loyalty to Wu Zetian deepened even further.