Editing Wu Zetian (section)

=== Middle reign (696–701) ===
[[File:Xian 2006 5-1.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Giant Wild Goose Pagoda]], originally built in 652, it collapsed and was rebuilt in 701–704 during the reign of Wu Zetian. The present structure is largely the same as it was in the 8th century, although it used to be three stories taller before the damage caused by the [[1556 Shaanxi earthquake]]]]
[[File:国内唯一武则天真容石刻像（武则天63岁，唐朝） - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Buddhist statue of Wu Zetian from the 8th century, based on her likeness. [[Huangze Temple]], Sichuan]]
Wu's administration soon faced various troubles on the western and northern borders. In spring 696 she sent an army commanded by Wang Xiaojie and [[Lou Shide]] against the Tibetan Empire, which was soundly defeated by Tibetan generals, the brothers [[Gar Trinring Tsendro]] ({{lang|zh|論欽陵 }}) and [[Gar Tsenba]] ({{lang|zh| 論贊婆 }}). As a result, she demoted Wang to commoner rank and Lou to a low-level prefectural official, though she eventually restored both to general positions.<ref name="ZZTJ205" /> In April of the same year, Wu recast the [[Nine Tripod Cauldrons]], the symbol of ultimate power in ancient China, to reinforce her authority.<ref name="ZZTJ208" />

A much more serious threat arose in summer 696. The [[Khitan people|Khitan]] chieftains [[Li Jinzhong]] and [[Sun Wanrong]], brothers-in-law, angry over the mistreatment of the Khitan people by the Zhou official Zhao Wenhui ({{lang|zh|趙文翽}}), the prefect of Ying Prefecture ({{lang|zh|營州 }}, roughly [[Zhaoyang County]], [[Liaoning]]), rebelled, with Li assuming the title of Wushang Khan ({{lang|zh|無上可汗}}). Armies that Wu sent to suppress Li and Sun's rebellion were defeated by Khitan forces, which attacked Zhou proper. Meanwhile, [[Qapaghan Qaghan]] of the [[Second Turkic Khaganate]] offered to submit, while also launching attacks against Zhou and Khitan. The attacks included one against the Khitan base of operations during the winter of 696, shortly after Li's death, which resulted in the capturing of Li's and Sun's families and temporarily halted Khitan operations against Zhou.<ref name="ZZTJ205" />

Sun, after taking over as khan and reorganizing Khitan forces, again attacked Zhou territory and had many victories over Zhou forces, including a battle during which Wang Shijie was killed.<ref name="ZZTJ206">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷206|vol. 206]]}}</ref><ref name="ZZTJ205" /> Wu tried to allay the situation by making peace with Ashina Mochuo on fairly costly terms—the return of Tujue people who had previously submitted to Zhou and providing Mochuo with seeds, silk, tools, and iron. In summer 697, Mochuo launched another attack on Khitan's base of operations, and this time, after his attack, Khitan forces collapsed and Sun was killed in flight, ending the Khitan threat.<ref name="ZZTJ206" />

Meanwhile, also in 697, Lai Junchen, who had at one point lost power but then returned to power, falsely accused Li Zhaode (who had been pardoned) of crimes, and then planned to falsely accuse Li Dan, Li Zhe, the Wu clan princes, and Princess Taiping of treason. The Wu clan princes and Princess Taiping acted first against him, accusing him of crimes, and he and Li Zhaode were executed together. After Lai's death, the secret police's reign largely ended. Gradually, many of the victims of Lai and the other secret police officials were exonerated posthumously.<ref name="ZZTJ206" /> Meanwhile, around this time, Wu began relationships with two new lovers—the brothers [[Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong]], who became honored within the palace and were eventually created dukes.<ref name="ZZTJ206" /><ref name="ZZTJ207">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷207|vol. 207]]}}</ref>

Around 698, Wu Chengsi and another nephew of Wu Zetian's, [[Wu Sansi]], the Prince of Liang, repeatedly made attempts to have officials persuade Wu Zetian to make one of them crown prince—again arguing that an emperor should pass the throne to someone of the same clan. But Di Renjie, who by now had become a trusted chancellor, firmly opposed the idea, and proposed that Li Zhe be recalled instead. He was supported in this by fellow chancellors [[Wang Fangqing]] and [[Wang Jishan]], as well as Wu Zetian's close advisor [[Ji Xu]], who further persuaded the Zhang brothers to support the idea. In spring 698, Wu agreed and recalled Li Zhe from exile. Soon, Li Dan offered to yield the crown prince position to Li Zhe, and Wu created Li Zhe crown prince. She soon changed his name back to Li Xiǎn and then Wu Xian.<ref name="ZZTJ206" />

Later, Ashina Mochuo demanded a [[Tang dynasty]] prince for marriage to his daughter, part of a plot to join his family with the Tang, displace the Zhou, and restore Tang rule over China, under his influence. When Wu sent a member of her own family, grandnephew Wu Yanxiu ({{lang|zh|武延秀}}), to marry Mochuo's daughter instead, he rejected him.<ref>{{Cite book
 |title = A history of China
 |author = Jonathan Wolfram Eberhard
 |year = 1997
 |publisher = University of California Press
 |page = 186
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mUofeN6WW_IC&q=kao+tsung+demanded+chinese+prince+daughter&pg=PA186
 |access-date = 28 June 2010
|isbn = 978-0-520-03268-2
 |archive-date = 25 January 2022
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125091116/https://books.google.com/books?id=mUofeN6WW_IC&q=kao+tsung+demanded+chinese+prince+daughter&pg=PA186
 |url-status = live
 }}</ref> Mochuo had no intention to cement the peace treaty with a marriage. Instead, when Wu Yanxiu arrived, he detained him and then launched a major attack on Zhou, advancing as far south as Zhao Prefecture ({{lang|zh|趙州}}, in modern [[Shijiazhuang]], [[Hebei]]) before withdrawing.<ref name="ZZTJ206" />

In 699, the Tibetan threat ceased. Emperor [[Tridu Songtsen]], unhappy that Gar Trinring was monopolizing power, slaughtered Trinring's associates when Trinring was away from [[Lhasa]]. He then defeated Trinring in battle, and Trinring committed suicide. Gar Tsenba and Trinring's son, [[Lun Gongren]] ({{lang|zh|論弓仁}}), surrendered to Zhou. After this, the Tibetan Empire underwent internal turmoil for several years, and there was peace for Zhou in the border region.<ref name="ZZTJ206" />

Also in 699, Wu, realizing that she was growing old, feared that after her death, Li Xian and the Wu clan princes would not have peace with each other. She made him, Li Dan, Princess Taiping, Princess Taiping's second husband [[Wu Youji]] (a nephew of hers), the Prince of Ding, and other Wu clan princes to swear an oath to each other.<ref name="ZZTJ206" />