I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

Although there were strategies in ancient wars, most of them were based on military tactics.

They were all about conspiracies and intrigues, for example, during the Three Kingdoms period, there were so many counselors competing with each other in strategy and military tactics.

Few people would do what Li Shen did, starting with the enemy's internal economy and livelihood, causing chaos or misery for the people.

Li Shen has been doing this over the years, whether it is against Goguryeo and Baekje, or against Tubo and the surrounding small countries.

It seems simple, there are only a few methods, but good methods work every time.

Even in later times thousands of years later, people are still using these few tricks, and the essence remains the same.

The Chebi Kingdom relied on animal husbandry for its development. If all trade contacts with the surrounding areas were cut off, the entire tribe would go downhill.

"Your Majesty, everything has been arranged according to your instructions, and we have sent people deep into the north to send news to the Tiele tribes.

The Chebi Kingdom disrespected the Heavenly Khan, and His Royal Highness Prince Ji was very angry and decided to vent his anger on behalf of His Majesty.

No tribe is allowed to trade with Chebi Kingdom, and those who violate the rules will suffer the same fate as Chebi Kingdom.

The news we have received so far is that they are having a hard winter.”

Wang Hongfu also reported that the message he sent was simple and direct, in the usual style of the Ji Palace, and there was no need to beat around the bush when communicating with these northern ethnic groups.

Li Shen was very satisfied with this:

"Yes, that's right. He actually disrespected our great Heavenly Khan. As a son of man, I cannot stand idly by and must punish him."

"Your Majesty, I failed in my duty and put you in trouble. Please punish me."

Xue Rengui stood up and apologized. He was not thoughtful enough in this matter. He immediately sent people to rescue after hearing the explosion.

He was worried that someone was attacking the Academy of Sciences.

When I got there, I realized the situation was very serious and I forgot about reporting it.

"Rengui, you have indeed failed in your duty. You must be more careful in the future. You must also report this escort to the Ministry of War.

But we can't blame you entirely. It may be that we are used to going out alone frequently, which has caused you to have some knowledge.

This prince is also at fault." Li Shen did not blame Xue Rengui.

The key point is that they often did not report when they sent troops, mostly because they wanted to protect Li Shimin.

Originally, even if we were to protect His Majesty, we had to report and prepare to send troops, but Li Shen was so stubborn and I wouldn't do that.

So over time, Xue Rengui and the others forgot the rules.

"Your Majesty, I think the Imperial Guard Battalion should be fully staffed with subordinate officers.

This way, even if troops are dispatched, there will be an official specifically responsible for reporting to the Ministry of War."

Wang Xuance suggested that the configuration of the Imperial Guard Camp should be somewhat different from that of the imperial court, and that they should all be composed of military officers.

"Xuan Ce, do you think it is appropriate for me to establish a government office in Chang'an City?

This prince has long said that he does not want to get involved in the affairs of the imperial court, so the Prince Ji's Mansion has only been open as a government office, but no government office has been built.

There are sixty or seventy subordinate officials, but my Ji Wang Mansion now has less than twenty people, and most of them are military officers, all of them are minor officials of the seventh or eighth rank.

There are less than five officials in the palace, and the rest are vacant.

I did this because I don’t want some people to misunderstand me.

Otherwise, I would have established a government office ten years ago."

Li Shen glanced at Wang Xuance and expressed his disagreement with his suggestion.

According to the Tang system, princes could set up their own offices after leaving the palace.

There were more than sixty officials alone, not counting the guards.

This is just the palace. If you go to the fiefdom, there are also officials of the fiefdom, a total of more than one hundred positions.

Li Shen felt that if he built a government office in Chang'an, he would definitely have some intentions in the future. Only the prince would build a government office in Chang'an.

"I was inconsiderate, please forgive me, Your Highness." Wang Xuance bowed.

"Xuan Ce, it is actually good for you that I don't build a government office. You are now the chief official of Prince Ji's Palace, and you are the most senior official in the entire palace.

But if you build a yamen, don't forget that you have a Fu above you.

And this Fu must be appointed by His Majesty himself, and even I do not have the right to decide.

Do you understand?" Li Shen thought about it and then pointed out Wang Xuance with words.

Wang Xuance immediately understood that they still had the final say in Ji Wang Mansion, but if a government office was to be built, many officials would have to be sent by the court.

In particular, among the officials in Prince Ji’s mansion, there was a Fu who was the most senior one.

Fu's official position is higher than his, the Chief Secretary, and he is of the third rank, so he must be appointed by His Majesty.

The role of the tutor is the same as that of the prince’s tutor, who teaches the prince the moral code and behavior, and corrects his words and deeds.

This is also one of the reasons why Li Shen did not build a government office. Who would be willing to have a father come back to take care of themselves?

Wang Xuance is now second only to the emperor. Not only is he the chief secretary, he also serves as a military advisor and provides advice to King Ji.

Naturally, he didn't want to have someone with a higher rank than himself.

"Okay, let's talk about this later. Let's talk about the current situation first. The court is using troops against the Turks, which has nothing to do with us.

But our caravan cannot be implicated." Li Shen resumed the discussion.

"Your Majesty, our caravans are no longer going to the Western Regions. However, there are still four or five caravans that have gone to the Western Regions and have not returned.

I should be back soon, I wonder if I can meet him." Wang Hongfu replied.

"Then it depends on their fate. Judging from His Majesty's attitude today, I guess it won't be long before he abdicates the throne to the Crown Prince.

So we should also make some adjustments and accept the new regime.”

Thinking of Li Shimin's orders today, Li Shen felt that it should be soon.

"Your Majesty, I feel that His Majesty's attitude today is not that simple." Wang Xuance interrupted.

"Oh? Xuan Ce, what do you think?" Li Shen asked.

"Your Majesty, I feel that what His Majesty said today seemed to be said deliberately in front of you.

Otherwise, such national affairs should be discussed with the three provinces and six ministries.

Prince Wei, Prince Jin, and you, Your Majesty, are all princes without real power. There is no need to talk about this matter in person.

It’s a state secret anyway,” Wang Xuance analyzed.

Li Shen thought for a moment and said, "You mean, His Majesty said this on purpose for the three of us to hear?"

"Perhaps he said it deliberately for the King of Wei and the King of Jin to hear. It's not impossible." Wang Xuance guessed.

After hearing this, Li Shen carefully recalled some details of the time, and it seemed that his father really glanced at Li Zhi and the others.

Could it be because... Li Shen thought of a possibility and immediately sat up.

"It seems that what you said is correct. It seems that His Majesty really said it to the two of them, or to be more precise, to Li Zhi.

Your Majesty has long known that Li Zhi has always been unwilling to give up his evil intentions, so this time he deliberately showed his intention to abdicate in order to make Li Zhi give up.

So that's why I want to talk about this kind of court affairs in the harem."

Li Shen seemed to have figured it out, but then his brows furrowed.

"No, in this case, wouldn't our tiger-raising plan fail?"

(I have finished looking up the official positions in the Qin Palace of the Tang Dynasty. Please help me to update it.)