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

Upon hearing that the money had been delivered, Li Shen nodded in satisfaction.

"It's good that you've been delivered. You followed me to Xizhou, and you endured a long and arduous journey, sleeping in the open and braving the elements. You always had to protect my safety, and I saw it all."

Moreover, you led the Imperial Guard in countless battles, risking your lives and killing numerous enemies. You deserve a reward, and the Imperial Guard's bonuses have tripled this year. All of this is well-deserved.”

"On behalf of the soldiers of the Imperial Guard, I thank His Highness Prince Ji for his reward."

Xue Rengui bowed three times, expressing his heartfelt gratitude. This year, Prince Ji's rewards were excessive; the guards received triple their usual bonuses.

He had more to say; he had just returned home today when his wife told him that the Prince Ji's residence had sent over this year's bonus.

At first, Xue Rengui didn't care much, but now he doesn't care about a thousand strings of cash anymore, unlike when he didn't have a single penny and needed help from others.

But when his wife led him to a room, Xue Rengui was stunned. The room was filled with silks and satins.

There was also a huge pile of gold and more than a dozen boxes of jewelry.

Xue Rengui's first reaction was that Prince Ji was plotting a rebellion.

Otherwise, why would they give him so much wealth? Isn't the Prince Ji's mansion enough?

His wife said that the gold alone here is worth 10,000 strings of cash, and the rest of these things must be worth at least 5,000 strings of cash.

He wasn't Wang Hongfu; his monthly salary was only two thousand strings of cash, which was already quite high. His year-end bonus was only one or two thousand strings of cash, never tens of thousands.

That's why they rushed over to express their gratitude, and also to test the waters—whether Prince Ji intended to kill someone and offer them a settlement allowance.

Or perhaps Prince Ji planned a rebellion and dragged him into it.

However, after hearing what Prince Ji had just said, I realized that the larger amount given this year was because of the trip to Xizhou with Prince Ji.

Now he could finally relax.

"No need for formalities. I have said I will not treat you unfairly," Li Shen waved his hand.

The Imperial Guard Battalion achieved many merits this time, annihilating several waves of rebel forces and reaping considerable gains.

Li Shen was not a stingy person; the amount of money he gave as rewards to his soldiers was only a few tens of thousands of strings of cash.

Compared to what he gained this time, it was just a drop in the ocean.

"Your Highness, my second matter is to report that Songtsen Gampo has been brought to Chang'an by the imperial court. It is His Highness the Crown Prince's order."

The three thousand Tibetan soldiers brought by Songtsen Gampo have been assigned to guard the Southern Palace, and the Imperial Guard has returned to the Eastern Mountain Camp.

After expressing his gratitude, Xue Rengui reported on Songtsen Gampo's situation, as he had been in charge of guarding him for the past few days.

"Hmm, let the guards rest for a while. They've worked hard too. Don't let them train yet, lest they say I'm heartless."

After hearing this, Li Shen gave instructions.

Xue Rengui shook his head:

"Your Highness, rest assured, the guards have no complaints. In fact, they should be grateful to Your Highness. Since ancient times, no battlefield has been without casualties."

They had long been prepared to die, but the prince spared no expense to forge sturdy armor for them.

That's how they survived those battles.

The guards had seen firsthand what the border troops and palace guards were like, and they were incredibly grateful to the prince because he truly treated them as human beings, not as tools.

Xue Rengui spoke firmly, believing that no one would hold a grudge against Prince Ji. During their trip to Xizhou, they participated in several battles, and surprisingly, not a single person was killed in action.

It was both surprising and yet perfectly reasonable.

Their armor was so tight it was like they were armed to the teeth, first with ranged attacks, then with grenades to assist in cavalry charges.

The key point is that the enemy can't break through their defenses; they can just close their eyes and swing their swords, making them a nightmare for the enemy.

Xue Rengui knew very well how expensive their armor was, because it was so hard and difficult to forge.

This was the protection that Prince Ji provided for them.

"Oh, right, you mentioned armor and I just remembered, was your equipment damaged in the battle? Does it need to be replaced?"

Li Shen asked a question.

"Your Highness, there is indeed some damage, but it is not serious. It's just that there are many marks from knives and spears on the exterior of the armor."

Xue Rengui replied.

"I haven't had a chance to ask how much equipment we lost this time?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Rengui immediately replied:

"Your Highness, this time we lost more than twenty warhorses, seven longswords, more than ten lances, and more than two hundred crossbow bolts."

There were only about 700 hand grenades left, and all the explosive charges were gone.

"How could they have suffered so many losses? They even lost their weapons, but why didn't they lose themselves?"

Upon hearing about the loss, Li Shen expressed his dissatisfaction.

"Your Highness, the battlefield is chaotic, especially during the last suppression of the rebels when tens of thousands of people were fighting. Some guards were dragged off their horses by the enemy."

Although no one was killed, it's normal to lose weapons in the chaos.

After the war, so many people cleaned up the battlefield; perhaps someone picked it up and left it behind, or perhaps it was buried with the corpses.

Xue Rengui quickly explained that with tens of thousands of people fighting, there were severed limbs everywhere, so it was good enough that they were alive.

"Is the same true for the crossbow bolts? More than two hundred have been lost. It's not that I'm heartbroken about the money; I'm afraid someone will pick them up and then frame the Prince Ji's mansion."

Have you forgotten His Majesty's northern tour?

Li Shen had issued an order that all arrows fired from crossbows must be retrieved, not only because they were too expensive, but also because he feared they might be exploited by malicious individuals.

Li Shen is now extremely careful and cautious in his actions.

"Your Highness, please forgive me. It was my dereliction of duty," Xue Rengui quickly apologized.

"Alas, well, I can't blame you for this. Perhaps my request was unrealistic. Go back and write a memorial describing the lost weapons and registering their numbers."

I must report this to His Majesty and the Crown Prince to avoid any misunderstandings later.

Better safe than sorry.

Li Shen sighed and waved his hand. Fortunately, Li Shen was shrewd; all the weapons and equipment produced by the Prince Ji's Mansion had serial numbers and steel stamps.

This is so that it's easy to trace the origin of the product.

In fact, Li Shen knew that his demands were a bit excessive. The battlefield was ever-changing, and there was no time to pay attention to weapons and equipment.

If one is lost, just pick it up and keep hacking away; there's no time to search for another.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will write a memorial as soon as I return." Xue Rengui immediately accepted the order.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, you can go back now. There's no rush to write the memorial; you can write it after the New Year."

Go home and reunite with your wife and children.

Li Shen said to Xue Rengui.

Xue Rengui quickly bowed:

"Thank you, Your Highness. I shall take my leave now."

After saying this, Xue Rengui withdrew.

Li Shen thought for a moment and then instructed Shi Tou:

"Stone, send someone to find out where Songtsen Gampo has been placed. I will go to see him in person at noon."

"Yes, I'll go right away." Shi Tou agreed and went out.

"Ouch." Li Shen stood up, stretched, and then lay down on the bed.

"Da Yu'er, give me a massage, my whole body aches from kneeling."

(I'm already forty, is it too late for me to learn guitar?)