Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Your Highness, you're even going to change the military structure?!"

Kong Yingda stared wide-eyed in horror and fear. Since ancient times, military affairs have been the most important matters of a country. After all, there is a saying that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. The Tang Dynasty and other countries that came from the end of the Sui Dynasty also understood the importance of armed forces.

Even when Li Chengqian first mentioned wanting to carry out reforms.

But none of them had imagined that the Crown Prince would directly implement a comprehensive reform of the military system.

What chilled Kong Yingda and his companions even more was that... the Crown Prince wanted to completely abolish the Fubing system!

"Your Highness, this is a matter of great importance, and we must not act rashly!" Yu Shinan anxiously voiced his objection.

"Your Highness, although the world is currently at peace, and our Great Tang has no border troubles and has not encountered any adversaries in war, if we were to immediately reform the military, especially by completely abolishing the Fubing system, I fear many generals in the army would oppose it..."

"Objection?!" A cold snort interrupted Yu Shinan's words.

But then the King of Wei and the King of Chu, who had been silent all along, both glared at him. King Li Tai of Wei snorted coldly and slammed his teacup on the table.

"Who dares to object?!"

This powerful and unquestionable rebuke reflects the strong confidence in the current strength of the royal family and the vassal kings.

Li Chengqian looked at his three teachers and calmly stated his reasons.

"Now, our Great Tang is constantly expanding its territory, and the local people live in peace and prosperity. There are no bandits running rampant. In places like Hebei and Henan, the local garrison troops in the heart of the Great Tang no longer have any missions. Even if there are bandits, the local magistrate will lead the city guards to suppress them."

"However, these soldiers who hardly ever engage in warfare can sow the seeds of many hidden dangers in the local areas... You three teachers must have heard about Li Xiyu, Zhang Zhenzhou, and those rebels who led troops to resist in Jiangnan and Huainan, right?"

"They hold the fish tally and military power, and after entrenched themselves in the localities for several years, they can gain a group of supporters. If we do not reform the system, our Great Tang will surely be filled with warlords and bandits who disobey the imperial orders or outwardly comply but inwardly defy them!"

At this point, Li Chengqian couldn't help but slam his hand on the armrest.

He then thought of what had happened in Jiangnan and Huainan, where the soldiers who followed Li Xiyu and Zhang Zhenzhou actually dared to defy the imperial court!

"I will not only abolish the Fubing system, but I will also take back the military power of the generals! Local generals must be transferred every five years, and their military abilities must be assessed by military academies. Generals from the hinterland must be transferred to the border for five years every five years..."

Li Chengqian preserved the characteristic of "separation of soldiers and generals" in the Fubing system.

Furthermore, it established a system for assessing military talent and a system for redeployment.

If this requirement is truly implemented, it will indeed be a major undertaking affecting the entire country, which explains why Li Chengqian called it a "major reform."

Li Gang took a deep breath, frowned, and pondered for a moment.

"Your Highness, but what if places like Baikal County, Tibet, Liaodong, and Pyongyang were to be established, or even if Japan were to be established in the future...?"

Li Chengqian waved his hand: "Special places have their own systems. Those places that need to cultivate land still need to do so. I am not a fool. If we really let places like Baikal County implement a full conscription system, then logistics and military expenses will drag down the finances."

Hear the words.

Kong Yingda and Yu Shinan finally breathed a sigh of relief and reluctantly sat down.

It's good that Your Highness still retains some sense.

Such matters, involving high-level and in-depth national reforms, were discussed by everyone, and half a day passed in the blink of an eye.

After lunch, Prince Li Zhi of Jin and Prince Li Zhen of Yue, who had finished their day's oversight of state affairs, also arrived at Xiande Hall.

They also learned about the contents of the reform earlier than Kong Yingda and his group.

However, they were more concerned about the other few, namely the "Tian Ce Fu" and "Jun Ji Chu" which were on par with the cabinet in their elder brother's plan.

The Tian Ce Mansion is quite simple, consisting of three main departments.

Li Chengqian directly decided to officially launch this institution, which had previously been more of a figurehead and a title.

He filled its interior with functions to assist him in governing and overseeing the country in the future.

The Council of State Affairs (政事堂) was a policy research office and staff agency responsible for drafting reform bills. It was a secretariat with little real power, similar to the Central Secretariat (中书省) of the former Three Departments.

The Privy Council was responsible for compiling military intelligence, monitoring local military developments, and assessing the situation of the army and its generals.

The Censorate: An independent secret inspection agency that reports directly to the Crown Prince (and later to the Emperor) outside the imperial court. However, unlike the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which has the power to arrest and even torture, they only have the power to investigate.

Unlike court officials who require a formal appointment process, all personnel in the Tian Ce Mansion can be considered servants of a monarch, and can be promoted and appointed at will.

If Li Chengqian wanted to promote someone to the Tian Ce Mansion, he could approve it even if the person was a commoner just a moment ago.

However, if this reform is implemented in the future, Li Chengqian should also focus more on teaching the future crown prince how to govern these people.

If just anyone were to be promoted to the Tian Ce Mansion, it would be no different from stabbing oneself in the back.

In addition, there is the Military Affairs Office, which is on par with the Cabinet and the Tian Ce Mansion.

Aside from sharing the same name, the Military Affairs Office established by Li Chengqian at this time had completely different functions from the Military Affairs Office of the later Qing Dynasty, and was a department truly responsible for the country's military affairs.

Similar to the Pentagon in later times.

The Military Affairs Department has two subordinate departments.

The Prince's Guard: These were officers directly appointed by princes in the capital and rotated every three years. This system served as a balance of military power for the emperor, preventing the loss of control over the military.

The Imperial Guard was primarily responsible for the management and training of generals, and directly controlled the deployment of generals in local wars. Originally, these powers belonged to the Ministry of War, one of the Six Ministries, but Li Chengqian directly separated them from the Imperial Guard.

From now on, the Ministry of War will only be responsible for procuring military supplies, managing logistics, and serving as a department of the cabinet and the court to supervise the army.

Of the two departments established above.

The Tian Ce Prefecture is directly commanded by the Tian Ce General, who serves as its chief official.

The Grand Council was to appoint a Grand Councilor, who was required to be a true commander with the talent to lead troops on the battlefield.

"I have already sent a letter to the Emperor Emeritus requesting that Duke Li Jing of Yingguo be recalled to the capital to serve as a Grand Councilor."

Li Chengqian said calmly.

Kong Yingda and the other two looked at each other in bewilderment. Your Highness, you have already mobilized the people. Does that mean that summoning us here today is just a formality to inform us?

In fact, Li Chengqian was just informing them. After all, given the usual behavior of the court officials, such an important matter would not have yielded any results if it were discussed in the Taiji Hall.

"I have already discussed all of the above with my father. I have also had the golden eagle deliver these decisions to Chengdu Prefecture. My father will also stand on my side in the court. I have only one purpose in calling the three teachers here today."

"I hope that the three teachers can do their part to help me build up the Tian Ce Mansion team."

As Li Chengqian spoke, he stood up and bowed respectfully to Li Gang and the other two, which startled Kong Yingda and Yu Shinan, who quickly stepped forward to help him up.

Li Gang chuckled twice and weighed the booklet in his hand.

This booklet felt as heavy as Mount Tai.

He stood up shakily and bowed to Li Chengqian.

"I am willing to serve Your Highness..."

Li Chengqian wanted to implement reforms, but this time the reforms did not require such urgency as risking one's life. After finalizing some matters with several teachers, he decided to implement them.

He simply discussed some details with his younger brothers.

That night, during dinner, Wang De reported that Consort Wang had brought dinner.

Li Chengqian let her in. The dinner was very lavish, and it was clear that Wang Yuyan had been learning a lot lately. The already intelligent Wang Yuyan had also improved her cooking skills considerably.

Looking at her gentle and charming appearance, Li Chengqian suddenly spoke.

"After what happened in Tibet, the spice business has been suspended for more than half a year. You'll take over..."