Wang Xuance said: "It's not interesting. It's just that some people also have a lot of horses, cattle and sheep, and they are in a hurry to give them to Your Majesty.

I said Khan, you are a dignified Khan of a big country, can't you tell the difference, just two thousand horses, what is it? ”

The blog post said: "Khan. Signal him with his eyes not to lose the big because of the small.

Yi Nan gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, please report to the Khan, and the minister is willing to give another two thousand good horses." ”

Liangyi Palace, study.

After listening to Li You's report, Li Shimin said with a smile: "This Wang Xuance is really a capable person, and he did this, which highlighted the importance of the wolf king, and he also got two thousand more good horses for me in vain." Ha ha. ”

"Father, Wang Xuance's official body is hanging in Menxia Province, and I don't have a formal organization here, the system is too chaotic. Erchen suggested that it would be possible to set up a special Northwest Frontier Affairs Bureau to handle the affairs of the western and northern borders in a unified manner, so that Erchen could deploy personnel to facilitate his work. Li You said.

"It's a good idea, find time to consult with the ministers, and then decide. You can prepare a specific idea. Li Shimin said.

Li Shimin was very efficient in doing things, and the next morning, he convened a special meeting, and Li You first made a special report on the management of northwest border affairs.

Li You suggested that a Northwest Frontier Affairs Bureau be set up, with its headquarters in Chang'an, and its subordinate agencies divided into two parts, domestic and foreign.

1. Domestic part

The daily border affairs of the imperial court have always been handled by the local government, and major events are also divided into two systems: military and civil, and general border disputes are reported to Shangshu Province by the county and state governments. Armed conflicts are reported to the military department by the military department of the county and state government.

Such a procedure is cumbersome and will delay the reaction time of the imperial court.

It is recommended that border states and counties set up intelligence stations, and in case of border affairs, the intelligence stations will report directly to the Northwest Frontier Affairs Bureau, and then the affairs bureau will distinguish the levels and report to His Majesty or the relevant departments.

In this way, the level of intelligence aggregation is reduced, which can improve efficiency, and it is also convenient to comprehensively grasp the situation in the border areas, providing a basis for the imperial court to make correct judgments.

Second, the foreign part

The imperial court's collection of foreign intelligence was almost blank, for example, the coup d'état in other countries had been in place for a long time, and the imperial court would make jokes about sending envoys to meet the original king of that country.

When dealing with foreign affairs, the imperial court usually waited until there was a large-scale conflict with a foreign country before it began to spy on relevant information. It is completely reactive to deal with all kinds of emergencies.

It is recommended to set up foreign intelligence stations, dispatch intelligence personnel to neighboring countries, especially those that threaten the Tang Dynasty, and set up intelligence stations to collect information on the political, economic, cultural, and military aspects of the country or the region, and report to Chang'an on a regular basis, and report to Chang'an at any time if there is a possibility of emergencies.

It provides a basis for the imperial court to analyze and judge the situation of the country and make correct decisions.

After Li You finished speaking, Li Shimin asked, "What do you think?" ”

The eldest grandson Wuji said that he supported Li You, which was immediate, not to mention, he thought that what Li You said was reasonable, so he said:

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that His Royal Highness the King of Qi is reasonable, and so many years of practice have proved that the intelligence work of the imperial court in border affairs is really too backward.

The minister agreed with the opinion of His Royal Highness King Qi. ”

Over the years that Fang Xuanling had presided over the military department, he had encountered many times that the side report was not timely, and even if he received the side report, he could not make a correct judgment because he did not understand the enemy's situation.

Several times, when there were major conflicts on the border, Li Shimin asked the military department about the countermeasures, and Fang Xuanling could only infer them based on past experience. Mistakes are inevitable.

He said: "The minister also agrees with the opinion of His Royal Highness King Qi. In particular, the idea of establishing a foreign intelligence agency to prevent problems before they occur is very far-sighted. ”

Xiao Qian is not very proficient in military and diplomatic affairs, he is a principled person, although he likes his grandson-in-law, he will not rashly express his support, but he will not object.

Zhang Liang, as the squire of the military department, empathized with Fang Xuanling and expressed his support.

Because the establishment of new institutions meant that the imperial court would have to increase expenditures, Gao Jingming, the head of the household department, also participated in the discussion, and he said:

"His Royal Highness King Qi, how big does this Northwest Frontier Affairs Bureau need, how many people do you need, and how much expenditure does it need?"

Li You said: "Father, this matter has been calculated by the ministers, the domestic part needs about 00 people, and the foreign part needs about 500 people. The Chang'an headquarters has 65 people, with a total of about 2,400 people. ”

When Gao Jingming heard that so many people were needed, his face changed greatly, and he said: "Your Majesty, the household department is in great difficulty now, and I am afraid that I will not be able to come up with so much money. ”

He objected.

Li You said: "Father, the ministers have been prepared for this matter, and the personnel abroad are all covered by business, and their expenses are paid from commercial income, and the insufficient part is supplemented by the Minsheng Research Institute."

The Minsheng Research Institute is responsible for the expenditure of some domestic personnel. ”

As soon as he heard that there was no need for the household department to pay, Gao Jingming immediately smiled and said, "The minister has no opinion, and the minister agrees with the opinion of His Royal Highness King Qi." ”

Gao Jingming is a good housekeeper of the imperial court, and his meticulous and budget-slamming spirit makes everyone angry and funny.

Li Shimin asked: "There are two more problems, the issue of information transmission for a while, and the domestic part is easy to say. In the foreign part, how to transmit information in a timely manner?

Also, intelligence may be intercepted on the road, how to keep it secret? ”

Li Shimin is a military strategist, and he is familiar with intelligence work, and the questions he asks are very professional.

Li You said: "Father is right. Let's start with the issue of passing on information. Father, have you forgotten your 'Great General'? ”

When Li Shimin heard this, he laughed.

Li Shimin himself raised a white falcon named "Great General", this bird is very humane, he dotes on Li Tai, often sends this bird to Li Tai to deliver letters, often several times a day.

He said: "It's good to use Asuka to deliver news, but where to find so many 'great generals'? ”

Li You said: "Father, the White Falcon is scarce, and it is too large in size and not fast in flight, so it is not a suitable tool for transmitting information.

Erchen is talking about another kind of bird, which is the pigeon. ”

Around 3000 B.C., the ancient Egyptians began to use pigeons to deliver letters. China is also an ancient country of pigeon, has a long history, in the Sui and Tang dynasties, in Guangzhou and other places in the south of our country, has begun to use pigeons to transmit letters.

Li You gave everyone the relevant knowledge about flying pigeon communication.

Fang Xuanling said: "This bird is used to deliver news, which is a good way. The minister also heard that some people in the south used this method to pass family letters.

However, there is still a problem here, that is, what His Majesty said, what should I do if I encounter interception on the road and the information falls into the hands of the enemy? ”