Prosperity Farm

YA country that contains almost exclusively talking and living animals. Intelligence is very valued in the country and cunning is often a high quality trait of those in the country.   Bullet point tactics
For a leader to be seen as virtuous slight Vices must also be present. This means executing few publicly but never none and never too many.
A leader must be a person of the people having started in the world with little as to seem empathetic to the common person.
Focus efforts on the people rather than the leaders for so long as you have the peoples undying support you will not die.
Know what the people of the country are thinking always.
Put immense pressure and responsibilities on those in power so they are too busy and care for too many people to revolt. If they step out of line threaten those they care for.
Of the common people value the soldiers most. If the common people start to revolt having the support of the military allows no revolt to begin.
Control your own small army outside of the normal structure of military.
You must struggle visably to gain your position
Conquer only places where the culture is not so vastly different it would be impossible to rule.
A location you must station soldiers at constantly is not one worthwhile
Always think of cures to problems before the sickness arrives
Never give away power for it will cause your ruin. Especially not to a foreign power and especially not to a place you do not have direct constant control over.
Never avoid a war merely cause a delay so you may gain an advantage.
Dividing power comes in two types lords and administration. Lords are given power by bloodline and the people. Administration is given power by the government. Choose Administration from the people via ability alone.
After conquering a place. Ruin them then live there then let them rule themselves controlled by you only when needed
Rather than burn away documents opposing your rule and say they never existed modify them to fit your point and if someone speaks up that this is a lie burn them away and speak as though they never existed outside of perhaps their authorship upon wonderous documents reveling in your rule
Allow few to read and create language that does not allow for rebellious ideas
Create a false revolutionary force that when sought out by rejectors of your rule will only leave them dead.
The ease of conquering is inverse the ease of holding a place
When they no longer believe make them believe by force. Expose them to no other opinion than the rule of the state
Fortune teaches nothing never allow power to pass by fortune
When conquering give those that were in power wealth so they do not revolt then if they still posses malcontent kill them and increase the wage of those else that maintain tight lips of their own views on governing
When taking siege of a place cripple everything at the same time
Keep the Bad not horrible rather than making the good great
By the same logic as above when in good times make precautions planning for bad times or times where someone may want you dead
When gaining power gain power through the people since gaining power through the powerful will at its best find you in a situation of power surrounded by the powerful whereas via the people you maintain more of that power.
Make your people dependent on you in good and bad times. Food control is often a viable way of controlling people.
          See: Animal Farm by George Orwell and 1974 by George Orwell and the prince by Machiavelli