Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

"What?! Tonight?!"

Fang Xuanling felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and he stumbled, almost losing his footing. Fortunately, Changsun Wuji, who was standing next to him, caught him.

"Your Highness, is this true?"

Changsun Wuji's voice also changed, and his shrewd, fox-like face was now filled with terror.

Is something going to happen to the emperor tonight?

This is no joke!

Li Chengqian did not answer, but walked to the huge sand table and picked up a thin bamboo pole.

"Both of our ministers were experts in military strategy, so let's review their performance."

His bamboo pole touched the location of Chang'an City.

"How many men did Father take with him on his campaign?"

"Three thousand Xuanjia soldiers, plus twenty thousand Imperial Guards, totaling twenty-three thousand men," Fang Xuanling answered instinctively.

"good."

Li Chengqian nodded, and the bamboo pole followed the red line northward.

"After seven days of campaigning, we captured five cities in succession, advancing three hundred li in a single march. Doesn't that sound impressive?"

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling exchanged a glance, both seeing shame in each other's eyes.

Yes, just a few days ago they were overjoyed by this "unstoppable" victory, but now it seems like a joke.

"Three hundred li."

Li Chengqian drew a long line on the map with his bamboo pole. "What does this mean?"

"This means that our logistical supply lines have been stretched to an extremely dangerous distance."

"The cavalry is alright; they can forage on the spot. But what about the infantry? What about their supplies? Once harassed and cut off by the Turkic cavalry, these 20,000 troops will instantly become toothless tigers!"

Li Chengqian's bamboo pole pointed again at that lone little red flag.

Secondly, it is a major taboo for military strategists to venture deep into enemy territory alone.

"Father was too confident, too trusting in the fighting power of the Xuanjia Army. He thought that with three thousand elite troops, they could tear through the enemy's defenses like a sharp knife, but he forgot that a sharp knife will break if it goes too deep."

"His current position is a full two hundred li (approximately 100 kilometers) separated from General Li Jing's main force! If anything changes, there will be no time to provide assistance!"

At this point, Li Chengqian's bamboo pole landed heavily on the mountain pass called "Longmen Mountain".

"The most deadly part is here."

His voice suddenly turned cold.

"Arrogance leads to defeat."

"The series of victories has made Father Emperor lower his guard. Now all he can think about is how to win a decisive victory and how to get revenge in front of me."

"So when the scouts told him that Longmen Mountain was a shortcut to the Turkic royal court and that Jieli's main force was on the front line at Yanmen Pass, he believed them."

"He never even considered that this might be a trap."

Li Chengqian raised his head, looked at the two prime ministers whose faces were ashen, and said, word by word:

"That old fox Jieli never intended to confront Father Emperor head-on."

"All his previous defeats and displays of weakness were just an act."

"He used several empty cities and the lives of thousands of cannon fodder to lure my father, this fierce tiger, step by step into a trap he had dug long ago, a trap filled with swords and spears—"

"Longmen Mountain!"

"Once Father's three thousand Xuanjia soldiers have all entered this narrow valley, the two hundred thousand Turkic troops lying in ambush on both sides of the mountain can simply push down rolling stones and logs to block the entrances and exits of the valley..."

Li Chengqian did not continue speaking.

But the consequences are self-evident.

To catch a turtle in a jar.

It's impossible to escape once you have wings.

"What...what should we do?!"

Fang Xuanling was completely panicked. This strategist of the Tang Dynasty was now as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. "Your Highness! Quickly! Send someone! An urgent message! Tell His Majesty to withdraw immediately!"

"It's too late."

Li Chengqian shook his head, a helpless bitter smile on his face.

He pointed to the sky outside the window.

"It's Shen Shi (3-5 PM) now, less than two hours before nightfall."

"Even if our carrier pigeons can fly there, by the time Father receives the message, he will already be in the Longmen Mountains."

"and……"

Li Chengqian's expression became somewhat complicated. "Sending people now will only alert them. Once Jieli discovers that the plan has been exposed, he might act rashly in desperation, leaving Father no time to react."

"Then... then we can only watch helplessly?" Changsun Wuji's voice trembled.

"Of course not."

Li Chengqian put down the bamboo pole, sat back in his rocking chair, and resumed his lazy, salty demeanor.

"My dad is good in every way, except he's too concerned about his image and too eager to prove himself."

"Like a rebellious teenager in his teens, insisting on competing with his son."

He sighed, picked up a piece of watermelon from the small table next to him, and took a bite.

"He was bound to fall sooner or later. Better to fall sooner rather than later."

"He won't learn his lesson unless he suffers a bit and gets a good slap in the face from reality."

"At least this time, I can cover for him."

Li Chengqian spat out the watermelon seeds, speaking calmly as if he were talking about a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.

"Let him go hungry for a couple of days and calm down."

Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji looked at each other, unsure whether to laugh or cry, after hearing the Crown Prince's seemingly "treasonous" yet surprisingly reasonable words.

To portray the emperor being surrounded by hundreds of thousands of troops as "getting a beating to learn a lesson"?

In this world, perhaps only this gentleman would dare to say such a thing.

"Then...Your Highness, what should we do?" Fang Xuanling persisted, unwilling to give up. "We can't just do nothing, can we?"

"Who said I didn't do anything?"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes. "I've been busy these past few days, training troops and preparing logistics. I'm so tired that I haven't even had time for a nap."

"But...but who should we send to rescue them?" Changsun Wuji asked, puzzled. "General Bai Qi is in Youzhou, and the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry are heavy cavalry, unsuitable for a rapid raid..."

"Who says you need cavalry to rescue people?"

Li Chengqian smiled mysteriously, stood up, walked to the corner of the study, and lifted a huge curtain.

Behind the curtain are three things.

A pile of dark, brick-like lumps.

A pile of dried meat wrapped in oil paper, emitting a meaty aroma.

There were also dozens of crystal-clear glass bottles sealed with corks, containing an unknown liquid.

"This is..." Fang Xuanling asked, puzzled.

"Compressed biscuits, beef jerky, and..."

Li Chengqian picked up a glass bottle, shook it in his hand, and looked at it against the light; the inside was clear and transparent.

"75 degrees, medical alcohol."

"With these things, my infantry can run at the speed of cavalry."

He turned his head, looked at the two prime ministers who were completely dumbfounded, and grinned.

"Gentlemen, would you like to see a spectacular show where infantry utterly crush cavalry?"