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

"Thump—!"

A deep, resonant bell tolled suddenly from the depths of the back mountain of the East Palace.

The sound was not like the clash of metal, but rather like the first roar of a giant beast that had been sleeping for thousands of years, awakening from the depths of the earth.

The roar was deafening, startling the birds roosting in the mountains and making the window paper of Lizheng Hall vibrate.

This is the "Dragon Summoning Bell".

Ever since the system awarded these armies to Li Chengqian, the bell has been hanging there, covered in dust, and has never rung.

Because Li Chengqian was lazy.

Because the Tang Dynasty has never encountered a crisis that required it to reveal all its cards.

But tonight, the bell rang.

"Thump—! Thump—! Thump—!"

Third tone.

Urgent, violent, and murderous.

The secret military camp on the back mountain, which was originally pitch black and resembled a deathly graveyard, came alive the moment the bell rang.

"Whoosh—!"

Countless torches were lit almost simultaneously.

From a bird's-eye view, the once dark valley instantly transformed into a giant, winding, and coiling fire dragon.

The synchronized movements and the sudden burst of murderous aura stained the night sky of Chang'an with a faint crimson hue.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

"With armor on, and a sword never out of hand!"

"His Highness has ordered! Everyone assemble!"

There was no loud noise, only deep, powerful commands and hurried, heavy footsteps.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

The door to the operations room in the side hall of Lizheng Hall, where a huge map of the northern border was hung, was pushed open from the outside.

A smell that was a mixture of dirt, sweat, and a strong metallic rust instantly filled the entire room.

Three figures, like three towering mountains, strode in.

On the left is a man dressed in dark red armor, with a sinister face, holding a long spear that is still dripping with mud—that is Bai Qi, the God of Slaughter, who was just urgently teleported back from the "potato field" of Youzhou by the system.

The man in the middle, with a towering figure, straight back, and resolute eyes, carries the heavy Liquan spear weighing eighty pounds on his back—Yue Fei, a loyal patriot.

The youngest man on the right, his silver armor gleaming in the candlelight, his brows furrowed with untamed wildness, was excitedly wiping the sword in his hand—the Marquis of Champion, Huo Qubing.

"This humble general greets Your Highness!"

The three men knelt on one knee in unison, the sound of their armor striking the ground dull yet powerful.

Li Chengqian stood in front of the huge sand table, with his back to them.

He didn't turn around, but just stared quietly at the red circle on the sand table that was tightly surrounded by black chess pieces.

"They're all here."

His voice was soft, yet it carried an unprecedented chill.

"You've all heard about the news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, haven't you?"

"I've heard about it."

Huo Qubing was the first to jump up, his eyes as red as a rabbit's. "That old bastard Jieli dared to scheme against our Emperor! Your Highness, just give the order! I'll take men right now to twist his skull off and use it as a football!"

"Calm down."

Yue Fei said in a deep voice, his tone calm, but the veins on his clenched fists were bulging. "Your Highness, His Majesty is currently trapped at Longmen Mountain, his supplies are cut off, and the situation is critical. Our army must act swiftly, or things will change."

Bai Qi remained silent.

He simply stood up silently, walked to the sand table, his lifeless eyes fixed on the black chess piece representing the Turkic army, and a cruel smile slowly curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Three hundred thousand people..."

He stuck out his scarlet tongue and licked his lips. "There's a lot. It'll take a little effort to bury it."

Li Chengqian turned around and looked at these three of the most outstanding war gods in Chinese history.

Normally, he would definitely complain about Bai Qi's abnormality and tease Huo Qubing about his impulsiveness.

But today, he didn't.

He walked to the sand table, picked up a baton, and slammed it heavily on the location of Longmen Mountain.

"My father is right here."

"He's probably too hungry to even curse right now."

"As a son, I cannot watch him die. As the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, I cannot watch the dynasty end."

Li Chengqian raised his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over the three men one by one.

"So, tonight, we're not going to sleep."

"Let's go kill someone."

"Bai Qi, heed my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Bai Qi stepped forward, his killing intent almost tangible.

"You lead three thousand elite Iron Eagle warriors, equipped with all light gear, and charge at full speed, sparing no effort!"

The baton in Li Chengqian's hand drew a strange arc on the eastern side of the map.

"From here, we'll bypass the Turkic scouts and head straight for the eastern entrance of the Longmen Valley!"

"You have only one task—block that gap! Tie the bag tight! If the Turks try to escape, chop off their legs; if they try to resist, bury them!"

"Regardless of gender or age."

"Kill without mercy!"

Bai Qi's eyes blazed with ghostly fire, and he smiled sinisterly: "Yes! This old servant guarantees that not even a fly will be able to escape from the east gate."

"Yue Fei, heed my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Yue Fei clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes burning with determination.

"You will lead three thousand elite Beiwei soldiers, equipped with newly forged long-handled swords and repeating crossbows, and launch a frontal assault!"

Li Chengqian pointed his baton heavily at the main entrance of Longmen Valley.

"Does Jieli think his encirclement is impregnable? I want you to become the sharpest chisel and pierce through his formation!"

"I'll show those barbarian cavalrymen that their mounted archery is a joke in front of the Tang Dynasty's infantry!"

"This is what it means to confront things head-on!"

Yue Fei took a deep breath, his heart brimming with heroic spirit: "Your Highness, rest assured! The Beiwei Army is more than capable of shaking a mountain; it is difficult to shake the Yue Family Army! This humble general will surely break through the enemy lines and welcome Your Majesty back!"

The order was given, and a murderous aura filled the air.

Bai Qi and Yue Fei accepted the order and left, their footsteps sounding like thunderous war drums.

In the operations room, only Huo Qubing remained.

The young general stared longingly at Li Chengqian, then at the sand table, scratching his head in frustration.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

Huo Qubing pointed to his own nose, looking aggrieved and anxious. "What about me? What am I supposed to do? You're not going to make me stay and guard the house, are you?"

"Then won't my Salu Purple horse rust? And my spear will get moldy!"

Seeing his impatient look, Li Chengqian finally smiled, his previously tense face breaking into a smile.

That was the smile of the fox seeing the chicken, and the smile of the demon seeing the sacrifice.

"Watching the house?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and casually tossed the baton aside.

He walked up to Huo Qubing, straightened his slightly crooked collar, and then leaned close to his ear and whispered:

"Your mission is the most demanding and the most dangerous."

Huo Qubing's eyes lit up instantly: "How dangerous? Will I die?"

"Maybe."

Li Chengqian pointed to the point on the map that was located at the rear of the Turkic army, which seemed to be the weakest point in the defense but was actually the most crucial.

That was the central golden tent of Khagan Jieli.

"We need to go here."

"You, take eight hundred Great Snow Dragon Riders, no more, just eight hundred."

"Come with me."

Li Chengqian patted Huo Qubing's breastplate, producing a crisp metallic clang.

"We don't follow the usual path."

"Let's go and give that arrogant and ignorant Jieli Khan a gift that he'll never forget."