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

"Minister Dai? Minister Dai?"

Li Shimin looked at the old minister whose eyes rolled back, foamed at the mouth, and fell straight down, and for a moment he forgot to help him up.

Several eunuchs rushed over in a flurry, pinching his philtrum and fanning him, and it took them a long time to pull Dai Zhou back from the brink of death.

Dai Zhou slowly woke up, and the first thing he saw when he saw the bill almost made him choke. Fang Xuanling, who was next to him, quickly dragged him away.

Inside the Taiji Hall, there was a deathly silence.

Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and others also went over to take a look at the "death warrant".

It was fine if they hadn't looked, but once they did, even these two top strategists of the Tang Dynasty, who would remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before them, had their eyelids twitching and their mouths twitching, and were collectively petrified.

The final total figure... converted into copper coins, would be enough to bury the entire Taiji Hall.

That's the total tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty for three whole years!

"This...so many?"

Li Shimin's voice was dry, as if it had been sanded. He stared intently at Li Chengqian, his eyes seeming to say: You unfilial son, are you trying to make fun of me?

"Is it a lot?"

Li Chengqian innocently took back the bill, carefully blew off the dust, then folded it neatly and stuffed it back into his sleeve, as if he were collecting a family heirloom.

"Father, you are unaware of this."

Li Chengqian began his on-site teaching.

"The Great Snow Dragon Riders are all martial arts masters; daily meditation and qi cultivation are their basic skills. Think about it, martial arts training consumes stamina, right? If their stamina can't keep up, they have to eat meat, right? But just eating meat isn't enough, right? They also need some body-tempering herbs, right? And that goes up the expenses, doesn't it?"

He counted on his fingers, explaining things very clearly.

"Besides, their warhorses are no ordinary breeds; they are top-grade dragon breeds brought from the Northern Wilderness, fed with concentrated feed containing eggs and honey every day. You can't expect them to graze on grass roots alongside the Imperial Guards' horses, can you? That would cause them to lose weight."

Li Shimin was stunned, feeling that all his years of fighting had been in vain.

"But... but where did you get this money from?" Li Shimin asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

Even if an eight-year-old child pried up and sold all the floor tiles in the palace, they couldn't raise such an astronomical sum!

"My secret stash of money."

Li Chengqian answered confidently, spreading his hands, looking as utterly naive as could be.

"From the moment I was born, I was determined to be an ordinary but wealthy man. So over the years, I haven't wasted a single penny of what my mother gave me, what my uncle gave me, or the red envelopes I received during festivals. I've saved it all."

"It took me eight whole years to save up enough to feed these three thousand people. Father, you have no idea how hard I have worked all these years. To save money, I even gave up my favorite osmanthus cake."

He spoke with great emotion, and even managed to squeeze out a few crocodile tears from his eyes.

Every single minister present was utterly bewildered.

I don't believe you!

You little bastard, you've saved up your secret stash of money for eight years, and it's more than the Tang Dynasty's national treasury for three years? Do you think money comes from the wind?!

But... but if that's not the case, then where did this army's money come from? It couldn't just fall from the sky, could it?

Li Shimin was amused and exasperated by his son's "I'm poor, therefore I'm right" logic. He took a deep breath and decided not to argue with this unfilial son anymore, but to confront him directly.

"Okay, let's say this is your secret stash of money."

Li Shimin stared at Li Chengqian and said in a deep voice, "But they are soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, and they should serve the Tang Dynasty. I now order you to hand over your military seal!"

"I can't hand it over."

Li Chengqian shook his head, his little face full of sincerity.

Why?

"Because we don't have the military tally."

Li Chengarkadaşlar looked helpless. "Father, do you think this is child's play? These people can't be driven by loyalty alone. They only recognize two people."

Which two?

"One of them is me."

Li Chengqian pointed to his nose.

"The other one is money."

He patted his sleeve, which seemed to contain a treasure trove. "They follow me because I give them a lot. If anyone dares to cut off their beef and elixirs, they'll set the commander's tent on fire the next day."

"So, Father."

Li Chengqian patted Li Shimin's hand earnestly, as if comforting a naive child, "If you don't have money, don't try to put on a show. No one but me can command this army. If you try to incorporate them, they'll mutini in less than three days."

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Li Shimin's burning heart.

He was silent.

He knew that although what his unfilial son said was absurd, it was the truth.

An army that only cares about money is more terrifying and harder to control than an army that only cares about its generals.

How could this poor emperor possibly compete with his son, this "super-rich" man?

"well……"

After a long silence, Li Shimin sighed deeply, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He waved his hand weakly and chose to compromise.

"That's enough. I don't need the soldiers anymore."

He looked at Li Chengqian with an extremely complex expression. "But you must promise me that the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry must be loyal to the Tang Dynasty and to me!"

"No problem," Li Chengqian agreed faster than anyone else.

Loyal to the Tang Dynasty? Sure. Loyal to you? Depends on my mood.

"And another thing!" Li Shimin emphasized, "If the court ever needs them to lead troops in any future wars, you must not refuse!"

"No problem, no problem." Li Chengqian nodded perfunctorily. "As long as we have enough food and supplies, we can fight the Turks, let alone fight them to the ends of the earth."

Having received his son's "guarantee," Li Shimin felt a slight sense of relief, but more than that, he felt an unprecedented sense of frustration and insecurity.

He was too poor as emperor.

They were so poor that they couldn't even afford to maintain a truly elite army of their own.

Is this world truly Li Shimin's world?

"You may leave."

Li Shimin waved wearily.

"Your subject takes his leave."

Li Chengqian performed an awkward bow, humming a little tune, and swaggered out of the Taiji Hall, his back view exuding arrogance.

The main hall fell silent once again.

Li Shimin stared at the empty doorway, his gaze gradually turning cold and profound.

a long time.

He spoke slowly, facing the shadows in the corner of the hall. His voice was not loud, but it carried a chilling aura.

"Zhao Qian".

"Your subordinate is here."

A ghostly figure appeared silently in the center of the hall and knelt on one knee.

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes, tapped his fingers lightly on the dragon table, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"The Palace's Hundred Cavalry Guards are nothing more than ceremonial guards; they look good but are useless."

"I now require you to use all resources to build a new force for me."

"I don't need guards, what I need is... someone who can monitor the world for me, someone who can eliminate dissidents for me, someone who can make all the civil and military officials tremble in fear—"

"Fangs".