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

Even after blowing across thousands of mountains and rivers, the wind on the grassland still seems to carry an inescapable smell of coal dust and blood.

This smell traveled along trade routes and with the wind and sand, all the way to the Western Regions and the plateau, becoming a legend more terrifying than any ghost story.

In that legend, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty was not human.

He was eight feet tall, with a blue face and fangs, and he ate the hearts and livers of children every meal. He kept a group of demons who had crawled out of hell under his command, and he also had a form of torture called the "Construction Corps," which was more torturous than the eighteen levels of hell.

It is said that once someone is captured by him, they have to dig a black stone called "coal" day and night, working until they die, and their very soul will be drained.

The Western Regions, the Kingdom of Gaochang.

Inside the palace, King Ju Wentai of Gaochang was holding a glass of wine with trembling hands. The wine, which he usually loved, tasted bitter at this moment.

"Is...is it really all over?"

He looked at the scout kneeling on the ground, his voice trembling, "Jieli's 300,000-strong army didn't even make a ripple before they were... captured and sent to mine coal?"

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true!"

The scout, his face contorted with grief and trembling, cried out, "I saw it with my own eyes! The once invincible Turkic wolf cavalry are now covered in dust and dirt, picking their picks and lining up at the foot of Yinshan Mountain for thin porridge. If they're even a fraction of a second slower, those red-armored demon soldiers' whips will lash them out!"

"That's terrible! It's absolutely terrible!"

"I heard that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty also said that they... they have to accumulate all the good karma they've accumulated in this lifetime before they can leave!"

"Clang!"

The golden cup in Ju Wentai's hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

"Good fortune... what the hell is this?!"

He recalled that he had detained a Tang Dynasty caravan a few days ago, and even tried to flirt with the Turks and make some small moves.

Now it seems I've been teetering on the brink of death!

"Quick! Get the car ready!"

Ju Wentai jumped up abruptly, as if his backside was on fire, "Load all the best Hetian jade, the most expensive raisins, and my several Akhal-Teke horses from the storeroom!"

"Send them to Chang'an! To offer tribute! To apologize!"

"Tell the Emperor of Tang that Gaochang will always be the Tang Dynasty's most loyal watchdog! Woof woof woof!"

It's not just Gaochang.

The kings of Kucha, Yanqi, Khotan... all thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions were doing the same thing at this moment.

Fear is the most effective passport in the world.

Although Li Shimin was also fierce in the past, he was the "Heavenly Khan," and he was reasonable; as long as everyone could save face, that was enough.

But this crown prince is a "living Yama"!

They lack martial ethics and reason, and readily send people to mine coal and build roads.

Who isn't afraid?

If he were to be forced to repair the sewers in Chang'an, he might as well just slit his own throat!

……

On the plateau, there is the Tubo Kingdom.

In the palace of Lhasa, the young king Songtsen Gampo stared intently at a piece of intelligence in his hand, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

In the brazier in front of him, a letter of state that had not yet been sent out was burning.

It was a marriage proposal letter.

Originally, he planned to take advantage of the war between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks to plunder and forcibly marry a Tang princess in order to enhance the prestige of Tibet.

But now...

"Lu Dongzan".

Songtsen Gampo raised his head, looked at the chief minister beside him, pointed to the national letter that had turned to ashes in the brazier, and felt lingering fear.

"Thank goodness... thank goodness it wasn't sent out."

Lu Dongzan also looked terrified, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Your Majesty is wise! If we were to send this away, our Tibet might end up like the Turks."

"That Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty..."

Lu Dongzan swallowed hard, his eyes filled with apprehension. "This is too bizarre. Eight hundred cavalrymen stormed the royal court and enslaved hundreds of thousands of people overnight. Such methods are unheard of."

"And I heard that his 'Divine Machine Battalion' has an iron pipe that can emit a thunderous roar; one shot from it can even collapse a city wall."

"Although our Tibet region is situated on high ground, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, if we really provoke him..."

"If he sends that madman named Huo Qubing to lead his men up, or sends that killing god named Bai Qi to block the door..."

Songtsen Gampo shivered.

He imagined himself being captured and taken to Chang'an, dressed in tattered clothes, working under the supervision of the young prince, carrying a basket on his back to repair the city wall every day.

terrible!

It was a nightmare!

"We're not marrying her! We're not marrying this princess!"

Songtsen Gampo waved his hand dismissively, declaring, "What Tang Dynasty princess? She's a hot potato! Whoever wants to marry her can, but I'm not marrying her!"

"Send the order: immediately select five hundred of the strongest slaves, along with one thousand yak oxen and five thousand sheep, and send them to Chang'an!"

"Just say...just say that Tibet admires the teachings of the Tang Dynasty and has come to pay tribute!"

"By the way, do you need any more coal miners, Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty? If so, our Tibet can certainly find some!"

……

Chang'an, Honglu Temple.

These past few days, Tang Jian, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, felt like he was about to die from overwork.

But he was tired yet happy.

Previously, as the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, he was a pushover. When envoys from the Western Regions came, they would put on airs; when envoys from the Turks came, they would act wildly. He could only smile obsequiously, afraid of angering these big shots.

But now?

"Line up! Everyone line up!"

Tang Jian stood at the entrance of the Court of State Ceremonial, holding a large teapot in his hand, his voice louder than anyone else's.

"Hey Gaochang, don't push! I'm talking to you! Your jade isn't good quality, move back a bit!"

"You people from Kucha, take your dancers back. His Highness the Crown Prince said that frugality is encouraged now, and this kind of thing is not acceptable! Cash payment! Do you understand?"

"Oh, a Tibetan envoy? A yak? Alright, alright, this is perfect, it'll be a good treat for the Great Snow Dragon Riders. Please come in!"

Seeing those once arrogant envoys from various countries now bowing and scraping, shoving their credentials and gift lists into his hands with fawning expressions, Tang Jian felt completely at ease, and his back had never been so straight.

This is what you call the majesty of a great nation!

This is what they mean by "a weak nation has no diplomacy"!

And all of this changed simply because of that name.

That name that strikes fear into the hearts of foreign tribes and silences the night cries of children.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Tang Jian looked at the thick stack of gift lists in his hand and couldn't help but sigh.

"His Majesty's title of 'Heavenly Khan' sounds impressive and commands respect."

"But His Highness the Crown Prince's reputation as a 'living Yama'..."

He glanced at the trembling messengers and chuckled.

"That's scary."

"In these chaotic times, instilling fear is far more effective than instilling respect!"

Just then, a minor official came running over, sweating profusely.

"My lord! Something terrible has happened! No, it's wonderful!"

"What's wrong?" Tang Jian calmly took a sip of tea.

"The Abbasid Caliphate, India, and even that further west country, the Byzantine Empire (the Eastern Roman Empire), have all sent envoys!"

"They said...they heard that the 'Demon King' of the East possessed the magic to turn stones into gold, so they came specifically to...to seek his teachings!"

"Moreover, the gifts they brought completely blocked Suzaku Avenue!"

"puff--!"

Tang Jian spat out a mouthful of tea.

"Quickly! Go and report to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"This is hardly a scene of all nations paying tribute!"

"This is clearly... the whole world is sending us money!"