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

Li Shimin held the cold brass microphone, opened his mouth, but found his throat so dry it felt like it was about to burst into flames, and he couldn't make a sound.

As a general who conquered the world on horseback, he thought he had seen all kinds of storms in his life.

But the moment the ten huge tarpaulins were lifted, he realized that the swords, spears, and halberds he had seen before were like children's toys in front of these ten steel behemoths.

That pure, unadorned metallic texture, carrying a timeless aesthetic of industrial violence, struck him hard.

"Damn it!"

Li Shimin suddenly swore and threw the megaphone back to Li Chengqian, "Shouting through a broken pipe is nothing compared to seeing it with my own eyes! I want to go and touch it!"

After saying that, without waiting for Li Chengqian to stop him, he lifted the hem of his dragon robe and jumped down from the panda carriage, rushing to the front line of the position in a few steps.

An unprecedented atmosphere of chilling tension permeated the air.

There was no neighing of warhorses, no clash of swords, and even the breathing of soldiers was suppressed to a minimum.

Only ten black cannons, dressed in red, stood in neat rows on the battlefield.

The thick cannon barrel was a size larger than an adult man's waist. The two huge wooden wheels at the bottom, covered with iron plates, were deeply pressed into the sand of the Gobi Desert, as stable as Mount Tai.

The most terrifying thing was the dark, gaping muzzle of the cannon.

It was deep and cold, as if it connected to the abyss of hell. Even just a glance at it made you feel like your soul was being sucked in.

"hiss--"

Li Shimin gasped.

He walked up to the cannon in the middle, and with his hand trembling slightly from excitement, he stroked the cold and rough barrel inch by inch.

"How heavy must this lump of iron be?"

He bent his fingers and tapped the cannon barrel hard.

"Clang! Clang!"

The sound was deep and heavy, making his finger bones go numb.

This is not a hollow sheet of iron; it is solid cast steel!

Just as Li Shimin was marveling at the cannons, the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion had already begun their final preparations for battle.

"Number one gun position, clean the breech!"

Mo Ju stood to the side, clutching the command flag tightly in his hand, his voice sharp with excitement.

Two shirtless, strong soldiers immediately stepped forward, each holding a long pole with a water-soaked sponge tied to the end. They forcefully pushed the pole into the cannon muzzle, pulling it back and forth to clean out all the remaining dust and debris.

"Gun position two, load gunpowder!"

As soon as the order was given, people immediately ran over carrying heavy silk medicine pouches.

These gunpowder powders were all prepared by Li Chengqian according to the optimal ratio and then granulated. Their power was many times greater than the firework powders of this era, which could only be used for magic tricks.

The soldiers carefully stuffed the powder packs into the muzzle of the cannon, and then used long wooden rammers to firmly press them down.

Every movement exudes a precision and meticulousness akin to that of a machine.

"Number three gun position, load!"

The main event is coming.

Two soldiers worked together to lift a round, black iron ball from a specially made wooden box next to them.

Li Shimin leaned closer to take a look and found that the surface of the iron ball was not smooth, and there was even a thin fuse left.

"Chengqian, are these the stones you're going to use to smash the city wall?"

Li Shimin rubbed his wrist, looking puzzled. "It looks quite heavy, but can such an iron ball really break through the walls of Gaochang, which were built with glutinous rice juice?"

"Father, you're an amateur again."

Li Chengqian strolled leisurely over from the carriage, holding a glass of chilled grape wine in his hand.

He pointed to the iron ball that had just been pushed into the cannon barrel.

"That's not a solid lump of iron, it's called a 'blooming bomb'."

"It was filled with high-explosive gunpowder and shredded iron. When it hit the walls of Gaochang, it would not only create a hole with its speed, but also explode with a loud 'boom' from the inside."

Li Chengqian gestured an explosion with his hand, and the smile on his lips gradually turned grotesque.

"I guarantee that the city wall will crumble into dust, inside and out."

Li Shimin's eyelids twitched wildly upon hearing this.

Can you make a hole and then blow it up again?

That's incredibly malicious! But... I like it!

"Great! This is good stuff!"

Li Shimin rubbed his hands together excitedly and circled the cannon twice more, his eyes looking like those of a lecherous man who had just seen a stunningly beautiful woman.

"With such a divine artifact in hand, I'd like to see what that old bastard Ju Wentai has to offer in his arrogance!"

"Even if he's hiding in a turtle shell, I'm going to shake him into turtle soup today!"

Looking at his father's uncultured, nouveau riche attitude, Li Chengqian shook his head helplessly.

He turned around and beckoned to Shen Lian, who had been following closely behind him.

"Go and invite our 'distinguished guest' up here."

"The show is about to begin, how can the VIP front row seats be left empty?"

Shen Lian accepted the order and left.

A moment later.

Two imperial guards escorted a middle-aged man dressed in a dark red Tibetan robe, looking listless but still trying to maintain his arrogance, as he strode up the high ground.

It was none other than Gar Tongtsen Yulsung, the Tibetan Grand Minister who had been forcibly detained by Li Chengqian.

Ever since that day when Li Chengqian's few words in the carriage made him question his existence, he has been "closely watched" by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He was actually quite flustered when he was suddenly pulled to the front lines today.

However, on the surface, he still maintained the dignity of the Tibetan Grand Minister.

"Your Highness, in times of war, envoys are not to be killed."

Lu Dongzan stared coldly at Li Chengqian, straightening his disheveled collar. "Aren't you afraid of provoking a full-scale war between Tibet and the Tang Dynasty by forcibly detaining your foreign envoy here?"

"Stop patting yourself on the back."

Li Chengqian took a sip of grape wine, not even glancing at him directly. "I sent you here to broaden your horizons. Otherwise, you people from that poor, remote place might think that the Tang Dynasty is just bluffing."

He gestured with his chin towards the row of dark, red-coated cannons in front of him.

"Prime Minister, you are a smart man."

"Take a look at these iron pipes for me. Do they look familiar?"

Lu Dongzan followed his gaze.

When he saw the ten strangely shaped, incredibly heavy steel behemoths, his brows furrowed deeply.

He examined it carefully for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

There was no bowstring, no counterweight lever for a catapult; it was just a few thick iron pipes mounted on wooden wheels.

What can this do?

Is it for blowing air?

Lu Dongzan glanced at the majestic and sturdy Gaochang city wall in the distance, then looked at the harmless iron lumps in front of him. His fear suddenly dissipated, replaced by a sense of absurdity and comicality.

He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He felt that this Tang Dynasty crown prince was absolutely insane.

"Your Highness, is this all you rely on?"

Lu Dongzan puffed out his chest, his arrogance resurfacing as he pointed at the red-coated cannons, his tone filled with undisguised mockery.

"You're not trying to tell me that you can breach the gates of Gaochang with just these few immovable iron pipes, are you?"

He sneered and stared directly at Li Chengqian.

"Han people...have they lost their minds?"