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

"kill--!"

The deafening battle cries instantly tore through the desolate, biting winds of the Western Regions.

Li Ke charged ahead, his fine steed from the Western Regions shooting like an arrow, heading straight for the breach in the city wall that had been blasted into a muddy mess by the cannons.

The sandstorm stung his face, but his blood was boiling.

Others might think that leading troops to clean up the mess is a thankless and unskilled task, but Li Ke is very quick-witted.

He knew all too well what his elder brother Li Chengqian meant.

As the grandson of Emperor Yang of the former Sui Dynasty, his identity was extremely awkward in Chang'an. Changsun Wuji and his gang of old foxes kept a close eye on him every day, fearing that he might develop any disloyal intentions.

The older brother isn't making him do hard labor at all; he's blatantly feeding his half-brother to earn merit points!

As long as we personally capture the King of Gaochang today, this tremendous achievement will be a real and solid accomplishment. Who will dare to bring up his lineage in the court in the future?

"My brother is truly my own brother! I, Li Ke, am sticking with him tight, and no one will let me go!"

Li Ke cracked his whip hard, his eyes growing increasingly fervent.

"Your Highness! There are remnants of Gaochang's army blocking our path!"

Lieutenant General Xi Junmai, carrying a heavy longsword, wiped the gunpowder ash from his face and shouted loudly at Li Ke.

At the breach, a commander of the Gaochang Imperial Guards, his face covered in blood, was brandishing a Western Region scimitar, trying to drive the terrified soldiers back into formation.

"The Tang army is nothing to be afraid of! Their cannons can't reach here! Hold them off..."

Before the Gaochang commander could finish speaking, Li Ke had already galloped up to him on horseback.

"Shut up and stop babbling!"

Li Ke roared, and the hundred-refined horizontal sword in his hand, forged by the Mo family's arsenal using a blast furnace and hydraulic hammer, transformed into a cold, crescent moon in mid-air.

There was a sickeningly loud "crack" sound as metal shattered.

The Gaochang leader's prized steel scimitar was like a fragile piece of rotten wood, and Li Ke cleaved it in two with a single, unadorned stroke, along with half of his shoulder!

Hot blood gushed out instantly, splattering half of Li Ke's body.

This bloody and brutal scene became the final straw that broke the camel's back for the Gaochang defenders.

The Gaochang soldiers, whose minds were already buzzing from the exploding shells, looked at Li Ke as if he were a demon crawling out of hell.

"Devils! The Tang army are all immortal devils!"

"Run! The city walls are gone, what's the point of fighting?"

The army was defeated like a mountain.

Five thousand Tang infantrymen were like tigers among sheep, no longer needing to maintain basic battle formations, and simply chased and slaughtered the Gaochang people all over the mountains and plains.

This isn't a war at all; it's practically an armed parade with no suspense whatsoever.

The superior armor and sharp swords of the Tang Dynasty displayed a brutal, overwhelming force against the demoralized Western Regions garrison.

Xi Junmai kicked over a Gaochang soldier who was trying to resist, and with a casual wave of his Mo Dao, he took a life.

He scratched his head in confusion, then turned and shouted at Li Ke.

"Your Highness! This job is way too easy! Even slaughtering a pig for the New Year in my old Xi family wasn't this enjoyable!"

Li Ke flicked the blood off the blade and laughed heartily.

"Nonsense! Our boss's cannons have already plowed up this whole area; we're just here to pick up the scraps!"

"Listen up, brothers!" Li Ke suddenly raised his sword and raised his voice.

"Killing is fine, but don't steal! Especially the treasures in the palace; Chief Steward Wu is keeping an eye on the accounts with his abacus!"

"Anyone who carelessly breaks the King of Gaochang's luminous pearl will have three years' worth of their military pay deducted to compensate Miss Wu!"

"Alright! Your Highness, don't worry!"

The Tang soldiers roared with laughter and marched with overwhelming momentum across the devastation, heading straight for the center of Gaochang's main city.

In less than half an hour, the large banner with the character "Tang" fluttering in the wind was firmly planted at the highest point of the Gaochang Palace.

Meanwhile, deep within the Gaochang Royal Palace, there was a nauseating silence and chaos.

Gold coins and pearls that hadn't been taken away were scattered on the exquisite Persian carpet; the maids and guards who had been serving them had long since disappeared.

Ju Wentai dragged his left arm, which had been severed by shrapnel from a high-explosive shell, his face as pale as a dead man's.

He was in so much pain that his whole body trembled, but he gritted his teeth and, supported by an old eunuch, stumbled and ran towards the deepest part of the palace.

His right hand was still gripping a package full of top-quality Western Region rubies tightly, his nails digging into his flesh.

"Your Majesty, the Tang army... the Tang army has broken in! All the guards in the front hall are dead!"

The old eunuch had a mournful face, his voice trembling like a leaf in the wind, and his crotch was already soaked.

"Shut up! I'm not dead yet!"

Ju Wentai cursed viciously and scrambled to his pure gold throne.

With his only remaining right hand, he gripped an inconspicuous glass vase on the wall tightly and twisted it sharply to the right.

"Creak—"

With a dull creak of mechanical friction, a hidden door slowly opened, revealing a dark underground passage.

A hint of manic joy flashed in Ju Wentai's eyes.

This secret passage leads directly to the desert ten miles outside the city, where fast horses and clean water have long been prepared.

As long as he escapes, he can borrow troops from the Western Turks, and Ju Wentai can make a comeback!

"Crown Prince of Tang, you just wait! The grudge of destroying the city and losing an arm today will be yours to pay for in blood sooner or later..."

"Bang--!!!"

Before Ju Wentai could finish his harsh words, the heavy nanmu wood door of the palace was kicked open from the outside in an extremely violent manner, along with the door frame.

The two large doors slammed heavily onto the Phoebe zhennan wood floor, making a deafening noise.

The old eunuch was so frightened that he convulsed, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted to the ground.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a young general, covered in blood and clad in the Mingguang Armor of the Tang Dynasty, strode across the threshold.

Li Ke casually tossed aside a Gaochang assassin who was still struggling desperately.

The blood-dripping dagger in his hand left a glaring and horrifying trail of blood on the expensive Persian carpet.

Li Ke squinted at Ju Wentai, who had already half-entered the secret passage, and couldn't help but chuckle.

The laughter echoed through the empty palace, and to Ju Wentai's ears, it sounded like a death knell.

Li Ke walked step by step to the front of the secret passage, casually flicked the blade, and precisely placed it against Ju Wentai's fat neck.

The cold blade instantly sliced ​​through a layer of oily skin, and a trickle of warm blood seeped out along the blade.

Ju Wentai froze on the spot, and the package full of gems in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

His mouth was wide open, and he dared not move at all; he even stopped breathing.

Li Ke tilted his head, looking down at the Western Region overlord who was trying to escape, his smile arrogant and cold.

He gently patted Ju Wentai's pale, chubby face with the back of his knife.

"Run! You were so talkative just now, why aren't you running anymore?"

Li Ke leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp as knives.

"Where are you running to? Come with me to see Big Brother!"