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

The mournful sound of bugles echoed over the desolate ruins of Gaochang City.

The 100,000-strong Tang Dynasty army on its western expedition displayed an astonishingly high level of tactical skill. Without the slightest hesitation, the soldiers of each camp swiftly broke camp and set up camp. The Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, as the vanguard, had already sped away, followed closely by the Beiwei Army with heavy, orderly steps.

A long convoy of supply trains, laden with supplies and spoils from the Gaochang treasury, stretched across the Gobi Desert.

At this moment, however, the atmosphere on the artillery position seemed somewhat strange.

Mo Ju, the factory director of the Shenji Battalion, stood shivering in the cold wind with dozens of artillerymen. They held cleaning rods and rags for wiping the cannon barrels, but none of them dared to take a step forward.

Because the current Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty is like someone circling around a peerless beauty, frantically circling around those ten red-coated cannons.

His rough, calloused hands, which had been used to holding spears and bows for years, were now gently stroking the cold, cast-iron cannon barrel. His gaze was so intense it seemed to stretch for miles, and a trace of suspicious, glistening liquid even clung to the corner of his mouth.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the feel, the thickness, it's simply a masterpiece of nature." Li Shimin muttered to himself as he touched it, his eyes revealing a chilling fervor.

He even pressed his face against the gunpowder-smelling muzzle and took a deep breath, as if it were some kind of celestial aura.

Mo Ju swallowed hard, glancing pleadingly at the Crown Prince, who was preparing to board the iron-eating beast palanquin not far away. He dared not urge this man, who suffered from a severe case of insufficient firepower phobia, for fear of being kicked back to Chang'an by the Emperor.

Li Chengqian wrapped his pure white fox fur coat tighter around himself and yawned lazily. He had originally planned to go back to the palanquin to take a comfortable nap, but when he turned around, he saw his own father swooning over the cannon.

This old Li is something else. He's supposed to be an emperor who rose from the ashes, but he acts like a country bumpkin who's never seen the world.

"Father, if you keep dawdling, the army will leave you here alone to eat sand and dust," Li Chengqian said irritably, taking a cup of hot goat milk from Xu Xiao.

Upon hearing the voice, Li Shimin abruptly turned his head. The moment his crimson eyes saw Li Chengqian, a light that almost fawned over him suddenly burst forth.

He didn't even bother to straighten the hem of his dragon robe, rushing over to the palanquin in three strides and grabbing Li Chengqian's sleeve tightly.

"Chengqian! My dear son! Can your father discuss something with you?"

Li Shimin rubbed his hands together, the dignified General of Tian Ce forcing a fawning and humble smile onto his face. He deliberately lowered his voice, like a three-year-old child afraid of having his lollipop stolen.

Li Chengqian got goosebumps all over when he heard the word "good boy". He cautiously pulled his sleeve back and subconsciously shrank deeper into the palanquin.

"Stop! You never look like that without something good to say. We're brothers, so let's keep clear accounts... ugh, let's keep clear accounts, father and son. No money, no life."

"What are you saying, child! I am rich and powerful, why would I covet your little bit of silver?" Li Shimin glared at him unhappily, but quickly regained his playful smile.

He turned his head and pointed with great reluctance to the red-coated cannons on the battlefield that were about to be harnessed to draft horses.

"Of those ten iron lumps, could you spare one for me to play with?"

When Li Shimin saw Li Chengqian raise his eyebrows, he quickly patted his chest and assured him.

"I promise I won't fire recklessly! Nor will I steal the credit from Huo Qubing and the others! If I just want to fire a cannon myself, I'll light the fuse and enjoy the sound!"

Li Chengqian almost spat out the goat milk he had just drunk after hearing this.

Using a cannon like a firecracker? If that stingy Minister Dai Zhou heard this, he would faint on the spot from heartache in the Ministry of Revenue's main hall.

"Father, this is no joke." Li Chengqian rubbed his temples, patiently explaining, "Those cannons require calculating wind direction, loading a fixed amount of gunpowder, and calculating the parabola. You can't even do an abacus properly; what if you fire a cannon and it hits our own people?"

"Nonsense! I've spent half my life on the battlefield; what storms haven't I weathered?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin became enraged, the veins on his neck bulging. He slapped his thigh and unleashed a torrent of furious words at Mo Ju, who had rushed over to report.

"Back when I was shooting down enemy generals with a three-stone bow at Hulao Pass, this kid surnamed Mo was still playing in the mud! Do you think I lacked that kind of aim?"

When the emperor pointed his finger at him and berated him, Mo Ju was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost knelt down. He could only frantically wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and dared not utter a single word in rebuttal.

Just then, a small, exquisitely beautiful head suddenly peeked out from beside the palanquin.

Wu Meiniang clutched her ever-present thick account book of the Eastern Palace, her large eyes gleaming with an unyielding shrewdness.

"Your Majesty, this isn't about accuracy." The little girl solemnly opened the account book, her little fingers quickly poking at it.

"Each of these exploding shells is meticulously crafted by our Donggong Arsenal. The gunpowder, cast iron casing, and fuse together cost fifty strings of cash per shell."

Wu Meiniang raised her head and looked at Li Shimin with utmost seriousness.

"If you want to hear the sound, that's 50 strings of cash per shot. Pay first, then light it. No credit allowed."

Li Shimin was nearly choked to death by the words of this seven-year-old girl. He, the mighty emperor of the Tang Dynasty, had actually fallen so low as to have to spend money to buy cannons to fire on his own son's territory!

"Fifty strings of cash it is! Take it from the Imperial Treasury! If all else fails, I'll mortgage the glazed tiles of the Taiji Palace to you!" Li Shimin roared through gritted teeth, having abandoned all pretense for the sake of playing with cannons.

Seeing his father's shameless and desperate appearance, with his eyes almost red with anxiety, Li Chengqian sighed helplessly.

No matter what, he's still his own father. Although he often likes to trick him into doing free work, it doesn't seem like a big deal to grant this small request.

"Alright, Lao Xu, go tell Mo Ju." Li Chengqian waved his hand, ready to relent. "Set aside a separate cannon for the Grand Steward as his personal vehicle. Also, allocate ten cannonballs for him to hear the sound..."

"Hehe! Chengqian still loves me the most!" Li Shimin was overjoyed, like a monkey who had received a favorite toy, and turned around to pounce on the artillery position.

but.

Just as Li Chengqian was speaking, a secret experimental report submitted by the Mo family's arsenal before his departure suddenly flashed through his mind.

After being modified and purified, the explosive power of black powder increased exponentially. Although the first-generation red-coated cannon had its cast iron barrel thickened in an extremely extravagant manner, it still had a 0.3% chance of barrel explosion due to the limitations of current smelting technology.

Even more deadly is the terrifying recoil. A single shot can overturn a fully grown, strong bull with its recoil!

Although Old Li had taken the body-strengthening pills produced by the system, making his physique far superior to that of ordinary people, he was, after all, the current emperor.

He was lucky enough to have one in 1000 chance of a barrel explosion; either a piece of cast iron would hit him in the face, or he would be in the wrong position when igniting the barrel and have his bones shattered by the recoil...

That would be a huge mess; the Tang Dynasty would probably have to change emperors on the spot.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian's originally lazy gaze suddenly tightened, and he swallowed back the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.

He watched as Li Shimin excitedly rolled up his sleeves, preparing to personally carry the cannonballs, and sighed softly.

"Father, please wait a moment."

Li Shimin paused, turned around, and looked at his son warily: "What? Are you going back on your word again? A ruler's word is law!"

Li Chengqian rested his chin on his hand, his gaze sweeping over Li Shimin from head to toe, a playful smile curving his lips.

"We can keep this cannon for you, but I'm afraid you can't use it right now."