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

"Weld the city gate shut?"

Upon hearing this term, which evoked the atmosphere of the industrial age, Li Chengqian almost slipped off the soft belly of the iron-eating beast.

He almost doubted if there was something wrong with his ears.

"Where did they get the technology to weld the city gates shut with molten iron? Did the Yanqi Kingdom develop some strange new technology?"

Li Chengqian rubbed his temples, looking incredulously at the scout kneeling on the ground.

The scout suppressed a laugh, trying hard to maintain a serious expression.

"Your Highness, it was actually the King of Yanqi who confiscated all the iron pots and farm tools in the city."

"Then it turned into molten iron and poured down the cracks in the city gate, killing them all."

"They even spread rumors that the King of Gaochang, that fool, lost because he opened the gates to fight."

"As long as they close their gates, our Tang army, having come from afar, can wear us down in this Gobi Desert!"

After hearing this strategic analysis, which was comparable to that of the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix, Li Chengqian was so angry that he laughed.

Will welding the door shut stop the exploding shells from the Red Coat Cannon?

It seems that the King of Yanqi has some extremely profound misunderstanding of the concept of "dimensional reduction attack".

Did he really think the Tang army would be foolish enough to push open those two broken wooden doors that were covered with molten iron?

Li Shimin listened with his eyes shining, and the smile on his face was even brighter than when he received lucky money during the Lunar New Year.

"Good! Good! This King of Yanqi is truly a kind and understanding person!"

Li Shimin slapped his thigh, as excited as a 200-pound fat man.

"I was just looking for an excuse to fire my guns, and he's already welded the door shut himself!"

He turned to look at Li Chengqian, his dragon eyes wide like copper bells, his tone filled with impatience.

"Chengqian! You just promised me that if you encountered any stubborn fools, I would be the one to set things on fire!"

"The King of Yanqi has welded the door shut; his bones are so hard you could knock sparks out of them!"

"Isn't it my turn this time?"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes in exasperation.

My dad's fear of insufficient firepower is completely incurable.

However, since he had already agreed, he didn't intend to go back on his word, lest the old rascal throw another tantrum.

"Alright, alright, you can choose whatever you want. But it's agreed that Mo Ju must handle the loading and calculations; you're only responsible for ignition."

"It's a deal!"

Fearing that Li Chengqian might change his mind, Li Shimin turned and rushed towards the artillery position like a whirlwind.

In less than half an hour, the 100,000-strong Tang army, like a dark cloud, arrived at the gates of Yanqi Kingdom with a suffocating aura of killing intent.

Compared to the Kingdom of Gaochang, the Kingdom of Yanqi was pitifully small.

The city wall was only a little over three zhang high, and it was haphazardly built with rough mud bricks and mud.

There wasn't even a moat; outside the city gate was just a dried-up, muddy ditch.

At this moment, King Turgesh of Yanqi stood on the low city wall, gripping a Western Region scimitar inlaid with cheap gems tightly in his hand.

His legs trembled uncontrollably and wildly inside the heavy sheepskin robe.

When the massive Tang cavalry, like a black tsunami, truly appeared on the horizon.

The Turgesh finally realized just how terrifying a being they had provoked.

The dark, imposing army, their perfectly synchronized steps, and the chilling killing intent that soared into the sky.

It was even more despairing than the most violent sandstorms in the Western Regions.

"Your Majesty... was the King of Gaochang really killed and sacrificed to the flag?"

A minister from Yanqi standing nearby turned pale with fright, his voice trembling like a broken kite in the wind.

"What's there to be afraid of! That fool, the King of Gaochang, doesn't understand military strategy!"

The Turgesh roared, trying to appear calm, as if a loud voice could mask his inner fear.

"We've sealed our city gates with molten iron; not even a fly can get in!"

"These Han Chinese have come from afar; they certainly don't have enough supplies. As long as we stay inside the city and don't go out, what can they do to us?"

The more the Turgesh talked, the more he felt his tactics were absolutely flawless.

He pointed to the row of dark pipes at the very front of the Tang army's position outside the city and curled his lip in disdain.

"Look, what kind of tricks are those Han Chinese up to now?"

"You think you can scare me by putting a few thick iron pipes in front of me?"

"These Han Chinese just love to flaunt these pretty but useless things, putting on airs and acting like ghosts!"

In his view, the Han Chinese army was best at using all sorts of fancy ceremonies to bluff and intimidate.

Those iron pipes are all black and dull, without even a blade. What can they be used for? Can they breathe fire, you think?

Upon hearing the king's words, the Yanqi garrison on the city wall relaxed their tense nerves slightly.

"Exactly! Our city gates are so strong that even a ramming vehicle couldn't break them open!"

"Let them go out there and starve!"

However, just as the Yanqi garrison was frantically trying to mentally prepare themselves...

On the Tang army's position outside the city, Li Shimin was like a big kid who had received a new toy and was extremely excited.

He immediately took off his cumbersome mink coat, leaving him in only a neat short-sleeved shirt.

"Mo Ju! Have you thought this through? Is the wind direction right? Is the gunpowder fully loaded?"

Li Shimin, holding a burning torch, paced excitedly back and forth within the artillery formation.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, everything has been calculated precisely. These ten exploding shells will definitely reduce the gates of Yanqi to rubble."

Mo Ju wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and carefully retreated to a safe distance.

"Great! Excellent!"

Li Shimin laughed loudly and strode directly to the back of the bright red cannon in the very center.

He looked at the tightly closed gates of Yanqi not far away, the cracks of which were covered in molten iron, and a cruel excitement flashed in his eyes.

The door was welded shut?

Today I will show you that in front of the Divine Machine Battalion of the Tang Dynasty, there is no such thing as a door!

"You barbarians of Yanqi! Listen up, all of you!"

Li Shimin took a deep breath and used his inner strength to send his voice far away to the city wall.

"Since you all like keeping your doors closed so much, then I'll open them for you myself today!"

"Break it for me!"

Li Shimin shouted loudly and brought the torch in his hand close to the fuse without hesitation.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—"

The fuse was ignited instantly, emitting a rapid and piercing burning sound.

The orange-red sparks, like the leaping dance of death, frantically drilled into the cold, cast-iron cannon barrel.

Li Shimin rubbed his hands together excitedly, his eyes fixed on the city gate.

"Hehe, this time it's my turn to light the fire, King Yanqi, are you surprised?"