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

"Squeak—"

The heavy gates of Lhasa slowly opened to both sides amidst the terrified and complex gazes of countless Tibetan people.

The young king Songtsen Gampo removed his golden armor, which symbolized the supreme majesty of the plateau, and wore only a thin, ill-fitting plain garment.

He lowered his head, each step he took felt like dancing on a knife's edge. The humiliation that emanated from his very bones made this once spirited eagle of the snowy plateau look like a defeated vulture.

Opposite him, the huge stage was still brightly lit.

Li Chengqian sat lazily on the iron-eating beast palanquin, holding the large megaphone specially made by the Mohist school in his hand, as if watching a monkey show that had been rehearsed in advance.

"Father, look, they've come out!" Li Chengqian turned his head and raised an eyebrow at Li Shimin, who was still sulking. "I told you, there's no guest in this world that our Red Cannons can't invite."

Li Shimin snorted irritably, plopped down on the soft couch, and pushed the still steaming pressure cooker aside.

"I still don't understand!" Li Shimin scratched his newly grown stubble in frustration. "Since this kid has already admitted defeat, why don't we just bring the cannons in, seize that Hongshan Palace, and turn Tibet into our Tang Dynasty's nth prefecture?"

"Why bother with all this roundabout stuff? And dancing? It's embarrassing for him!"

In his view, conquest was simply about occupying, planting flags, and collecting taxes.

Cultural exchange and persuasion through virtue are all just empty words fabricated by civil officials to deceive people.

Li Chengqian sighed helplessly, took out a fine silk handkerchief from his sleeve, and slowly wiped his fingers, which had gotten dirty while peeling grapes.

"Father, that's the mindset of a warrior." Li Chengqian looked at Songtsen Gampo, who was walking towards him step by step, his eyes becoming deep and playful.

"Conquering this plateau is easy; a hundred cannons could bombard it, turning the Red Mountain Palace into ruins and Songtsen Gampo into a dead dog. But then what?"

Li Chengqian pointed to the Tibetan people around him who, though kneeling on the ground, still had wild and hateful glints in their eyes.

"Look at the way these people look at us. If we really turn this place into ruins, what will they think? They will hate us for generations, hide in the deep mountains and forests to wage guerrilla warfare, and stab us in the back when we're not paying attention."

"How many troops will our Great Tang Dynasty have to send to garrison this place? How much military expenditure will we have to spend every year? It's a bottomless pit, a complete mess!"

Li Shimin was stunned by what he was being told. Although he didn't quite understand what "guerrilla warfare" meant, he did understand the word "expensive".

Upon hearing that money would be spent, Li Shimin's expression immediately turned sour.

"So... you mean we'll just call it even?"

"Forget it? How could I!"

Li Chengqian sneered, his smile revealing a chillingly cunning nature.

"I want not only this land, but also the people here, and even more so, their hearts."

"This is called cultural invasion."

Li Chengqian snapped his fingers, and several guards behind him immediately brought up several heavy boxes.

When the box was opened, there were no gold or silver jewels inside, but neatly stacked bolts of shimmering Tang Dynasty silk, jars of fragrant premium tea, and exquisite glass tea sets.

Even in the bottommost box, there was a thick stack of Buddhist scriptures that Li Chengqian had personally "modified".

"Father, look." Li Chengqian picked up a piece of silk and gently unfurled it in the sunlight. Its cloud-like and misty texture instantly attracted everyone's attention.

"We want the Tibetan nobles to wear this kind of silk, drink this kind of fine tea, and use this kind of glass cup. We want them to feel that only by using things from the Tang Dynasty can they be noble and respectable."

"They'd be willing to drive herds of cattle and sheep to trade with us for just one of our tea bricks."

"They stripped all the furs off their homes and gave them to us just so they could wear a silk robe from the Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian casually picked up another Buddhist scripture, flipped through it, and a wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"As for this Buddhist scripture... I specifically asked Master Xuanzang to revise it. It's full of 'truths' about how to cultivate for the next life, how to endure suffering, and how to lie down and not resist."

"Once they believe this, the wildness of this plateau will be gradually smoothed out by us."

Li Shimin was stunned. Looking at his eight-year-old son, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

This isn't an eight-year-old child! This is clearly a thousand-year-old monster!

This method of "killing someone by destroying their spirit" is ten thousand times more ruthless than his sword!

"Tsk tsk tsk, Chengqian, how come I never noticed before that you were so cunning... cough cough, so resourceful?" Li Shimin rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, feeling that he would have to be careful of this kid in the future, lest he be sold out one day and still be counting money for him.

"Alright, stop reminiscing." Li Chengqian tossed the Buddhist scriptures back into the box and clapped his hands.

"Since Songtsen Gampo is so sensible, we can't be too stingy. We should send someone to have a proper talk with him and deliver this 'generous gift' to him."

Li Chengqian glanced around at the generals, his gaze finally settling on a young civil official in a corner who was frantically taking notes in a small notebook.

"Wang Xuance, stop memorizing, it's your turn to go on stage."

The civil official named Wang Xuance suddenly raised his head, a fanatical light flashing in his eyes that was completely inconsistent with his frail appearance.

He straightened his slightly wrinkled official robe and took out a staff, symbolizing an envoy of the Tang Dynasty, from his sleeve.

The staff looked ordinary, even somewhat worn, but at this moment, it seemed to carry immense weight in Wang Xuance's hands.

"Your subject, Wang Xuance, obeys!"

Wang Xuance strode up to Li Chengqian, bowed deeply, then turned and walked alone toward the now-open gate of Lhasa.

His figure was not tall, and even appeared somewhat thin in the cold wind of the plateau.

But he walked with unwavering determination, his staff held high, pointing straight to the heavens.

Under the watchful eyes of thousands of soldiers and horses, and in the awe-inspiring gaze of countless Tibetans.

He was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, carrying the majesty and domineering spirit of the Tang Dynasty, piercing straight into the heart of the enemy country alone!

Li Chengqian watched the receding figure and nodded in satisfaction.

"That's what a diplomat should be like."

"Although he only had a stick in his hand, the aura he exuded was more intimidating than if he were carrying a hundred cannons."

He turned his head and shouted to Songtsen Gampo, who was still in a daze:

"Hey! You in the white shirt! That's the negotiator I sent!"

"If you dare to lay a finger on him, I will turn this city of Luoxie into a second Gaochang!"

"Did you understand?!"