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

"Performance fee? Security fee?"

Songtsen Gampo held the abacus as if he were holding a five-fingered mountain.

He originally thought the Tang crown prince just wanted some gold and silver treasures, or a few pieces of land. After all, it was a defeated nation, and these were standard operating procedures.

But who would have thought that His Highness the Crown Prince's thought process was so bizarre, treating the battle between the two armies as a commercial performance and the red-coated cannons as a security force?

"What? Does the prince think this price is unfair?"

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow and glanced at the hundred cannons beside him.

"I'm a very reasonable person. If the Zanpu thinks it's too expensive, we can find another way to settle the payment. For example... with cannonballs?"

"Not expensive at all! Not expensive at all!"

Songtsen Gampo trembled with fright and quickly stuffed the abacus into his robes, fearing that Li Chengqian might change his mind.

"Tibet can afford this amount of money! Send someone to the national treasury to withdraw it immediately!"

As long as he wasn't bombarded, he would accept it even if it meant dismantling the golden roof of Hongshan Palace and selling it for money.

"That's right. We're all business people; harmony brings wealth."

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction, but then changed the subject.

"However, this is only the first account. I brought 150,000 troops all the way to the plateau for tourism, not only to see the scenery, but also for a more important purpose."

Songtsen Gampo's heart skipped a beat, and that ominous premonition surged up again.

"Your Highness...is there anything else you require?"

Li Chengqian pointed to the Tibetan soldiers who were still kneeling on the ground around him.

Although these people surrendered, the wildness in their eyes remained, and although they threw away their scimitars, their fighting spirit had not dissipated.

If these kinds of people are not "reformed", they are like ticking time bombs.

"I think you Tibetans are too serious. You always have a stern face and are always fighting with knives. It's so boring."

Li Chengqian pulled a brightly colored booklet from his sleeve; it was "The Great Tang Entertainment Guide," which he had had rushed to produce overnight.

"From today onwards, I will provide you with comprehensive 'quality education'."

"Pass down the order! All Tibetan soldiers, immediately remove your armor! Take off all those stiff leather armor!"

"Changing everyone into colorful robes specially made for the Tang Dynasty, the kind with tassels and sequins, the more flamboyant the better!"

Songtsen Gampo was dumbfounded.

To make these ruthless Tibetan warriors wear colorful clothes? That's worse than killing them!

"Your Highness, this...this might not be appropriate, right? They are all men of unwavering integrity..."

"Unyielding and resolute?" Li Chengqian sneered.

"I don't care if they're made of iron or steel; when they come to me, they'll all be softened by my touch!"

"Also, starting tomorrow, there will be no more morning drills. Everyone assemble and learn to sing and dance from the musicians of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Learn 'Gokuraku Jodo' and 'The Most Dazzling Ethnic Trend'—I'll learn them all! Anyone who can't learn them won't get lunch!"

Li Chengqian's move was utterly despicable.

We must not only disarm them physically, but also demoralize them mentally.

Imagine if these burly Tibetan men wore brightly colored clothes and danced square dances every day, how much of their murderous intent would remain?

This is called "amusing ourselves to death," this is called "cutting flesh with a soft knife."

"Besides, I think the roads on this plateau are really terrible, full of potholes, they've made my butt hurt from all the bumping."

Li Chengqian pointed to the strongest Tibetan soldiers.

"These people don't need to dance anymore. I've arranged a good job for them—the high-altitude engineering team."

"From now on, they will be responsible for road construction, bridge building, and mining. I will pay them wages, provide meals, and ensure they have meat at every meal."

"As for those pretty girls..."

Li Chengqian stroked his chin, revealing the face of a capitalist.

"Send them all to Chang'an to learn the trade in textile factories. The Tang Dynasty is currently in short supply of wool sweaters and is in dire need of manpower."

This series of combined measures not only resolved the potential military threat from Tibet, but also provided a large pool of cheap labor for free.

That's killing two birds with one stone, we're ecstatic!

Songtsen Gampo felt a chill run down his spine. He finally understood that the Tang Dynasty intended to completely turn Tibet into a vassal state with no ability to resist.

But would he dare say "no"?

Looking at the hundred menacing cannons in the distance, he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.

"Your subject... obeys the order..."

Over the next few days, the city of Lhosh transformed into a massive magical realism scene.

Those once-arrogant Tibetan warriors are now dressed in bright red and green robes, awkwardly swaying their hips in the square.

"Left hand, right hand, one slow motion! One more time!"

The musicians of the Tang Dynasty held teaching pointers and shouted slogans at the top of their lungs.

"Hey you! You with the bushy beard! Your ass isn't wiggling round enough! You won't get any food!"

That once fierce Tibetan man who could tear wolves apart with his bare hands, now desperately did a split on the ground just to get a bite of the Tang Dynasty's special braised pork canned food, his eyes brimming with tears but he still managed to force a smile.

"Alright! Here's a pot of braised pork for you!"

Li Chengqian sat on the high platform, looking at the group of "beasts" who had been tamed and made obedient, and laughed so hard he almost fell over.

Beside him, Li Shimin held a steaming cup of butter tea, watching this scene with an incredibly complex expression.

He spent his life on the battlefield, witnessing countless battles and rivers of blood.

But this was the first time he had ever seen such a method of completely manipulating a country without shedding blood.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Chengqian, huh."

Li Shimin shook his head with a sigh, his tone carrying three parts shock and seven parts admiration.

"I used to think that conquering a country meant killing their army and burning their cities."

"But after seeing your move, I finally understand what true imperial strategy is."

"This 'soft knife cutting flesh' is ten thousand times more ruthless than the sword in my hand!"

Li Chengqian turned his head, looked at his father's naive and unsophisticated expression, and calmly shrugged.

"Father, what is this?"

"Come back and take another look in a few years."

"By then, the people on this plateau will probably not even be able to speak Tibetan anymore, but will only be able to speak fluent Chang'an Mandarin, and will be vying to become Tang Dynasty citizens."

"That's the real deal—killing someone by destroying their spirit."