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

The blood-stained feather trembled slightly between Li Shimin's fingers.

The air in the Imperial Study seemed to have been sucked out in an instant, leaving only a heavy, suffocating oppression.

Just moments ago, Li Shimin was rejoicing that his empire was secure and there were no battles to fight, but now the anger in his chest was burning wildly at an earth-shattering speed.

He stared intently at the secret report.

Between the lines, there is a chilling and tragic scene.

The most elite caravan of the Tang Dynasty, carrying over a million strings of Tang coins that they had just exchanged, was completely wiped out shortly after entering Liaodong territory.

It wasn't just that their belongings were stolen.

The three Tang Dynasty envoys accompanying the caravan had their ears and noses cut off and froze to death on the ice of the Liao River.

It was Goguryeo that took action.

"What a brilliant Yeon Gaesomun!"

Li Shimin's voice was terrifyingly deep, like a hungry tiger grinding its teeth.

He thought that the commotion he had caused in the Northwest would be enough to make the barbarians of the world tremble in fear.

He thought that as long as the cannons in the red coats hadn't been turned around, no one in the world would dare to touch the tiger's whiskers of the Tang Dynasty.

But he forgot.

In this world, there are always some greedy lunatics who like to party at the gates of hell.

"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be left unresolved!"

Cheng Yaojin was the first to rush into the imperial study, his loud voice causing dust to fall from the roof beams.

He'd been holding it in for ages.

Watching these civil officials do accounting every day in Chang'an, he felt that all his muscles were degenerating into fat.

"Those bastards from Goguryeo, how many people did the Sui Dynasty lose there back then? Did they really think the Tang Dynasty was made of clay?"

Yuchi Gong followed closely behind, his dark face filled with a murderous aura.

"Your Majesty, I request permission to fight! I don't need many, just 30,000 Xuanjia soldiers. I will definitely twist Yeon Gaesomun's head off and use it as a football!"

The generals' reactions were exactly what Li Shimin had expected.

But his anger at this moment had transcended mere fighting spirit.

That was a disgrace for the Khan, whose bottom line had been challenged.

Datang is currently in a period of rapid development in all aspects.

Building railways, promoting cotton, and establishing monetary hegemony—each of these was a struggle for national destiny.

At this critical juncture, this clown jumps out from the east.

If it cannot be crushed as quickly as possible.

Then the prestige that the Tang Dynasty had worked so hard to establish would suffer a fatal crack.

"Your Majesty, Goguryeo's actions are probably more than just plunder."

Fang Xuanling walked in slowly, looking at the scraps of paper on the ground with a solemn expression.

"Yeon Gaesomun had just seized power by assassinating the king, and his foundation within Goguryeo was not yet stable."

"He needs an external victory to divert attention from domestic problems, and he also needs to plunder the wealth of our Great Tang to consolidate his position."

"He's gambling."

A shrewd, cold glint flashed in Fang Xuanling's eyes.

"He's betting that our main forces are all bogged down in infrastructure projects in the Western Regions and Tibet, and won't be able to spare any resources for an eastern expedition."

"He was betting that the Tang Dynasty wouldn't dare to risk national destruction by launching another expedition to Liaodong, just like the previous dynasty did."

Li Shimin sneered.

bet?

Yeon Gaesomun is indeed very charismatic.

However, he clearly underestimated the Tang Dynasty's current logistical deployment capabilities.

They underestimated the eight-year-old crown prince who spent his days lounging in the Eastern Palace basking in the sun, yet in reality held the reins of the world's destiny in his hands.

"He wants to play with fire, so I'll give him a sun."

Li Shimin suddenly looked up.

He looked out the window at the arsenal billowing with black smoke.

It houses the latest technology of the Tang Dynasty, as well as the violence that could bring despair to the entire era of cold weapons.

Just then, Li Chengqian, who hadn't spoken until now, walked in.

He looked at the mess in the imperial study, then at his father who was trembling with anger, and sighed helplessly.

"Father, you should change your temper."

"The imperial desk cost a lot of money to repair, and it will be a pain for Minister Dai if it gets damaged."

Li Chengqian walked to Li Shimin's side and casually picked up a piece of paper.

When he saw the words "Three envoys were brutally murdered".

Those eyes, which had always carried a hint of laziness and playfulness, instantly became cold and profound.

This look only appeared in his eyes when he ordered the razing of Gaochang City.

"Goguryeo..."

Li Chengqian uttered these three words softly, a cruel smile curving his lips.

"Do they think that the winter climate in Liaodong is harsh and the mountain cities are impregnable?"

"Do you think that as long as our railway isn't built, our soldiers will be just like those of the previous dynasty, only able to wait to die in the mud?"

Li Chengqian clapped his hands, and Wu Meiniang immediately emerged from the shadows, handing him a blue folder.

That's the "Distribution Map of Strategic Resources in Liaodong" recently completed by the Crown Prince's think tank.

"Father, what outcome do you desire?"

Li Chengqian looked at Li Shimin, his tone so calm it was unsettling.

"Should we make them apologize and continue being such a troublesome neighbor?"

"still……"

Li Chengqian lightly traced the location of Goguryeo on the map with his finger, as if wiping away a speck of dust.

"To reduce this ethnic group to nothing more than a term in history books?"

Li Shimin stared intently at his son.

he knows.

When Chengqian showed this expression, the matter was no longer something that could be resolved with a single battle.

That was a true catastrophe.

"Apologize?"

Li Shimin suddenly burst into wild laughter, his laughter filled with overwhelming ferocity and domineering power.

He slammed his hand down on the remaining half of the imperial desk, creating a deafening explosion.

"boom--!"

The remaining half of the table was also shattered into wood chips.

"Since Yeon Gaesomun dared to do something so outrageous, he shouldn't expect to see the sun rise next year!"

Li Shimin's eyes blazed with the intent of a god of war.

"Issue my decree!"

"Effective immediately, the Great Tang Dynasty enters a state of high alert!"

"Workshops across the country are producing gunpowder and artillery shells day and night!"

"I will make every inch of Goguryeo's land feel the roar of the Great Tang's truth!"

The old man's roar echoed for a long time in the imperial study.

Li Chengqian looked down at the broken pieces of wood at his feet, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

"Since Father is in such high spirits..."

"Then this time, let's go big."

"I will give those Goguryeo people a gift package that they will never forget in their lifetime."

Li Shimin was panting heavily, his eyes fierce.

He couldn't wait to see it.

When the steel dragon of the Tang Dynasty roared into Liaodong.

What a fascinating expression that clown named Yeon Gaesomun will have.

"How dare he! That scoundrel Yeon Gaesomun dares to do such an outrageous thing!"