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

The remaining blood on the Tian Ce sword dripped down its spine and onto the gold bricks, producing a faint yet terrifying sound.

Gao Daxun's head, adorned with bird feathers, rolled a few times on the red carpet and came to rest right at Fang Xuanling's feet.

The Tang Dynasty prime minister instinctively shrank back, his face pale. In all his years, this was the first time he had ever seen his kind and benevolent emperor personally kill someone in the imperial study.

silence.

A deathly silence.

Li Shimin slowly turned around and casually tossed the blood-stained longsword to the terrified eunuch.

"Fang Aiqing".

Li Shimin's voice was so deep it sounded like he was grinding sand in his throat.

Fang Xuanling shuddered and quickly bowed, "Your subject is here."

"Draft an imperial edict."

Li Shimin walked to the imperial desk, looked at the pile of wood chips he had shattered, and his eyes were icy cold.

"I will personally lead the army."

"With the full strength of the nation, I will personally skin Yeon Gaesomun and hang his skin on a crooked tree on the banks of the Liao River!"

Upon hearing this, a collective gasp filled the hall.

Changsun Wuji was originally planning how to gain some military merit for the Changsun family from this war, but when he heard this, he was so frightened that he almost flew out of his skin.

"Your Majesty! You mustn't!"

The old fox ignored the bloodstains on the ground and knelt down on the broken floor with a thud.

"Goguryeo is a 'tomb of emperors'! Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty launched three campaigns against Goguryeo, annihilating a million-strong army and even destroying the kingdom!"

"Although the Tang Dynasty is currently powerful, the Western Regions have just been pacified, and the railway is under construction. The nation still needs time to recover and rebuild. Why does Your Majesty need to personally venture into such a dangerous place?"

Li Shimin snorted coldly, his dragon eyes burning with karmic fire that was almost tangible.

"Emperor Yang of Sui was ambitious but incompetent; how can you compare me to that foolish ruler?"

"I've fought wars my whole life. Which piece of land in this world wasn't won by my troops?"

He slapped his thigh hard, and the already cracked armrest of the dragon throne snapped completely with a crack.

"Yeon Gaesomun insulted our soldiers and built a mound of skulls of our Great Tang people; this is a national disgrace!"

"If I were to remain confined to this city of Chang'an, counting the floor tiles, how could I possibly face the innocent souls who perished on the banks of the Liao River?"

Fang Xuanling also knelt down and earnestly advised:

"Your Majesty, I am not trying to stop the war, but the climate in Liaodong is simply too harsh."

"Once winter arrives, the cold wind is biting and the mud is difficult to travel on."

"Our red-coated cannons are indeed powerful, but the cannon carriages weigh several thousand kilograms, and if they get stuck in the mud, they're just a pile of scrap metal."

"If the battle becomes too intense and logistical supplies are cut off, the events of the previous dynasty may well repeat themselves!"

Li Shimin looked at the two old ministers, a wildly arrogant and somewhat morbid smile curving his lips.

His current physical condition frightens even himself.

Since taking the strengthening pills given to him by Li Chengqian, he felt that he could draw a five-stone bow at any time and had inexhaustible strength.

The warrior spirit, which had been stifled by peace for months, finally found an outlet.

"Logistics? I have steam trains, cotton and down, and an endless supply of canned food!"

Li Shimin pointed to the thick smoke in the distance outside the window.

"Just because I couldn't do it before doesn't mean I can't do it now."

"I want the whole world to see that the iron hooves of the Tang Dynasty can not only crush the sands of the Western Regions, but also flatten the ice and frost of Liaodong!"

"Anyone who tries to persuade me again will be treated the same as this Goguryeo envoy!"

These harsh words made Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling's advice, which was on the tip of their tongues, get stuck in their throats.

Old Li has really gone mad this time.

He's using the entire fate of the Tang Dynasty to fill the void of resentment that's been building up for decades.

Amidst this oppressive atmosphere of kneeling and groaning.

The door creaked open.

A cool breeze of early winter blew into the hall, dispersing much of the heavy smell of blood.

Li Chengqian was wearing an extremely loose bathrobe, with a large red fox fur coat casually draped over it, and he was holding a string of unfinished candied hawthorns in his right hand.

He yawned deeply, a trace of sleepy tears still clinging to the corner of his eye.

"What's all the noise about?"

Li Chengqian walked in lazily, not even glancing at the corpse on the ground, and went straight to Li Shimin.

"Father, your shout woke me up from my afternoon nap."

When Li Shimin saw his son, his fierce gaze softened slightly, but his tone remained firm.

"Chengqian, you've come at the perfect time!"

"I have decided to personally lead the expedition against Goguryeo. You will oversee the country in Chang'an during this period."

"Have that Wu family girl allocate all war-related supplies to me immediately, without fail!"

Li Chengqian didn't say anything, but just took a bite out of a candied hawthorn and chewed it slowly.

The crisp sound was extremely jarring in the hall.

After he finished chewing, he tilted his head and looked at his father, who was in a state of high spirits.

Li Chengqian looked Li Shimin up and down, his eyes filled with a kind of sympathy as if he were looking at a "fool".

"Father, do you feel quite majestic right now?"

Li Shimin frowned. "Of course I am mighty!"

"Come on, you're just getting arrogant."

Li Chengqian yawned again and casually tossed the bamboo skewer of the candied hawthorn into the wastepaper basket next to him.

He turned around and looked at Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling kneeling on the ground.

"Uncle, Master Fang, please get up. The floor is cold; don't let your old bones get cold."

The two looked at each other, hesitated, and stood up, a glimmer of hope igniting in their hearts.

His Highness the Crown Prince is usually the most unpredictable, but in matters of great importance, he has never let the Tang Dynasty suffer a loss.

Li Chengqian turned around and sighed at Li Shimin.

"Father, you really can't handle this matter."

Li Shimin glared, his face turning red with anger.

"You scoundrel! I can't handle this? I started commanding troops when I was just over ten years old, and you weren't even born yet when I won the Battle of Hulao Pass!"

"My personal campaign against Goguryeo is to avenge our ancestors and to establish authority for our people!"

"What makes you think I can't handle this?"

Li Chengqian held up three fingers, his calm tone causing Li Shimin's anger to inexplicably subside.

"First, Goguryeo is mountainous, with a complex terrain like a beehive."

"Your red-coated cannons are treasures, but they're just a burden once they're in the mountains."

"Secondly, the Goguryeo people are too 'tough'. They are not afraid of death, let alone exchanging their lives with you."

"You're leading hundreds of thousands of troops; even if you win, it will be a pyrrhic victory. Are you planning to squander all the wealth the Tang Dynasty has accumulated over the years?"

At this point, a chilling glint flashed in Li Chengqian's eyes, a glint capable of freezing the soul.

"Third, and most importantly."

"You go to war to expand your territory and for that vague and illusory fame."

"But what I want to do is to ensure that no one lives on that land from now on."

Li Shimin's breath hitched.

"What...what do you want to do?"

Li Chengqian straightened his fox fur coat and revealed an extremely eerie smile.

"Building a mound of Jingguan (a traditional Chinese structure) is such a dirty job that it needs to be done by a real 'professional'."

"Father, you should just stay in Chang'an and watch the show."

"Your Majesty, I have already broken the seal on that god of war."

Alarm bells rang in Li Shimin's mind, and the bloodthirsty figure he had seen in the underground palace flashed into his mind.

"Chengqian, you wouldn't be thinking of using... Bai Qi, would you?"

Li Chengqian didn't answer, but patted his father on the shoulder, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"Father, since they like playing with mounds of corpses, let's give them a big one."

"I will lead the troops to fight this battle."

"You should go back to the hunting grounds and continue studying how to light the fire and listen to the sound."