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

The murderous aura in the imperial study gradually subsided, becoming as cold as ice.

Li Shimin stared wide-eyed, his chest heaving violently, his hands still gripping the mangled limbs of the dragon throne tightly.

He was shocked by his son's words, "There are no more survivors."

As an emperor, the number of people he killed could circle Chang'an three times and still not be enough.

But he killed to rule, to instill fear in the living barbarians so that they would submit.

But Li Chengqian's tone just now didn't sound like he was talking about war.

It's more like they're discussing how to get rid of cockroaches in the house.

"Chengqian, stop playing coy with me."

Li Shimin calmed his breathing, his eyes serious.

"Although Goguryeo was not as large as the Turks, it was surrounded by mountain fortresses, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack."

"As you just said, the Red Cannons can't get into the mountains; even horses can't run on that muddy snow."

"Without a large army and heavy artillery, how are you going to wipe out their race?"

Li Chengqian patted his bottom and slowly stood up.

He walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked at the gray sky in the distance.

"Father, you are too honest in your wars."

Li Chengqian chuckled and said without turning his head.

"You always think about charging into battle, about besieging the city and attacking reinforcements, about every inch of our land being stained with blood."

"That's too slow and too tiring."

"The Goguryeo people considered the winter in Liaodong to be their father, and the mountains to be their armor."

"That's because they've never seen what a real natural disaster is like."

Fang Xuanling, who was listening nearby, broke out in a cold sweat and couldn't help but interject:

"Your Highness, Goguryeo is covered with deep mountains and dense forests. Without a large army advancing, it is impossible to completely eradicate it."

"The Sui Dynasty was dragged down by these endless harassment wars."

Li Chengqian suddenly turned around.

Those eyes, which had been slightly languid, were now as cold as two freshly forged ice blades.

"Harassment? They don't even deserve it!"

Li Chengqian walked up to the blood-stained mound of corpses and gently touched the pile of bodies on it with his finger.

"Yeon Gaesomun dared to dig up the bones of our Tang soldiers and build a mound of corpses because he knew we wouldn't dare to go deep into the mountains."

"He felt that as long as he went into the cave, the Tang Dynasty would be unable to do anything to him."

"He was wrong, terribly wrong."

A cruel smile curled at the corners of Li Chengqian's mouth.

"I don't plan to use any military tactics with them this time."

"I want them to know what hell on earth is like."

"I will turn all their mountain towns into furnaces and their dense forests into charcoal kilns."

"I want to turn every river in Goguryeo into an endless flow of blood."

"I want to ensure that for the next fifty years, not a single weed will grow on this entire peninsula!"

These words, spoken by an eight-year-old child, are absurd yet possess a chilling sense of reality.

Li Shimin felt a chill run down the back of his head.

He looked at Li Chengqian as if he were seeing this son for the first time.

"Chengqian, tell me the truth."

Li Shimin lowered his voice, his tone trembling slightly, a tremor he himself was unaware of.

"What power are you planning to use?"

"The cannons are unusable, and the trains haven't even reached that point yet. Where do you get the audacity to make such harsh statements?"

Li Chengqian did not answer directly, but instead played with a jade pendant in his hand.

"Father, you always think that cannons are the truth, but that's because your range hasn't reached the soul yet."

"When it comes to murder, having too many people around only makes things more difficult."

"To deal with these rats hiding in the ravines, you need cats that specialize in catching rats."

Li Chengqian turned his head and looked in a certain direction deep within the Eastern Palace.

That place is the secret chamber of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and also the underground palace where Bai Qi sleeps.

"Father, didn't you always complain that you weren't having enough fun with the cannons?"

"You stay in Chang'an this time and watch how your son erases Goguryeo from the map."

"When I return, I will present you with a wine cup made from Yeon Gaesomun's skull."

Li Shimin remained silent for a long time, his fist clenching and unclenching under his dragon robe.

He knew he couldn't stop his son.

Moreover, compared to the impulse to personally lead the expedition, his aroused curiosity and fear of Li Chengqian's unknown methods actually prevailed.

"You really don't need me to allocate a single soldier?"

Li Shimin stared intently at Li Chengqian.

"unnecessary."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, his expression returning to that smug, lazy look.

"The main force can stay at the border and watch the show."

"I'll have Bai Qi take people to handle the rest."

"By the way, I need to have the Mohists prepare some 'new gadgets' to surprise those Goguryeo people."

Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji looked at each other, both seeing extreme unease in each other's eyes.

His Highness the Crown Prince's every step was beyond their comprehension.

But each time, the result was devastating for the Tang Dynasty's enemies.

"But that mound of corpses..."

Li Shimin gritted his teeth, still somewhat unwilling.

"That's a thorn in my side!"

Li Chengqian stopped and turned his head to the side, half of his face hidden in the shadows.

"It's no fun pulling out the thorn. I'm going to push down the whole wall and grind the thorn into powder along with it."

"Father, just wait and see."

After saying this, Li Chengqian walked out of the imperial study without looking back.

Li Shimin watched his son's retreating figure and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He turned his head to look at Fang Xuanling, his voice slightly weak.

"Old Fang, don't you think this child's murderous aura... is even stronger than mine back then?"

Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Your Majesty, that wasn't murderous intent from His Highness."

"What is that?"

"That is... God's indifference towards ants."

Li Shimin stood there, stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

At this moment, Li Chengqian, who had just left the palace, looked at the bustling scene on the street and waved to Xu Xiao beside him.

"Old Xu, is that guy in the underground palace sober up yet?"

Xu Xiao lowered his head, exuding an aura of deathly stillness like withered wood, but his eyes burned with a flame of fanaticism.

"Your Highness, Lord Wu'an has been sharpening that battle scythe for seven days and seven nights."

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good, let him take those three thousand guys who are about to go crazy and set off."

"Target: Liaodong."

"Tell him that I have no prisoners, not a single one."

Xu Xiao's body trembled, his voice deep and thunderous:

"promise!"

Li Chengqian looked up at the darkening sky and sneered.

"Yeon Gaesomun, you really have a talent for building mounds of skulls."

"But you'll soon find that compared to me, your skills aren't even at the beginner level."