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

"Here you go!"

Xue Rengui didn't care who was standing on the deck.

He's always been a straightforward person, especially now that His Highness the Crown Prince has given the order personally.

This towering giant, standing over nine feet tall, strode across the deck in a few heavy steps.

The soldier wearing a mask in the crowd saw that things were not going well and turned to try to slip into the deeper hold.

Unfortunately, in front of a peerless warrior like Xue Rengui, this little trick was even more clumsy than a newborn lamb.

"stop!"

Xue Rengui reached out and, like an eagle catching a chick, grabbed the soldier by the back of his collar with extreme precision.

"Ouch! Let go! You brute, you're hurting me...you're hurting me!"

The soldier, suspended in mid-air, struggled violently, kicking his legs wildly in the air.

Although the voice was kept as low as possible, it sounded like a bolt from the blue to Li Chengqian, striking his usually calm and collected heart.

Xue Rengui carried the struggling "prey" and strode up to the forecast, casually placing it on the deck in front of Li Chengqian.

"Your Highness, the man has been caught."

Li Chengqian's eyes twitched uncontrollably as he looked at the guy who was covering himself up completely and even trying to hide his face with his sleeve.

This figure.

This voice was irritable, yet tinged with a hint of guilt.

And those exposed eyes, though they tried their best to hide, still revealed a fierce and fanatical fighting spirit.

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Amidst the utter astonishment of the surrounding military officers, he reached out and, without any hesitation, ripped off the man's burlap mask and wide straw hat.

"hiss--"

When that extremely familiar face, even sporting its signature mustache, was exposed to the sunlight.

A collective gasp filled the entire forecourt.

Cheng Yaojin's eyes widened like copper bells, and the axe in his hand slipped from his grasp again, crashing onto the deck with a "clang".

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?!"

Yuchi Gong was so startled that he took two steps back, almost losing his balance, and stammered, "Your Majesty! You...you're dressed like this on the ship?!"

That's right.

The soldier whom Xue Rengui lifted up like a chick was none other than himself.

It was Li Shimin, who should have been diligently reviewing memorials and serving as the Great Khan of the Tang Dynasty in the Taiji Palace in Chang'an!

Li Chengqian was both amused and exasperated by his father's extremely comical attire.

The mighty Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, in order to join in the fun, actually abandoned his dragon robe and put on a rough linen navy uniform, even smearing black ash on his face for disguise.

"Father?!"

Li Chengqian rubbed his wildly throbbing temples, feeling his blood pressure rising rapidly.

"Didn't you promise me you'd oversee the country in Chang'an? What are you doing here dressed like that? Trying out a sailor's life?"

Li Shimin blushed.

Having his pretense exposed by his son in public, even someone as thick-skinned as him felt extremely embarrassed.

He coughed twice, then, feigning composure, dusted himself off, straightened his chest, and tried to regain a trace of imperial dignity.

"I...I am traveling incognito!"

Li Shimin stubbornly refused to admit his mistake and retorted.

"I myself conquered the world on horseback back in the day, and this campaign against Goguryeo is so much fun... cough cough, how could I be absent from such an important event?"

"Besides, you've dumped all the affairs of the court on that little girl from the Wu family and Changsun Wuji. I'm so bored in the Taiji Palace I'm practically turning into mold!"

"I don't care, I'm already on board. If you won't let me be the commander, then I'll just be a lowly soldier and go along to see what it's like!"

Hearing his father's extremely irresponsible, even shameless, remarks, Li Chengqian rolled his eyes in utter exasperation.

Where is even a trace of the composure of a great emperor throughout history in this old Li?

He is clearly a patient suffering from severe firepower deficiency phobia and war fanaticism syndrome!

"Father, you are neglecting your duty!"

Li Chengqian bluntly pointed out the seriousness of the problem.

"You just ran off without a word. What if chaos breaks out in Chang'an? If those old men in the Censorate find out you're missing, they'll be in an uproar!"

"Who cares! My legs are my own, they can't possibly tie me up and take me back, can they?"

Li Shimin, in an extremely straightforward manner, spread his hands.

He looked at the rows of imposing shipborne smoothbore cannons on the deck, his eyes gleaming with an extremely fanatical light.

He came all this way just to see for himself how these steel behemoths fire at sea.

He would regret it for the rest of his life if he missed such a groundbreaking war scene.

"Alright, enough with the nonsense."

Li Shimin walked to the railing and waved excitedly down below.

"Chengqian, immediately order the ships to set sail! I can't wait to raze that Pyongyang city to the ground!"

Looking at his father's extremely excited, even impatient, appearance, Li Chengqian sighed helplessly.

What can he do with such a troublesome father?

Surely we can't really let Xue Rengui throw him into the sea, can we?

"never mind."

Li Chengqian shook his head and walked to the command platform.

Since the die is cast, let's just let nature take its course.

With these thirty invincible treasure ships around, what power in the world could possibly harm Father in the slightest?

"Zheng He, heed my command!"

Li Chengqian drew the Emperor's Sword from his waist and pointed it diagonally to the vast sea in the east.

"Weigh anchor! Raise sails!"

"Full speed ahead! Destination—Goguryeo, Pyongyang!"

"Ugh—!!!"

It was accompanied by a long, powerful steam whistle that seemed to shatter the clouds.

Thirty colossal treasure ships, resembling steel mountains, simultaneously lowered their extremely thick iron anchors.

The blood-red dragon flag, obscuring the sky, fluttered in the sea breeze.

The massive steam turbines began to output power with extreme ferocity, propelling this invincible fleet, which was beyond the comprehension of its time, slowly departing from the port of Tianjin and heading towards the unknown deep blue sea.

Li Shimin stood at the bow of the ship, feeling the extremely intense yet extremely stable vibrations beneath his feet, and listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the hull.

He felt his blood boiling wildly.

The feeling of riding the waves and conquering the ocean with a steel behemoth was ten thousand times more exhilarating than when he charged into battle on a warhorse back then!

"Hahaha! That's great! That's so satisfying!"

Li Shimin spread his arms wide, facing the extremely fierce sea wind, and let out an extremely unrestrained laugh.

He turned his head, ready to show off his extremely wise decision to Li Chengqian.

however.

That extremely hearty laughter lasted for less than ten seconds.

"vomit--!"

Li Shimin's face suddenly turned extremely pale.

The excitement on his face was instantly replaced by an extremely painful contortion.

He suddenly covered his mouth, his legs went weak, and he stumbled awkwardly toward the ship's side.