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

"Send word to the entire army! Target: Asuka Kyoto. Go and meet that monkey who dares to call himself emperor!"

Li Chengqian casually tossed the silver ingot in his hand to the guard beside him.

He turned and mounted his black horse, his black cloak fluttering in the sea breeze.

The soldiers of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and the Divine Machine Battalion roared in fury.

These arrogant and fierce soldiers, bloodthirsty from their battles in Liaodong, had long lost all respect for the small and weak natives of the island. In their eyes, this was nothing more than a one-sided armed demonstration.

Fifty thousand elite troops, like an unstoppable black torrent, surged from Iwami Mountain toward the political center of Japan.

The allied forces of various daimyo who attempted to block their way were riddled with bullets before they could even reach the range of their muskets.

This wasn't a battle at all; it was a one-sided massacre on a scale of dimensional reduction.

Three days later.

The Tang Dynasty's iron cavalry finally arrived at the gates of the so-called "Asuka-kyō" city.

Xue Rengui rode on the white dragon horse, held up a monocular telescope and looked around for a while, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Your Highness, this...this is their capital?"

Xue Rengui pointed to the city in front of him, which was built of logs and rammed earth and did not even have a moat, his tone full of disbelief and mockery.

"The courtyard wall of that wealthy Wang family at the entrance of my hometown village is more sturdy than this dilapidated city gate tower!"

Li Chengqian sat in the palanquin without even lifting his eyelids.

At that time, Japan, apart from a few rudimentary skills stolen from the Tang Dynasty, had not even widely adopted ironware. The so-called Asuka-kyō (Cape of Asuka) was, in the eyes of the Tang soldiers accustomed to the magnificent walls of Chang'an, not even comparable to a county town.

"Stop talking nonsense. Same old rules."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

"Blast it open with one shot, don't keep me from going in for tea."

"promise!"

Xue Rengui excitedly spurred his horse and charged towards the Shenji Battalion's artillery position.

Due to the poor road conditions, the army only brought two light smoothbore cannons with them. But even one cannon was too few to deal with the flimsy city gate before them.

"Load! Ignite!"

"boom--!"

A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth.

A high-explosive shell, accompanied by the shriek of death, struck precisely the city gate constructed from massive timbers.

Flames shot into the sky!

The gate of Asuka-kyo, which the Japanese considered indestructible, was instantly reduced to a shower of wood chips and fireballs by the terrifying kinetic energy of the gunpowder. Even a large section of the surrounding earthen walls collapsed due to the massive shockwave.

The soldiers guarding the city wall were terrified by the thunderous roar and threw down their weapons, fleeing in panic.

"Charge in! Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"

With a roar from Xue Rengui, the Snow Dragon Cavalry surged into the pitiful capital like a flood bursting its banks.

In less than half an hour.

All organized resistance within Asuka-kyo was completely eradicated.

The black dragon flags of the Tang Dynasty were arrogantly planted in every corner of this so-called "imperial palace".

Inside the main hall.

Li Chengqian sat imposingly on the low couch that originally belonged to the highest ruler of Japan.

At his feet knelt a group of trembling, disheveled Japanese high-ranking officials.

The two leading figures were Emperor Shumei, who was so frightened that he wet his pants, wore a ridiculous tall hat, and dressed in a yellow robe that imitated the Tang emperor but looked extremely cheap.

The other was Soga Iruka, a powerful minister who held immense influence at court and was known as the "Great Demon King." This minister, who usually commanded respect in the court, was now huddled on the cold floor like a quail.

"You're the one who calls himself the Emperor?"

Li Chengqian used the scabbard of the Emperor's Sword to lift up Emperor Shuming's deathly pale face.

"Your Highness... Your Highness the Crown Prince of the Upper Kingdom, spare my life... This humble king... This humble king is willing to become a vassal and pay tribute!"

Emperor Jomei's teeth chattered wildly, and snot and tears streamed down his face.

He had just witnessed how Soga Iruka's most elite warriors were chopped into mincemeat by the Tang general in white robes at the door, as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, in just a few breaths.

That inhuman force completely shattered the last bit of pride he held in his so-called "divine kingdom".

"To submit and pay tribute?"

Li Chengqian sneered and sheathed his sword with utter disdain.

"I remember that when we were in Chang'an, your envoy to Tang China named Inugami Mita Kuchi said the same thing."

"And what happened? He knelt down and called me 'Dad,' while secretly drawing my spinning machine blueprints!"

Li Chengqian's voice suddenly rose, booming like thunder in the hall.

"You bunch of dwarfs, your hearts are smaller than pinheads, but your appetites are bigger than gluttons!"

"The Great Tang Dynasty has no need for vassal states like yours that waver between two sides!"

He suddenly stood up, and the Emperor's Sword was drawn with a clang, its cold blade pointing directly at Soga Iruka's nose.

"Relay my order!"

"From this day forward, there will be no more Japan, nor any more Yamato!"

"This island has been officially incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty!"

Looking at the terrified faces below, Li Chengqian's tone exuded an unquestionable imperial dominance.

"From now on, this place will be the 'Silver Province' of the Great Tang Dynasty!"

"Every inch of soil on this land, every mineral vein, even a single fish in the sea, is the private property of the Tang Dynasty!"

Soga Iruka shuddered violently, and he suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with resentment and despair.

"Your Highness! This is an act of annihilation! Our Yamato people are protected by Amaterasu, the goddess of the sea. If you act in this way, you will surely be punished by heaven!"

"Amaterasu?"

Li Chengqian seemed to have heard an extremely funny joke.

He suddenly burst into laughter, a sound that was extremely unusual and echoed throughout the empty hall, sending chills down everyone's spine.

"Very well! Today I'll see if your so-called Amaterasu can withstand the Tang Dynasty's red-coated cannons!"

The laughter abruptly stopped.

Li Chengqian turned his head and looked at the civil official standing to the side.

"Go! Find all those Kojiki and Imperial Annals that record myths and legends for me!"

"Right here in the square outside the main hall, it was all burned down!"

"Starting tomorrow, only Chinese language and characters will be allowed on the entire island! Anyone who dares to teach those foreign languages ​​will be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public!"

"The laws of the Tang Dynasty are the only rules on this island!"

This extremely ruthless "cultural erasure" directly severed the cultural heritage and spiritual foundation of this nation.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jomei's eyes rolled back, and he was so frightened that he fainted.

Li Chengqian looked at the "Emperor" lying on the ground, dressed in a ridiculous yellow robe, and a cold, mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He walked down the steps and casually kicked Emperor Jomei's limp body with his toe.

"As for you."

Li Chengqian looked down at him, his eyes filled with deep disdain.

"Even my toes are not worthy of being called 'Emperor'."

"From now on, you will be the village chief of the Flying Bird Village of the Tang Dynasty."

"Every month, you must lead the villagers to pay the silver to the Tang Dynasty on time, understand?"