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

"Clang—"

The broken steel whip fell to the ground, hit a rock, rolled twice, and then stopped moving.

The sound wasn't loud, but in the deathly silent valley, it was like a thunderclap, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

Yuchi Gong remained in that striking posture, as if he had been frozen in place.

He stared intently at the remaining half of the handle in his hand, its jagged edge revealing the grayish-white cast iron stubs underneath.

"My...my whip..."

Yuchi Gong's lips trembled, and his voice even sounded like he was about to cry.

This is his old comrade who fought alongside him in battles across the north and south, and helped him conquer half of the Tang Dynasty!

Normally, I would be heartbroken over even the slightest bump or scratch, but today I actually broke a knife that hadn't even been sharpened yet?

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Yuchi Gong suddenly threw away the broken whip and rushed to the horizontal sword stuck in the ground.

He reached out his rough, large hand, wanting to touch it, but he didn't dare, fearing that it was also an illusion.

The blade remained upright, gleaming with a faint, cold light in the sunlight.

It is not dull.

There is no gap.

There isn't even a scratch!

When that steel whip, forged through countless hammer blows, hits, it's like an egg hitting a rock; it shatters before you can even hear a sound.

"A divine weapon! This is a divine weapon!"

Duan Lun disregarded any semblance of dignity as a high-ranking official, scrambling over and rubbing his face against the blade. "Such hardness, such resilience... even the legendary Gan Jiang and Mo Xie couldn't compare!"

"If the generals were equipped with one of these, wouldn't they be able to cut through melons and vegetables with ease?"

Li Chengqian looked at these country bumpkins who had never seen the world and shook his head helplessly.

He walked over, drew his sword with one hand, and with a flick of his wrist, twirled it beautifully.

"Minister Duan, your vision is too narrow, isn't it?"

Li Chengqian casually tossed the knife to Yuchi Gong, who was still in a daze, as if throwing a fire poker.

"A divine weapon?"

"In your eyes, this may be a divine weapon. But to me, it's just a standard component."

"It's just a passing grade."

"Pass...pass?"

Li Shimin felt as if his breath was about to stop.

You call a knife that can break Yuchi Jingde's steel whip a passing grade?

What happens to those who fail?

"Father, please don't look like that."

Li Chengqian pointed to the still-roaring factory behind him, his tone as relaxed as if he were saying that cabbage was only two coins a pound.

"This water-powered forging hammer runs non-stop for twelve hours a day. As long as there is enough molten iron, it can make five hundred of these knives a day."

"Moreover, every single one is of this quality. If it's even slightly less firm, it's a defective product and has to be reworked."

"What?! Five hundred games a day?!"

Li Shimin completely broke down. He grabbed Li Chengqian's shoulder with such force that he almost crushed his son's bones.

"Chengqian, you're not lying to me? You really can do five hundred a day?"

"Can this kind of divine weapon really be mass-produced?!"

This is a precious sword that can cut through iron like mud!

It used to be a treasure only generals could use, but now it can be wholesaled like cabbage?

"Would I get candy for lying to you?"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes and broke free from his father's clutches. "I already told you, this is industrialization."

"As long as the assembly line starts running, these knives will flow out continuously until they fill the Tang Dynasty's treasury and terrify the enemy."

He turned around, looked at the blast furnace that was still belching black smoke, and his voice suddenly became domineering.

"Pass down the order!"

"Keep this furnace running, day and night!"

"Let's set a small goal first: build about 30,000!"

"Replace all that shoddy, infuriating junk in the hands of the Imperial Guards!"

"If in the future, if the soldiers of the Great Tang Dynasty still go to the battlefield carrying those firewood sticks that dull after a couple of slashes, then they are disgracing me, Li Chengqian!"

"Thirty thousand..."

Yuchi Gong, clutching the new sword, drool dripping down his face, chuckled foolishly, "Thirty thousand of these things charging into battle...tsk tsk, wouldn't the Turks' leather armor look like it was made of paper?"

"It's more than just leather armor."

Li Shimin also came to his senses at this moment, and the ecstasy in his eyes was gradually replaced by a deep killing intent.

He thought of the "refined iron" that was being transported to the Turks.

"Chengqian, you're right."

Li Shimin sneered, his tone chilling, "Those aristocratic families think that by smuggling ironware to the Turks, they can cause me trouble and give the Turks the capital to challenge the Tang Dynasty."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Compared to our blast furnace steel, their so-called 'refined iron' is nothing but a pile of waste!"

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Li Chengqian's lips.

"Yeah, trash."

"Let them transport it, let them deliver it."

"Even if those 30,000 catties of iron were all forged into curved blades, they would only make a noise when faced with our new-style horizontal swords."

"Consider this our Great Tang Dynasty's advance offering to Khagan Jieli as burial goods."

"If we can let him die with a decent piece of iron in his hand, then we've done our best."

These words were spoken with extreme arrogance and Versailles-like flair.

But at this moment, whether it was Li Shimin, Duan Lun, or Yuchi Gong, they all felt that these words sounded really good!

Truth always lies within the range of a shot.

Dignity always resides only on the edge of a blade.

With this massive, steel-like productivity, the Tang Dynasty stood taller than ever before!

"Good! Good! Good!"

Li Shimin uttered three "good"s in succession, then waved his hand, "Duan Lun! You'll be staying here from now on! Keep an eye on things for me; if even one knife is missing, I'll hold you responsible!"

"Your Majesty, I obey! I will bring my bedding right away!" Duan Lun was so excited that his face turned red, and he wished he could sleep with the blast furnace in his arms.

Just as the emperor and his ministers were immersed in the thrill of "overpowering each other with superior equipment"...

A gentle breeze swept by.

In the shadows of Lizheng Hall, the air seemed to distort slightly.

Li Chengqian's ears twitched.

His smile remained unchanged, but a hint of amusement crept into his eyes.

He didn't turn around, but merely turned slightly to face the empty air behind him, and softly asked:

"You're here?"

next second.

A ghostly figure appeared silently.

Flying fish robe, embroidered spring knife.

Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Qinglong.

He knelt on one knee, his voice low and deep, yet carrying a strong scent of blood, as if he had just returned from a battlefield of carnage.

"Your Highness."

"The fish is in the net."

"Shen Lian has already led his men to intercept that convoy at the entrance of the Qinling Ancient Road."

"Caught red-handed, none of them escaped."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian's smile grew even colder.

He reached out and gently flicked the blade of the new knife.

"Zheng—"

The crisp sound of a knife echoed through the valley, carrying a chilling, murderous aura.

"it is good."

"The knife has just been forged, and we're just short of someone to sacrifice it to the flag."

"Since they're so eager to die, let's not keep them waiting any longer."

Li Chengqian turned around, looked at Li Shimin who was still excited, and showed a kind and innocent smile.

"Father, I've finished examining the sword."

"Next, I invite you to watch a grand performance."

"A bloody drama about 'cleaning house'."