Transmigrated into Li Chengqian, he effortlessly ascended the throne and became emperor.

However, just as Li Chengqian was about to issue the order that anyone who dared to cross the line would be executed without mercy, a scene that shocked everyone occurred.

"thump--"

An elderly man in tattered clothes at the front suddenly collapsed to his knees, falling heavily onto the icy bluestone slab.

Immediately afterward, like dominoes falling, the second person, the third person... hundreds and thousands, even tens of thousands of Goguryeo civilians, before the astonished eyes of the Xuanjia Army soldiers, knelt down in unison like the receding tide.

No one carried knives or guns, no one held torches; what they held in their hands were meager amounts of coarse grains and frozen salted fish. Some people had nothing in their hands and could only press their heads firmly against the cold ground.

They kowtowed frantically while shouting something in Goguryeo, their voices filled with inexplicable excitement.

Xue Rengui was stunned. His hand holding the halberd froze in mid-air, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

What... what kind of tactic is this?

Li Chengqian was also slightly taken aback. Looking at the group of people below who were crying their hearts out, he sighed.

"It seems that Yeon Gaesomun enjoys extremely high prestige among them. With their commander recently deceased and the capital fallen, they know they are no match for the Tang Dynasty. They are using such a humble method to beg for the Tang's forgiveness and plead for mercy for their tyrant."

Li Chengqian had prepared himself to slaughter the city of Pyongyang, but he never expected that these Goguryeo people would be so spineless, not even daring to resist, and directly kneeling down to beg for surrender.

"Go, tell them." Li Chengqian slightly raised his refined chin, "The might of the Tang Dynasty only punishes the ringleaders, not the common people. Yeon Gaesomun is dead. As long as they behave themselves, I can guarantee their lives. Tell them to stop crying; it's giving me a headache."

Xue Rengui looked troubled: "Your Highness, this humble general...this humble general cannot understand Goguryeo's language. Besides, they are crying so pitifully, what if it's a feigned surrender?"

"Then go and arrest someone who understands Chinese to question them!" Li Chengqian frowned slightly at the deafening crying.

Before long, two Xuanjia soldiers picked up a middle-aged civil official dressed in Goguryeo official robes and trembling from behind the crowd like a chick, and slammed him hard down the steps of Li Chengqian.

"Kneel down! Answer His Highness the Crown Prince!" Xue Rengui shouted, and the blade of his halberd was placed directly against the official's neck.

The official was so terrified that he soiled himself, and frantically kowtowed, even blurting out fluent Chinese: "Your Highness, spare my life! Your Highness, spare my life! I am but a lowly clerk in charge of registers, I have never killed a Tang person!"

Li Chengqian looked down at him, his face expressionless: "I ask you, what are they howling about down there? Why don't they pick up their weapons and fight back, instead of crying and begging for mercy?"

Upon hearing this, the civil official was first stunned, then as if he had heard something unbelievable. He abruptly raised his head, his face a mess of snot and tears, but flushed with emotion: "Beg...beg for mercy? Your Highness! You've misunderstood! They're not begging for mercy, much less mourning for that Yeon Gaesomun who deserves to be torn to pieces!"

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What are they shouting?"

"They are thanking you! They are shouting 'Long live the Tang Dynasty!' and 'His Highness the Crown Prince is blessed with boundless divine grace!'"

The civil official pointed to the wailing crowd behind him: "Yeon Gaesomun is a beast! In recent years, in order to resist the Celestial Empire, he has levied exorbitant taxes and levies, and all the grain in the city has been plundered by him to use as military supplies! Even twelve-year-old boys have been forcibly conscripted as cannon fodder! Anyone who complains is immediately executed along with their entire family! In Pyongyang, every household is already in mourning, and every family is weeping blood!"

When the topic turned to his sore spot, Wen kowtowed heavily.

"We've been longing for a new master! A few days ago, the defeated soldiers who escaped said that the Heavenly Khan of the Great Tang is merciful. His heavenly army conquered city after city without killing a single prisoner, and even gave them travel expenses and food to go home! We... we, the old, weak, sick, and disabled people of this city, burn incense on the city walls every day, hoping that the royal army of the Great Tang will come to our aid soon!"

"This morning, when the people saw that tyrant's head hanging on the city wall, they wept with joy! They brought out the last bit of food they had hidden in their homes to reward the Heavenly Army! Your Highness! You are a living bodhisattva to the people of Goguryeo!"

The five thousand Xuanjia soldiers looked at each other, their hands, which had been gripping the hilts of their swords tightly, now felt awkward and unsure of what to do with them.

So all that was supposed to be a high-stakes battle they were preparing for, ready to fight to the death, turned out to be a gift of a banner?

Li Chengqian stood on the steps, his fingers, which were holding his cloak, slightly stiffened.

"..."

A long silence followed.

A notification popped up silently in his mind: [Ding! Congratulations to the host for achieving the accomplishment "Subduing the enemy without fighting," Charm value +10000, Goguryeo people's allegiance +80%.]

Li Chengqian thought that taking over Pyongyang would take a lot of effort, and he was even prepared to have the system activate pain shield for him so that he could pretend to be seriously injured and cough up blood in the chaos of battle, and then give Xue Rengui and Li Shimin a good beating on the heart.

What is this?

He went to great lengths to launch a night raid and seize the city, preparing to demonstrate his ruthless methods, only to find that his efforts were in vain.

These people of Goguryeo didn't even have the slightest will to resist. They simply slid to their knees on the spot and regarded him as a living bodhisattva who saved them from suffering.

It's really... all thanks to the contrast with its peers!

Yeon Gaesomun, you deserve to have your head chopped off. How did you manage to force the people of a nation to see the invaders as saviors?

Although he was speechless inside, on the surface, Li Chengqian remained the incomparably elegant, aloof, and noble Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Chengqian slowly walked down the steps, ignoring the icy and muddy ground, and personally helped the terrified civil official to his feet.

"Your Highness..." The civil official was flattered and looked at the handsome crown prince in front of him, feeling that the prince was radiating a holy light.

"The Tang Dynasty was a land of benevolence and righteousness."

"My father, the Emperor, regards all living beings as his own children. Yeon Gaesomun is tyrannical and cruel. My solo expedition is to act on behalf of Heaven."

"Xue Rengui!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Li Chengqian waved his wide sleeves, pointing to Yeon Gaesomun's luxurious mansion behind him: "Issue my order: Seal off the Daemorchi government office! Open all the royal granaries and armories in Pyongyang!"

"Since the people of this city have suffered so much, today I will act on their behalf."

Li Chengqian turned his head, his peach blossom eyes filled with pity, and even a hint of tears welled up at just the right moment.

"Distribute all the military rations that Yeon Gaesomun has stockpiled to the people of the city. Tell them that with me here, with the Tang Dynasty here, no one in Pyongyang will starve to death again."

Upon hearing this, the civil official almost burst into tears and turned around, translating Li Chengqian's words into Goguryeo in the loudest voice.

The moment the words were spoken, the entire street seemed to erupt in cheers.

Tens of thousands of Goguryeo people slammed their heads heavily against the bluestone slabs, creating a deafening roar:

"Long live the Great Khan of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!!"

Those poorly clothed commoners, those mothers who had lost their sons, looked at the handsome young man on the steps, their eyes no longer filled with hostility, but with fervent faith.

Xue Rengui stood aside, looking at his prince's slender yet upright figure, his eyes welling up with tears.

His Highness... he is so gentle and so great!

If His Majesty were here, how proud he would be to see Your Highness single-handedly and without bloodshed win back the hearts of the people of the enemy capital!

At this moment, Li Chengqian, whom everyone regarded as a god descended to earth, simply adjusted his fox fur coat and covered his mouth with an extremely elegant yawn.

If I'd known it would be this easy... I shouldn't have run so fast last night!

He got impatient!