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

On the third day of the tenth lunar month, Pyongyang was hit by its first northerly wind before winter.

But this biting chill was completely dispelled by the surging passion in the hearts of the Tang soldiers.

The months-long Eastern Expedition came to a perfect end in a way that no one had ever imagined before setting out.

Today is the auspicious day for the Tang Dynasty's royal army to return home in triumph.

Before his departure, Li Shimin decided to hold a grand military parade on the vast plains outside Pyongyang that would be the first of its kind in history.

It was not only to show off their power, but also to permanently record the might of the Tang Dynasty in history books on this newly recovered territory.

At 3:45 AM, the war drums thundered, their sound shaking the heavens.

Li Chengqian sat upright in the secondary carriage of the imperial chariot. As Li Shimin, clad in dazzling golden armor, appeared on the command platform, the 100,000 Tang soldiers erupted in a thunderous cheer.

"Long live! Long live! Long live the Emperor!"

Banners blotted out the sun, and armored soldiers stood like a forest.

Looking down from the top of Pyongyang, the Xuanjia Army resembled a neat square formation, with archers, light cavalry, and infantry lances interspersed in a unified manner.

Li Shimin stood with his hand on his sword, looking down upon the world with boundless pride in his heart.

Then, Li Shimin's gaze fell gently and proudly on Li Chengqian beside him.

That is the purpose of holding this grand military parade.

Li Shimin raised his hand, and the thunderous cheers instantly ceased, leaving only the sound of the wind whipping the battle flags in the air.

"Soldiers of the Great Tang!"

"The Sui Dynasty's three campaigns against Goguryeo resulted in the loss of a million soldiers, their bones piled high! For thirty years, the wronged souls of the people of the Central Plains have wept in the cold winds of Liaodong! But today, I and you have leveled the mound of corpses and shattered the royal city! From this day forward, this land will be called Andong! It is an inseparable part of the territory of our Great Tang!"

"May the Great Tang Dynasty be victorious! May His Majesty be victorious!"

The three armies roared in unison, their voices soaring into the sky and shattering the dark clouds.

As the commotion gradually subsided, Li Shimin turned around, facing his civil and military officials and all the soldiers, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

"The victory was so swift and decisive not only because of my wisdom, nor solely due to the bravery of the entire army, but also because of one man who strategized and commanded the vanguard, using five thousand elite armored soldiers to blockade the enemy town, and personally leading a hundred elite warriors to single-handedly slay the enemy chieftain amidst a vast army!"

All eyes immediately turned to Li Chengqian.

"Crown Prince Chengqian, having destroyed a kingdom and captured its king, has achieved unparalleled feats! Today, I will proclaim this to the world beneath the walls of Pyongyang—"

"Crown Prince Li Chengqian is hereby promoted to General of the Heavenly Strategy and concurrently appointed Grand Chancellor of the Shaanxi Eastern Circuit!"

The title "General of Heavenly Strategy" was a supreme honorific created by Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, during the Wude era when Li Shimin had swept away all rivals and achieved great merit that threatened the emperor's authority. This title was given to him in recognition of his unparalleled military achievements, which could not be officially bestowed upon him.

Since Li Shimin ascended the throne, this title has become the supreme totem of the Tang Dynasty's military, and has been sealed away forever.

Today, Li Shimin has personally bestowed upon the crown prince the supreme glory he once enjoyed.

Changsun Wuji, Li Shiji, and other high-ranking officials were initially taken aback, then knelt down on one knee in unison: "Your Majesty is wise! His Highness the Crown Prince possesses unparalleled divine might; this title is truly well-deserved!"

"Greetings, General Tian Ce!" One hundred thousand soldiers knelt down in unison, the sound of their armor rubbing against each other like crashing waves. Their overwhelming reverence almost overwhelmed Li Chengqian.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Chengqian took a deep breath, slowly walked to Li Shimin, lifted his robe, and knelt down respectfully.

"Father, I have only managed to achieve this minor merit by relying on Your Majesty's divine power and the bravery of the soldiers. The title of General of Heavenly Strategy is the sacred honor Your Majesty bestowed upon you when you pacified the world. How could I possibly be worthy of it? I beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree."

Faced with Li Chengqian's refusal, Li Shimin unusually spoke sternly to him: "You cannot refuse."

"Your Highness! Please agree!" Li Shiji shouted at the top of his lungs, "If you don't agree, we generals won't feel at ease fighting this battle!"

"Yes, Your Highness! The title of General of Heavenly Strategy is truly fitting for you!"

Seeing that everyone said so, Li Chengqian could only sigh and kowtow to express his gratitude.

After the military parade, the army officially broke camp.

The newly appointed Protector-General of Andong, Xue Rengui, led 20,000 elite Tang troops who remained in the city to line up outside the city to see him off.

The army, stretching for dozens of miles, embarked on its return journey in a grand and imposing manner.

In the middle of the procession, hundreds of prison vans were lined up one after another.

Ahead, the majestic "Qin King's Battle Song" resounded from the Tang army ranks, as the iron hooves of hundreds of thousands of warhorses shattered the frost and ice of Liaodong.

Gojang and the rest of the Goguryeo royal family and nobles of the five tribes huddled together in the wooden cage, their hair disheveled.

They looked back in despair at Pyongyang, a city they could never return to, and at the Tang Dynasty dragon flag fluttering atop the city walls. They finally understood that the era of Goguryeo was gone forever.

It was the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan era, deep winter.

When the triumphant army of the Tang Dynasty stepped into the majestic Mingde Gate of Chang'an, the entire city was in an uproar.

The swirling snow could not dampen the fervor of the millions of people in Chang'an. Amidst the bustling city, flowers and colorful silks adorned Zhuque Avenue.

Li Chengqian sat upright on his tall horse, receiving the continuous stream of goodwill from the people.

Now that he had won a great victory in Pyongyang and been promoted to General of the Heavenly Strategy, he thought the show had reached its climax.

General Tian Ce, that was the peak of Li Shimin's career before he ascended the throne.

However, he never expected that the rewards Li Shimin prepared for him would be far more extravagant than those for the General of the Heavenly Strategy.

Night falls in Taiji Palace, Ganlu Hall.

Li Chengqian was specially kept by Li Shimin.

After dismissing the palace servants, Li Shimin went to his desk and pulled out a roll of bright yellow silk from the bottom of the mountain of memorials.

"Take a look."

Li Chengqian paused slightly, then suspiciously took the rolled-up silk.

This turned out to be a pre-prepared imperial edict.

But the content on it is not about being promoted or granted a title, but about Li Shimin abdicating the throne.

Li Chengqian's knees buckled, and he abruptly knelt on the imperial bricks. His eyes instantly reddened, and his voice trembled as he cried out, "Father... what do you mean by this? Have I done something wrong that you would use such a document to test me?!"

He was genuinely terrified.

"Testing?" Li Shimin bent down, ignoring Li Chengqian's struggles, and forcibly pulled him up from the ground, pressing him down onto the couch beside him.

"If I were testing you, I wouldn't have dismissed my attendants and stayed up all night talking with you in this Ganlu Palace by candlelight."

Li Shimin turned around and personally lit the candle on the table.

"Father..." Li Chengqian gripped the hem of his robe tightly, "Your subject does not understand... The Tang Dynasty is at peace, and Father is in the prime of his life, why must you do this?"

"Brilliant! You are exceptionally intelligent, how could you not see through this?" Li Shimin paced slowly in the hall. "I am not afraid of you, I am afraid of myself."

Li Chengqian was completely stunned.

"Brilliant. People change once they sit on the dragon throne."

Li Shimin sighed.

"Looking at you now, I am filled with pride, and I can say without hesitation that I love you more than the world."

"But... what about five years from now? What about ten years from now? As your power grows and I grow older, as the court and the people only know the Crown Prince and not the Emperor, as people constantly whisper in my ear to sow discord... will I still be able to trust you as I do today?"

"I cannot guarantee that."

"Before power, there are no fathers or sons. This is an ironclad rule of royalty throughout history."

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian with a complicated expression.

"I will grow old one day. Once people get old, they will become attached to power and become suspicious and tyrannical."

"I don't want to wait until the day when I want to kill you."

"I absolutely cannot tolerate the fact that I have personally destroyed the most perfect son of my life."