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

Shortly after the Lantern Festival in the first year of the Zhenguan era, something happened that angered Li Shimin.

Just a few hours ago, Li Yi, the governor of Jingzhou and the Prince of Yanshan, rebelled.

Not only did they rebel, but this fellow also launched a swift and unexpected attack, capturing the neighboring Binzhou.

"What a fine Prince of Yanshan, what a fine Li Yi!" Li Shimin's voice was deep and cold. "I have treated him well, providing him with high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, and granting him the title of Grand Master of the Three Departments. Is this how he repays me?"

Standing beside His Highness were Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Changsun Wuji, all former officials of the Tiance Mansion. At this moment, their expressions were extremely solemn.

Changsun Wuji stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Li Yi is a wolf in sheep's clothing, with a rebellious heart. In his early years, he held Youzhou, and although he submitted to the Tang Dynasty, he always maintained his own military power. Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, he has a guilty conscience and is afraid that Your Majesty will settle accounts with him for his illegitimate relationship with the former crown prince. Therefore, he has taken a risk. If this villain is not eliminated, Guanzhong will not be at peace."

Li Shimin turned around, his eyes flashing with a cold light like a cheetah before it pounces on its prey.

He wasn't surprised that Li Yi would rebel; what angered him was something else entirely.

"Li Yi's rebellion is one thing, but what happened to Binzhou?" Li Shimin tapped his finger heavily on the location of Binzhou on the map. "Zhang Jin was the one defending Binzhou! He's an old minister of the retired emperor, a veteran general who followed my Tang Dynasty from its inception! He commands the Tianji Army, yet he couldn't even hold it for a single day, allowing Li Yi to advance unimpeded?"

This is what truly pained and alarmed Li Shimin.

Zhang Jin's defeat was too fast and too easy.

How much loyalty do these veteran generals who once followed Li Yuan in conquering the country still retain in the face of this new emperor who seized power through the Xuanwu Gate Incident?

Are they observing from the sidelines? Or are they slacking off? Or perhaps they want to see Li Shimin make a fool of himself?

This is a question worth thinking about.

Fang Xuanling cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Jin's matter may be due to a lack of ability or being forced by circumstances. It is not advisable to investigate it too deeply at present, lest it shake the morale of the army. The most urgent task is to annihilate Li Yi with overwhelming force and deter all the villains in the surrounding areas."

"Intimidate?" Li Shimin's lips curled into a cold smile. "Since they want to see if I can hold onto this throne, then I'll show them!"

"Issue my decree!"

"Issue Changsun Wuji as the Grand Commander-in-Chief and Yuchi Jingde as the Deputy Grand Commander-in-Chief. Assemble the elite troops of the Left and Right Vanguard Guards and immediately dispatch them to Jingzhou!"

……

A biting wind howled atop the city walls of Binzhou.

Li Yi, clad in heavy armor, gripped the crenellations and gazed at the rolling loess plateau outside the city. He felt no thrill of conquering territory, but rather a sense of dread, as if he had stepped off a cliff.

His real name was Luo Yi. During the chaotic period at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he was a local tyrant who guarded Youzhou and was known as the "Luo Family Spear," which was famous in the northern frontier.

After returning to the Tang Dynasty, he was granted the surname Li by Li Yuan and enfeoffed as the Prince of Yanshan, which was an immense honor.

But now, this glory has become a death curse.

"Your Majesty..." A trusted general cautiously approached from behind, "The scouts report that troops have already been dispatched from Chang'an."

Li Yi whirled around, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse: "Who? Who did Li Shimin send?"

"The commander-in-chief... is Changsun Wuji. The vanguard is... is Yuchi Jingde."

Upon hearing the name "Yuchi Jingde," Li Yi's eye twitched violently.

But what he feared more was not Yuchi Jingde, but the person behind those two names—Li Shimin.

Li Yi's hands were trembling slightly.

He recalled what the Taoist priest named Yang Wen had told him a few days earlier: "Your Majesty's appearance is of immeasurable nobility; you are destined to rule the world."

He then recalled his wife Meng's prayers before the gods and spirits, saying that as long as he raised an army, all the gods would help him.

He's bewitched!

When the rebellion actually began, a cold wind blew, clearing his mind, and he realized what he was facing.

He was indeed a fierce general, but who was Li Shimin?

That was the Heavenly General, a war god who swept across the land and trampled heroes like Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong underfoot!

"Your Majesty, there are some rumors circulating in the army..." the confidant stammered.

"explain!"

"The brothers are saying... we used to be government troops, how did we become rebels now? And... and we heard we're going to fight against the King of Qin... no, against His Majesty, nobody's feeling safe."

Li Yi suddenly drew his sword from his waist and slashed it down on the blue bricks of the city wall, sparks flying everywhere: "Damn it! Anyone who dares to undermine morale will be killed without mercy! I am the King of Yanshan! My Tianjie Army is an elite force brought from Youzhou, what are we afraid of!"

He roared loudly, as if the loudness of his voice could mask his inner fear.

But he didn't see that the soldiers around him were looking at him with a shift in their gaze, from awe to a flickering and shifty look.

……

A few days later, Zhao Cihao's army arrived.

But this was not Changsun Wuji's main force, but merely a detachment of the vanguard.

However, the appearance of this detachment completely overwhelmed Li Yi's already fragile defenses.

Outside Binzhou City, the two armies faced each other.

Li Yi, mounted on his horse, attempted to wave his whip to drive his soldiers into formation to meet the enemy.

However, to his horror, he discovered that his subordinates, who usually obeyed his orders without question, now seemed rooted to the spot. No matter how much he yelled and scolded them, the troops remained scattered and showed no fighting spirit.

The Tang army opposite them was arrayed in neat formations, their banners obscuring the sun.

The huge banner bearing the character "Tang" fluttered in the wind, like an invisible giant hand gripping the throats of all the rebels.

That was Li Shimin's flag.

In the hearts of the Tang soldiers, Li Shimin was not only an emperor, but also a god of war and an invincible figure.

Following the King of Qin meant you could eat meat, earn merit, and survive.

Going against the King of Qin? That's asking for trouble!

"Those are General Tian Ce's soldiers..."

Within the rebel camp, someone muttered something first.

Immediately afterwards, like a plague spreading, the whispers quickly grew louder.

"We're rebelling! We'll be executed along with our entire family!"

"My cousin from my second uncle's family is right across from me, how am I supposed to fight him?"

"Your Majesty is wise and mighty, what are we doing following the Prince of Yanshan to our deaths?"

As Li Yi listened to these sounds, she felt a chill run through her body, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

He wildly swung his sword, cutting down two retreating soldiers, roaring, "Charge! Charge! Those who retreat will be killed!"

However, the smell of blood did not boost morale; instead, it ignited long-suppressed fear and anger.

A usually taciturn captain suddenly turned his horse around, pointed his spear directly at Li Yi, and shouted, "Brothers! Prince Yanshan is blinded by lust and wants to drag us down with him! We are soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, not Li Yi's slaves! Killing him and presenting him to His Majesty would be a great achievement!"

"kill!!!"

Before Changsun Wuji's army could even launch its first charge or unleash a volley of arrows, this seemingly powerful rebellion crumbled amidst internal turmoil.

Li Yi completely broke down.

He led several hundred confidants and family members, fleeing the camp in a panic like stray dogs, and ran wildly toward the Turks in the north.

At this moment, all talk of imperial ambitions and supreme power has become the most laughable joke; all he wants is to survive.

However, the death knell had already tolled.

When they fled to Wushi County, even their last remaining confidants realized the situation. Driven by despair and greed, these men who had once sworn allegiance sneaked into Li Yi's tent under the cover of night.

A flash of light, and a head fell to the ground.

This once-powerful warlord of Youzhou ultimately met a tragic end, his head severed from his body.