My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Family Feast with a Copper Hot Pot, A Water Mirror Projects a View of the Front Lines

Li Chengqian, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, was sitting imposingly on a chair covered with a striped tiger skin!

However, his appearance at this moment almost made Empress Zhangsun and Li Shimin not recognize him.

He wasn't wearing the magnificent armor that signified his status as the crown prince; instead, he wore only a thin black outfit with the collar wide open, revealing his rock-hard, bronze-colored chest muscles. His eyes exuded a coldness and ferocity like a lone wolf in the wilderness.

He casually stuck a dark red longsword into the mud in front of him, emanating a chilling aura.

Before him stood several Tang generals, kneeling on one knee and covered in snowflakes.

"Chengqian...it really is Chengqian! He's thinner and darker..." Empress Zhangsun looked at her wild eldest son in the picture, and tears streamed down her face.

"Don't cry, don't cry, Mother. Look, your brother is full of energy." Princess Changle quickly stepped forward and took out a handkerchief to gently wipe away Empress Zhangsun's tears.

Just then, a sound came from the image that was suspended in mid-air.

"This is to inform Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

A general in full armor raised his head and reported loudly with excitement on his face.

"According to your cunning... cough, according to your brilliant strategies! Our Xuanjia Army has given those barbarians outside the city quite a hard time these past few days!"

Upon hearing the military intelligence report from the front lines, Li Shimin, sitting in the pavilion, immediately perked up his ears, his intuition as a born commander instantly putting him into focus.

In the scene, Li Chengqian stroked the stubble on his chin, a cruel sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Tell me, how was the outcome?"

"Your Highness! That was an absolutely brilliant move!"

The general waved his arms excitedly, spitting as he spoke.

"The moment the enemy tries to set up camp and rest during the day, we send three hundred light cavalry to frantically beat drums and horns around their camp! As soon as they pick up their weapons and charge out, we turn and run, never engaging them in direct combat!"

"For three days straight! We'll harass them as soon as they close their eyes. Those grassland barbarians are now driven mad with impotent rage in the snow, their eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. They haven't slept a wink for three days and three nights!"

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad. The strategy of exhausting the enemy was executed brilliantly. Where's the 'added fuel' smoke upwind?"

Another general stood up, barely suppressing a laugh, and said, "Your Highness! This morning, a northwest wind was blowing, and I ordered my men to burn dozens of cartloads of dried chili powder, wolf dung, and some tear-inducing herbs upwind. The choking smoke was blown all the way into the enemy camp."

"The barbarians were so choked by the stench that their eyes were watering and snotty, they couldn't even open them, and the camp was filled with coughing. Many of their warhorses were even startled and ran away!"

Upon hearing this...

Li Shimin, sitting in the pavilion, couldn't stop his lips from twitching.

He'd led troops in countless battles his entire life, emphasizing a righteous and honorable army, combining orthodox and unorthodox tactics. To keep people awake in the middle of the night with gongs and drums, and then to burn dried chili peppers to stink up the place? What kind of military strategy is that?!

However, the report that followed in the video shattered the Great Khan's worldview completely.

"Your Highness, the most lethal move was still the final one you ordered!"

A captain who looked somewhat shifty approached with a sly grin.

"We sent out scouts and discovered several hidden water sources where the enemy camp used snowmelt for water. Then we ground all the large sacks of croton seeds (a potent laxative) that we brought from Chang'an into powder and secretly threw them in!"

"Just now, the scouts reported that the enemy camp is in complete chaos! Of the 300,000 troops, at least half are frantically relieving themselves in the snow, unable to even stand! The cavalry are in even worse shape; as soon as they mount their horses, their sphincter muscles give way, and the scene... is simply horrific!"

"Hahahahaha!"

In the scene, the generals in the central command tent burst into hearty laughter.

Meanwhile, in the pavilion of the Qin Prince's Mansion in Chang'an City.

The air fell into a deathly silence.

Li Shimin held a wine cup in his hand, which was suspended in mid-air. He was completely unaware that drops of wine were spilling onto his clothes.

His eyes widened as he stared intently at the prince in the picture, who was laughing wildly.

They won't let anyone sleep in the middle of the night! The smell of burning chili powder is unbearable! They've put laxatives in the enemy's water supply?!

Is this some kind of military strategy?!

This is practically a complete guide to thuggish fighting!

"The traitor...this traitor!"

Li Shimin gasped, a chill running down his spine. This method was ten times more vicious than those cannibalistic steppe barbarians! If such methods were recorded in history books, what would become of the Tang army's reputation?

Li Shimin suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Li Chen, who was eating hot pot.

"Chen'er! Tell me honestly! Did you teach him these despicable tricks?!" Li Shimin asked through gritted teeth.

Li Chen blinked innocently and stuffed the cooked mutton into his mouth.

"Old Deng, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I only taught him 'The Art of War,' and all those military strategies were taught to him by his own efforts through analogy and self-study. That's what you call the student surpassing the teacher."

Li Chen gave a thumbs up and sincerely praised, "In war, if you can kill the enemy without shedding blood, that's a good method."

Although Empress Zhangsun also felt that these methods were not entirely aboveboard, she felt relieved when she thought that her son would not have to fight the enemy.

"Your Majesty, Chengqian is only trying to reduce casualties among the soldiers. Using a little strategy to deal with those barbarians is nothing," the Empress gently comforted him.

Just then, Li Chengqian in the water mirror stopped laughing.

He slowly stood up.

His tall, imposing figure cast a massive, oppressive shadow in the firelight.

He stretched out a large, calloused hand and pulled the dark red longsword stuck in the mud.

"Clang!"

The longsword was drawn, emitting a chilling clang.

Li Chengqian walked to the entrance of the main tent and lifted the heavy felt curtain. Outside, a blizzard raged, and the distant, faint cries of pain from enemy soldiers could be heard.

He took a deep breath of the cold air, and the bloodthirsty glint in his eyes erupted completely at that moment.

"Let's go."

Li Chengqian's voice was deep and hoarse, like an ancient beast about to hunt, exuding a chilling cruelty.

"We've been keeping them up for three days and three nights. They're exhausted, their eyes are blinded by the smoke, and they're completely drained."

He raised his longsword, its tip pointing directly at the enemy camp deep in the snowstorm.

"Those 300,000 barbarians outside are now a bunch of spineless cowards who can't even hold a knife properly."

"Issue the order: All troops, leave the city!"

Li Chengqian turned his head and gave the generals in the tent a ferocious grin.

"Come with me to harvest this wheat field that belongs to the Tang Dynasty!"