Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

"He may be spared the death penalty, but he will not escape punishment. My stable was made of the finest Phoebe zhennan wood; he must compensate me."

Upon hearing that he wouldn't die, Changsun Chong quickly nodded and said:

"I'll pay! General, I'll pay whatever it takes."

Li Jing sheathed his sword and extended five fingers.

"Five hundred strings of cash! If you're missing even one word, I'll tear down the gates of your Qi State Duke's mansion when I get back."

Changsun Chong's face turned green.

Another five hundred strings of cash?

So he didn't do anything on this trip, yet he's already saddled with a debt of a thousand strings of cash?

"Alright, cousin, it's better to lose money than to suffer a bigger disaster."

Li Chengqian kicked Changsun Chong, then turned and grabbed Li Jing's arm.

"Uncle Li, let's put the stables aside for now. I'll take you to see something good."

Li Jing waved his hand dismissively and said irritably:

"My old stable has been blown up, what's there to see?"

"You'll see when you come and see for yourself."

Li Chengqian forcibly dragged Li Jing to the ruins of the destroyed stable.

The air still smelled of gunpowder.

Li Jing was completely stunned when he saw the scene before him.

A crater about ten feet wide was blasted into the ground.

What made Li Jing even more terrified was that the logs that were originally used to support the weight of the stable had been blown in half.

Li Jing strode forward, squatted down, and touched the broken part.

He turned to look at Li Chengqian and asked:

"Your Highness... this... this was really caused by a thunderbolt from the palm of your hand?"

Li Chengqian shrugged and said:

"This is the extra-large size; I added a little something extra. How's the effect?"

Li Jing slowly stood up, and began to deduce the situation in his mind.

The walls of Liaodong were indeed sturdy, and the archers of Goguryeo were indeed formidable.

But if...

If dozens of such giant catapults were lined up in a row...

Hundreds of these extra-large palm-sized grenades were thrown at the same time.

What kind of hell on earth would that be?

Li Jing stared with fervor at the giant catapult in the distance.

"A siege weapon... This is absolutely an unprecedented siege weapon."

With such a powerful weapon, the walls of Goguryeo were practically made of paper.

Li Jing muttered to himself.

Cheng Yaojin then leaned over and teased:

"General, didn't you just say this thing was broken?"

Li Jing blushed and kicked him.

"Get out! When did I ever say such nonsense?"

Li Chengqian looked at Li Jing, who was playfully fighting, and laughed:

"Since Uncle Li also thinks it works well, then I will order mass production."

Li Chengqian turned to Changsun Chong and said:

"Cousin, stop pretending to be dead."

Changsun Chong quickly ran over.

"I have decided to establish the first artillery battalion of the Tang Dynasty, specifically to operate these giant catapults."

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Chong and said,

"Although you missed just now, you were quite brave. The position of artillery battalion commander is now in your hands."

Changsun Chong pointed incredulously at his own nose.

"Me? Battalion Commander?"

"What? You don't want to?"

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow and asked,

"If you don't want to be alone, then find someone else, Cheng Chumo..."

"Yes, I am a hundred times willing."

Changsun Chong hurriedly said,

"Your Highness, rest assured. I guarantee that I will hit wherever I point. Anyone who dares to disobey will be blasted to pieces by my cannon."

Cheng Chumo curled his lip and said:

"Forget it. Don't turn around and blow up our central command tent with a single shot."

The surrounding second-generation rich kids immediately burst into laughter.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the camp gate.

"Report!!!"

A scout rushed into the camp and loudly reported.

"Your Highness, Commander-in-Chief. This is extremely urgent."

Li Jing asked in a deep voice:

"What's the matter?"

The scout, panting heavily, said:

"When Goguryeo commander Yeon Gaesomun learned that his vanguard had been wiped out, he was furious."

He has now personally led an army of 150,000, though it is claimed to be 300,000, and has mobilized the entire force.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding air fell silent.

150,000 troops?

It's still on this land in Liaodong.

The disparity in troop strength between the two sides is too great.

Li Jing didn't say a word, and turned around and walked back to the central command tent.

Li Chengqian and others followed closely behind.

Inside the large tent, Li Jing stood in front of the sand table, staring intently at the location of Liaodong City.

"Yeon Gaesomun is going to have a final battle with us."

Li Jing's voice was somewhat solemn.

"If the 150,000-strong army relies on Liaodong City and Jian'an City as a defensive triangle and advances steadily, our army will face immense pressure."

"What's there to be afraid of! I, Old Cheng, will lead the charge and kill these Goguryeo bastards!"

Cheng Yaojin said disdainfully.

"Shut up!"

Li Jing rebuked him sternly.

"The enemy outnumbers us, how can we act rashly? The walls of Liaodong are high. If they hold the city and wear down our morale, we will have no choice but to retreat when the blizzard comes."

Li Jing picked up several red flags and sketched out a famous defensive formation on the sand table.

"We can only rely on the Liao River for now, build defensive fortifications, and proceed cautiously step by step..."

"Bang!"

Li Chengqian walked straight up and kicked the sand table to the ground.

Everyone inside the tent was bewildered by Li Chengqian's action.

Li Jing looked at Li Chengqian in shock and asked:

"Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"

"Defense? A step-by-step approach?"

Li Chengqian laughed loudly.

"When did the Tang Dynasty's army fall so low that it had to be forced into a defensive war by barbarians?"

Li Jing said anxiously:

"Your Highness! Military strategy says, if you have ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if you have five times their strength, attack them; if you have twice their strength, fight them."

The enemy now outnumbers us by a factor of two; a direct confrontation is definitely not the best strategy.

Li Chengqian walked to the entrance of the tent and lifted the curtain.

Pointing to the boxes of palm-sized grenades outside, he said:

"Uncle Li, your outdated military strategies won't work here."

150,000 troops? What if there were 300,000?

Li Chengqian drew his sword from his waist and slammed it hard against the door frame.

"Issue my order! Assemble the entire army, abandon all fortifications, and advance directly forward."

The tent was completely silent; everyone was stunned by Li Chengqian's domineering aura.

Li Chengqian looked at the stunned crowd and laughed:

"Today I will teach Goguryeo a lesson."

The lesson was titled: "Truth Lies Within Range."