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

late at night.

The East Palace Training Ground.

Li Chengqian stood on the command platform, his hands behind his back, looking down at the soldiers of the 500-meter-long Special Vanguard Battalion.

"You all performed very well in the weighted running these past few days. You truly are the ace team I personally selected."

Zhao Ergou proudly puffed out his chest.

These past few days, they've been carrying armored vehicles for fifty miles every day; their legs are almost broken from all the running.

But for the sake of their grand plan of infiltration, they gritted their teeth and persevered.

Even Cheng Chumo, that simpleton, gave them a thumbs up, praising them as born kings of soldiers.

Li Chengqian walked down the steps to Zhao Ergou and patted him on the shoulder.

"Now I have a top-secret mission concerning the fate of the Tang Dynasty to entrust to you."

Zhao Ergou felt a surge of excitement upon hearing this.

He had finally gained the Crown Prince's favor.

As long as I can access the core secrets of the Eastern Palace, I will surely receive His Majesty's reward.

"Please give the order, Your Highness! The entire Vanguard Battalion is willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness."

Five hundred people knelt down on one knee in unison.

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Cheng Chumo and said:

"Chu Mo, distribute the equipment to them, and remember to blindfold them. Tonight we'll travel by water, heading straight for Liaodong."

Cheng Chumo walked over carrying a pile of black cloth strips and blindfolded them one by one.

Zhao Ergou's vision went black, but he was secretly overjoyed.

Traveling by water overnight? And blindfolded?

This is definitely about getting access to the most core secrets.

half a month later.

A secluded valley behind the Andong Protectorate in Liaodong.

The cold wind howled, and the snow fell heavily.

Five hundred elite soldiers were driven out of the ship's cabin and escorted all the way to the depths of the valley.

"Take off the blindfold!"

At a command, Zhao Ergou and the others tore off the black cloth covering their faces.

Before them lay a vast expanse of white snow, and in front of them stood a young general draped in a cloak.

This was Qin Huaidao, who was sent over with them.

Zhao Ergou rubbed his hands, which were almost frozen, and looked around.

The area is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with extremely tight defenses and patrolling soldiers everywhere.

Qin Huaidao looked at the five hundred people and said:

"Brothers, you've had a long journey. His Highness instructed that you are elite troops from Chang'an and should be treated well."

Zhao Ergou quickly clasped his hands in greeting and said:

"General, you're too kind. May I ask what our top-secret mission is? Is it to assassinate the remnants of Goguryeo, or to wipe out some mountain stronghold?"

Qin Huaidao waved his hand:

"Assassination is nothing special. What you're about to carry out is His Highness's personally designed extreme physical training program."

Zhao Ergou was stunned for a moment.

Special training? They traveled all the way to Liaodong for special training?

Qin Huaidao waved his hand:

"Someone, distribute the items to all the brothers."

Dozens of Liaodong soldiers pushed wheelbarrows over.

Zhao Ergou excitedly craned his neck to look, thinking it might be some kind of high-quality steel crossbow or a peerless treasure sword.

As a result, the soldiers took out rusty, broken iron pickaxes and large bamboo baskets taller than a person from the vehicle and stuffed them into their hands.

Zhao Ergou was dumbfounded when he saw the pickaxe in his hand.

"General... what... what does this mean?"

Qin Huaidao pointed to the dark, open-pit mine not far away and said:

"See those coal and iron mines? Your special training mission is to go deep into the mining area and conduct extreme excavation for six months."

The five hundred elite agents of the Hundred Cavalry Division were instantly dumbfounded.

Zhao Ergou shouted anxiously:

"General! We're the vanguard. We're supposed to be fighting. How can you send us to dig coal?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Huaidao's face instantly darkened, and he drew his sword from his waist, shouting:

"Outrageous! This is His Highness's military order. In Liaodong, coal and iron are the lifeblood. Mining coal is like fighting a war."

Each person is allotted 1,000 jin (500 kg) per day. No food or sleep allowed if they don't dig enough.

Qin Huaidao turned and roared at the foreman beside him:

"Keep an eye on them. Anyone who dares to slack off will be whipped."

Dozens of overseers, grinning maliciously, brandished their whips at the flock of lambs.

Zhao Ergou was on the verge of a breakdown.

These elite cavalrymen were actually dragged into hard labor?

"I refuse to accept this! I demand to see His Highness."

One of the Hundred Cavalrymen couldn't help but throw his pickaxe.

"Snapped!"

The overseer lashed out with a whip.

"Enough talk. Let's go down the mine."

Forced by whips and swords, five hundred soldiers walked into the mine with tears in their eyes.

Three months later.

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, drinking ginseng soup, in a very good mood.

In recent months, royal merchant bank dividends have been flowing into the imperial treasury, making the national treasury more abundant than ever before.

What pleased him even more was that the five hundred elite troops he had sent had successfully infiltrated the core of the Imperial Guard.

"Judging by the days, Junxian should have received some intelligence from Liaodong by now."

Li Shimin blew on the ginseng soup and asked.

No sooner had he finished speaking than hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Li Junxian rushed in, covered in sweat.

"Your Majesty! Something has happened."

Li Shimin frowned and glanced at Li Junxian:

"What's the panic? Did your men find out about the Crown Prince's firearms workshop?"

With trembling hands, Li Junxian pulled a blood-stained rag from his pocket and held it high.

"Your Majesty... This is a blood letter that Zhao Ergou went through countless hardships to bribe a merchant who transports goods and secretly sent it back."

Li Shimin's heart skipped a beat.

A letter written in blood?

Has this been exposed? Was he silenced by that rebellious son?

"Bring it here quickly."

Wang De quickly took the strip of cloth and handed it to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin unfolded the strip of cloth and took a look.

A few lines of text were written crookedly in charcoal pencil on it.

"Commander, save me!"

"Mining a thousand catties of coal a day, I was so exhausted I vomited blood. The supervisor was too cruel; I was beaten eight times a day."

"The brothers' hands are all worn out, they're starving and cold, they really can't take it anymore."

"Your Majesty, please send a large army to rescue us immediately..."

Li Shimin felt a buzzing in his head and was completely stunned.

"Mining coal?"

Li Shimin stood up angrily.

"The elite Hundred Cavalrymen whom I meticulously trained. The most elite spies in the Tang Dynasty. And Li Chengqian sent them to work in the coal mines?"

Li Junxian said cautiously:

"Your Majesty... According to our investigation, the Crown Prince has assigned them to a special mining camp, where they work in shifts of twelve hours a day, non-stop..."

"And because of their good physical fitness and great strength, the Crown Prince even doubled their quota..."

boom!

Li Shimin was so angry that he kicked over the imperial desk in front of him.

"This unfilial son is simply going too far."

Li Shimin thought his plan was flawless and was complacent for several months.

The results of it?

That little bastard saw through it all long ago, but instead of exposing it, he took the opportunity to drag those five hundred top-notch laborers to Liaodong to work as free laborers.

Now he's lost both his wife and his army, and he's also utterly humiliated.

"Prepare the horses! Bring me my sword."

Li Shimin shoved Wang De aside, rushed to the wall, and ripped down the Shangfang sword hanging there.

"I will go to the Eastern Palace today and chop this little beast to pieces."