1: Sign in a million soldiers!

It was the fifth year of Zhenguan in the Great Tang Dynasty, early spring.

The morning light was faint.

The air still carried a biting chill, mixed with the unique incense of the palace, creating a serene and solemn atmosphere.

Li Chengqian had long been awake. Dressed in a plain silk sleeping robe, he leaned quietly against the headboard, his eyes closed. However, there was no peaceful slumber in his handsome brows; instead, they were slightly furrowed, as if he was listening intently to something.

He wasn't listening to the wind, nor was he listening to the soft footsteps of the palace servants.

He was listening to a sound that only he could hear.

“Ding!”

The voice, cold and mechanical, devoid of any emotion, rang out in his mind punctually, as it had for five years.

“Congratulations, Host. Today’s check-in is successful. You have received eight thousand Great Snow Dragon Riders!”

“Great Snow Dragon Riders: The elite of Northern Liang’s three hundred thousand iron cavalry, the number one cavalry in the world. White horses, white armor, equipped with Northern Liang blades, fearless of death, swift as the wind, skilled in rapid assaults, fighting to the death!”

Li Chengqian’s eyelashes trembled slightly, then returned to their calm state, as if disturbed only by a mosquito’s hum.

Five years.

He had Transmigrated to this historically renowned Great Tang, becoming this equally renowned Crown Prince, for a full five years.

This thing called the “Check-in System” had also been with him for five years.

From initial panic, to later ecstasy, and now to numbness, Li Chengqian’s state of mind was like an ancient well, no longer easily stirred.

Eight thousand Great Snow Dragon Riders… What a “number one cavalry in the world.”

But what did it matter?

He raised his hand and looked at his fair, slender palm.

These hands, currently, could only hold scrolls and ink, not the tiger tally that commanded thousands of troops.

The soldiers, masters, and organizations obtained through the System’s check-ins were all like reflections in a mirror.

He could sense their existence, but he couldn’t summon them to his side.

Net, Shu Mountain, Great Snow Dragon Riders… these forces, powerful enough to overturn the world, had been deployed by the System to a place he currently couldn’t reach—Jing Province.

And he, the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, was trapped in this magnificent golden cage, playing the role of a gentle and benevolent Crown Prince.

Every day, he had to face his Imperial Father’s eyes, which saw through everything, yet were full of suspicion.

This sense of powerlessness, like a blunt knife, cut away at his patience day after day.

Just then, in the shadows of the sleeping quarters, a black figure subtly stirred without warning, then silently knelt on one knee. The entire process made no sound; he was born a part of that shadow.

“Your Highness.”

The voice was hoarse and dry, the characteristic tone of a Net assassin.

Li Chengqian didn’t even lift an eyelid, merely letting out a soft “hmm” from his nose, signaling him to continue.

“Half an hour ago, news came from the northern desert,”

The man in black spoke in a steady, emotionless tone, “Khagan Jieli, along with his one hundred and fifty thousand Turkic army, were all annihilated last night, with no survivors.”

“Their bodies were piled outside the northern desert’s royal court, forming a towering Jing View.”

“Khagan Jieli’s head was impaled by a sword on the commander’s desk in the royal tent.”

The hall instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Even the occasional bird chirping outside the window seemed to have vanished.

Li Chengqian’s fingers, clutching the scroll, unconsciously tightened, his knuckles turning slightly white from the effort.

It had come.

It had come after all.

He cursed inwardly.

Damn it!

He knew who did it.

Besides the Shu Mountain he had acquired through check-ins, there was no other force in this world capable of such a clean, decisive, yet arrogant and domineering feat.

Overnight, an army of one hundred and fifty thousand was slaughtered, and its Khagan beheaded.

This was no longer war, but a miracle, a terrifying declaration capable of making the entire world tremble.

But this declaration, for him, was not good news.

What would his Imperial Father think?

What would the entire court of civil and military officials think?

A mysterious organization, whose power was so incredibly vast that even the Emperor couldn’t control it, suddenly appeared within and outside the Great Tang’s borders.

This would not bring a sense of security; it would only bring bone-deep fear.

His Imperial Father, Li Shimin, the formidable ruler who ascended the throne over the bloodstains of Xuanwu Gate, hated nothing more than things he couldn’t control.

And now, a colossal entity beyond his comprehension had revealed the tip of its iceberg.

His Imperial Father’s suspicion would only deepen.

“I understand.”

Li Chengqian’s voice was calm, without a ripple. He slowly put down the scroll, his tone as indifferent as if discussing the weather.

“You may withdraw.”

“Yes.”

The black shadow merged back into the darkness, vanishing without a trace, as if it had never appeared.

Li Chengqian slowly stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The cold morning wind rushed into the hall, slightly calming his agitated heart.

What he could currently deploy were only the Net spies lurking in Chang’an City and a few Shu Mountain masters.

They were adept at gathering intelligence and skilled in assassination, but when it came to direct confrontation, it was like throwing an egg against a rock.

His true strength, his million strong army, was in Jing Province, thousands of miles away.

Distant water couldn't quench a nearby fire.

This earth-shattering victory, for him, was an unexpected crisis.

He was like a gambler sitting on a powder keg, and the one who lit the fuse was precisely himself.

“Your Highness! Your Highness! Great news!”

A boisterous shout, growing closer, broke the tranquility of the Eastern Palace.

Before the words finished, a figure burst in impetuously. It was Qin Huaiyu, the son of Duke Yiguo, Qin Qiong.

His face was filled with uncontrollable ecstasy, his eyes gleaming as if he had just won a mountain of gold at the casino.

“Your Highness, have you heard? The Turks are finished!”

Qin Huaiyu ran up to Li Chengqian, so excited he was incoherent. “One hundred and fifty thousand troops! Just last night, overnight, they were all gone! Even that Khagan Jieli, his head was chopped off and kicked around like a ball! Hahahahaha, it’s truly gratifying! I don’t know which Heavenly God showed their divine power, but now it’s good, Your Highness can finally sleep soundly!”

Li Chengqian turned around, a perfectly appropriate, gentle smile on his face, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

He reached out and patted Qin Huaiyu’s shoulder, his tone calm with a hint of affectionate reproach: “Huaiyu, look at you, what manners are these? You dare to shout so loudly even in the Eastern Palace.”

“Oh, Your Highness, this is a great joyous occasion, I’m just happy!”

Qin Huaiyu didn’t notice Li Chengqian’s unusual demeanor and continued excitedly, “The entire court of civil and military officials is in an uproar now! Everyone is guessing which Heavenly God descended to help our Great Tang eliminate this grave threat! Some say it’s Duke Weiguo showing his divine power, some say it’s His Majesty’s Dragon might, anyway, there are all sorts of theories!”

Li Chengqian pulled him to sit down and personally poured him a cup of tea, his movements unhurried.

“These are merely minor border affairs; His Majesty and the court ministers will handle them. Why should you and I worry?”

He pushed the teacup in front of Qin Huaiyu and said casually, “Come, have some tea, cool down. Look at you, your face is all red from running.”

Qin Huaiyu picked up the teacup but had no mind to drink, his eyes still sparkling as he looked at Li Chengqian: “Your Highness, this is no small matter! This is a merit of destroying a nation! With Qilifu dead, the Turks are bound to fall apart, and our Great Tang’s northern border will be stable for at least twenty years! Why aren’t you excited at all?”

In his impression, although His Highness the Crown Prince was benevolent, he always seemed a bit… indifferent to state affairs.

“Excited about what?”