Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

Pyongyang is like a dead and lonely city, shrouded in the shadow of war.

"Your Majesty, Goguryeo no longer has any soldiers left to fight!"

A messenger captain looked hurried, without even having time to brush off the dust on his armor, as he trotted through the layers of Tang soldiers and reported urgently to Li Chengqian on the high platform.

His voice trembled slightly with anxiety, and his eyes revealed an excitement that was difficult to conceal.

Li Chengqian stood on the high platform, with no expression on his face. He just nodded slightly, his deep eyes still staring at the battlefield.

After a moment, without saying a word, he walked down the platform slowly with steady steps.

The city of Pyongyang is a hell on earth.

The corpses of Goguryeo soldiers piled up like mountains, covering the entire earth in layers. The blood gathered into dark red streams, flowing freely and emitting a strong smell of blood.

Only a few broken military flags fluttered weakly in the wind.

Due to the huge difference in iron hardness and the disparity in equipment quality, Goguryeo soldiers had almost no ability to fight back in this war.

The crude and simple weapons in their hands seemed so fragile in front of the Tang army's sophisticated armor that even breaking through the Tang army's armor became a luxury.

On the battlefield, Goguryeo soldiers could be seen everywhere waving their weapons in vain, but in an instant they were ruthlessly cut down by the sharp blades of the Tang army, becoming nameless corpses on this cold battlefield.

Li Chengqian stood quietly in this Shura field, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes revealing complex emotions.

He took a deep breath, and the pungent smell of blood instantly rushed into his nostrils, causing ripples in his heart.

Looking at the corpses all over the ground, an indescribable feeling surged in his heart.

The cruelty of the war made him a little uneasy, but there was nothing he could do, because a general's success is built on the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers.

At this moment, he saw countless families broken and countless lives lost.

As the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he shouldered the heavy responsibility of unifying the world and expanding the territory.

Determination flashed in his eyes, and he slowly raised his hand, wanting to issue the order to massacre the city, which was common in war but extremely cruel.

Just as his lips opened slightly and he was about to utter those cold words, he heard a faint sound in his ears.

The voice seemed to come from the distant sky, vague and yet it touched his heart so truly.

Li Chengqian's body trembled violently. He subconsciously stopped what he was doing, turned around, and asked the generals around him, "Did you hear any sound?"

There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

Upon hearing this, all the generals stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.

They pricked up their ears and listened carefully to the movements around them, but they heard nothing except the sound of the wind and the occasional groan of a wounded soldier.

"Your Majesty, there is no sound?"

A general stepped forward and answered respectfully.

His eyes revealed a hint of concern, as if he was worried that His Majesty was overtired from days of fighting and was experiencing auditory hallucinations.

Li Chengqian waved his hand gently, signaling them to be quiet.

He closed his eyes, concentrated, and tried to catch that subtle sound again.

At that moment, the whole world fell silent, leaving only his heavy breathing and the faint sound echoing in his ears.

After a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes, with a glimmer of light in them, and walked in the direction where the faint sound came from.

The ground beneath my feet became extremely muddy, and every step I took sank deep into the bloody corpses, making it almost impossible to find a place to stand.

Many corpses had been ruthlessly trampled by horses' hooves beyond recognition, with limbs broken and horrific to look at.

Li Chengqian frowned, but his steps did not show any hesitation.

As he moved forward, the sound became clearer and clearer.

Finally, he stopped and squatted down beside a pile of corpses.

The scene before him made his heart ache suddenly. He saw that under these corpses, there were not only Goguryeo soldiers, but also the bodies of ragged civilians.

They snuggled up to each other, some of them still holding simple weapons tightly in their hands, with a look of being ready to die on their faces.

Obviously, they were determined to die and used their weak bodies to delay the advance of the Tang army.

Li Chengqian listened carefully again, and this time, he finally heard it clearly.

It was the cry of a child, clear and loud. It seemed so out of place in this battlefield full of death, yet it was particularly purifying to the soul.

Li Chengqian's eyes revealed surprise, his hands trembling slightly as he carefully began to pull away the corpses covering it.

Seeing this, the generals behind him wanted to step forward to dissuade him.

"Your Majesty, this place is unlucky. Let me wait!"

A general shouted anxiously.

"Yes, Your Majesty! It's too bloody here! Your Majesty, please move away."

The other generals chimed in, their faces filled with worry, unwilling to let His Majesty personally touch these bloody corpses.

Li Chengqian ignored their dissuasion and continued with his actions with a focused look.

At this time, his hands were already covered in blood, but he was unaware of it.

As the last body was gently opened, the child's clear cry became louder and louder and reached everyone's ears.

Li Chengqian looked at the crying child in disbelief, his eyes full of surprise.

The child looked no more than one year old, with a dirty little face, revealing a tenacious vitality.

He was wearing a tattered swaddling cloth that was soaked in blood, but his loud crying did not stop at all.

Li Chengqian looked at the child in his arms and couldn't help but reveal a faint smile. There was a bit of relief and kindness in that smile. At this moment, all the killing and bloodshed had left him.

The generals behind him looked at each other in confusion. They really didn't understand what His Majesty meant.

According to His Majesty's usual cold and decisive character, it is absolutely impossible to leave alive the enemy children found on this battlefield.

But now His Majesty's behavior is so abnormal, which makes them full of confusion.

Li Chengqian handed the child to a general behind him, with a gentle look in his eyes: "Go wash it, it's a boy, see which family wants a boy, and give it to them."

"Remember, there's no need to tell me where the child came from. From now on, he belongs to the Tang Dynasty."

After hearing Li Chengqian's words, the general was confused, but as a subject, he chose to do it without hesitation.

He took the child carefully.

At this moment, the child's crying suddenly swept away the depression that had been weighing on Li Chengqian's heart for a long time.

He took a deep breath, raised his head and looked into the distance.

He never killed for the sake of killing. Everything he did was for the peace and prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

From now on, Goguryeo will be officially incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

And the Goguryeo people will become part of the Tang Dynasty in the future.

Li Chengqian's eyes revealed a firmness as he loudly ordered, "Pass on my decree. The Tang Dynasty will establish a new Liaodong Road."

"As for Goguryeo, let's change it to Lingdong Province."

Having said that, Li Chengqian paused slightly, his gaze once again fell on the direction where the general left, and the innocent face of the child appeared in his mind.

After a moment, he spoke again: "As for the people in Pyongyang..."

His voice was slightly deeper, with some complicated emotions.

"Men were slaves, and women were maids, for one generation. When their children were born, they were registered as Tang Dynasty residents."

"This is true throughout Liaodong Road and Lingdong Road."

"Also, disperse them to various parts of the Tang Dynasty, so that the people of the Tang Dynasty who come to Liaodong Road and Lingdong Road can enjoy court subsidies."

With the issuance of this decree, the war finally came to an end.

But for Li Chengqian, this was just a new starting point for his journey towards the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.