I have already established my power and prestige, so how did Li Shimin come back to life?

Seeing this, Li Chengqian smiled softly, his laughter as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Don't be so restrained, relax a little, you are all my elders."

His words were soothing, trying to ease the slightly tense atmosphere.

"Li Ji!"

Li Chengqian suddenly raised his voice, and the sound echoed in the palace.

"Chen is here!"

Upon hearing the voice, Li Ji immediately stood up from his seat, bowed respectfully, his posture as straight as a pine tree, his eyes full of loyalty and awe.

Li Chengqian quickly waved his hand, motioning Li Ji to sit down.

"A war is about to break out, Lord Li. I called you here today because I wanted to get some definite information from you."

As he spoke, he pointed at Li Simo, his eyes becoming sharp.

"See? This is a loyal minister of the late emperor. He was bullied by the Xueyantuo and became homeless. He fled to Chang'an and begged me for help."

Li Chengqian's gaze shifted from Li Simo back to Li Ji.

"Tell me. What should we do?"

He looked at Li Ji with a half-smile, his eyes seemed to see through everything.

Li Ji's eyelids twitched slightly. He understood the seriousness of the matter and was about to speak when he was interrupted by Li Chengqian's next words.

"The Xueyantuo have now gathered 200,000 men from various tribes and are stationed in Baidaochuan."

Li Chengqian's voice became heavy and his brows were furrowed.

"That is a strategic location of our Tang Dynasty."

He stood up and paced back and forth in front of the imperial desk, his expression becoming increasingly solemn.

"I don't understand. Could it be that the Xueyantuo entering the border of the Tang Dynasty is like entering an uninhabited area?"

As he spoke, he picked up the teacup on the table, blew on it gently, and took a sip of tea, as if trying to calm the anger in his heart.

When Li Simo heard Li Chengqian's words, cold sweat instantly seeped out of his forehead and slid down his cheeks.

He stood up from his chair in a hurry.

He knelt on the ground with a plop, his body trembling slightly with fear.

"Your Majesty, it is I, Li Simo, who am incompetent! I failed to properly guard the northern gate of the empire for Your Majesty."

Li Simo buried his head on the ground, not daring to look up, his voice full of guilt and self-blame.

"Mobei is a great place, with abundant grass and water, and herds of cattle and sheep. It's a great place to raise horses."

Li Chengqian seemed lost in thought as he muttered to himself. Then he looked at Li Simo.

"Li Simo, can you raise horses?"

Li Simo didn't dare to look up, and could only reply with his forehead pressed to the ground: "Your Majesty, I am a Turkic. My family has lived on the grasslands for generations, and I know how to raise horses!"

"Get up, Li Simo, I don't blame you."

Li Chengqian's tone became gentle again.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Simo stood up from the ground trembling with fear and sat back in the chair, but his body was still tense.

"sit."

Li Chengqian spoke to him kindly, with an imperceptible complex look in his eyes.

"Li Simo, your original name translated into Chinese should be Simo."

Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at Li Simo, with a curious look in his eyes.

"It was the late emperor who bestowed upon you the surname Li. Do you remember what you said to the late emperor back then?"

Li Simo, who had just sat down, stood up and knelt again!

"Your Majesty! I spoke to the late emperor at that time."

"I will be the dog of the Tang Dynasty for generations to come, and guard the northern gate of the Tang Dynasty for the late emperor for generations to come!"

At this point, Li Simo couldn't help but burst into tears, his cry filled with loyalty to the late emperor as well as helplessness and heartache about the current situation.

"Get up, stop crying. A real man should shed blood, not tears. It's just a lost door, isn't it?"

Li Chengqian's voice sounded again, with unquestionable majesty.

"Li Ji!" Li Chengqian turned his gaze to Li Ji again.

"I'm here!" Li Ji responded quickly.

"The northern gate of the empire has been lost! I will provide you with all the necessary logistics and supplies!"

Li Chengqian's eyes were extremely firm.

"Whatever you need, I will give it to you!"

His tone was passionate and showed great determination.

"Since the Xueyantuo dared to invade the borders of the Tang Dynasty and hunt down Tang officials, I will give you a direct target."

Li Chengqian walked back to the imperial desk, stopped, and looked at it with a sharp gaze.