The night wind howled, stirring up the blood and dust on the drill ground and making the torches flicker.
Regent Xiao Yuan stared intently at the excessively young face before him, feeling a chill run through his bones, instantly freezing his blood.
His cunning and meticulously planned strategies became a colossal joke in the face of this thick ledger.
He lost.
They suffered a crushing defeat, a complete and utter loss.
"Uncle Wang... do you still think they are innocent?"
Xiao Che's voice rang out again, his calm tone like a merciless hammer, shattering the last glimmer of hope in Xiao Yuan's heart.
Xiao Yuan's lips moved a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word. What could he say? That the ledger was forged? Or that although these people were corrupt, their crimes didn't warrant death?
No, he can't say anything.
Faced with overwhelming evidence, any defense will only appear weaker and more futile, merely an attempt to cover up the truth.
He slowly and stiffly turned around, glancing at his trusted men kneeling on the ground like dead dogs, their eyes filled with despair and pleading. Then, he turned his gaze to the tens of thousands of imperial guards, a dark mass of men, silent as cicadas in winter.
He knew that the situation was hopeless.
Tonight, the armed forces of this palace will completely change hands.
Xiao Yuan didn't say another word, nor did he even glance at Xiao Che again. He simply hunched over, as if he had aged ten years in an instant, and surrounded by a group of guards from the Prince's Mansion, he retreated from the Imperial Guard camp, which no longer belonged to him, like a stray dog.
Watching the Regent's fleeing figure, Xiao Che's eyes showed no joy, only a bottomless coldness.
He knew this was just the beginning.
The real war has only just begun.
He slowly turned around, his gaze falling once again on the tens of thousands of leaderless and panicked Imperial Guards below.
The old order has been destroyed by him in the bloodiest way, and new loyalty must be re-established in the shortest time and with the toughest means!
He did not step down from the stage to appease the troops, nor did he say anything to reassure them.
He simply turned around, climbed the steps, and steadily and powerfully ascended the command platform that symbolized the highest power of the Imperial Guards!
When his dark figure finally stood atop the high command platform, looking down at the tens of thousands of soldiers below, an invisible, imperial pressure, like Mount Tai pressing down, enveloped the entire training ground!
All the Imperial Guards, regardless of rank, instinctively lowered their heads under this oppressive aura.
"Raise your head!"
Xiao Che's voice boomed like thunder, majestic and cold!
The soldiers below trembled, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately dared not disobey. They all raised their heads and looked at the monarch on the high platform with eyes full of awe, fear, and bewilderment.
Xiao Che's cold gaze, like a sharp sword, slowly swept across the young or weathered faces.
Instead of offering reassurance, he announced the new rules in a harsher and colder tone!
"From this day forward, the Imperial Guards shall be governed by new regulations!"
"First! All those who eat the king's food must be loyal to the king! Those who have disloyal thoughts are as despicable as this!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly drew the emperor's sword from his waist and slashed it through the air at a flagpole as thick as a bowl beside him!
"Whoosh—!"
A sharp, piercing sound rang out!
Before everyone's horrified eyes, the sturdy ironwood flagpole was sliced in two by his sword as easily as tofu! The cut was as smooth as a mirror!
"Gulp!"
Countless people swallowed hard, their eyes filled with disbelief and fear.
Is this... is this still the sickly emperor who was rumored to be powerless even to kill a chicken?! The power of this sword strike is something that even the fiercest generals in the army might not be able to match!
Ignoring the shock of the crowd, Xiao Che continued to announce in a cold voice:
Second! Military orders are absolute; those who disobey will be executed!
"Third! The bond between comrades is heavier than Mount Tai! Anyone who retreats in the face of battle or betrays their comrades shall be executed!"
...
One military regulation after another was promulgated from his mouth, concise yet every word stained with blood, filled with the aura of iron and fire! Each one pointed directly to the core of the army—discipline and loyalty!
After all the new regulations were announced, the entire drill ground fell into a deathly silence. All the confusion and wishful thinking were shattered by these iron-fisted military rules, leaving only a deep-seated awe.
"I know that among you, some are innocent; some were coerced; and some deserve to die!"
Xiao Che's voice suddenly changed, becoming even sharper.
"But I will not interrogate or question them one by one!"
"I will only give you one chance!"
He took a sudden step forward, looking down at everyone from his superior position, and spoke each word with resounding force!
"From this moment on, forget your former masters, forget your old habits of forming cliques! You only have one master, and that is me!"
"You have only one loyalty to, and that is the Great Liang!"
"Those who can do it, stay! Those who can't, you can walk into that prison van over there right now!"
These words were extremely domineering, leaving no room for anyone to choose.
He doesn't need insincere appeasement; what he wants is absolute and complete submission!
Just as everyone was stunned by the emperor's domineering aura, Xiao Che suddenly spoke up, calling out a name that was unfamiliar to everyone.
"Refine!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a tall, resolute-looking young general, who appeared to be in his early twenties, strode forward from the back of the ranks. He was wearing only the lowest-ranking captain's armor, and his face bore several shallow scars, giving him a weathered look.
He strode to the front of the command platform, knelt on one knee, and said in a loud, clear voice, "This humble general, Chen Lian, is here!"
On the high platform, Xiao Che looked at the young man he had already placed in the army, who came from a humble background but was loyal, brave and resourceful, and finally a hint of approval appeared in his eyes.
A new king should be established, and the old ministers should be executed!
The old forces have been uprooted, and now it's time for him to support his own people and completely take control of this power!
"From this day forward!"
Xiao Che's voice echoed throughout the entire camp!
"I hereby promote you to Commander of the Imperial Guards, giving you command of 30,000 Imperial Guards both inside and outside the Imperial City!"
These words caused an uproar in the audience!
Everyone stared at the unknown young captain with utter shock.
A meteoric rise to power!
This is simply a meteoric rise!
From a lowly captain to a commander of the Imperial Guards of the third rank, such an extraordinary promotion is unprecedented since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty!
As for Chen Lian himself, he was also shaken, a hint of excitement and disbelief flashing in his eyes, but it quickly turned into unwavering determination! He knew that this was His Majesty's trust, and his only chance to serve his sovereign!
"This humble general... thanks Your Majesty for your divine grace!" He kowtowed heavily, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.
Xiao Che did not let him get up.
He slowly unfastened the tiger tally from his waist, a tally carved with a fierce tiger totem and made entirely of black iron, symbolizing the supreme command of the Imperial Guards...
Then, in front of everyone, he stepped down from the command platform and personally handed the heavy tiger tally to Shen Lian.
The significance of this action is far more profound than any verbal praise!
This is a transfer of power!
It's a trust that's entrusted to you!
It was a declaration to everyone that, from this moment on, the Imperial Guards would be entirely under the surname Xiao! They would only bear the surname "Xiao" of the current emperor!
Xiao Che placed the tiger tally in Shen Lian's hand and, in an unquestionable and supremely authoritative tone, gave him his first and most important command:
"Shen Lian, heed my command!"
Shen Lian, holding the tiger tally, kowtowed again, saying, "Your subordinate is here!"
"I will give you three days!"
Xiao Che's voice was cold and resolute.
"Strictly enforce military discipline and eliminate the remaining remnants! Within three days, I demand to see a completely new, disciplined, and unwavering Imperial Guard!"
He paused, his eyes sharpening, and said, word by word:
"A royal guard... loyal only to me!"
As Chen Lian felt the cold texture and heavy weight of the tiger tally in his hand, and sensed the emperor's unwavering trust before him, he felt a surge of heat rush from his chest to the top of his head!
A scholar will die for one who understands him!
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes burning with fierce flames, and with all his might, he made his pledge!
"Your humble servant obeys the order!"
His voice, loud as a bell, was filled with boundless fighting spirit and determination.
"We swear to serve Your Majesty to the death!"
Having said that, he gripped the tiger tally, stood up abruptly, and turned to face the tens of thousands of Imperial Guards soldiers with complex expressions.
The old ruler is now a prisoner, and the new king has officially ascended the throne at this moment!
He raised the tiger tally high, as if it were an unyielding battle flag, and with all his might, he let out his first and most important roar since taking office:
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Great Liang!"
This roar acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the entire training ground!
After experiencing fear, confusion, and shock tonight, those ordinary Imperial Guard soldiers have finally found a new object of loyalty and a new backbone!
Looking at the majestic emperor on the high platform, who was as powerful as a god or demon, and at the young commander below who held the tiger tally and was like a newly born war god, their blood and passion were completely ignited!
"Splash—!"
It's unclear who started it, but like dominoes, tens of thousands of Imperial Guards soldiers across the entire training ground knelt down on one knee in unison!
They slammed their right fists heavily onto their breastplates, letting out a roar that shook the earth!
"We swear to serve Your Majesty to the death!"
"We swear to be loyal to His Majesty to the death!!"
The sound converged into an invincible torrent, soaring straight into the sky and shaking the universe, as if it would completely tear apart the night sky of the capital!
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