"Pass down my decree."
Wei Guang spoke suddenly, his voice cold and hard as iron. "Order the Western Army's two garrisons north at once to reinforce the Northern Frontier defenses and prevent the Barbarian Cavalry from riding south.
"Order the garrisons of Nether Province, Azure Province, and Lai Province south to encircle Cloud Province. But they are not to act rashly. Also, order..."
He paused, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes. "Order Zhao Xuan, commander of the Imperial Guard, to take five thousand elite firearm troops from the Divine Machine Battalion and accompany the army to oversee the campaign."
"Within three months, I want the heads of every rebel in Cloud Province hanging on the imperial city walls."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Wei Xian immediately bowed in agreement, his shrill voice thick with flattery.
"But since Xiao Jin has died for the country, what should be done with the twenty thousand scattered cavalrymen under his command?"
"And the Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade—though it shattered, its fragments still belong to the Imperial Court. Leaving them in rebel hands may be unwise..."
Wei Guang waved a hand impatiently. "If Xiao Jin's remaining troops wish to return, fold them into the army. If not, disband them."
"As for that broken blade, it's shattered. What's a scrap of iron worth?"
"I have the Nine Cauldrons. Divine weapons and Demon Blades are nothing but expendables."
He picked up a freshly presented wine cup and took a sip. His expression eased slightly.
Yet beneath his swollen eye bags, the gloom deep in his pupils remained as thick as ever.
News that the people of Cloud Province had chosen an Alliance Master stuck in his throat like a thorn. He could neither swallow it nor spit it out.
Wei Guang suddenly recalled how Xiao