The moment those words left his mouth, the already stifling atmosphere in the hall plunged to freezing point.
Through Xia Sibo, Xu Yi had gained a thorough understanding of the Catching Thieves Division.
He knew full well that his sudden arrival had infringed on the interests of nearly every commander present.
In that case, no matter how much goodwill he showed or how gently he tried to win them over, hostility was inevitable.
So he might as well drop the pretense and meet them head-on.
Xu Yi's sudden show of force had caught everyone off guard. These eighteen commanders each controlled two or three thousand men. Sent out on their own, any one of them could rule a territory; they were all powerful figures.
Beyond their official positions, each of them also had powerful connections.
Even though Xu Yi was their superior in name and held the proper appointment, after learning the circumstances of his arrival, they felt none of the respect they owed him. They regarded him as nothing more than a temporary caretaker.
None of them had expected the newly appointed Chief, Lord Lei, to use such drastic measures against them.
"What is it? Do my words carry no weight, or have you been so lax for so long that you've thrown the rules aside?"
Xu Yi's voice rang out, cold as ice.
As soon as he finished speaking, someone said, "Rules? What kind of rules are those? Which article of the Great Edict of the Underworld mentions anything like this? These outdated customs haven't been used in years. If Lord Lei is feeling nostalgic, I can recommend a place. The warehouse has plenty of old junk for you to reminisce over to your heart's content."
The speaker was Duan Mingyu, the Seventh District's commander. He had always