Raising His Authority

Based on the personnel records of the ten thousand soldiers in the Fifth City Defense Force that Lin Jin had gathered over the past few days.

The Deputy Commander and five Legion Commanders were all men of Prince Xue Xing.

In other words, Deputy Commander Zhao De before him was one of the Prince's men.

Perhaps after hearing that Lin Jin was coming to take office, Zhao De had deliberately instructed the others to act this way. Perhaps it had been Prince Xue Xing's order.

But regardless of who was behind it, here and now, Lin Jin was the highest-ranking commander.

What he said went.

The obsequious smile on Deputy Commander Zhao De's face stiffened for a moment, but he had held this position for many years and quickly composed himself. "Commander, please calm down, calm down! These are all old soldiers who've grown lax due to a lack of discipline. I will certainly reorganize them strictly from now on, I certainly will!"

"From now on?" Lin Jin slowly turned his head, his calm gaze settling on Zhao De. "I think today will do."

He no longer looked at Zhao De and walked straight toward the High Platform in the center of the Training Ground.

He did not speak at once. He simply stood there in silence, yet an invisible pressure began spreading outward from him.

At first, there were still faint murmurs and unconcerned snickers, but under that deathly silent gaze, the sounds gradually faded away until the Training Ground was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

"I know what you're thinking." Lin Jin finally spoke, his voice carrying clearly across the entire Training Ground. "You're thinking, Why does this Youngster get to stand here? What gives him the right to order you around?"

He paused, then curled his lips into a cold arc. "Because the number of people I've killed in the Northern Border over the past Eight Years exceeds the combined ages of every one of you. Because I earned great merit on the battlefield at the age of fifteen, and because His Majesty bestowed upon me the title of Heavenly Wolf General."

"Fifteen?"

"The Heavenly Wolf General?!"

"He's the Northern Territory Wolf who was so widely acclaimed throughout the Empire not long ago!"

The people below erupted in an uproar. None of them had expected the so-called Heavenly Wolf General to be so young.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Zhao De's forehead.

"The City Defense Force guards the Imperial Capital of Heaven Dou. It represents the face of the Empire!" Lin Jin's voice suddenly rose. "Look at yourselves! Slovenly, lax, and utterly lacking in discipline!"

"If elite troops from an enemy nation attacked right now, what would you use to stop them? Your crookedly worn helmets, or your yawning mouths?"

His gaze seemed almost tangible as it swept across every Soldier's face. No one dared meet his eyes.

"I don't care what you were like in the past." Lin Jin's voice sank, but carried even greater weight. "From today onward, I make the decisions here."

"My Rules are simple: the strong rise, the weak fall; the capable stay, and the incompetent leave!"

"My unit has no need for useless trash. So your first task today is to run ten laps around the city wall along the Heaven Dou West Gate."

The moment he said this, a chorus of sharp gasps rose from below.

A single lap around Heaven Dou City's Outer City wall was several dozen li. After ten laps, even a Soul Elder would probably be skinned alive.

For these poorly trained City Defense Force soldiers, it was an astronomical figure.

"Anyone who can't finish may come collect ten Gold Soul Coins in severance pay and go home to farm."

Lin Jin issued the order coldly and mercilessly. "Now. Immediately. Begin!"

Watching the disorderly formation set off, Zhao De wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and cautiously approached. "Commander, isn't this... a little too harsh? What if too many people fail and leave? If His Majesty blames us, what are we supposed to do?"

"I will explain things to His Majesty myself." Lin Jin cast a sidelong glance at Zhao De. "As for you, Deputy Commander Zhao, my order includes you as well. If you can't finish, you leave too."

Those words were like a resounding slap, viciously striking Zhao De across the face.

He was, after all, one of Prince Xue Xing's men. He had thrown his weight around in the Fifth Detachment for years. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

The new Commander's three opening moves had actually burned straight to his head!

"You... you..." The obsequiousness on Zhao De's face was instantly replaced by fury. Pointing at Lin Jin, he trembled with rage. "Hmph! This is going too far! You think you can do whatever you want? Who do you think you are? A Yellow-mouthed Child who dares cause trouble here! I'm going to report this to the Corps Commander right now. Let's see how long you can keep acting so arrogantly!"

With that, he snorted coldly, swept his sleeve, and turned to leave the Training Ground.

He was certain that as long as he brought in his superior, the Corps Commander of the City Defense Force, along with the Prince's backing, it would be enough to make this ignorant Youngster rein himself in.

"Suit yourself." Lin Jin's voice remained calm. He did not even turn to look at Zhao De.

However, just as Zhao De took two steps and thought that Lin Jin ultimately would not dare do anything to him, a cold voice rang out behind him.

"A Tu!"

"Here!" A Tu, who had stood behind Lin Jin like a statue, suddenly stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell.

"Deputy Commander Zhao De openly disobeyed a military order. In wartime, that would warrant execution! Since this is his first offense, his death sentence is commuted!" Lin Jin's voice suddenly turned stern, filled with unquestionable decisiveness. "Give him fifty military lashes as a warning. Execute it immediately!"

"Yes!" A Tu did not hesitate in the slightest. His figure flashed like lightning, and he instantly appeared behind Zhao De. He was a Hundred Battle Personal Guard whom Lin Jin had brought out of the Northern Border, and his strength far surpassed that of the pampered Zhao De.

Zhao De felt tremendous force strike him from behind. His knees buckled, and with a thud, he was pressed firmly to the ground.

He struggled and roared in terror. "Lin Jin! How dare you! I'm one of the Prince's men! The Corps Commander won't let you off! Ah...!"

The first lash descended with a sharp whistle, the heavy military club smashing into flesh with a dull thud. Zhao De's miserable screams instantly echoed throughout the entire Training Ground.

The Taxi Soldiers who had still been dragging their feet, watching from the sidelines, and even planning to cause trouble alongside Zhao De all froze where they stood, staring in horror at the scene beneath the Reviewing Stand.

Only then did they truly realize that this young Heavenly Wolf General really dared to strike—and showed no mercy whatsoever!

"Keep running!" Lin Jin's icy gaze swept across the halted formation. "Anyone else who stops will share his punishment!"

The Soldiers shuddered and no longer dared to slack off in the slightest. They sprinted outward with all their might, terrified that if they slowed even a step, the military club would land on them instead.

The Training Ground was left with only Zhao De's piglike screams and the dull thuds of the military club.

Fifty military lashes, every strike landing solidly on flesh. By the time the punishment was over, Zhao De was barely alive, the flesh on his buttocks torn open and drenched in blood. He had passed out.

Lin Jin did not even look at Zhao De as he was dragged away like a dead dog. His gaze swept across the entire field, and his voice carried clearly into the ears of every shaken Soldier.

"If anyone else wants to report this to the Corps Commander or the Prince, you can step forward now."

The few Legion Commanders who had been itching to act all lowered their heads and hurried to join the formation.

"Young Lady, Lin Jin has made his move. He purged several of Prince Xue Xing's men along with several hundred others." Pufferfish returned and reported.

"After waiting Eight Years, I thought he had some earth-shattering method for disciplining Xue Xing. That's it?!" Snake Lance let out a snicker.

"No." Qian Renxue slightly furrowed her brows. "How long has it been since he returned? How did he pinpoint which of those people belonged to Xue Xing?"

"Did we give him the personnel records for the Fifth City Defense Force?"