"And I have only one requirement of you."
Amid the mountain-shaking cries of "Ten Thousand Victories," before faces flushed with excitement and surging hot blood, Cao Jie said expressionlessly, "Obey orders!"
His voice fell like a mountain, establishing his authority at the very height of their morale.
Then he said, "I have only one rule—those who defy orders shall be beheaded!"
Final and absolute, leaving no room for appeal.
No matter who you were, no matter who your father was, who your teacher was, what background you had...
Defy an order, and you would be beheaded.
In the suddenly grim, murderous atmosphere, every officer and soldier present understood his will with perfect clarity.
Only then did he say, "Now, I will announce several appointments."
"First: Chen Zeqing is appointed General Who Conquers the South. During this campaign against Xia, he shall serve as acting commander of the Spring Death Army!"
The very first appointment was astonishing beyond measure.
The Spring Death Army was the unquestionable main force in this campaign against Xia, yet Cao Jie had appointed Chen Zeqing to command it in his stead?
But on further thought, the appointment was entirely reasonable.
Chen Zeqing had served in the Nine Legions in his early years and had trained in every army of Great Qi's Nine Legions. In military strategy, none among the Nine Legions could surpass him. He was regarded as the one who had truly inherited the Grand Marshal of the Nation's military arts. Moreover, in recent years, he had handled the Heaven Cover Army's routine military affairs. There was no need to question his capabilities.
There was another point: this appointment shattered the rumors, both in court and among the populace, that Cao Jie and Jiang Mengxiong were at odds. He had handed the Spring Death Army