My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

Before long, all factions knew that Li Xuancang had gone to the military camp and attached great importance to it.

They wanted to know how Li Xuancang would consolidate power after taking office.

"Lord Li is arriving soon. Please come with me to greet him."

When Wang Tianlin and the others learned that Li Xuancang was heading towards the military camp, their expressions turned solemn and their hearts were filled with unease.

They hurriedly dressed and waited at the camp gate to greet them.

The military camp was not far from the garrison commander's residence, and Li Xuancang arrived quickly.

"Greetings, Commander..."

Everyone bowed to Li Xuancang with great respect.

No need for formalities.

Li Xuancang's voice rang out as he ordered, "Beat the drums and have everyone assemble at the training ground."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tianlin's heart skipped a beat; his worst fears had come true.

"Yes, ma'am."

The crowd could not stop them and could only obey.

"Thump, thump thump thump..."

The sound of drums soon resounded throughout the entire military camp, and could even be heard in the vicinity of the camp.

"It's the rallying drum! Head to the training ground immediately!"

Upon hearing the drumbeats, some soldiers hurriedly put down their tasks and rushed forward.

"Ignore it, keep playing the music and dancing."

"I haven't had enough to drink yet, why should I bother with him?"

"Come on, I refuse to believe I'm so unlucky that I can't win even once."

"..."

The soldiers were lazy by nature, and military discipline had long been forgotten by them.

He brought some brothel members into the army and acted recklessly.

He drank heavily all day long, living a life of debauchery.

They illegally set up gambling dens and engaged in rampant gambling.

They completely forgot their identity and responsibilities.

"Thump, thump thump thump..."

As the drumbeats subsided, Li Xuancang's expression grew increasingly grim, and Wang Tianlin and the others became increasingly anxious.

"Lord Li, this humble general will immediately send someone to summon him."

Wang Tianlin approached Li Xuancang and spoke cautiously.

He now hated these soldiers intensely.

It's one thing for them to act recklessly on ordinary days, but today, on the first day of Li Xuancang's mobilization of troops, they dared not to come. No wonder Li Xuancang was furious.

"No, nobody is allowed to leave."

Li Xuancang glanced at Wang Tianlin and the group of officers, and they all felt as if they were being stared at by a prehistoric beast, instantly breaking out in a cold sweat and their bodies stiffening.

Even Wang Tianlin, who was at the Gangqi Realm, was no exception, feeling a chill run down his spine.

"How terrifying! How terrifying!"

Everyone was horrified; Li Xuancang's strength was even more terrifying than they had anticipated.

No one dared to make a move and stood obediently in place.

As the final drumbeat faded, many soldiers still hadn't arrived.

The Ganquan Battalion had a full strength of over 5,000 men, but only a little over 1,000 soldiers appeared on the training ground, a shortage of nearly 4,000.

"Very good, very good."

Li Xuancang spoke in an icy voice, giving instructions to Wang Tianlin.

"Captain Wang, immediately arrest all those who did not come and bring them to the drill ground. If even one is missing, I will hold you responsible."

Li Xuancang's terrifying aura swept over them, and Wang Tianlin trembled with fear, his back already soaked with sweat.

"Your humble servant obeys."

Wang Tianlin dared not delay, and his troops were quickly captured.

"Let me go, let me go."

"Who dares to disturb my drinking?"

"I haven't had enough fun yet, who dares to ruin my plans?"

"..."

These soldiers have been lawless for far too long; even after being captured, they continued to curse and show no fear.

Once captured and brought to the training ground, a single glance from Li Xuancang's icy gaze sent everyone plummeting into an ice cave. They immediately shut their mouths, not daring to even breathe.

Not long after, Wang Tianlin came to report back.

"Sir, all the soldiers have been captured."

Only a little over 700 soldiers were captured, which is far from the 5,000 needed.

Li Xuancang stared at Wang Tianlin and said calmly, "Are you sure you've captured them all?"

A suffocating sense of oppression washed over him, making Wang Tianlin feel as if his soul was about to freeze, and cold sweat poured down his back.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, they have all been captured; not a single one has escaped."

Li Xuancang dismissively said, "Step back!"

Wang Tianlin felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly retreated behind Li Xuancang.

Li Xuancang glanced at the captured soldiers and said coldly, "Kill them all."

boom!

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room was filled with shock.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, their bodies stiffening, as if they hadn't heard clearly, or as if there was something wrong with their ears.

They knew Li Xuancang wanted to establish his authority, but they never expected him to be so ruthless.

Just because the crowd did not come to assemble after hearing the drumbeats, more than 700 people were to be killed.

"Lord Li, this is against the rules; their crimes do not warrant death."

After being shocked, a centurion hurriedly stepped forward to plead for mercy.

"Bang!"

Li Xuancang casually waved his hand, and the centurion's body exploded with a bang, scattering blood mist.

"hiss!"

Everyone was horrified, their souls trembling, feeling extreme fear, their whole bodies shaking.

Li Xuancang slowly withdrew his hand, stating unequivocally, "My rules are the rules, and who dares to object?"

Everyone felt weak all over, and remained silent, not daring to utter a sound.

"kill!"

Nangong Zhan and his men rushed out, their blades flashing, mercilessly killing their enemies.

"puff!"

"what!"

"My lord, spare my life! I'll never do it again!"

"..."

Screams, pleas for mercy, and cries mingled together, leaving the others trembling with fear and stunned.

One by one, heads rolled, and none of the more than seven hundred survived.

After killing those who could not hear the drum, Li Xuancang did not stop.

"Lord Wang."

Upon hearing Li Xuancang calling him, Wang Tianlin hurriedly stepped forward.

"My lord, your humble servant is here."

Li Xuancang looked at the thousand or so people on the field and said calmly, "Ganquan County has a full strength of five thousand men. Why are there only these people? Where are the other soldiers?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone felt as if their hearts were being gripped by an invisible hand, and their breathing became heavy.

"Gurgle!"

Wang Tianlin swallowed hard before forcing himself to answer.

"My lord, you may not know this, but Ganquan Camp has always only had two thousand men; it has never been at full strength."

Li Xuancang's gaze fell on Wang Tianlin, and he asked, "How are the military pay and weapons allocated by the imperial court distributed, based on the number of people?"

Wang Tianlin was almost suffocating, but dared not not answer.

"Yes, sir, it is five thousand men."

Li Xuancang withdrew his gaze and swept it across the entire room.

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look Li Xuancang in the eye.

"All commanders of the armies, including centurions and battalion commanders, step forward and have your soldiers stand behind you."

No one knew what Li Xuancang wanted to do, but they dared not disobey and obediently did as he said.

A moment later, everyone quickly formed a formation.

Five centurions and ten battalion commanders—none of them had their full complement of soldiers behind them; they were all short by at least half.

"Bang!"

"puff!"

"what!"

"..."

The next moment, screams continued unabated.

Five centurions and ten battalion commanders were instantly blown to pieces, their bodies and spirits annihilated.

"This, this..."

Everyone stared in disbelief, their eyes wide open, their bodies frozen as if petrified, their minds blank, unable to think.

After a short while, everyone gradually regained their senses.

They all fell silent, trembling with fear.