"Twelve of them — wonderful, truly wonderful!" Yang Kai laughed with genuine delight. He recalled those early days, when he had first entered the Star Boundary and encountering an Emperor Realm powerhouse had been an earth-shattering experience. Yet in just a few short decades, his own Lingxiao Palace now boasted over a dozen Emperor Realm cultivators! And most of them had been nurtured in-house. The foundation of such a massive Sect was slowly revealing itself — this was only after a few decades. What about a few hundred years? A thousand?
A Sect like this was worthy of its reputation as a top-tier power.
That was why Yang Kai was laughing — laughing with pure joy.
After his laughter subsided, he spoke: "With so many Emperor Realm cultivators, the positions of battalion commanders shouldn't be a concern."
Yao Si sneered: "Does the Commander intend to fill every battalion commander position in the Ji-Zi Army with Lingxiao Palace people?"
"What's wrong with that?" Yang Kai asked.
Yao Si said: "If Lingxiao Palace alone could sustain the entire Ji-Zi Army, there would be nothing wrong with it. But the reality is that Lingxiao Palace cannot, which means the Ji-Zi Army must recruit from outside. And if we're recruiting, we naturally need suitable positions to offer. If all battalion commander roles go to Lingxiao Palace people, why would any other first-level Emperor Realm cultivator bother joining?"
"Aren't there deputy battalion commanders?" Yang Kai smiled slightly. "And below the battalion commander, there are Martial Guards. The position of Left Martial Guard could also be filled by a first-level Emperor Realm cultivator, couldn't it?"
The Han Zhengqing they had encountered on the way back had been a Left Martial Guard and a first-level Emperor Realm cultivator as well. That was just the Bing-Chen Army's establishment — if the Bing-Chen Army was wealthy enough to assign Emperor Realm cultivators to the role of Left Martial Guard, the Ji-Zi Army had no reason to be outdone.
Yao Si shook his head vigorously: "That may be true, but it's still inappropriate. This approach would give outsiders the impression that the Ji-Zi Army is simply Lingxiao Palace's personal army..."
"The Ji-Zi Army *is* Lingxiao Palace's personal army!" Yang Kai cut him off.
Yao Si stared at him with his mouth agape.
Yang Kai said: "I want my commands to be followed without question — no army shall dare refuse! I want the Ji-Zi Army to be united as one, bound together like a single rope. Inside and outside the army, I will not tolerate any dissent."
Yao Si said urgently: "It's not wrong to think this way, Commander, but if we implement it according to your idea..."
Yang Kai grinned: "I know it's difficult. That's precisely why I'm putting you in charge."
Yao Si was somewhat dazed, suddenly realizing that the position of Ji-Zi Army commander he had been appointed to was absolutely no easy assignment. He had picked up a hot potato, and the worst part was that he could no longer throw it back.
Seeing Yang Kai's resolute attitude, Yao Si slowly shook his head and changed the subject: "Let's set aside the battalion commander matter for now. I'd like to discuss the position of General Commander. If we follow your thinking, the General Commanders would also need to come from Lingxiao Palace. Does Lingxiao Palace even have that many second or third-level Emperor Realm cultivators?"
Of course it didn't. Yao Si knew exactly how many Emperor Realm cultivators Lingxiao Palace had. He was asking precisely to make Yang Kai realize the difficulty. You want to plant Lingxiao Palace people in every important position? You can't even fill the General Commander posts, so how would you manage it?
"Lingxiao Palace doesn't have them, but I can find them." Yang Kai smiled. "How about this — I'll prepare a list later, and Commander Yao can make a trip to the Seven Fog Sea to request the personnel from Commander Li."
Yao Si's face twitched. He said in a deep voice: "Poaching from other armies?"
Yang Kai raised his hand to stop him: "It's merely a wise bird choosing the right tree to roost in."
Yao Si said: "It would be better if the Army Commander handled this personally." Yang Kai wanted to poach some powerhouses to serve as General Commanders in the Ji-Zi Army, but such figures would hardly be obscure within the various armies. They were guaranteed to already be General Commanders of their respective forces — this was outright poaching.
Such a thankless task — though Yao Si didn't fear it, he would rather not be the one to do it.
Yang Kai chuckled: "Having Commander Yao handle it will be fine. I have other important matters to attend to and simply can't spare the time. You'll need to put extra effort into the Ji-Zi Army's establishment, Commander Yao."
Yao Si was unwilling, engaging in another round of back-and-forth with Yang Kai, determined not to accept the assignment.
Finally, Yang Kai said helplessly: "How about this — Commander Yao handles it first. If it truly doesn't work out, I'll step in personally." Without waiting for Yao Si's response, he rose and patted him on the shoulder: "It's settled then. I have other things to take care of, so I'll be going."
As he spoke, his figure suddenly wavered and blurred, vanishing without a trace.
"Commander!" Yao Si leapt to his feet and called out, but there was no response. Yang Kai had long since disappeared to who-knows-where. His face turned livid with rage. He had come specifically to discuss the Ji-Zi Army's establishment with Yang Kai in detail, but they had barely scratched the surface. As the Army Commander, Yang Kai had simply run off — and Yao Si still had countless matters left to raise.
Hua Qingsi was still in the hall. Seeing Yao Si in such a flustered rage, she offered an apologetic smile: "Please calm yourself, Commander Yao."
Commander Yao was apoplectic with fury!
Hua Qingsi quickly said: "This must be what the Palace Master left for you, Commander Yao." She pointed to an object on the table.