The wind and snow at the Ice Extre Pass had diminished sowhat unknowingly. In mid-air, Duan Guangtai was still tied up in vines like a lifeless bundle, suspended there.
The patrolling soldiers marched past in formation, their eyes unconsciously glancing towards him; when the guards on the city wall changed shifts, they couldn’t help but look up – they could clearly see Duan Guangtai’s pale face, tightly shut eyes, and even the faint spiritual energy around him that was almost undetectable.
With each glance, the soldiers’ reverence for the New Army Commander grew deeper.
The Military Lord had shown everyone in the most straightforward way: the rules of the Ice Extre Pass were set by him, and disobedience would lead to such consequences.
Just then, a sound of footsteps ca from the direction of the main fortress, and Qin Tian erged from the ice house.
"Military Lord!"
"Military Lord!"
Every soldier who passed by stopped, straightened their backs, and saluted with respect.
Qin Tian nodded in response. He walked to the center of the square and looked up at Duan Guangtai hanging in mid-air.
Since Duan Guangtai was hung up, five hours had passed. The other had already fallen into unconsciousness, making further punishnt futile.
"That’s enough," Qin Tian murmured to himself, raising his hand lightly.
The next second, the vines wrapped around Duan Guangtai suddenly loosened, dropping him gently as if they had lost strength, causing him to fall onto the thick snow.
With a muffled "thud," snow splashed, and the impact jolted the unconscious Duan Guangtai awake, his eyes snapped open.
As his vision focused, he imdiately saw Qin Tian standing in front of him.
The image of being bound by vines and publicly humiliated surged into his mind, a rush of anger shot to his throat, and he instinctively wanted to curse aloud, saliva already gushing to his mouth.
But when he t Qin Tian’s calm, unfathomable gaze, all his anger was suddenly extinguished as if doused in ice water—those eyes held no anger, no ridicule, only an bottomless indifference, as if daring to utter a single disrespectful word would lead to more terrifying consequences.
A chill shot up his spine, and Duan Guangtai’s lips quivered, swallowing back the harsh words that had been on the verge of escape, leaving only his teeth grinding audibly.
"Officer Duan," Qin Tian’s voice sounded faintly, "don’t forget your duty. Within half an hour, I want to see all the snow inside the pass cleared, or you’ll know the consequences."
After saying that, he didn’t wait for Duan Guangtai to respond, and turned to leave.
Duan Guangtai stood up, watched Qin Tian’s departing figure, clenched his fists tightly, the hatred in his eyes almost palpable as if wanting to devour him whole—he had lived for so many years and had never suffered such disgrace!
At that mont, a dozen hesitant figures erged from a nearby corner, his trusted subordinates.
They looked at the disheveled Duan Guangtai, their faces full of hesitation and unease, glancing at each other, with no one daring to speak first.
Duan Guangtai noticed their approach, mories flooded—when he struggled hanging in the air by vines, these n hid in the crowd, watching him be shad, without a word of resistance or plea.
A surge of betrayal-fueled anger rose sharply, overshadowing the body’s ache.
"Useless! A bunch of useless!" Duan Guangtai suddenly raised his hand, striking left and right.
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
The crisp sound of slapping echoed in the snow, each loyalist’s face was struck solidly, cheeks instantly swelling with red.
The slapped ones covered their faces, heads hung lower, not daring even to utter a cry of pain—they knew Duan Guangtai’s anger right now, retaliating would only invite more terrifying retribution.
After hitting, Duan Guangtai’s chest still heaved violently, eyes dark and nacing enough to drip water: "20 minutes! I give you only 20 minutes! Clear all the snow inside the pass cleanly; if Qin Tian finds even a flaw, you can count on being fed to the Snow Beasts!"
With those words, he walked towards his room, depleted of spiritual energy, he needed to take an elixir quickly to replenish.
This matter won’t end here; the humiliation Qin Tian inflicted on him, he would repay a hundredfold or thousandfold.
"Qin Tian, you just wait!"
A fierce hatred erupted in Duan Guangtai’s gaze.
After he left, these n exchanged a look, sighed silently.
...
Inside the ice house, the warm yellow energy lights dispelled the chill. Qin Tian looked at the four standing upright in front of him, calmly announcing: "From now on, you four will resu the positions of defense regint commanders at the Ice Extre Pass."
As soon as these words fell, the four were montarily dazed. Months ago, they were commanders at the Ice Extre Pass, then replaced by Duan Guangtai’s trusted figures when he took office. At that ti, the Hai Mo Military Lord was about to step down, coupled with concerns about the Luoho Clan’s influence, they could do nothing but reluctantly consent.
They had harbored this frustration for a long ti.
After recovering, joy flooded their faces imdiately, they quickly raised their hands in salute: "Thank you, Military Lord! We shall not fail your trust!"
Their gaze towards Qin Tian, less awed, now held genuine gratitude—when Duan Guangtai was taken down, they secretly rejoiced, now being reinstated, they truly accepted this new Guardian Envoy from their hearts.
Qin Tian watched their excited expressions, nodding slightly.
These four were familiar with the military affairs deploynt at the Ice Extre Pass and knew the surroundings and soldier conditions like the back of their hand. More importantly, they had a "feud of displacent" with Duan Guangtai. Having them reappointed as commanders directly placed them against Duan Guangtai, severing Duan Guangtai’s chances of intervening in the troops again.
As for winning hearts completely, Qin Tian was not eager for instant success.
Trying to turn these veterans into die-hard supporters right after taking office was hardly realistic.
What he needed to do was speak through tangible achievents—leading them to win continuously, developing resources, improving the conditions at Ice Extre Pass.
As long as he could show the soldiers hope and truly develop the Ice Extre Pass, hearts would naturally align with him.
"A defense eting will be held in one hour, resubmit the commander list, prepare well."
As soon as Qin Tian’s voice fell, strong joy burst forth in the eyes of the four commanders in front.
The Military Lord’s intention was to hand over the appointnt authority of battalion-level and company-level cadres completely to them, aning that the loyal subordinates previously replaced by Duan Guangtai’s trusted figures could resu their positions.
"Thank you, Military Lord!" The four raised their hands in salute, their voices filled with excitent almost overflowing, even more exhilarating than hearing their reinstatent earlier.
"Dismissed," Qin Tian waved them off.
"Yes!" The four turned and left the ice house briskly, their steps much lighter than when they ca, eagerly passing the good news once outside.
Within minutes, cheers rose throughout the Ice Extre Pass—old soldiers squeezed out, grassroots officers rendered powerless, upon learning they could return to their posts, their exhilarating shouts pierced through the snowstorm, even drawing the soldiers guarding the distant city wall into the chorus.
Standing by the ice house window, Qin Tian listened to the lively sounds outside, his mouth unconsciously turning upwards.
According to Empire regulations, the Guardian Envoy wielded significant military and political autonomy within their jurisdiction, especially in appointing cadres, almost enjoying absolute freedom—in this regard, calling the Guardian Envoy a "local lord" wasn’t an exaggeration.
But after gazing outside at the simple ice house, pothole-ridden snow fields, and basic fortifications, Qin Tian gently shook his head.
Given the current plight of the Ice Extre Pass, with resource scarcity, harsh climate, and not to ntion the watchful eyes of the Luoho Clan, he was far from being a true "lord."
However...
His gaze passed beyond the Ice Extre Pass’s city walls, towards the vast expanse covered by snow in the distance. While others only saw desolation and cold, he saw a gigantic, untapped treasure.
He believed that within three years, he could transform the Ice Extre Pass, making it the brightest jewel on Mingwang Planet.
And with its resources, he himself would rise onto a stronger platform.
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