Lei An led a thousand of the Ning'an Army, finished the Xiliang soldiers holding the gate, then charged into the city and fought his way up to the top of the wall.

Five thousand Xiliang soldiers were garrisoned inside the city.

But in front of the Ning'an Army, bold, fine fighters with no honor in them, these men were nothing at all.

Lei An took his men up onto the wall by main force.

The Xiliang soldiers were cut down and scattered in pieces.

Yu Zhan, an old general nearly eighty years old, let out his last furious roar.

"Bring this old man his blade!"

A Xiliang soldier hurriedly passed a great saber over.

Yu Zhan took the saber and bellowed, "Soldiers, follow this old man and wipe these invaders out!"

Yu Zhan was hale in his old age; he carried that saber of a dozen-odd pounds at a run toward the Ning'an Army. (TL Note: 老當益壯, "older and stronger for it" — a set phrase of praise for an old man whose spirit has not weakened with age.)

Lei An watched the old general coming, and he and the few soldiers behind him raised the muskets in their hands.

This was what Ning Chen had taught them: against a strong enemy, don't close to hand-to-hand — you get hurt too easily... use muskets if you can use muskets, and if there's no time to load ammunition use hand grenades or the compound bow.

Bang, bang, bang!!!

When the gunfire stopped.

Yu Zhan's aged body was already lying in a pool of blood... The old general who could hold his own against Old General Chen had been shot to pieces!

"The Supreme Pillar of State is dead! The Supreme Pillar of State is dead..."

Xiliang's soldiers shouted it in terror, at their wits' end, frightened past the tearing of their livers and gall.

"Kill!"

Lei An said the one word coldly, and threw a hand grenade at the same time.

On Ning Chen's side, they poured water over Tantai Qingyue and woke her again.

Tantai Qingyue looked at the dead…