By the time Ning Chen reached the Governor's residence, the place was empty.

Prince Rui had already taken his people and run.

And not just Prince Rui's own party. A good many of Chongzhou's officials had gone with them.

Ni Tianxing had started working on Chongzhou's officials while Prince Rui was still hiding in Nanyue... Money and beautiful women had brought a good many of them over to Prince Rui.

Once Prince Rui brought the Zhaohe army into Chongzhou, every official who refused to come over was killed.

Now that Ning Chen had broken Chongzhou, the ones who had gone over ran with him.

They understood their position well enough. Run and there might be a way out. Stay and there was only dying.

But they thought far too well of Prince Rui.

Prince Rui was a dog with no home to go to himself, wishing for wings to get him out of Chongzhou. He had no attention to spare for them... and the officials were dragging their whole households along behind them.

So he dropped them halfway to the south gate.

With Chongzhou broken by Ning Chen's men, they were of no further use.

Ning Chen had found nobody at the Governor's residence. He thought it over for a moment and guessed Prince Rui had run for the south gate.

He took his men and went after him at once. Whatever else happened, Prince Rui was not getting away this time.

Prince Rui ran like a dog with no home to go to, and he ran fast. He was running for his life, after all.

When he caught sight of the south gate he let out a long, heavy breath.

"Open the gate, quickly, open the gate..."

Prince Rui was bellowing it at the top of his voice from a long way off.

Feng Qizheng was in a foul mood. Some five hundred of the Ning'an Army had been holding this gate to begin with. He had brought twelve hundred of the modao army up, and there had been nothing for them to do.

What are those Zhaohe little…