Yuan Long and Qin Qiao arrived.

Before they could salute, Ning Chen said in a low voice, "The force Zhong Xiuwen was leading has disappeared."

That one sentence left Yuan Long and Qin Qiao staring, dumbfounded.

Ning Chen went on, "By rights, Zhong Xiuwen should have been back at the southern frontier pass long ago... But so far, he hasn't returned."

Qin Qiao and Yuan Long looked at each other.

Counting the prisoners, Zhong Xiuwen had been leading nearly eighty thousand men, along with loot beyond counting.

Yuan Long said, "Could something on the road have held him up?"

Ning Chen glanced at him and said nothing.

Yuan Long hunched his shoulders. He didn't think it was likely either.

Marches ran on rules. Failing to arrive by the set time broke military law, and that was a serious crime.

Ning Chen hadn't set Zhong Xiuwen a deadline for getting back to the southern frontier pass, but he ought to have had a fair idea himself. He should have been back at the pass ages ago.

Feng Qizheng muttered, "If you ask me, the son of a bitch got greedy. Escorting the loot of two whole cities, who could blame him for being tempted... Maybe he ran off with the loot and the men.

With that many men and that much loot, he could go set himself up as king in one of those little countries."

Qin Qiao was anxious. "My lord prince, please judge fairly. This officer guarded the southern frontier pass alongside General Zhong. I think I know him fairly well... General Zhong is absolutely not that kind of man."

Ning Chen's voice was grave. "This prince trusts General Zhong's loyalty too. But the most important thing right now is to find out where he's gone, and what happened to him.

Qin Qiao, keep leading the Southern Frontier Army and guarding the loot.

We're less than two days from the Gaoli Kingdom's Rufeng City. Yuan Long, take three hundred of the Ning'an Army, ride fast and light, and go on ahead. Pay your respects to the city lord... and…