Ning Chen clapped Feng Qizheng on the shoulder. "Old Feng, this time the top credit goes to you. I'll keep it on the books for you.

Send someone to tell Yuan Long, Lei An and the others to come see me tonight."

Feng Qizheng nodded. "Got it!" He stood up, slapped the dirt off his backside and left.

The corner of Ning Chen's mouth twitched. The dirt had drifted right into his face.

That night, Yuan Long and the others came to see Ning Chen.

Everyone was standing except Ning Chen and Yuan Long.

Yuan Long had taken thirty strokes of the rod. Ning Chen saw him limping and told him to sit.

Yuan Long looked thoroughly pleased with himself.

Ning Chen rolled his eyes at him. Thirty strokes of the rod and he could still walk around? Those thirty strokes must have been watered down... Then again, it also showed that crude soldiers were built tough. They could take a pounding.

"Yuan Long, what about Kang Xiao?"

Yuan Long said quickly, "Dead!"

Ning Chen: "... That was way too quick. He got off easy."

Yuan Long said, "My lord prince, Yunniang's stab didn't hit anything vital, but he lost a lot of blood... Once we got him to the camp, he died after only a hundred-odd cuts."

Ning Chen grunted, then waved a hand. "Down to business... Old Feng interrogated Zhang Tianlun, and we know now where the Zhaohe army's thirty thousand are hiding.

We've also found the fifty warships Zhang Tianlun hid.

Yuan Long is wounded, so this time Lei An and Yue Congyun will have to make the trip... Take the Ning'an Army and the cannon, sail those fifty warships, and swallow those thirty thousand Zhaohe troops for me."

Yuan Long shot to his feet, grimacing. "My lord prince, this officer can go into battle..."

"Stay put, will you? Your face is all twisted up with pain. Are you planning to scare the Zhaohe army to death?"

Yuan Long gave a dry laugh. "My lord prince, this officer really can... This officer will stake his life on…