The next day, early morning.

Ning Chen had slept well the night before and was fully rested, and the weariness of all those days of hard travel was swept clean away.

After eating something, Ning Chen took Pan Yucheng and the others up onto the fort wall.

Ning Chen looked out at Mount Buddha's Hand in the distance and studied the lay of the ground all around.

Toward midday he came to the camp of the Ning'an Army.

He called Yuan Long, Lei An and the other officers together and held a meeting.

Then he kept Wu Tiezhu back alone.

The two of them talked for a while!

Ning Chen looked at him. "Brother Zhuzi, are you confident?"

Wu Tiezhu nodded.

The Wu Tiezhu of today was not what he had been.

He had come up as a tiger hunter, and his archery had been outstanding to begin with. Add hard training day after day, and all the extra coaching Ning Chen had given him up at the frontier, and he was a seasoned officer now.

"Brother Zhuzi, if you're not sure of it, pull out at once... While the green hills last there is no want of firewood."

Wu Tiezhu's face was perfectly serious. "Set your mind at rest. You brought me up. I'll never shame you."

In the afternoon Ning Chen came back to the main camp.

Tong Yuanzhou came looking for him.

"My lord marquis, Kang Luo, Nanyue's Fourth Prince, has sent a letter!"

Ning Chen took the letter Tong Yuanzhou held out, opened it and read.

When he had finished, he said, with plenty behind it, "Kang Luo's sources are well informed indeed. I only arrived yesterday and he knows it already."

Tong Yuanzhou's expression changed slightly. "Does my lord marquis mean that somebody has carried word to Kang Luo?"

Ning Chen glanced at him.

It seemed Tong Yuanzhou knew nothing at all.

Ning Chen did not say anything further. He handed him the letter instead.

Tong Yuanzhou took the letter, glanced at it and said in surprise, "Kang Luo wants to arrange a meeting with…