A few days later Ning Chen's army was not far from Gaotian City.

Zhang Tianhua came riding up.

"My lord marquis, the land ahead is the Gaoli Kingdom's... If we walk into another state's territory like this it will be taken for a provocation. It could easily be misunderstood."

Ning Chen's eyebrows lifted a little. "Wasn't it the Gaoli Kingdom that provoked our Great Xuan first?"

Zhang Tianhua's forehead filled with question marks. Where did that come from?

Ning Chen went on. "As I understand it, when the late emperor was alive the Gaoli Kingdom was a dependency of the Great Xuan too... In the second year of His Majesty's reign, when the government was unsteady, the Gaoli Kingdom broke away from the Great Xuan and stopped sending tribute to the Great Xuan. Is that how it went?"

Zhang Tianhua nodded. "My lord marquis has it right. But since the Gaoli Kingdom broke away from the Great Xuan it has never come into conflict with the Great Xuan. It has been honest enough."

Ning Chen laughed. "The Gaoli Kingdom decided its wings had grown hard and got out from under the Great Xuan's protection... They may be without kindness, but we cannot be without honor."

"The Gaoli Kingdom is caught in a war now. They may not acknowledge the Great Xuan as their father, but the Great Xuan cannot refuse to acknowledge this son... We are going to help the Gaoli Kingdom, not to provoke it."

"The household has been split, true enough. But what's wrong with a father paying a call at his son's house?"

Zhang Tianhua stared for a second and then said quickly, "My lord marquis is right!"

Ning Chen said, without warmth, "Give the order. The army goes on!"

A day later the army was less than fifteen miles from Gaotian City.

Ning Chen gave the order to keep pushing forward.

Only when they were less than six miles from Gaotian City did Ning Chen give the order to make camp where they stood.

"Report...!"

A scout came at a hard gallop.

He swung down out…