The crown prince stood with his hands behind his back and laughed. "Brother-in-law, no ceremony!"

Ning Chen rolled his eyes.

The crown prince said, "Father Emperor is buried in the business of government and cannot get away. He says that when you come back he will lead the whole court out of the city to meet you."

"Eunuch Quan was to have come, but I got in ahead of him... Ning Chen, I do not know much about war, but even I know a battlefield is a dangerous place. You have never lost, but do not take it lightly. Be careful, whatever else you do."

Ning Chen nodded slightly.

The two of them were still talking when Pan Yucheng and the others came up with Fang Pu.

"Go on back. It is time I was off!"

The Eldest Prince smiled. "I will wish you a triumph in advance... take care of yourself. I am still waiting to be an uncle."

Ning Chen gave him a look and then asked, out of nowhere, "You would not be planning to rebel again, would you?"

The Eldest Prince froze where he stood.

He said sourly, "Can we talk about something else? It took everything I had to come out of that alive and be made heir apparent again... why would I go looking to die?"

"I understand now that Father Emperor is a man of real wisdom... with you in the Great Xuan, the emperor has nothing to worry about."

Ning Chen smiled a little, walked back and swung up onto his horse.

"Move out!"

At the word of command, the army marched.

Twenty-odd days later Ning Chen reached Xuantian City.

Xiguan City had already fallen and was held by the Xiliang army.

No city stood closer to Xiguan City than Xuantian City.

Unfortunately Xuantian City had no garrison.

Every one of the Western Frontier Army's hundred thousand men was inside Xiguan City when Xiliang took the whole pot in one go: twenty thousand dead, eighty thousand taken.

When Xiguan City fell, it was the common people who suffered worst, dead and wounded…