Ning Chen narrowed his eyes at the Xiliang officer on the wall.

He did not know Xing La, but he could tell the man was an officer.

Of course, he could also see the panic in the man's eyes.

Ning Chen looked at him and called out in a ringing voice, "Open the gate, or die... Your choice."

Xing La's face was a dreadful white... he stared at Ning Chen and said nothing, as though he were thinking it over.

The Xiliang soldiers' eyes were full of fear, and the hands that held their bows were trembling.

Ning Chen gave a cold laugh. "Given the chance and no good for anything... Take the city!"

Ning Chen gave the word.

Thirty-odd cannon were pushed out in front of the army.

Ning Chen gave another order. "Yuan Long, take men and cover the assault!"

"This officer obeys!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!

A rain of arrows filled the sky and poured onto the wall, keeping the Xiliang soldiers' heads down.

At the same moment, the thirty-odd cannon fired together.

BOOM!!!

The sound was like a peal of thunder, and shot fell like rain.

The heavy gate was blown full of holes in an instant.

The color went out of Xing La's face.

Xing Shan and Han Gaochi had led a hundred and fifty thousand men and been wiped out to a man. How could his five thousand, the old, the weak, the sick and the lame, hope to stop Ning Chen?

He set his teeth, came down off the wall, took his trusted men and ran.

The one who had crossed Ning Chen was that pig-brained, swollen-headed Xing Shan. (TL Note: 人頭豬腦, "a man's head with a pig's brain" — an insult for a stupid person.) Why should he have to pay for it with his life?

With their officers gone, would the old, the weak, the sick and the lame who were left still dare to resist? They scattered and ran.

The gate was blasted open!

They met no resistance at all. Taking the gate had been no more trouble than blowing away…