It took several more days before the battlefield was fully cleared.

Ning Chen had forbidden his men to slaughter civilians or rape women... but he'd never said a word against looting.

Shengguang City was stripped almost bare.

Almost, because Ning Chen left the townspeople enough grain to stay alive.

He was going to station troops there, after all.

Once Xiliang's ruler offered up a letter of surrender and called himself a vassal, Ning Chen would garrison Shengguang City with fifty thousand men.

Xiliang's military was too weak now to defend itself, so to keep the state from being wiped out, Ning Chen would leave fifty thousand troops behind to protect it.

Naturally, Xiliang would have to feed them. The grain, the fodder and the soldiers' pay would all come out of Xiliang's pocket.

For now, though, what mattered most was taking Dingtian City.

Dingtian City was the last line of defense in front of Xiliang's capital.

Take Dingtian City, and the road lay open all the way to the capital.

Xiliang had no troops left to throw at him, so Ning Chen was in no hurry.

He ordered his men to get some real rest.

The truth was, he was also waiting... waiting for word that Xiliang's imperial house had surrendered.

At dinnertime, Ning Chen had his meal brought to Tantai Qingyue's tent.

He sat down at a low table laid with wine and dishes.

Ning Chen ate from his own private kitchen.

"Come here!"

He beckoned to Tantai Qingyue, who stood off to one side.

She came over without a word.

Ning Chen said, "Pour this prince some wine!"

Tantai Qingyue's eyes were cold. She stood rigid for a moment, then, teeth clenched, picked up the flask and poured.

Ning Chen tossed the cup back in one swallow. "This is the Great Xuan's Immortal Dew. I came up with it myself... Someday I'm going to sell it out here and rake in all your Xiliang silver."

Tantai Qingyue: "..."

"Don't just stand there. Pour!"

Ning Chen took in the misery written all over her face and smiled. "So what…